Monday, January 31, 2011

12th (Not) Riddle Run Report

This past weekend saw the running of the 12th annual Riddle Run fat ass event.  Actually, this was the Not Riddle Run event organized by Jeff's son Jason rather than the senior Riddle himself.  Still, the tradition was kept in the family and the cupcakes and clipboard were ready for runners at 8am.  Before we headed down the trail, Jason and Jeff held a cupcake eating content between two runners--then Jason gave a stirring speech regarding our right to run--then the group sauntered down the snowy trail.

Around 40 people showed up and did at least one 4-mile loop of the trail course.  More may have run, but not logged their miles on the self-service clipboard. Seven runners finished the full 28 miles...including me!  I ran my fastest Riddle Run yet: 5:14.  Last year I ran 5:49. My previous best was 5:21 (2008).  The winning time this year was 4:57 by Brian and Elliot.  Hey, that means I was only a few minutes behind those guys!  I hope this is a good sign for the rest of the year.

The weather cooperated and we had overcast skies and temperatures in the mid-20s to mid-30s.  No new snow and only light winds all day.  The trail was covered with a couple of inches of snow that had been packed down into a "running lane" that was easy to follow, but a bit slick at times.  Not packed ice, but still uneven and slightly slippery.  Overall, pretty good conditions for a late January run.

I wonder if the (Not) Riddle Run winners will get into the closed Clinton Lake ultra?  That was past tradition.  Guess it's between the (Not) Riddle Run race director and the new Clinton Lake director.  Not my decision.

NOTE:  After 12 Riddle Runs (including this one), I now have a total of 277 "Riddle Run miles."  Most of anyone in the world!  Also believe only one other person, Tom Rice, has participated (run at least one loop) in all 12 events.  Tom is way behind me in total miles...but likely ahead of me in "beers consumed" during and after each run.  Both are mighty achievements.  Good job Tom.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Jason's Jog for the Riddle Run

Jeff Riddle, the famous director of the Riddle Run fat ass event, has always enjoyed the following quote (picture at left is not Jeff, that's Gilbert Keith):

"A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame and money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well." - G. K. Chesterton

I'm glad Tom put this quote in the comment section of my previous blog post.  This was the motto of the temporarily defunct Riddle Run.  It's a great quote that may summarize many of our personal running attempts.  Few of us will ever achieve running fame.  Most will not even be very good at running.  Yet we persist because we enjoy it.  One foot in front of the other.  Repeat until satisfied.  Seems deceptively easy.  Throw in a beautiful trail and good friends and you have a fun run.  That's why we'll have people gathering this Saturday to do a "commemorative" run to honor the passing of the Riddle Run.  This training run is organized by Jeff's son, Jason.  Thus, I call it "Jason's Jog."  Catchy title, eh?  Hope to see many familiar faces this weekend.  Maybe a few new ones too.  Likewise, I hope the true Riddle Run will rise from the ashes and fly higher than ever next year!  I'm practicing every day and have high hopes of doing well at next year's event.  Maybe it's more accurate to say "delusions of doing well"?

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Running Quotes

In case you haven't noticed, the top banner of this blog finishes with three famous quotes...not intended for runners, but they work for us none-the-less.  I plan on doing a series of quotes related to running.  Let me know what your favorite quotes are and I'll post them here--with my famous commentary!  Until you send me quotes, I'll find a few--some from famous runners or coaches, others from my friends, others from literary giants.  Hopefully they will motivate you.  Let's start with those three from my blog banner:

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." -T.S. Eliot
Seems like this could apply to ultra running.  How far can you go?  Is a marathon really far enough?  Test yourself by risking going too far...you might surprise yourself!  We all have more inside of us than we dare to dream.
 
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." -Dalai Lama
At times, running hurts.  Racing almost always hurts.  Fast 5Ks are hard and they bring pain.  Long 100 mile trail races cause a bit of discomfort...also known as extreme pain...physical & emotional.  The pain will come, but you don't have to suffer.  Take control.  Embrace it.  Push through and conquer the pain!

"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art." -Leonardo da Vinci
Is this an awesome quote or what?  Your feet have evolved to walk and run efficiently.  Why try to improve what the foot has already mastered?  Free your feet and let them do their job!  Run unshod...or as close to barefoot as possible.

So, what are your favorite quotes that might be connected to running?

Sunday, January 23, 2011

60 Days of Continuous Running

Are you kidding me?  I just came back from a 5-mile run on cold and snowy trails.  This was my 60th day of "streak running."  Pretty cool to have reached this milestone.  Sixty days is basically 2 months of not missing a day of running.  I'm pleased.  The treadmill is becoming a friend and foe...I hate that machine!  Last winter, I got outside in almost any weather conditions--but I only ran 3 or 4 days per week.  Those miserable outdoor days were fine when they were interspersed with cozy days inside with no running.  This winter has brought colder temperatures and more snow than last year...and I'm trying to run each and every day.  My persistence has led me to the dreaded treadmill.  It is a life-saver on bitter cold and icy mornings, but it gets old fast. Today's run encouraged me to suck it up and get outside more often.  With the correct running clothes, it's fairly pleasant to brave the cold and "beat" old man winter.  My trusty New Balance 790s, with screws inserted for extra traction, have held up nicely so far. Hopefully when I report 90 days of daily running the weather will be turning slightly warmer and snow will not be covering every street, trail, corn field, meadow, tree, bush, track, and field.

Wish me luck.  This running streak thing is starting to come together.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Spring 2011 Minimalist Shoes

I am anxiously awaiting the wide-scale release of three new minimalist shoes this spring: Merrell Trail Glove, Altra Adam, and New Balance Minimus Trail.  All are due out by April, if not earlier. Test models have been distributed to select individuals and good reviews are coming in for these newest barefoot-like shoes.  I've had several friends ask me about these shoes...guess I'm the local "in-the-know" minimalist guy.  Could be worse.  Here are my links to various blogger posts related to these three shoes.

Merrell Trail Glove Reviews:
Barefoot Running University
Active Gear Review
Serious Running

New Balance Minimus Trail Reviews:
Barefoot Running University
Runblogger
Minimalist Running Shoes
iRunFar
Birthday Shoes

Altra Adam Reviews:
Minimalist Running Shoes
My Tree of Life
Adventure in Progress

The Altra Adam folks have been taking pre-orders on their web site. The Merrell Trail Glove has already hit the market in select locales, but have sold out quickly.  The NB Minimus Trail hasn't reached the market yet.  It's going to be a great spring for minimalist running!  Of course, once the weather warms up this spring, the best "minimalist shoe" will again be practical...the bare human foot.  Don't forget that an actual bare foot is the best way to learn correct running form.  Use shoes as tools when necessary.  Go bare when possible!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Running to the Limits DVD

My "British DVD" finally arrived this past week.  It was supposed to be a Christmas present, but the first mailing never arrived from England.  Fortunately, the documentary folks sent a new one immediately.  The film is titled "Running to the Limits" and it chronicles Alex Vero's attempt to qualify for the British Olympic marathon trials.  It takes a sub-2:20 to qualify!  Alex started out as an ordinary English guy.  Well, actually he may have been slightly "less than ordinary" considering he was overweight (16 stone=224 pound), asthmatic, a heavy smoker & drinker, and could barely run 5 minutes at one time.  What was this dude thinking?  Was he crazy?

He commits to intense running for the next 2 years.  His transformation is pretty impressive.  The documentary focuses on his training, but it quickly involves others runners, including an Ethiopian bell boy.  Nice stories all around.  In  addition to the main documentary, there are extra features that include more details on training.  It's quite impressive to see "old timers" like Bruce Tulloh and Ron Hill commenting and advising Alex.

The documentary inspired me to try for a fast marathon and 50K this year.  If this guy can start out from nothing and attempt to get to a 2:20 marathon in 2 years, I should be able to go from "fairly consistent runner" to the streets of Boston in less time.  I'll be breaking PRs along the way at many distances!  I doubt I'll be running 2:20, or 2:30, or 2:40, or 2:50, or 3:00...but hopefully an easy 3:30 marathon.  And surely I can break 5:00 for a trail 50K. 

The DVD sells for 12.99 British pounds...that's about $20 US dollars.  The cost includes shipping.  I think it was well worth the money.  If you are interested in the DVD, it can be purchased directly from the web site alexvero.co.uk.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Josh Cox Sets 50K American Record (Again)

Josh Cox ran the Arizona Rock & Roll Marathon today...won it in a time of 2:17...then continued on a certified road and track course to finish a 50K...in a new American record time of 2:43:45.  South African Thompson Muguwana holds the 50K world record of 2:43:38 (set in 1988).  Josh wasn't far off that mark. A pretty good run!  Congratulations.  Who held the American record prior to today?  Josh Cox.  He set that old record (2:47:17) on the same course 2 years ago--see him crossing that finish line in the photo above.  My post about that run is available here.  Josh doesn't quite have the speed to compete at the highest level in the marathon, but he sure does have the speed for 50Ks.  I'd love to see him race a 50 mile or longer trail ultra marathon.  He ran one in his college days, but that was before he became a professional runner.

Here is a short USA Today news story about the event.

A few good training videos (some with Ryan Hall) are available on Josh's web site.  He and Ryan are supposedly working on a running book due out this year.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Advantages of Running Every Day

My running streak isn't exactly the longest in the history of mankind, but it's my longest by a wide margin.  In the past, I'd be lucky to string together 10 straight days of running.  Now I have 50 days of continuous running.  LET ME REPEAT...THAT IS 50 DAYS OF CONTINUOUS RUNNING!  I feel better than I have in a long time.  There are a lot of advantages to running every single day:

  • More running makes you a better runner
  • Less running injuries with consistent training
  • Confidence that you can run and race well
  • Greater ability to "monitor" your body
  • Burns calories and keeps weight steady
  • Stress reduction every day
  • "Bad runs" are erased the next day
  • I run smarter today knowing that I want to run again tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.  No more outrageous runs just to prove my worth.  I prove my worth as a runner EVERY SINGLE DAY BY RUNNING.  It's healthier to hold back a bit and run within my limits each day. 

Yes, there are disadvantages to running each day. It can interfere with work and family.  But seriously, how hard is it to run at 6am and then be done for the entire day?  I think training for an ultramarathon is much harder on the body...and interferes with other obligations more than a single 45-60 minute daily run.  I believe the biggest drawback is the possibility of over-working your body and not resting.  That's why I now training conservatively and intelligently.  I want to be back running tomorrow.  I feel the daily runs actually help me recover better than full rest days did in the past.  It took me about 2 weeks to get in the routine of running each and every day.  Now, it's a ritual.  Cross those fingers, but for now, I'm healthy, happy, and injury free.  Only about 350 days to go to break 400 days and complete this entire year!

    Monday, January 10, 2011

    Anton Krupicka's Minimalist Thoughts in 2007

    Anton Krupicka, one of the best trail ultramarathon runners of the last few years, wrote about minimalist shoes and barefoot running on his blog way back in 2007.  Here is a great post of his from October 24, 2007 entitled "Minimalist Footwear."  It's great to see one of my "running idols" writing so effectively about the minimalist movement...before it was a running trend!  It doesn't hurt that I agree with everything he says in this early post.  I encourage people to read, or re-read, this post from Anton.  I am cautiously optimistic that New Balance may get things right with his guidance in developing their newest minimalist shoes.  The NB Minimus line is due out this spring.  They'll have competition from Merrell's barefoot collection and the new Altra line of barefoot shoes, but New Balance is a big company that could influence a lot of runners to "go minimal."  I hope ALL of the new barefoot shoes do well.  Runners deserve diversity in the types of shoes that will serve our needs.

    Friday, January 7, 2011

    Bucket List of Ultras

    Lately I have been thinking a lot about my running goals for this year.  It made me think of what I'd like to do before I die.  Morbid?  Maybe.  It's sort of a natural thing to do...dreaming of great things...that dying thing is natural too.  Don't we all have some dream races we'd love to run?  I do.  Here are my top dream marathons and ultramarathons (I may add to this list after I receive comments from people suggesting other dream races):

    JFK 50
    Western States 100
    Comrades Marathon (89km)
    Barkley 100
    Pikes Peak Marathon
    London to Brighton (90km)
    Leadville 100 or Hardrock 100
    Boston Marathon
    Badwater (solo or real race)
    Redwoods Marathon or Avenue of the Giants Marathon

    I have other running related dreams that are not specific to a particular race: break 24:00 for a 100 mile trail race, complete the Grand Slam of Ultra Running (not necessarily all in one summer), finish 100 ultras, win a race of any distance (that is not my own), do a stage race (that is not my own), qualify for Boston on a trail marathon course, run every single day for an entire year, hiking/running the full Appalachian Trail (AT), run the Grand Canyon from Rim-Rim-Rim, do a marathon or ultra barefoot...the list goes on...nice to have dreams.

    We can all dream big!  I will do ONE LOOP (20 miles) of Barkley before I die...or maybe I'll die trying to do one loop. WHAT ARE YOUR DREAM ULTRAS?  

    Hopefully I'll come back to this post in 20 years and see that I've crossed off many of these dream events.

    Wednesday, January 5, 2011

    Hood to Coast the Movie

    On Tuesday, January 11 a new running movie will debut across the country.  "Hood to Coast" the movie will play one-day only in select theaters around the US.  The race is the largest and oldest relay in the world.  I ran it a few years ago--very cool.  Pretty intense too.  You start on the top of Mount Hood and end up at the Pacific Ocean about 200 miles away (the end spot is the "coast" part of the name).  Twelve runners, 36 legs.  The web site has plenty of information and a link to theaters that are running the movie on 1-11-2011.  If you are a runner, I think you'll enjoy this movie.  We don't have very many running-specific movies--get out and support this one if it's playing in your local community!

    Monday, January 3, 2011

    Local 50K "Western Slam"

    I'm inclined to make up various runs and races...so it was inevitable that I'd combine a few local regular trails into one "day long series of trail runs that combine into a race."  OK, maybe not a race.  A few years ago I combined the local "eastern" trails into a day long trek of running: Forest Glen Nature Preserve, Wild Wilderness, Lake Mingo, and Clear Pond.  Now it's time for the "western" version of our local trails to be combined into a day-long adventure:  McNaughton Park (10 miles), Clinton Lake (10 miles), Allerton Park (6 miles), and Lake of the Woods (5 miles).  This local "western slam" of trail running would equate to 31 miles (50K).  Not a bad day of running, with short breaks to drive to the next trail head and refuel.  I've been doing a "made-up" ultra in my sister's memory each Earth Day (April 22).  That's when she passed away in 2006.  Usually I just run in town on roads, bike path, and trail.  Seems like it's time to step it up and make it a bit more formal...and difficult...and reflective.  I can run on beautiful trails, have time to think about my sister as I drive to the next trail, then run some more.  So the "western slam" is set to go on April 22.  If this trial goes well, I'll repeat it yearly...maybe even doing an eastern and western slam all in one weekend!  Who can't run 4 trails on Saturday, then another 4 trails on Sunday?  Eight trails in one weekend...sweet!  Need to turn this idea into a tradition.

    Sunday, January 2, 2011

    What's that Green Stuff?

    I ran yesterday and there appeared to be some foreign material on the ground.  It was greenish brown.  Odd.  I've only seen white powder...or white ice...for the last few weeks.  It felt nice to reconnect with Earth.  But what is that green stuff?  Holy cow, it's GRASS!  Not the healthiest looking grass, but brownish-green grass none-the-less.  I knew the new year was going to be great.  We have grass on the trails instead of snow.  Hope springs eternal...and Spring is around the corner.  Keep plugging away and before you know it, you'll be complaining about the heat.  Runners are very connected to nature.  Weather affects us on every single run.  Rain, snow, wind, sun, heat, cold, snow, ice, fog...it's all good.  Keep running and connecting to nature.  Appreciate all the seasons.