Some Days Just Suck

Have you noticed that some days just suck?  This morning's run was slow and sucky.  I finished it, but my heart rate kept pushing the top end of "easy" according to my HR monitor.  Slow down.  Slow down.  Geez, I was only going around 9:00 pace, even a bit slower at times.  Then I come to work and have a survey go out to all graduating seniors at our big University...it comes from me, but on behalf of the Chancellor...yikes that's stressful!  Then one of my best employees tells me she is leaving the country and will need to resign her position in May.  Holy cow. When it rains, it pours.  Some days never seem to end. 

The upside...

• I already have over 600 responses from graduating seniors...in less than 3 hours.
• My running may be slow, but it's pain-free and steady.
• I may have a candidate to fill the soon-to-be vacated position in my unit.
• It's 50 degrees and sunny outside.
• My degu is happy sunning himself.

The world isn't too bad.  Tomorrow is another day...and it's a buffalo Thursday!  One more group tempo run on the trails.

McNaughton Park 50 and 100 Mile Runs

Only 12 days until the McNaughton Park (actually it's now called "Potawatomi Trail") 50 and 100 mile races in Pekin, IL.  I've done this race many times and also volunteered at the Heaven's Gate aid station.  It's a great event.  This year, I signed up for the "short" 50 mile race.  Seemed like a good thing to do a few months ago.  Even if I wasn't fully prepared, it was "only" 50 miles.  Who can't run 50 miles on trails?  Well, me for one!  I am woefully under-prepared.  I skipped the Land Between the Lakes Marathon a couple of weeks ago, I skipped the Lake Mingo Fat Ass (28 miler) in February and I haven't done a long run since the Riddle Run at the end of January.  My calf injury seems fully healed and I am now running well...if the distance is 12 miles or less.  I now have one more weekend to get in a longish run...but I need to fully recover too.  Can I run 20 miles this weekend and still be ready 7 days later for 50 miles?  Maybe I should just run a couple of 10 milers instead of one long run.  Or maybe I should skip the race altogether.  Or DNF after 20-30 miles.  Lots of options, but none is ideal.  As I was contemplating my next 2 weeks of running, I came across this David Goggins video of his 150 mile run at McNaughton Park a couple of years ago.  I was at the Pekin race the same year this video was taken--struggling through 100 slow miles while David raced 150 miles. The video was a good reminder of what runners can do if we put our minds to the task and really focus.



If David can do 150 miles, I can do 50 miles.  It may not be pretty, but I can finish.  Of course, I'll bet Mr. Goggins actually trained for his 150 miles.  Wish I could say the same.  If nothing else, I hope to see lots of old friends on that McNaughton Park trail come the weekend of April 9-10.

Tempo Run Feels Awesome

Yesterday was my first Thursday "buffalo run" of the year.  Over winter, the tribe moves to road runs in town (which I normally skip).  The buffalo trail runners move back to the Lake of the Woods trails after daylight saving time changes.  I missed the first run last week due to work obligations (doesn't work interfere with running?).  This week I made it to the group run on the gently rolling trail. My intent is to use the Thursday group runs as my tempo run for the week.  Yesterday went very well.  (NOTE: For Phil Maffetone and Stu Mittleman heart rate zones, a tempo run is something like a "Speedy Aerobic Pace" run--for me that range is 145-165. A true "tempo run" would be toward the top end of that range.)

The regular buffalo run is a 5-mile trail jaunt on the interconnecting trails at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, IL.  Yesterday, I warmed up by doing an easy outside loop (about 2.5 miles) before the main 5-mile group run that starts at 6pm.  I kept my heart rate under 135 for that full loop.  Just a nice easy loping pace.  Even walked a couple of the hills.  When I returned to the main parking lot, there were about 10-12 runners hanging out. It was 5:59pm.  Good timing.  I grabbed my water bottle, said "Hi" to a few runners, and hit the trail following the two Jeff's down the first hill.  Riddle was passed within 10 meters, but Fago stayed with me for the full 5 miles...well, until we came across Riddle again around the 4.5 mile mark (The Riddler has a knack of shortening the full 5 mile course and getting ahead of us).  At that point, the "fast Jeff" walked it in with the "slow Jeff".  Fortunately, by that time I was also running with Seth and we kept our tempo pace to the end.  Wish I had taken the 5-mile split, but my warm-up was included in my overall time and heart rate average.  I think we were going around 8:00 pace, maybe just a bit slower.  My heart rate was mostly in the 155-165 range--peaking at 175.  I'd like it to stay below 165 next week.  Less talking on the hills!

If I can incorporate a weekly tempo run into my schedule, I should improve my running efficiency and form which will benefit all of my runs.  I anticipate going faster and faster within the same target HR range.  By mid-summer, I hope to be maintaining a 7:30 pace for the full 5 miles each Thursday.  I need a longer cool down afterwards.  Last night I was a bit sore and stiff.  Maybe my 2.5 mile warm-up should be followed with a 2.5 mile cool-down after the 5-mile tempo run?  That would turn each Thursday into a fantastic 10 mile run. Mondays and Fridays are "off days" (cross training or nothing) and Tuesday and Wednesdays are easy runs.  The weekend is reserved for longer trail runs--either two moderate distance runs (10-12 miles) or one long run and one short run (18-20 miles and 3-5 miles).  Sounds like a plan and I am psyched!  Next week I'll have heart rate data to share.  If you are in central Illinois, feel free to join me and the other buffalo runners each Thursday at 6pm.  We post updates and running plans on our Yahoo group forum.

Born to Run Video

Christopher McDougall and friends had a "Born to Run" evening in NYC a few months ago (just before the NYC Marathon).  The full video is online now and it's pretty darn good. Excellent information, interesting speakers, research data, running history, and more!

New York Society for Ethical Culture "Born to Run" event video

Guests include:
Chris McDougall
Dan Lieberman
Ted McDonald
Peter Sarsgaard
Eric Orton
John Durant

And some interesting Q&A, singing, and dancing!  You can watch the full video from start to finish, or just grab individual "chapters" (each speaker). I watched this whole video this weekend and it inspired me to get back to REAL barefoot walking and running.  Two runs already and one more tonight.  Hopefully I won't do too much too soon.  It feels SO GOOD to feel the Earth under your feet.

My Races Continue!

This week is the lead-up to the Clinton Lake ultra on Saturday, March 26.  I started this race back in 2007 and it's good to know it will continue without me at the helm.  I retired as RD after 4 years of directing.  This race took a lot of work to start...several years of lobbying the running club, getting sponsors, DNR approval, and official course lay-out and marking.  The hardest task was club approval for the new race.  Funny how hard it can be to get something so simple done.  Fortunately, after many struggles with the local running club, the first race happened in 2007.  The inaugural race had a limit of 75 runners.  That race went well and we increased the limit to 125 for the next 3 years.  After the first year, I also created the Illinois Trail Ultra Grand Slam--this was an agreement between Clinton Lake, McNaughton Park, Rock Cut Hobo, and the Farmdale ultras to offer special awards to runners that completed all four Illinois trail ultramarathons. I believe this Grand Slam motivated lots of runners to "dream big" and do all 4 ultras.  After the 2010 event, I retired as RD of Clinton Lake and the Grand Slam.  It was time for another director to bring his or her ideas and creativity to the now established race.  Bob and Mike took it over and will have their first race (now with a 10-mile accompanying event) this weekend.  Not sure if the Grand Slam is continuing--I haven't heard much about it and the web page still lists 2010 activities.  Hope all goes well with the Clinton Lake 30 and 10 mile runs.  It feels odd, but very nice, to have no responsibilities this weekend.  Retirement is relaxing.

Another race I started, the Buffalo Trace 5-Mile Trail Run, has also found a new race director (Jen).  She'll take over from Brian, who took over for Tom, who took over for me.  I started the race in 2003 and directed it for the first two years.  It's a great little event run on local Forest Preserve trails located in my backyard.  If you are in central Illinois on May 21st, consider running this fun little race at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet, IL.  Jen will do a great job as the new RD.  Unfortunately, I have an ultramarathon race that same weekend (CRUD 8/24-hour trail run).  Again, kind of weird not being responsible for any race tasks.  Relaxing, but weird.  Nice to see the race is well-established and continues no matter who is the race director.  Best of luck to Jen and all the buffalo runners that will volunteer and race on May 21.

After the Buffalo Trace 5 miler, there was another tradition that I had...the Buffalo Trace 7-Day Stage Race in May/June.  I started this 7-day "fun run" back in 2008 and it was held for 3 years.  I have no intent on continuing this race in 2011.  So, 2 races I started will continue, and one fades away.  That sits pretty well with me.  Buffalo Trace 7-Day Stage Race is still the only "race" I ever won--303 miles over 7 hot and humid days in the summer of 2008.  Crazy.

No Meat Athlete

If you read this blog, you know I run.  You probably know I run marathons and ultra marathons too.  And I prefer to run in minimalist shoes.  But did you know I'm also vegetarian?  No meat for me. No beef, no chicken, no turkey, no fish, nothing that had a face.  I don't eat animals.  I won't get on my soap box and talk about the environmental consequences of animal consumption, the health concerns, or the ethical issues...I'm just stating a fact about my personal lifestyle.  I am a no meat athlete.  I run on plants.  Over the last few months, I found a "vegetarian running" web site called "No Meat Athlete."  Pretty cool.  The site has great information about exercising (mostly running) and diet.  It's not preachy, just practical stuff.  Matt Frazier, the site author, writes in a natural style that resonates with me.  He's also a darn good runner.  I encourage you to check it out.  Maybe changing your lifestyle or diet will make you a better runner.  Maybe you'll feel better.  Even if you are a paleo caveman meat eater, the posts on running are worthwhile reads.

Qualifying for Boston

Now that I'm back to regular running (had a great easy run in the dark this morning), I might as well make plans for the future...and that future includes running the Boston Marathon!  I should take it easy for a while, but that doesn't mean I can't dream.  I have a brother in New Hampshire that asked me about running his local marathon (Clarence DeMar in Keene, NH) this fall.  I'd like to run that marathon as a qualifier for Boston.  Clarence DeMar was one of the best marathoners of all time.  It would be nice to run fast on his old New Hampshire roads thinking about him.  The DeMar marathon is on September 25th...and the qualifying times for Boston change on September 24, 2011!  I would need to run 3:25:00 instead of 3:30:59.  That's a six minute change.  Doable, but not as easy.  If I can find a marathon in early September, I could run a 3:30:59 and qualify for 2012 Boston.  There is the Fox Valley Marathon on September 18 in St Charles, IL.  The Quad Cities Marathon is close by too, but is on September 25--one day too late for Boston 2012.  I think it's too hot in July and August to run a fast qualifying time...and I won't have my endurance, stamina, and speed back until later this summer.  Looks like it is Fox Valley if I want to run Boston in 2012.  Otherwise, I have a plethora of choices for 2013.  No rush for now.  Time to enjoy my long road back to fitness.

Let me know if you are aware of fast marathons in August or September (before Sept 25).  I need a reasonably flat course and cool weather.  

I'm Back...Now What?

I'm back to regular running with no pain.  It's a great place to be...and somewhere I'd like to stay for a long time.  This past week I ran four times (each run was 4-5 miles on local trails).  No pain.  No sore calf.  Heck, the calf isn't even tight anymore.  I think part of the extreme tightness was the muscle tensing to prevent more damage.  Anyway, I'm feeling good and ready to get back to training. I've learned my lesson--no speed work on the treadmill...especially in the winter when I haven't raced yet.  Of course, my running buddy Jeff pointed out that I had this same injury from the same root cause (running fast on treadmill) three years ago.  If I didn't learn my lesson then, what's different now?  Now that I'm back, what's next?

My primary goal is to increase endurance and stay injury-free.  Quickness can take a back seat...hopefully it'll naturally come with an improvement in aerobic capacity. I have a 50-mile trail race on April 9 (Potawatomi Trail Run) so I'd like to be fit enough to finish that race without undue stress on my body.  I believe there's enough buried conditioning in me that I just need to revive basic training and I'll be OK.  I can't move straight into long runs without risking injury.  Here is my 4-week plan leading up to the 50-mile race:

March 14-20
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 5 mile easy trail run
Wednesday: 5 mile easy trail run
Thursday: 5 mile easy trail run
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 5 mile easy trail run
Sunday: 10 mile hilly trail run
TOTAL = 30 miles
All runs within my MAP (115-135) or MEP (135-145) heart rate zones.  I simply set my HR monitor to beep when I exceed 145.  Anything under that is fine.  Any beeping and I immediately walk.

March 21-27

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: 5 mile easy trail run

Wednesday: 5 mile easy trail run

Thursday: 5 mile "speedy aerobic" run (145-165 heart rate)

Friday: OFF

Saturday: 10 mile easy trail run (or combine with Sunday run for a single 20 mile run/walk)

Sunday: 10 mile hilly trail run or hike (or 20 mile run/walk)

TOTAL = 35 miles

Except for the Thursday "up-tempo" run, all others are in my basic aerobic HR range (115-145).

March 28-April 3

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: 5 mile easy trail run

Wednesday: 5 mile easy trail run

Thursday: 7.5 mile tempo trail run (145-165 HR zone)

Friday: OFF

Saturday: 10 mile hilly trail run

Sunday: 10 mile easy trail run

TOTAL = 37.5 miles

April 4-April 10

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: 5 mile easy trail run

Wednesday: 5 mile easy trail run

Thursday: 5 mile tempo trail run (145-165 HR zone)

Friday: OFF

Saturday: 50 mile race!

Sunday: OFF

TOTAL =  65 miles

Notice the simple nature of this schedule?  Ever heard of the KISS principle?  Keep-It-Simple-Stupid.  Since I referred to myself as stupid in a recent post ("I'm a Stupid Runner"), I figured I should develop a no-thinking easy plan for the next month.  Lots of simple 5 and 10 mile runs all within a certain HR zone.  I'm missing the true long runs, but that's OK.  I don't have time and I'm not going to jeopardize my recovery.  If needed, I can take extra time to finish the 50 miler...there is a concurrent 100 mile race so my "cut-off" time for the 50 miles is 34 hours.  I could take a nap and still finish the 50 within race limits!  The key to this plan working is to hold-back on every run and keep below target heart rate limits.  I need to run and recover.  Run and recover. Run and recover.  If the weather warms up, I'll get in some barefoot walking too.  That'll strengthen my feet and let me feel connected to the trails.

Land Between the Lakes...Not

I am registered for the Land Between the Lakes trail marathon tomorrow.  I won't be running it.  Instead, I'll do a 5-mile local trail run.  My calf seems to be healing nicely and I should be back to full training next week.  No speedwork, but daily runs of about 5 miles.  Next weekend I'll try my first long run--probably 10 miles.  If that goes well, I declare myself healed.  I've learned my lesson...speed kills!  I've run 303 miles in one week and not gotten injured, but one intense speed session on a treadmill knocks me down.  Crazy.  Humans evolved to be distance runners, not sprinters.  My future speed sessions will be tempo runs or hill repeats that do not go far into the anaerobic zone.

Hope everyone running at Land Between the Lakes enjoys the trail and weather.  It's a great event and I plan on being back next year.  The West Kentucky Runners Club have a few runs down in the Paducah, KY area...I have my eye on their June "Run Under the Stars" 10-hour race held on a horse track at night. Running all night (8pm-6am) in the KY summer seems pretty cool.

Winter is Over

The real end of winter occurs on March 20, but I declare today the end of winter.  Instead of snow and ice, we have rain.  I wake up to temperatures above freezing.  I don't worry about slipping on ice, I worry about getting my shoe stuck in the mud.  These are the pleasures of spring trail running in the Midwest.  While I can't promise no more snow or ice, I can promise it won't last long.  I don't anticipate having inches of snow covering our local Illinois trails.  There won't be streets coated with ice.  Winter is over...spring is here in central Illinois!

I made it through this winter by running everyday...through -5 degree mornings...through -30 windchills...through snow and ice...I made it to spring.  I might call myself a "winter warrior."  And with that declaration, here's another great running video from YouTube:



You can now revel in your winter achievements and look forward to spring.  I'm telling you, winter is over! Get outside and run.

Don't worry, I'm getting tired of these text to video things too.  I won't be posting many more...unless I find a truly interesting one...or I make one myself. 

Happy Mardi Gras!

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! Hope you have a great run today. I had the best run in several weeks this morning on the trails. Fat Tuesday is the day to get all your sins out...before Ash Wednesday...then do whatever you do for Lent...or any other holiday, religious observance, or what-not. Growing up in the New Orleans area, I love Mardi Gras, but don't care much for Lent or any other religious days. I'm looking forward to a great set of trail runs over the next few weeks.  Hopefully I won't get the baby in today's king cake.  You do know what a king cake is, right?

I am an Ultra Runner

My weekend went well.  I got in two hikes on tough trails and my calf hung in there.  This week I'll be back to short trail runs.  Before you know it, I'll be back to long ultra runs...like this guy in the video:



If you are doing lots of long runs like most ultra runners, make sure you don't forget to spend plenty of time with your family and friends too. Running is not life. It should make life better...don't replace life with solo running. I have to admit that breakfast, or lunch, sure does taste great after a 4-5 hour run!

Breaking the Non-Running Streak!

This morning I broke my non-running streak of 4 days!  That's a streak you don't want to continue.  I took Monday-Thursday off from running after the bad weekend experience with my calf.  It felt good to run for .75 miles total (.25 mile x 3) with walking in-between.  All on the treadmill in my brand new New Balance Minimus Trail shoes.  The calf felt OK.  Four days off has allowed it to heal...or at least not get aggravated.  Hopefully things will be good tomorrow too.  I plan on running 3 miles on the trails.  Then Sunday I'll go for a 10-mile hike with a little running inserted every once in awhile. If I'm OK on Monday, then I'll resume regular training with my new Maffetone heart rate zones.  Not sure I'll be going to Kentucky for the Land Between the Lakes marathon on March 12.  Doubt I could even run even a half marathon right now.  Safer to stay home and continue basic training and slowly increase mileage and speed.  I think it's best to be a smart runner and stay uninjured.  See, injuries can be good when they give you wisdom!  Hope the lesson stays with me.

With a return to regular running, I hope to post two new shoe reviews:  Merrell Trail Glove and New Balance Minimus Trail.  I need to get a few more runs in each, but they are both promising shoes.

I'm a Stupid Runner

I have a confession to make...I am a stupid runner.  I'm injured because I decided to run a crazy fast pace (under 5:30 minute/mile) just to see what my maximum heart rate would be at those fast paces.  Why?  Because I felt I could do anything and not get injured.  I was in a good place with my current running.  Training was going well.  I had a nice running streak and I was starting to feel good.  I guess that wasn't good enough for me.  I wanted more.  I got greedy.  I got stupid.  There was no reason to re-determine my maximum heart rate.  I have done it several times in the past during races or at the end of hard training runs.  Why re-assess?  I suppose I thought my HR zones might be off--maybe they were too low?  Maybe I felt I needed to train harder, but still within my zones...that would mean I needed a higher maximum rate so I could readjust my zones higher.  Stupid.

I'm now on a three day non-running streak.  A full three days off from running.  My calf is healing.  I don't limp when I walk.  It's still a little sore and tight, but it doesn't HURT. That's progress.  I'm getting smarter.  If I stuck to my heart rate zone training this injury would have never happened.  My top zone would have kept me running at a hard tempo pace (~6:45-7:00 pace)...but not so fast that I would strain my calf!  That's the beauty of heart rate training.  You go as fast as your body (heart) will allow for the intended workout.  Over time, your body adapts and improves and you run faster at the SAME heart rate. Simple. Intelligent. 

Runners often forget the reason they run.  There are tons of reasons to run...better health, weight-loss, fast racing, stress reduction, etc.  Why do you run?  Once you know why you run, then you can train with that goal in mind.  If you are running purely for health, then you do not need to do fast-paced speed work.  Run easy.  Enjoy each run.  If you are training for a trail ultramarathon race, then you don't need to do workouts intended for 5K runners.  You need long runs on trails.  That's what I needed.  I had no business running at 5:15 pace.  I suffered the consequences.  Actually, I'm still suffering.  I hope I remember this lesson.  Time to "get smart."  I am returning to heart rate based training.  There are lots of good programs, but I'm going with a more conservative approach--it's based on Phil Maffetone and Stu Mittleman.  The primary emphasis is on aerobic conditioning.  I'll have three zones:

Mostly Aerobic Pace (MAP) = 110-130
Most Efficient Pace (MEP) = 130-140
Speedy Anaerobic Pace (SAP) = 140-160

(When my injury heals, and I remain injury free for a few weeks, I can add 5 beats to each zone.)

These zones are based on 180 - age +/- adjustments based on health and injuries. None of these come close to my maximum heart rate of 191.  I've blogged about heart rate training in the past.  Here is one of my better posts that combines Maffetone and Mittleman and provides a few resources: "Maffetone Heart Rate Training".