Smoky Mountain Hiking

Soon after I finished the Potawatomi 50 miler, four friends and I went to the Smoky Mountains to hike for a few days (we were "headquartered" in a cabin located in Townsend, TN).  I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group since I was still recovering from my slog-fest at the 50 miler.  Of course, in the past, I was impatient with my hiking buddies--always wanting them to go faster.  Maybe my lingering fatigue would be a positive.  Well, we hiked, I got impatient at times, and I had no real left-over problems from Potawatomi race!  It was a good trip.  We climbed several of the higher peaks in the area (Mount LeConte, Gregory Bald, Clingman's Dome, Brushy Mt) and hit parts of the Appalachian Trail.  Several AT thru-hikers were coming into the Smokys and it was a real treat to see them.  What an amazing group of individuals.  In addition to the AT hikers, we "ran into" two ultra runners that use the area for long training runs (one was doing 25 miles, the other 30 miles).  Impressive through these mountains.  I think I'd be a better ultra runner if I lived close to the mountains.  On one of our drives back to our cabin after a day full of hiking, we saw a black bear--very close to the car.  Other cars were stopped on the road and people were taking tons of pictures.  I got impatient.  They acted like it was a space alien!  Take a photo and move on...and PLEASE don't stop in another 100 meters to take a photo of a deer...then 100 meters later a picture of a turkey...then a squirrel...

Anyway, the trip was good.  We missed the worst of the thunderstorms and most days were cool and clear.  The local rains really swelled the creeks--some of them looked like white water rafting spots!  The hiking was a nice change for my legs and mind.  I came back ready to run. 

Here are my pictures from the trip.  My buddies haven't gotten their photos to a public site yet.  A couple of Facebook uploads, but nothing for total public consumption.  I'm getting impatient...but what's new with that?  I need to relax.

If you want more about the Smoky Mountains and my hiking, here is my account of last year's Smoky Mountains trip (with photos).

Howl at the Moon Registration for 2011

Howl at the Moon 8-Hour Run registration opened up this past weekend...and there are already over 100 entrants!  Better register soon or it'll fill up.  I think they accept about 325 runners.  Fortunately, there are online and paper/mail-in registration forms. No excuses for you!  The race is on Saturday, August 13 in Kennekuk Cove County Park in Danville, IL.  Hope to see you running those 3.29-mile loops in the summer heat and humidity of central Illinois.  It's actually a lot funner than it sounds.  You pass people, they pass you, you chat, catch up with old friends, meet new friends, and keep going for 8 hours.  This is my favorite race of the year...and of all time.  Kennekuk Road Runners put on a fabulous event with great support and camaraderie.  I'm already signed up...are you?  Free camping, free music, free beer.  What's not to like?  Sign up now!

I've run this race 10 times.  Last year was my worst ever for a variety of reasons.  You can read that race report here.  This year will be different.  I plan on a personal best.  Maybe 50 miles!  Hey, I'm already in the Howl "Hall of Fame"--time to live up to that honor.

My current Howl at the Moon statistics:

Total Races: 10
Low: 33.9 miles (2010)
High: 47.06 miles (2006, 2008)
Total Miles: 426.08
Average Miles: 42.6
Best Placing: 12th (2005)
Worst Placing: 99th (2010)

Depending on how well my training goes, I might be able to place in the top 10 this year. That's right, I said "top 10"--it's possible.  There are usually over 300 runners.  I'd settle for top 10% (30th place or higher).  Even my poor finish last year (33.9 miles and 99th place) had me in the top half of all the starters (332 registered, 284 starters).  Can't wait until 2012 when I'll break 500 lifetime Howl miles.  That's worth a few howls at the moon!!!

International Barefoot Running Day

It's time to kick off your shoes and run barefoot...with the rest of the world. Temperatures are warming up and it's a perfect time to get ready for the first annual International Barefoot Running Day on May 1, 2011. The event is a grassroots effort coordinated by the Barefoot Runners Society (I'm a charter member!). Find a partner, find a trail or path, and go bare!  I'll be running at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve. Where will you be running next Sunday, May 1st?

Sandy Memorial Run 2011

My sister Sandy passed away on this date back in 2006 after a terrible car accident.  Hard to believe it's been 5 years.  I miss her.  Today, Earth Day, is not a celebration of her "day of death"--but a celebration of her life.  She was 47 years old when she died.  In the past I've run 47 miles or 47 kilometers as a memorial to her.  Then I donate $47 to the local humane society (Sandy loved animals).  Today, I will run 4.7 miles barefoot on my local muddy trails.  I figure a barefoot mile is equivalent to 10 shod miles.  Maybe not, but that's my rationale.  And it'll be something different and a fun way to remember my sister.  Sandy loved the outdoors so I think she would have approved of a barefoot romp through the mud.  Run 4.7 miles barefoot in the rain, then toss back a cold beer.  Afterward, I'll still donate $47 to the humane society...can't cut that donation to $4.70.  Hope my sister is smiling down upon me.

So on this Earth Day, do your standard environmental duties...reduce, recycle, reuse.  And head out for a run and remember your loved ones.

Smoky Mountains on the Horizon

I head out for the Great Smoky Mountains of TN later this afternoon.  Made a similar trip last year (blog post).  Should be a great way to fully recover from the Potawatomi 50 mile race last weekend...and prepare for future ultra marathons.  Lots of long hikes with tons of elevation gain. Good friends, good trails, good times. I need the time away from work.  Renew the soul, renew the legs. Might tweet from the roads and trails of TN...might not.  Should have lots of photos and stories early next week.

Potawatomi 50 Mile Race Report

No pictures, no video, but I did have 27 tweets from the course!  Saturday was a wild ride.  For this report on the Potawatomi 50/100 Trail Run, you'll get 27 pieces of wisdom from me about the race, training, racing, whatever.  These nuggets are not the same as my tweets from the course, although a few start with quotes from the tweets.  Here are the race results for the 50 miler.  I finished in 12:49 and came in 32 out of 86 starters and 68 finishers.  Not bad for an unprepared guy like me.  The theme of the weekend was "The human spirit triumphs over training."  More details below...

1. Training is important, but over-emphasized.  Over the last 3 months, I only had 3-4 runs of 10+ miles.  Longest was 12 miles.  I did one 28 mile run back in January.  I guess my friends were right about ultra running being "in my bones."  My body knew how to go 50 miles.  My mind wanted to give up, but it knew what was up too.  One foot in front of the other.  Slow steady progress.

2. Central Illinois doesn't have a lot of hills, but McNaughton Park and the Potawatomi trail finds a lot of them!  Hard to practice on hills when you don't have them nearby.  I need more weekend trips to Forest Glen Nature Preserve, Clinton Lake, and even McNaughton Park.

3. How do you plan for mud?  You don't!  The rain that came right before the race sure did create some slick spots.  Hills with mud are a particularly nasty treat in the Midwest. None of my shoes had much traction, but I'm used to lifting my feet rather than pushing off so I maintained OK balance.  Run like a dancer.

4. Minimalist and barefoot running has helped me be more agile and balanced.  It's also given me greater foot and leg strength.  That helped me during the race. Imagine if I actually did a few long runs?  Watch out next year!  Or next ultra.

5. Pacers are seriously useful, especially if you are racing hard.  Pat and Jeff kept me going even though I was just slugging along.  I easily could have dropped out at 30 miles if Jeff wasn't with me.  He didn't even leave me alone at my car.  Probably knew I'd change clothes and call it a day.  If I was really running hard, pacers would be a great advantage.

6. Sometimes you just want to be alone.  I loved having my two pacers and I enjoyed running side by side with fellow racers...but the solo time was great too.  It's a balancing act.  No pressure to talk or run at a particular pace when you are alone.  You can enjoy the scenery, walk when you want, run when you want, and crank the music when you want. 

7. Music is a great motivator.  Slow songs keep you relaxed and in-tune with nature.  Fast songs get you pumped and moving.  You need both in an ultra. Kid Rock and the Rolling Stones got me up a few of the nastier hills.

8. Heat sucks.  Especially when you haven't had time to acclimate. I think the high was around 82-85...with sun.  This July that temperature won't seem bad...in early April it is crazy hot while running.

9. Fifty miles is a good distance coming out of winter.  I've tried the 100 miler at this same venue (DNF=4, Finish=1), but it's hard to prepare in the Illinois winters.  Long runs don't come easy.  Steady training is difficult. Targeting a 50 mile ultra is a reasonable goal and a good motivator.

10. One hundred miles is a long way to run!  Geez, I barely finished 50 miles and those 100 milers kept going all night and into the next day.  Kudos to them.

11. I need to do even more barefoot and FiveFinger running.  Two people at the race were wearing VFFs.  I was amazed.  I want to be more like them.  Now that we have warm weather, it's time to go bare.

12. Horses are amazing creatures...and they crap a lot.  Didn't see a horse during the race, but I saw plenty of their "traces."  There must be a special term for mud mixed with horse manure. 

13. Deer are bigger than you'd think.  Saw three on my last loop.  They are huge when you are up-close.  Those suckers are fast and can spring at a moments notice. 

14. Frisbee golf looks interesting.  The race course goes through a section of a frisbee golf course.  Nice activity for a warm day.  Much better than running 50 miles.

15. Vegetarians can run.  Scott Jurek, one of the finest ultrarunners ever, is a vegan.  I proudly wore my new "No Meat Athlete" shirt.  Even tweeted about it.

16. After about 40 miles we all become lame philosophers.  My tweet provides all the evidence you need..."Hills without mud are still hills." Yep, sure is true.  Thanks smarty pants.

17. I knew I wasn't going to win this race. Heck, I didn't even expect to finish in the top 50% (which I still did!).  But to be passed by the leaders twice in 50 miles...that's sad.

18. Kentucky runners are different.  Ed and Jeff are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet out on a trail.  Funny accents, but nice.

19. It's awesome to have friends at an aid station.  Particularly cool to have them on a loop course where you hit their aid station twice each loop.  That means I saw my buffalo friends 10 times!  Sweet.

20. DOMS.  It's real.  Look it up.  My quads hurt. My whole body hurts.  Even worse the day or two after the race.

21. The mind is mightier than the body...for a little while.  On my last loop I was getting really pumped up.  No one will pass me!  I will pass many!  That lasted about 3 miles.  Maybe less.  The heat and hills brought me back to reality.  I was passed several times in the last 7 miles. 

22. Chaffing hurts.  How do you avoid serious chaffing when it is hot and you are sweaty?  Change clothes?  Re-lube often?  Shower?  Run shorter distances in cooler weather? 

23. If you want something bad enough, you'll get it.  I wanted to finish and I did.  Next year I want to run faster and I will.  Great "rite of spring" to finish an early season 50 miler. 

24. Not many people buy the BK Veggie Burger at Burger King.  The cashier usually asks the manager how to ring up my order.  And sometimes the manager doesn't know how! 

25. Morning after the race I tweeted "Day after running 50 miles brings lots of satisfaction...and tons of soreness. Feel like I'm 90 years old."  Today I sill feel old...maybe 60.  Tomorrow I hope to be back to my mid-40s.

26. Tweeting from the course will slow you down.  I'm not the best texter.  I can walk very slow and sorta text.  When there are hills, mud, and lots of twists and turns, I need to stop to text.  Wonder how much time I would have saved if I didn't tweet?  One minute per tweet?  That's half an hour!  

27. Tweets from a live race are pretty cool.  My wife could follow along, a few family and friends followed, and I enjoyed reading my tweets the day after the race.  Nice quick archive of my random thoughts.

There you go...27 pieces of wisdom...or random thoughts.  Certainly more than 140 characters.  Thanks for listening.  Thanks for following on Twitter.

Regular Man Tries to Finish 50 Mile Race

This weekend is the Potawatomi 50 & 100 mile trail race in Pekin, IL.  It's a great event that I've run several times in the past and volunteered at a couple of times too.  The race is on a hilly, muddy 10-mile loop course at McNaughton Park (the previous race name was "McNaughton Park Trail Race").  Normally, 50 miles wouldn't bother me, but this year has not been good for my running.  One long run (28 miles) on January 29...nothing over 12 miles since that date.  Mostly 5 mile runs.  My calf seems healed, but I'm a little anxious to push too hard.  I predict I'll be fine for 20 miles, then it'll fall apart.  You can follow the carnage on Twitter by searching for, or following me, @chrism42k

I've also put a widget on this blog (top right) to capture my most recent tweets.  The course is out in the woods with lots of small hills and ravines so cell signal is hit and miss. I'll text my tweets and they should go through, but I'm not sure how well I'll be able to follow your tweets of encouragement.  Still, feel free to follow and reply!  It'll be a cool archive of my run.  I remember my first 100 miler at Rocky Raccoon in Texas.  I had an MP3 player with a voice recorder.  I recorded 30 second thoughts every 10-20 miles on the course.  It was enlightening to listen to those after the race.  I went downhill hard after 60 miles.  Barely survived the last 20-mile loop.  Hope the twitter log will be interesting too.

"Regular man tries to finish 50 mile race"--yep, that's me. Normally not a headline grabber, but this won't be easy.  The weather will be in the 80s and the course will be sloppy with rain coming today and tomorrow.  Thunderstorms are possible on race day.  The 100 milers will have even more rain on Sunday...I should be done with 50 miles by Saturday evening.  Race starts promptly at 6am Saturday...in the dark. I won't be running barefoot, and I'll likely shelve the Vibram FiveFingers too, but I will be in minimalist shoes.  Probably the NB Minimus Trail, NB 790s, and Mizuno Wave Universe 3.  I'll have my Inov-8 Flyrocs in my trunk just in case it's super muddy and I'm slipping up and down the hills.  Might even toss in my trekking poles for extra traction and stability on the steeper and muddier sections of the course. Lots of friends have been telling me this is no big deal:

"You've run plenty of ultras, you'll do fine."
"You're in good shape, this will be easy."
"Your body remembers how to run ultras, it's in your bones."
"It's only 50 miles. What's the problem?"
"Haven't you done the 100 miler on this same course?"
Hmmm...I hope they are right.  We'll see.

What is my "racing" plan?  Here's a thought...run, walk, repeat.  More details here:

BEFORE RACE = Sit in car tweeting that it is dark and already warm.  Is that rain?  How can I finish this thing?  I'm tired and the race hasn't even begun.

Loop 1 (0-10 miles) = Tag along with one of the 100 milers. Hold back, keep it easy. Enjoy the companionship of other runners. Enjoy the views, tweet good thoughts.

Loop 2 (10-20 miles) = Warmed up and feeling good?  Keep consuming calories and water. Take salt pills. Temperatures will be increasing. Don't pick up the pace, but pick up the effort to maintain a steady pace. Tweet abut my fatigue and doubts of finishing this whole thing.

Loop 3 (20-30 miles) = Pick up Jeff Riddle at Heaven's Gate aid station at mile 26 (marathon!) and go easy with him.  I'll be getting tired, but Jeff will keep me going slow for 10 miles. Tweet about how darn slow Jeff is even though he is fresh and I'm tired!

Loop 4 (30-40 miles) = First part will still be with Jeff until we reach Heaven's Gate aid station again around mile 36. Whole group of buffalo friends with me on the 1-mile HG mini-loop.  During the 5K section, miles 37-40, I tweet about how great it'll be to get on that last darn loop #5.

Loop 5 (40-50 miles) = Rock this race course!  Kick it up a notch, let the adrenaline flow, and rip out some serious miles.  Of course, fast miles at this point will be in the 10-minute per mile range.  It's going to be hot by this time, hope for some light rain to wipe the sweat off my face and keep me cool.  Tweet between the rain drops and pray that I don't get injured.  Thank the running gods that I am not in the 100 mile race.

FINISH LINE = Hug anyone around.  Say hi to my ultra friends.  Cheer on the 100 milers that are still going for another 50 miles and 12+ hours. Thank the volunteers. Call wife. Tweet like a madman. Find Jeff and drive home.  Hit the local Burger King and grab fries, veggie burger, and chocolate shake.  Go to sleep.  Hopefully Jeff is driving.

Extra Motivation for Race?

This past weekend's "long" runs did not materialize.  I did a 5 miler and a 10 miler.  Now I have an easy week leading up to my first real ultra of the year--the Potawatomi 50 miler this Saturday (there is also a concurrent 100 miler).  Unfortunately, my last long run was in January (28 miler at "Riddle Run").  I haven't done a run longer than 12 miles since January.  I'm getting in good shape, just not "ultra" shape.  If this was a trail half-marathon, I'd be feeling pretty good!  If this was a trail marathon, I'd be feeling OK.  If this was a trail 50K, I'd be nervous, but excited.  A 50 miler?  That makes me nervous, anxious, scared, depressed, distressed, hesitant, worried, uneasy...you get the point.  I'm not ready for this race.  At least it's not the 100 miler!  I've done the 100 at this same race, so at least I know the course well and theoretically I should have no problem with 50 miles. Theory and reality are not the same.

So, I'm trying to find ways to motivate myself.  I've loaded up my iPod with new songs, picked out two trail shoes (one old familiar friend, one new kid), and bought some new tasty mini-Clif bars.  After following a couple of 100 mile twitter race feeds, I thought I might tweet updates on the course as I hit aid stations.  I can text updates at the start/finish aid station (mile 0/10) and Heaven's Gate (around mile 6 and 7) for each 10-mile loop.  Maybe this will give me extra accountability and motivate me to keep going.  If nothing else, it'll provide a short summary of my feelings at various points during the race.  I could add a widget to this blog that grabs and displays my twitter feed.  I'm thinking no one would follow such a set of tweets (maybe my wife?), but what the hell...I could pretend that the WORLD is following and rooting me on!

Even with real or pretend motivation, I'm not sure this weekend is going to end well.  Here are my thoughts on what may happen on race day:

1. Wake up and decide to skip the race. No miles. Very possible.
2. Start the race, do one loop (10 miles), and drop. That's just silly.
3. Start the race and drop out after 20 miles. Nice reasonable training run?
4. Start the race and DNF at 30 miles. Excellent long run. This is tempting.
5. Drop at 40 miles. No. If I get 40, I'll get 50 miles.
6. Drag my sorry self over the finish line after 50 crappy miles. Hopefully without injury. Recover and kick ass at my 8-hour CRUD trail race on May 21. Wow, May 21 seems like a loooooong time away.  It'll be here soon.  I'll be ready!  Really, I will.
7. I finish the full race, but injure myself and I'm out for weeks healing and recovering. Not good. Thus my thought about #1 above. Stay home and run local trails.

Any thoughts on this idea of tweeting?  Have you ever followed a race via twitter?  Ever posted to twitter during your own race?

PS:  If you don't know what twitter is, you can find the twitter web site here.  You don't have to sign up to read people's tweets. Kind of interesting to search for people and topics.  If you have an account, then you can follow people and people can follow you.  My twitter account is @chrism42k (nothing very interesting, just started my account for an online class I'm taking right now).

Thursday Tempo Run

Things sure can change quickly.  The week has been going poorly so far, but last night I had a great tempo run.  Last week I tried my first trail tempo run of the year--it was OK.  Last night it went really well.  I warmed up with an easy 2.5 mile run keeping my heart rate under 135 (HR average = 125).  Then I joined my buffalo friends for a 5-mile tempo run...but none of them ran with me.  Slackers!  Actually, Elliot caught me around mile 4 (he started late and cruised past me with ease).  My 5-mile time was 38:42 (7:44 pace) and my heart rate stayed within my SAP zone (145-165) with a HR average of 154.  Pretty pleased with my effort, pace, and heart rate.  I concluded the session with a 2.5 mile cool-down jog.  My legs, especially calves, were a little sore after the run.  This morning they feel fine...a tad achy, but generally good.  That cool down is really important.  I hope to repeat this weekly tempo run all year.  Next week I am "tapering" for my 50 mile trail race on April 9.  I'll run, but maybe the tempo section will only be 3 miles instead of the full 5 miles.

REMINDER: CRUD 8-hour and 24-hour trail race still has an early registration discount through Noon Saturday.  The race is excellent.  This year's event is on May 21 (at Jubilee State Park outside of Peoria, IL). I just registered for the 8-hour run. 

FREE barefoot/minimalist e-book.  Today and tomorrow only, Jason Robillard is offering his barefoot running book as a free download.  I have the paper version and it is a great book.  Grab this while you can.  Here is his post (download link toward end of post).