Run for the Rhinos

Today is the informal "Run for the Rhinos" race at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet, IL. Our trail running group runs there every Thursday at 6pm, and one of the runner's daughters wanted to raise money for endangered animals...specifically Rhinos.  Thus, the fun run was born!  We'll start at 6pm, do the 5-mile trail course, and share refreshments afterwards. No registration required--just bring a donation of any size to help the rhinos!  Brigid, the young lady organizing the race, will collect donations and send them off to the charity. Here are the two groups she is raising money for:

International Rhino Foundation

Nature Conservancy (for those that want to help "animals" in general)

If you live in central Illinois, maybe you can join us tonight. If not, click on a link and donate a dollar or two. Here are directions to the "race" start--the same place we run every Thursday at 6pm:

Mahomet is located at the intersection of I-74 and Hwy 47 about 10 miles west of Champaign, IL. From I-74, head south on Hwy 47 (exit 172) into Mahomet. At the first stop light turn right (onto Franklin St.). Go up the hill and at the first stop sign turn right. After one block you’ll hit another stop sign—turn left onto State St. Go about half a mile on State St. and take a right on Crowley Rd. (high school on your right). Go over the interstate and turn right into the small parking lot for the trails.

Week in Review: May 21-May 27

Not the week I wanted it to be, but I ended it with another 40+ week of running and no injuries. That's a win. Plus, the temperatures were in the 90s much of this week. I'm definitely not heat-acclimated. It'll come in time. Here are the statistics for the past week (which included one day off and one double-day):

Count:	7 Activities
Distance:	41.92 mi
Max Distance:	7.21 mi
Avg Distance:	5.99 mi
Time:	7:10:05 h:m:s
Avg Speed:	5.8 mph
Max Speed:	8.4 mph
Avg HR:	127 bpm
Max HR:	154 bpm
Avg Run Cadence:	78 spm
Max Run Cadence:	108 spm
Calories:	5,412 C

I'm still not getting in any long runs. Oh well. I'm fine with the month of May being my "heal and recover" month--and that pesky calf injury seems healed. Next weekend will be June...that means it's time to push harder and get in my first "long run"--probably 12-15 miles. If next week ends with about 50 miles and one run over 10 miles, plus no injuries, I'll be happy. The key is consistent moderate running. Consistency over time wins...sorta like that turtle versus the hare tale. Just call me "Chris the Turtle."

Vertical Kilometer

Ever heard of these "vertical kilometer" races?  They are big in Europe.  I think they should have some in the US.  Jeff tells me we can do one right in town on our very own trail.  According to him, it would take 82 repeats of "goat mountain" to ascend 1 full kilometer.  Of course, we'd have to descend 82 times too, so we'd have 2 kilometers of elevation change. The 82 repeats would have us covering about 10 miles.  Kinda boring.  These European vertical kilometers are run up...and up...and up a single mountain.  They try to find the steepest vertical gain and then slap a course onto it!  Check out this video:



Care to try one?  Want to do 82 repeats of "goat mountain" at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve?  Jeff, you out there? Willing and ready?

Your Day Without Shoes

How about a day without shoes?  How about YOUR day without shoes?  This Saturday, May 26th, is "Your Day Without Shoes." Go bare all day. Or at least most of the day. You can do part of the day, right?

If you are adventurous, do a walk, hike, or run without shoes. It's your day...make it special and find out how far YOUR feet can take you. They are stronger and more resilient than you think. Give them freedom. Shed those "foot coffins" you call shoes and allow your feet to live.

I plan on starting my barefoot running in earnest this weekend. Seems like summer is here, so I might as well enjoy the warm Earth against my bare feet. Care to do the same? You can do it!

Week in Review: May 14-20

Which path will I select?

Another week of regular old trail runs. Nothing special. No long runs. No fast runs. A few extra miles compared to last week...and still no calf pain. It was wonderful! The weather warmed up and my heart rate still stayed low. Something is clicking. I think 2 full weeks of daily running has finally gotten me on the right path. It feels good. I just need to remember to stay the course and choose the continued path to health and fitness.

Count:	7 Activities
Distance:	44.94 mi
Max Distance:	7.32 mi
Avg Distance:	6.42 mi
Time:	7:17:36 h:m:s
Avg Speed:	6.2 mph
Max Speed:	8.9 mph
Avg HR:	126 bpm
Max HR:	149 bpm
Avg Run Cadence:	79 spm
Max Run Cadence:	113 spm
Calories:	5,851 C

If I can slowly keep expanding total weekly miles and get my longest run up to 12, 15, 18, and eventually 20 miles, I'll be in a good place. May is a month of healing. June will be building and expanding my aerobic base. July will be pushing the limits. August is "final exam" time where I test whether this plan has worked. Howl at the Moon 8-Hour race on August 11 will determine my success, but if I make it to Howl with no more injuries, I will have won already.

Reminder to self--avoid the path that leads to failure--it'll seem like the fast route to fitness with its alluring tempo runs and intervals, but it is strewn with potholes and cliffs. The successful path is built on consistent moderate effort over time. No short cuts.

My New Long Run Partner

I have a new long run partner. No, it's not Jeff or Gregg. Not the new guy at work. Not the neighbor down the block. This is a virtual training partner. Someone who will never let me down. I haven't had this companionship for a long time. Let me explain...

Ever since August 23, 2009 I have not had a good podcast to accompany me on long runs. Nature is great, but after 10+ miles, it's nice to have some distractions. Music is fine, and can be motivating, but often I just want a good podcast.  Up until August 23, 2009 I had a phenomenal 2-hour soccer podcast ("World Soccer Daily"). The story of that podcast's demise was laid out in my blog (August 23, 2009 post).

My long runs haven't been the same since that Sunday almost 3 years ago...until now!

I have a new favorite podcast. Heck, you don't even need to be a soccer fan to enjoy this one!  It's actually focused on, get this, running. It's called "3 Non-Joggers" and they have a web site, Facebook page, twitter account, and iTunes podcast. Russ, Gary, and Carl (the three "non-joggers") do a fantastic job podcasting from their basement once a week. Each podcast goes for about an hour and covers running, racing, training, pop culture (and poop jokes), news...all done with a sense of humor. Occasionally they'll have guests...some you've heard of, others not so much. Doesn't matter--these guys are hilarious. I now have a new long run partner. With this podcast, and my renewed dedication to quality racing, I may just kick ass at the Howl at the Moon ultra this August 11th (87 days to go).

Why the name "3 non-joggers"?  Because two of them run (not jog) and one doesn't run at all, but calls running, "jogging." Thus, three non-joggers!  Simple. To get a better sense of who these guys are, check out their short interview with the Beer Runner in Draft Magazine.

Week in Review: May 7-13

This past week was a transition period where I wanted to ramp-up the mileage and see if my calf would behave. I did and it did!  Things were good. Nothing super special to report. No fast runs, no long runs, just basic easy jogging. Typically had a warm-up walk at the beginning and cool-down walk at the end, with a bit of walking thrown in on hills too. Still, I've managed around 10 days of easy running with no problems. I'm excited and optimistic about my running future. Here are the basic stats for last week:

Count: 7 Activities Distance: 42.07 mi Max Distance: 7.31 mi Avg Distance: 6.01 mi Time: 7:00:28 h:m:s Avg Speed: 6.0 mph Max Speed: 8.2 mph Avg HR: 131 bpm Max HR: 150 bpm Avg Run Cadence: 75 spm (per foot) Max Run Cadence: 105 spm (per foot) Calories: 5,437 C
The run cadence is slower than expected or desired, but that does include walking segments where I have a very slow turn-over with longer strides. I hope to eliminate some of the walking over the next 2 weeks--that should get my cadence up higher.  This week I plan on getting in 7 or 8 runs with a total mileage of 50-55 miles. If I can maintain 50-70 miles/week over the next 3 months, I'll be fit and ready to roll at the August 11 Howl at the Moon 8-Hour run (I like to think of that race as my "final exam" for my training plan)! One step at a time. I have 89 days until August 11...gotta keep the faith. I added a "Howl at the Moon" count-down ticker to the top-right of this blog to keep me focused.

Unofficial Beer Mile Record of 5:02

How fast can you run a mile?  How about running a mile, but also drinking 4 beers--one before each 1/4 track lap? This guy recently set an unofficial "beer mile" world record in a time of 5:02! That is 5 minutes and 2 seconds to run one mile and also chug 4 beers. Fast, eh?



Supposedly you need to drink the beers out of a can and he used bottles--thus an "unofficial" record. Still mighty impressive.  He thinks he can break 5:00 for his next beer mile record attempt. Any surprise that this guy is from Australia?!

Here is a short article on the performance.

9:36 is My Goal

I'm still training on a restricted schedule, but I'm at least training. My left calf tends to raise its ugly head every once in a while...but appears happier when we are going easy on trails. I can accommodate that request. For now, it's lots of easy trail running. I keep my heart rate under 150 and walk many of the hills. That's OK. My overall pace seems to hover around 10:00. Sometimes slower when it's hot and sunny, sometimes faster when it's cool and overcast. I hope to pile on the miles over the next few weeks and months. My ultimate goal is to race well at the 8-Hour Howl at the Moon run on August 11. That gives me over 3 months to prepare.

So I have a little over 3 months to prepare to race 8 hours in the August heat and humidity of central Illinois. Seems reasonable. It's a timed event (one of the biggest in the country), so I can just cruise along for 8 hours and see how many miles I complete. Guess that would be fine...if I hadn't already done that many years in a  row! I need more than a half-hearted attempt at another Howl at the Moon ultra. It was my first ultra and it remains my favorite. It deserves better from me. I've run it 11 times. Here are my current Howl race statistics:

Total Races: 11
Low: 33.9 miles (2010)
High: 47.06 miles (2006, 2008)
Total Miles: 469.85
Average Miles: 42.7
Best Placing: 12th (2005)
Worst Placing: 99th (2010)

This year has not been going well for me, so it's time to regroup, refocus, and commit to SOMETHING. That something is a renewed dedication to my all-time favorite race.  I plan on reaching 50 miles at this year's Howl at the Moon race! Yes, 50 miles. To complete 50 miles in 8 hours I need to AVERAGE a pace of 9:36. Sounds easy. Who can't run at a 9:36 pace? That's an easy morning jog. Sure is, except I need to maintain that "jog" for a full 8 hours...and that includes any breaks for food and drink...or change of shoes...or bathroom breaks. Oh yeah, it's also usually run in serious heat and humidity of late summer in Illinois. Imagine 85 degrees, densely humid air, and the afternoon sun beating down on your face. You've been "running" for 6 hours and still have 2 more to go. Suddenly, a 9:36 pace seems like a sprint.

Guess it's time to train. I need lots of miles. Lots of warm weather running. Lots of long runs. I'm skipping races between now and August 11 so I can concentrate on good old fashioned aerobic mileage building. Racing will not get me 50 miles at Howl. Lots of miles around 9:36 pace will get me where I need to be. I plan on incorporating walking during the Howl at the Moon event, so I will walk in training. BUT, my walking and running combined better still equate to a 9:36 pace! That means jogging at around a 8:30-9:00 pace and walking at a brisk 14:00-15:00 pace...probably at a ratio of 4-1 (run to walk). Fortunately, my Garmin will track all my running and walking and let me know how the overall pace if progressing.  It'll even categorize my walking vs jogging vs running. So, my goal over the next 3 months is to average 9:36 pace or better on all of my training runs. Even the long ones. Even the hot ones. And I need plenty of miles at this pace to feel comfortable when August 11 rolls around.

Wish me luck! I was inducted into the Howl "Hall of Fame" at the 2010 race. This year I hope to live up to that moniker. I will make the Howl course my bitch. I'll own that race! Let the training begin.