Thursday, October 31, 2013

Why We Run (from Bernd Heinrich)

A really great, unpretentious, look at why we run from Bernd Heinrich. His "Racing the Antelope: What Animals Can Teach Us about Running and Life" (later titled "Why We Run") book was just fantastic! You can definitely sense his passion for running. I love this guy.



Enjoy the video. Read his book ("Why We Run: A Natural History").

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Skechers Has Captured My Running Heart

As a runner, especially an ultra-runner, I go through a lot of shoes. Probably more than other runners. And I always love trying o find that "next perfect" shoe. Of course, it never exists. But, hope springs eternal. I keep trying...and I keep buying. Over the last year, I've actually settled on one brand of shoes--Skechers Performance running shoes. I now own 4 different models: GoBionic (road), GoBionic Trail, GoRun 2, and GoRun Ride 2. They are all awesome running shoes! I've basically become a Skechers man. They've captured my heart...and pocketbook. One of the greatest advantages of all of these models is their wide forefoots--no crunching your toes together.

GoBionic (road)
This is the most minimal in the Skechers running performance shoe line. Lightweight,  flexible, zero drop, and just enough cushioning to make road runs bearable--up to about 10-12 miles for me. And they can still tackle well-groomed trails too. The open, pod-based sole, can trap gravel and small trail debris. On faster road and track runs, this is a premier shoe. Nice racing flat too!

GoRun 2 (road)
This shoe adds a bit more cushioning, slight heel to toe drop (4mm), but keeps the flexibility and lightweight nature of the GoBionic. A great all-around shoe that can get me through runs up to 18-20 miles. It can handle trails a little better than the GoBionic, but is still intended for roads, tracks, and just an occasional off-road groomed trail. The outsole, while very flexible, doesn't have the big and deep open pods that allow gravel or other debris to get stuck in the shoe. Some stuff might get trapped in the heel area, but not as much as the GoRun Ride.

GoRun Ride 2 (road)
My current favorite running shoe. This sucker adds even a little more cushioning, keeps the 4mm heel-to-toe drop, but remains lightweight and flexible. It does have the more open and deep pod outsole that can trap small gravel, but it works extremely well on roads, tracks, treadmill, and many trails. I can do 20 mile training runs with no problem and I've used the GoRun Ride for trail 50K ultra races. If I could only select ONE RUNNING SHOE, this would be it! High praise. This is a great shoe.

GoBionic Trail
This is Skechers minimalist trail shoe. It has about the same cushioning as the GoRun 2, but much better traction, plus a little underfoot and toe protection. It handles trails well. I've used it in 50K trail ultras and its performed well. The tread design allows for some road running without feeling awkward.

NOTE: When I need even more cushioning and protection, like when running 50+ miles, I do still grab my Hoka Stinson Evo shoes. They are hard to beat for really long runs. And when I want to go even more minimal, I go completely barefoot...or grab my Xero shoes (minimalist running sandals).

Monday, October 21, 2013

The End of Mediocrity

Mediocre: of only moderate quality; not very good.

synonyms: ordinary, average, middling, middle-of-the-road, uninspired,undistinguished, indifferent, unexceptional, unexciting, unremarkable, run-of-the-mill, pedestrian, prosaic, lackluster, forgettable, amateur,amateurish

I had a good start to this year. I set a personal record at the 50-mile trail distance in January (in an unsupported, 50-mile run that started at midnight in 15 degree weather on a very dark and cold trail). I followed that up with my personal best 100-mile trail race in April. Two PRs in 4 months! Unfortunately, the rest of the year has been rather mediocre. I took some time to recover from the 100 miler, then raced the August Howl at the Moon 8-Hour, September Evergreen Lake 32-Miler, and October Farmdale 30-Miler. All went poorly. I was under-trained, unfocused, and mentally absent. After three successive poor performances, I'm now tired of being mediocre. I want to run my last ultra of the year, McNotAgain 30-Miler, really well. I want to be proud of my effort and feel good heading into winter training.

It's time to end the mediocrity!

This evening, I saw Jennifer Pharr Davis talk about her record-setting Appalachian Trail thru hike. She finished the 2185+ mile trail in 46 days (averaging 47 miles per day). That's faster than any other hiker or runner, male or female, ever. Pretty impressive. Definitely not mediocre. It took dedication and commitment. If she can train for and finish the AT (three times), then I can train for and race a simple 30-mile trail race. Heck, my little races even provide aid stations! No excuses. It's time to step up and end my series of crappy races. Those were good training runs and they each taught me a lesson...mostly that I don't train enough. Time to train!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Races Are Run by Heart, Not Heart Rate

"I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it." -Steve Prefontaine

I've had two mediocre race performances in my past two ultras. Evergreen Lake 32 Miler in September went well for about 22 miles, then I crashed and burned. Farmdale 30 Miler this past weekend went well for 25 miles, then I bonked. Both races ended with me slogging to the finish. It wasn't pretty. I could barely move up hills. Downhills weren't much better. Clearly, I needed more energy. Maybe I was dehydrated too. So, next time, I can try to consume more calories and keep pumping the fluids. Fortunately, or not, that "next time" is coming up in less than 4 weeks--McNotAgain 30 Miler on November 9.

After Farmdale, I thought about what went wrong. I talked to friends. Some people say I'm running too fast during the first section of races, burning too many carbs (instead of fat), and thus bonking. That may be true. Others say I have changed my training to be faster paced and aimed more for speed than endurance. Could be. My 'coach' down the street thinks I need to get back to easy Maffetone-style heart rate training...and racing. Wear a HR monitor and keep things under control. Maybe he's right. It's probably a combination of too few calories, moderate dehydration, and too high of a heart rate during the beginning 2/3 of the race. I need to be disciplined and run at an easy pace, take in food, drink when thirsty, and stay cool and collected.

All of this makes sense...but there's something missing. Races are not meant to be run by heart rate. They are meant to be run BY HEART. Races are won or lost by the heart and soul of the runner. You need to push hard, approach your limits, suffer, and push forward. Races are run by heart (maybe guts), not by heart rate. In my last two races, I gave up too early. Sure I was dead tired. I lacked energy. At times, you cannot defeat physiology. I was likely carb depleted. Still, I should have sucked it up, forced calories and fluids, and made steady progress. It's very easy for your mind to trick your body into giving up. There are always reasons to slow down or stop. Your HEART needs to keep you moving forward. Relentless forward progress is the ultra mantra. It takes determination to keep going...but it takes extra motivation, it takes heart and soul, to do MORE than a crawl. When things break bad, your HEART has the ability to overcome and make things right.

In my next race, I plan on running the first 20 miles with my head, the last 10 miles with my HEART. I won't give up. Of course, "the will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" (thanks Juma for that quote). I need to re-dedicate myself to real ultra training. Done.

HEART, not heart beats.

Hope you crush your next race! Run with heart. With soul. With grit and determination. With guts.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Farmdale 2013 Race Report

The race that almost wasn't. This was to be the 8th running of the Farmdale trail ultra. It's always been one of my favorite races. I've done it every year. Unfortunately, this year, the race was in jeopardy--due to the government shutdown, it had no course! Farmdale Reservoir, being Army Core of Engineers land, was closed and the race needed a new venue. The week of the race, the race director found a new site at Jubilee College State Park (in west Peoria instead of east Peoria). Formal approval was obtained, insurance received, trail course drawn up, and the race was on! We would do four 7.5 mile trail loops for the 30-mile race. Nice. I would have my chance at ultra/marathon #88. And a chance at redemption of my poor performance at Evergreen Lake 32-miler last month where I ran out of steam at 22 miles and walked much of the last 10 miles to the finish.

I woke up at 3:30am so I could eat, shower, pack running supplies, and be ready to hit the road at 4:30am. I had a 90 minute drive ahead of me and still needed a second cup of coffee somewhere before Peoria. On the way into Jubilee Park, there was rain and lightning. Things were not looking good. I felt sorry for the 50-mile racers that started at 5am. Turns out, rain was never an issue. It was extremely humid at the start, but it never rained on us. In fact, the trail was dry and hard packed. I know, I hit the ground twice!

Loop 1: Easy. I really took this loop easy and simply hung with a group maybe in the 25% top 25% of runners. Listened to runners chatting and told people about my past Farmdale races. It was fun. I felt good for the whole loop. Not sure about my exact loop split, but it was about 1:25. Refilled my bottle with Tailwind sports drink and headed out for loop 2. Optimism reigned.

Loop 2: Still easy. I tried to keep certain runners within sight (bandanna man and his bald running partner)--my goal was to simply maintain a steady pace. I had energy, no stomach issues, and my feet and legs were strong. Finished the loop with a total time of about 2:53. Still under sub-6 finish pace!

Loop 3: This loop went OK. I kept telling myself "hold on, stay strong, not too hard, not too easy." It was a combination of holding back and staying strong. Push just a little, but not too much. I kept my "nemeses" in sight--bandanna man and baldy--we had been running within a minute of each other all race. That continued on this loop. I took a hard fall around the middle of the loop. It woke me up. My only goal was finishing the loop under 4:30 so I would still have a chance at a sub-6 race time. I barely made that goal.

Loop 4: I was cautiously optimistic when starting the final loop. I left the start/finish aid station at 4:29 and felt I could push to a sub-6:00 finish. I had been running sub-1:30 loops all day and while tired entering this final loop, I figured I would be able to leverage my sub-6 goal for extra motivation when needed. I was wrong. The first 2-3 miles went well as I pushed hard to maintain a reasonable pace. But things turned nasty quickly. I could barely walk the last hills into the 3.5 mile aid station. I walked out of the aid station knowing my day was done. It was difficult to even walk fast. I slogged up and down the twisting course back to the same aid station (only about 1/2 mile from the finish line). I finally started to run that last stretch--mostly to keep two runners behind me at bay. Finished in 6:23 (16th overall out of 61 starters). I did beat bandanna man and baldy, but that wasn't my goal entering this race. It was a good training run, but a terrible race performance. When the race started, I thought a sub-6 would be easy. Nope. The only positive to walking so much at the end of an ultra is that you recover quickly. I feel fine as I write this post the morning after the race.

What went wrong (again)? I definitely bonked. I needed more calories. I was also dehydrated. So, eat more and drink more next time. Also, I need to keep my training consistent every week. Between Evergreen Lake and Farmdale, I had 3 good weeks and one poor week. I need 4 good weeks between Farmdale and my next race--McNotAgain 30 miler on November 9. With cooler weather, my training should go well. If we have nice race-day weather at McNotAgain, I may just finish the year with a good race. Hope springs eternal!

Congratulations to fellow Buffalo ultra runners Rob, Melissa, and Letitia. They ran well and took home extra awards--in addition to the regular finisher rocks! Well done. Hey, at least I now have 8 Farmdale rocks. Looking forward to #9 next year.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The Quest for 100 Thwarted?

I've been making steady progress toward 100 marathons or ultras. I currently have 87 ultras/marathons. Figured I'd have 90 by the end of this year, then finish 10 next year to reach that 100 mark. Unfortunately, my brother came down with pneumonia and our Seattle Marathon is now off. Plus, the government shutdown has forced the cancellation of next weekend's Farmdale 30 Miler (unless things get settled in the next 5 days). My quest for 100 ultras/marathons is getting more difficult! I may only end up with 88 by the end of this year...forcing me to do 12 marathons or ultras in 2014. I was looking forward to one or two months off next year! No rest for the wicked. I may need to average one per month all year to hit the goal of 100.

For now, I'm going to assume that I can still do Farmdale (or an alternative ultra) and McNotAgain this year. That leaves me with 11 ultra/marathons for next year. Here is my tentative list (I've listed one for each month, but can skip one or two depending on how things go):

Jan: Riddle Run 28M Fat Ass
Feb: Lake Mingo 28M Fat Ass
Mar: Land Between the Lakes Marathon
Apr: Double Chubb 50K or St Louis Marathon or Illinois Marathon
May: Ice Age 50K
June: Kettle Moraine 100K
July: Dances with Dirt Devils Lake 50K
Aug: Howl at Moon 8-Hour
Sept: Evergreen Lake 32M
Oct: Farmdale 30M
Nov: McNotAgain 30M
Dec: Across the Years 24-Hour

Is this possible? Maybe. If I want it bad enough, it'll happen in 2014. My quest for 100 is not thwarted. Maybe it'll be delayed, but it'll be accomplished. If the Farmdale ultra (or alternative race) doesn't happen in 2013, I may need to find a June 2014 marathon or ultra. Any suggestions?  Maybe I should add a December race to this year's schedule?