Did I Reach my 2013 Running Goals?

The year is almost over, so it's time to look back and evaluate how things went. Did I meet my running goals for 2013? Those goals were made in a blog post back on January 1, 2013. I've had a pretty horrible track record of meeting my goals. In 2012, I failed every single one. All of them. Yikes. Hope 2013 went better.

I had three goals for 2013...

Did I run 2,013 miles this year?
Nope. Well, at least not yet. I still have three days left to reach this goal. I currently have 1,614 miles...only 399 more to go! Let's call this a no-go. I'm not going to reach 2,013 miles for 2013. That's OK. I'm happy with breaking 1500 miles.

Did I break 24 hours at Umstead 100 Miler?
Yes! I finished the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run in 23 hours and 56 minutes. Sweet! Race report is here: "100 Miles, One Day." For me, this was an amazing achievement. As you get older, you start to lose hope that any running PRs will fall. This one did...and I also set a 50-mile personal record too (at night, in miserably cold weather, in an unsupported trail fat ass race). I dreamed of breaking 24 hours at a 100 mile trail race for along time. It happened this year.

Did I complete 6 ultra marathons in 2013?
Yes! I completed 6 ultras, and one marathon, in 2013. All on trails. A solid year. I also bagged two ultra PRs (100 mile and 50 mile). I ended the year with 89 ultra/marathons. Wonder if #100 will come next year? Hey, is that a goal for next year?

I achieved 2 of my 3 goals for 2013. Not bad. I feel this was a really good year. I set two personal records, finally broke that sub-24 100-mile goal, and am ending the year feeling strong and ready to slap 2014 silly. Those 2014 goals will be unveiled on January 1. Stay tuned.

Hope your running goals for 2013 were achieved. If not, there is always 2014.

Best Running Shoe of the Year

So far this past week, I've listed my best race and training run of the year. As a runner, I cannot ignore shoes! If you run with me (or follow this blog), it won't be much of a surprise to find out I have fallen in love with a new shoe brand: the Skechers Performance series. I'm loving my new "brand loyalty" to the Skechers Go Run performance shoes. After opening Christmas gifts, I'm now the proud owner of the GoRun Ultra shoe. I already had the GoRun Bionic (road and trail versions), GoRun 2, and GoRun Ride 2. Yes indeed, one of these fine shoes is my "best shoe of the year" winner. But which one?

First, here are two candidates that almost toppled my beloved Skechers: the Hoka Stinson Evo and the Altra Torin. Both of these are "maximal" cushioned shoes. They are less flexible and heavier than I prefer. Still, they do deliver on cushioning and protection for really long runs. When I ran the Umstead 100, I used these two shoes and had my Skechers GoRun Ride as a back-up. The Skechers never saw trail time. My whole body was hurting and my feet needed extra protection and isolation from the trail...the Hokas delivered. To a lesser degree, so did the Altra Torins. For the niche market of extra long runs (or extra technical trails) these two shoes dominate. Unfortunately, that's not enough to win the "shoe of the year" designation. When thinking about the shoe of the year, I reflect on which model was my go-to choice for a variety of distances, terrain, and races. What shoe did I grab for most training runs? What shoe performed well at races? Speed sessions? Long trail runs? Treadmill? It wasn't the Stinson Evos or Torins. It was a Skechers model.

From most minimal to most cushioned, here are my Skechers running shoe candidates:

• Go Bionic (road)
• Go Run 2
• Go Bionic trail
• Go Run Ride 2
• Go Run Ultra

The Go Run Ride 2 is the best all around shoe available and now named my shoe of the year! Here is a quick bullet summary of why I like this particular model:

• Lightweight
• Flexible
• Cushioned
• Reasonable traction
• Wide forefoot
• Low heel-to-toe drop
• Attractive design/colors
• Inexpensive

I can't say it's the best at any one thing, but it is pretty darn good at a ton of things. I use it for trail races up to 50K. Somewhere between 31 miles and 50 miles I tend to prefer a bit more cushioning. Maybe the new Skechers GoRun Ultra will fill that niche? I also use it for road and treadmill running. Fast or slow, the GoRun Ride performs. I also like that it's quiet--no hard slapping of rubber on the road--the softer outsole feels good and sounds good. If I could only grab one shoe for any race or run, this would be the model. It's the MacGyver of shoes...it gets things done!

Best Training Run of the Year

On Sunday, I posted what I thought was my best race of this past year. Now, I want to reflect back on my best run (non-race) of the year. So far, I have 224 runs from which to pick my favorite. Two easily come to mind: a snowy 20-mile trail run with Gregg and a frigid 50-mile trail run that I did as part of the Riddle Run Fat Ass (non race, but sort of a group race-like fun run). Both were crucial training efforts on my build-up to the 100-mile Umstead race. I suppose the 50-miler was still technically a "race" since male and female winners were declared and finish times were recorded. That was an awesome 50-mile run/race for me...bitter cold, unsupported, long run plus a night time effort all rolled into one. That 50-mile "Riddle Run" report is available here. Since that run will be classified as a race, that leaves my long trail romp in early January as the best training run of the year!

The January 6, 2013 20-mile trail run was done with my running buddy Gregg. I think we were both "training" for the 50-mile Riddle Run attempt at the end of January...and I was slowly building toward the 100 miler in April. We started at 8am and there was a few of inches of snow (and some ice) covering the 5-mile loop trail. Temperatures were in the mid-20s with a brisk 15-20 mph wind. It was cold and slippery. Looking back even now, I can't believe we actually did all 4 loops and completed the 20 miler. According to my notes, we negative split each loop--running slightly faster for each 5-mile loop! That's impressive. This was the first test of my new clothing, drinking, eating, and electrolyte replacement plan. Plus, the first real test of the new Hoka running shoes. Even under less than optimal conditions, everything went well. This run was a huge confidence builder heading toward the 100 miler in early April. I declare it the "best training run" of the entire year. Thanks Gregg for joining me on this cold long run back in early January. We should do it again this January.

Best Race of the Year

This post begins my end-of-year reflections. Part of these, like today, will be a "best of series" to go along with my summer rants. If you are going to complain and rant, you should praise and compliment too. Today I start with an easy "best of the year" post--my best race of 2013.

My best race performance of this year was at the Umstead 100-Mile Endurance Run. I finally broke the magic 24-hour 100-mile trail race standard! It was awesome to finish in 23 hours and 56 minutes. 100 trail miles in one day. Sweet. For those of you who run ultras, particularly 100 milers, you know what this means. It's THE mark of excellence. I'm both proud and humbled by this achievement. I won't do a race report, that is available here (with photos and even a podcast), but I do want to quickly repeat WHY this went so well. I trained smartly (especially the long runs), added Pepcid AC to my race-day plan to prevent stomach issues, and had two great pacers (thanks Andrew and Sandra!). Plus, the Hoka shoes gave me extra cushioning that carried me through the low points after 70+ miles. Your whole body aches after 75 miles, but with good pacers and shoes, you can fight through that last marathon and accomplish something special.

Now that I achieved this personal record and long-time goal, I may not run another 100 miler. These are tough races mentally and physically. Plus, they take lots of time and money to complete. I do have an idea to finish my 100th ultra/marathon with a bang...maybe I still have one more 100 miler in me...we'll see at the end of 2014!

Hope you had at least ONE GREAT RACE this year. And I hope you have many more in the new year. Run strong.

Winter Solstice Run

In the Midwest it already seems that winter is here, but officially, it doesn't start until Saturday, December 21. What better way to celebrate, or defy, the beginning of winter than to run on your favorite local trail? For those in central Illinois, the north fork of Clinton Lake trail is prime real estate for the solstice festivities. A group of runners will be embarking at sunrise (7:14am) to conquer the 10-mile trail. At least a few will turn the shortest day of the year into a really long fat ass style ultra event by tackling 30 miles of hilly paradise. Join us at the north fork canoe access lot if you want. Hoping this will be my 90th ultra/marathon. What a great way to start winter and close out the year!

Thanks to Matt for organizing this fun run.

Clinton Lake Ultra: 2014 Version

I started the Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run back in 2007 and was the race director for its first 4 years (2007-2010). In fact, I started this blog on October 20, 2007 to help support the race in its subsequent years under my direction. This is my 824th blog post. Guess I was hooked on race directing and blogging! After I retired from RD duties in 2010, I changed the name of this blog from "Clinton Lake Ultra" to the current "Chris' Ultra Blog" to better reflect the transformation from race-centric to Chirs-centric. It's always been ultra and trail focused.

Bob and Mike took over as race directors from 2011-2013. They had a good three years as directors. Now it's time for the third set of RDs--Don and Ellen take the reins for the 2014 version of the Clinton Lake Ultra on March 29, 2014. Good luck to them. They've dropped the 10-mile race that accompanied the event under Bob and Mike's time as RDs. Personally, I like that decision. No need to water-down the ultra experience by adding a 10-mile run. There are plenty of shorter races that people can do...leave the ultras to the ultra crowd.

Here is the Second Wind Running Club information page for the 2014 Clinton Lake Ultra (race date = March 29, 2014). Check it out and register for the race if you want to challenge yourself at a small-town, home-spun, 30-mile trail ultra in central Illinois! You won't regret it. It's a great first-time ultra and a wonderful 93rd ultra/marathon (for me). Hope to see you on the trails around the north fork of Clinton Lake in late March.

Only Three Runs

The left calf is improving (still a little tight) and the right rib is bearable. I've even been able to incorporate some speed sessions into my training. Things are looking up! I've been experimenting the last 2 weeks with different runs and cross training/weights. My original goal was to do 4 runs/week--three hard (long for endurance, tempo for lactate-threshold, and intervals for VO2 max and leg speed) plus one easy. I'm not sure, but I think I'm going to toss the "easy" run off the schedule and just do three runs per week. This is basically the "Run Less, Run Faster" routine. If I also do 2 cross-training sessions/week, it will be exactly the same program. Here is a Runner's World article that features the system. I realize it's only been 2 weeks, but I am already enjoying the time off and the hard intensity workouts.

Here was my last "interval" workout from the treadmill (not as fast as I should go, but I was easing into this program). For my 3:25 marathon goal, paces should range from 6:05-6:30 per mile depending on length of the repeat. You can click on "View Details" to see all the detailed Garmin info and graphs. Pretty cool data.



And here is a "tempo" run from today, also on the treadmill (the blip on the graphs is me stopping to tie my shoe). For my goals, tempo runs are done around 7:05 pace (this one was actually a little faster!).



The third element in this program is a long run. For an ultra runner, the long run should be the easiest and least anxiety producing of the three key weekly sessions....but this program has fast-paced long runs (for me, around 8:15 pace for 15-20 miles). I am actually more comfortable with the short repeat/intervals and tempo workouts than the darn long runs! Crazy.

Wish me well in this new training endeavor. I'll post updates throughout the winter. For all of the runs, I hope to see faster paces at the same heart rate...or same paces at a lower hear rate. Best laid plans of mice and men! Hard to believe this "ultra runner" is doing less running...and actually hopes to perform better at all race distances.