Unstated (but real) Goals for 2018

I posted my running goals for 2018 in this post. They are admirable.

Now I'm posting my real desires for 2018. My dreams. Yes, I still want to achieve those officially stated five goals of 2018, but I _really_ want to accomplish these three goals:

1. Kick ass at Howl at the Moon 8-Hour ultra this August.
"Kick ass" isn't exactly a specific and measurable goal, but I know what it means. It certainly does _not_ mean a replication of my poor performances the last three years (DNFs at 6 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours). I want the full 8 hours and at least 40 miles. I really want to match my best at Howl: 47.06 miles. I have dreamed of 50 miles forever. Can this 50+ year old set a new PR in an ultra? We'll see.

2. Set a personal best in the half-marathon. 
Currently, my PR is 1:32:35 that I ran at the St Louis Half-Marathon in October 2014. A very good finish time. But I want faster! My best chances are the Illinois HM in April or the Indy Monumental HM in November. If the weather is good, and I train well, I can run a 1:32. Maybe break 1:30? That's the dream!

3. Run a marathon at the Lake of the Woods trails.
Sure, there's no real race on these trails, but I can still run 10 outside loops (10 x 2.6 miles = 26 miles) to complete a trail marathon. And I'd like to do it fairly fast. Certainly under 4:00. Not bad for an unsupported marathon on trails. Maybe friends will join me for an informal marathon. No pressure. Loads of fun.

2018 Riddle Run Results

6 Riddle Run finishers. Photo: Tom Rice

"A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame and money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well." 
- G. K. Chesterton

Most of the Riddle Run starters had little hope of finishing, much less winning. And the winners would receive no monetary compensation. And no fame. That was just fine. We still had a fantastic day for the 19th annual Riddle Run event at Lake of the Woods park. This is your basic ultra fun run with no fees, no aid, no (real) awards, and no wimps. Just running with friends. The weather was perfect (42-50F) and the trail was in fairly good condition (just slightly soft and muddy). Would there be new course records (3:39 for men, 4:18 for women)?

Sarka seemed like the natural repeat champion on the women's side. And she was probably capable of a new course record. In the men's field, there was no clear favorite, but several past finishers were back. Depending on their motivations and training, at least three or four were potential champions.

I ran my first 4-mile trail loop with Pat Mills who had just completed a marathon in Thailand last weekend. He was running way too fast for a guy that should have been fatigued from that marathon plus the long international flights home! When done with that loop, I took a break at the parking lot to grab a running gel and water, then headed out for a solo loop--in reverse direction to hopefully see more runners. And at a slower pace. That second loop felt great. Stopped a couple of times to chat with runners, but still maintained a reasonable pace. Once back at the start/finish lot, I grabbed another gel and water, then kept going for my third and final loop (12 miles total). I actually picked up the pace on this lap--I knew Sarka and Pat were just ahead of me and I thought I might catch them at the 12 mile spot back at the parking lot. I was wrong. I ran well, but they ran even better. When I finished my 12 miles, they were already out on their fourth loop. I went home, showered, changed clothes, and ordered pizza and cheesy bread to bring back to the runners. I joined the other DNF folks in the parking lot. We ate, drank, chatted...and waited for the finishers.

Pat, male champion. PC: T. Rice

Sarka, female champion. PC: T. Rice

Pat finished first overall (4:15) and Sarka finished second overall and first woman (4:21). Pat's finish easily made him the oldest champion ever. And his time was good for someone half his age! Well done. Sarka just missed the female course record (4:18). If it was a little cooler, and the course was a bit firmer, she would have broken the record. She'll do it next year! In addition to the two champions, we had 4 more finishers of the full 28-mile fun run: John, Nic, Andrea, and Aron. All 2018 finish times, as well as the many DNFs, can be found here. (There will likely be a few updates as self-reported times/distances keep trickling in for me to post.) Here is a link to all champions of the Riddle Run from 2000-2018.

Tom Rice and I continued our Riddle Run streak--we've now done all nineteen. We'll both be back for #20 next year. I plan on the full 28 miles. It should be a wonderful 20th anniversary event.

As always, a huge thank you to Jeff Riddle for starting this event back in 2000. There's a reason it's called the "Riddle Run" rather than the "Mahomet 28-Mile Fun Run." Maybe Jeff can return as race director for the 20th celebration?

Surviving Winter Running

The heart of darkness is upon us. Winter running in the dark. Whether I run before work or after, it's dark. And cold. The short days will eventually give way to spring, but not quite yet. 

I always forget how much winter running, especially in Illinois, can suck. Last year we had a very mild winter--almost no snow, very few really cold days, no ice. It was quite nice. Not this year! We've had temps well below freezing (-15F), plus lots of wind (windchills of -35F), and a fair amount of snow and ice. Plus, the snow takes a long time to melt when the temps rarely go above freezing. Of course, as I write this, we've had a couple of abnormally warm days (40s with rain). Now the snow/ice has switched to mud. Still not fun. How do we survive such crappy winter running conditions?

With the cold weather, and snow, I've been hitting the treadmill much more often than usual. I normally make fun of treadmill runners. And hate the experience when I do it. I've changed my perspective. I've been ENJOYING the treadmill runs. If you mix it up, throw in some music, and challenge yourself, it's quite fun. Really. I've done progression runs (start slow, keep speeding up, finish fast), tempo (warm-up, then 3 miles at lactate threshold, then cool-down), intervals (400m, 800m, and full mile repeats), and musical fartleks--fast for one song, slow for the next. Have yet to incorporate treadmill hills...but that is coming soon! The only runs I still hate on the treadmill are the steady slow ones. Boring. 

When I do too many days in a row on the treadmill, I venture out onto the roads (usually clear of snow/ice). You bundle up and just finish the run. If the trails aren't too muddy or snow packed, those are always great adventures in the winter. By mixing treadmill, road, and trails, I'm surviving another winter in central Illinois. February will be here soon. Days are slowly getting longer...minute by minute, day by day. Spring will be here soon. I'll survive. 

Riddle (fun) Run Continues

The annual Riddle Run is coming up on January 27. It's a 28 mile (7 x 4-mile trail loop) fun run. It'll be the 19th year of this event. No fees, no (real) awards, no support, no goodies. Just run. Try for the full 28 miles, but do whatever you want. Jeff started this back in January of 2000. I've continued the tradition the last few years. Hopefully Mr. Riddle will be back for the 20th anniversary run next year!

There is a ton of interesting history for this event over the past 18 years, but only two facts that are truly important. First, only two runners have participated in all 18 events so far--me and another guy. Second, I have more "Riddle Run" miles than anyone on Earth (427 miles). I'll keep my streak alive and add to that total in a couple of weeks.

Here are the Riddle Run winners from the past 18 years. The Riddle Run 28-mile course records are 3:39 (men) and 4:18 (women).

Year	RD	Male	Time	Female	Time
2000	Jeff	Jeff Riddle	8:39	--
2001	Jeff	Spencer Nelson	4:40	--
2002	Jeff	Dave Scott	3:52	--
2003	Jeff	Dave Scott	4:06	Becky Dey	5:45
2004	Jeff	Dave Scott	4:28	--
2005	Jeff	Jack Pierce	3:49	Marla Luckey	5:34
2006	Jeff	Jeff Kelly	3:48	Marla Luckey	4:31
2007	Jeff	Brett Graham	3:54	Marla Luckey	4:28
2008	Jeff	Matt Condron	3:39	Ellen Erhardt	4:18
2009	Jeff	Rob Raguet-Schofield	4:56	Becky Kasten	5:32
2010	Jeff	Matthew Small	3:58	Kristy Powell	4:18
2011	Jason	Brian Kuhn & Elliot Brinkman	4:57	Andrea Stack	5:37
2012	Jeff	Brandon Smith (& Elliot Brinkman)	4:00	Ellen Byron	5:25
2013	Jeff	Jason Elliot	3:45	Andrea Stack	5:00
2014	Chris	Matt Halfar	6:32	--
2015	Chris	Steve Butler	4:41	Andrea Stack	6:14
2016	Chris	Steve Butler	4:29	Jen Burton	4:38
2017	Chris	Nic Carter	5:30	Sarka Petrickova	4:40

Running Goals for 2018

It's time to set running goals for the new year. They need to be specific, measurable, achievable, and time-bound. I can't just say "Run more miles" or "Run Clinton Lake trail more often" as goals. Those goals would need to be specific--like run 1500 miles in 2018 or run the Clinton Lake north fork trail at least once per month. Lose wight? Nope. How much weight in what time period? Similarly, I can't say "Run faster in 2018." What does "fast" mean? Maybe "Run at least 3 miles under 7:30 pace once per week." How about "Be more social with my running"--is that a good goal? No. Needs to be specific and measurable. Transform it into "Run with a group (at least two others runners) once per week all year." I'd love to proclaim that I'll "Run across the Grand Canyon and back in less than 6 hours" but that is not achievable. Doing a R2R2R in one day (less than 24 hours) would be doable.

Goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, and time-bound.

My goals that I'd like to achieve before the end of 2018:

1. Run more than 1,500 miles.
2. Complete at least 24 long runs (10+ miles).
3. Don't take more than 2 consecutive days off from running.
4. Complete at least 2 ultra-marathons (>26.2 miles).
5. Have one run longer than 36.56 miles.

Basically, 2018 will be a year of consistent running that involves more miles including regular long runs and a couple of ultras. I'd like to set a personal best in the half-marathon (currently 1:32:35), but I cannot commit to that time goal. With more miles and long runs, that HM goal may take care of itself. Right? If not, at least I'll beat Joe at the Illinois half-marathon in April! And I'll beat Jeff and Gregg. And Mark and Nicole.

Did I Meet My 2017 Running Goals?

Last year I was wise and set only process-related goals. Four of them. No outcomes. I was aiming for steady progress from one year to the next, not perfection. Not personal bests. Whatever I did in 2016, I wanted to do better in 2017. If I met my progress goals, maybe a personal record would fall. New records were not the focus of 2017--although I did try to run faster and more often. Did I meet those four goals I set last year? Let's see...

1. Run more miles. In 2016, I ran 1,269 miles.
In 2017, I ran 1,376 miles. Goal achieved! 

2. Run more frequently. In 2016, I ran 235 times.
In 2017, I ran 266 times. Goal achieved!

3. Run faster. In 2016, I averaged a 9:41 pace.
In 2017, I averaged 9:23 pace. Goal achieved!

4. Do more long runs (13+ miles). In 2016, I did 11 runs of 13+ miles.
In 2017, I did 9 long runs of 13+ miles. Goal not achieved.

I met three of my four goals for the year. Not bad. I really need to get in more long runs in 2018. I'm very pleased with the other metrics. More days running, more total miles, and a faster average pace. Sweet! I consider 2017 a successful year of running. I wanted a PR in the half-marathon, but that didn't happen. Now I just need to add in more long runs. Maybe that half-marathon PR will come this year? Goals for 2018 will be published soon.