Irish for a Day

When I signed up for the 100% Irish for a Day 10 Mile back in the middle of February, I had just got back from New Orleans and it was 50 degrees out.  At the time, I was pretty excited for a fun spring race and to take a crack at a good time in my first 10 mile.  Turns out I was definitely fooled about the "spring" part, which sort of did a number on the "good time" part.  I must have forgotten this is Minnesota.

As it turned out on race day, it was about 20 degrees with around 30 mile hour winds, and just enough snow and ice to make the footing pretty miserable.  Not going to lie, I was less than excited about this one (even my skier friends are saying its been a long winter).  But then again its a race and everyone's running in the same conditions...and the positive thing I've learned about racing in bad weather is the worse the weather is, the more memorable the race is.

Matt Trok and I met up to run for an hour or so before the race, and got some extra miles in while scouting out a good chunk of the course.  It really didn't seem so bad as we trotted along slowly, but it was pretty clear there would be sections into the wind that would be pretty ridiculous in the race.

I was a bit surprised at the pace at the start of the race when there were probably 8 or 9 guys that ran about a 5:35 first mile...seemed pretty fast on a tough day.  The group started spreading out quite a bit by mile 2-3 as we came north up the east side of Lake Harriet, running on snow into the northwest wind coming across the lake.  There were two fast guys up front that I sort of gave up hope on by mile 3 or so, and a third who was steadily pulling away.  This is where the shorter distance is so different than a marathon or ultra...in a 10 mile or less you probably won't ever catch guys that you lose sight of, where in a longer race there's a decent chance you might see them again.

By mile 4 or 5, I was feeling pretty terrible around the windy side of Lake Calhoun, and had slipped back to 6th place and running about 6:00 pace.  Thankfully, right around mile 5 is where the course turned south, the footing was much better, and the wind was mostly at the back for the next 3-4 miles.  I had a Gu and eased my way back into a rhythm a bit around here and started feeling pretty good.  There were quite a number of 5K runners who made the last few miles around Lake Harriet a bit of an obstacle course, and the last mile or two was pretty brutal back on snow and into the wind, but all things considered it felt like a pretty steady second half.  The official results put me in third place, but it was really fourth since one of the guys far in front of me apparently took a wrong turn right before the finish.  My time was 58:45.

My 10 mile PR is now almost 2 minutes slower than my first and second 10 miles of the marathon four weeks ago, but that probably sounds about right with the combination of tough winter conditions and non-tapered legs.  All in all it made for a great workout in the middle of a 22 mile training run.

Next race is the MDRA 7 Mile in two weeks (hoping for a fun spring run...but planning for snow and ice).  Then on to the trails!

Canyon on my mind...

So I think I have declared that it is the "last coldest day of the winter" about 9 times so far...but now that its March, one of these days I'll actually be right.  I feel like once spring does come it always goes by quick, which means the big trip for the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim in May is really just around the corner!  I am so excited...never been there before, but I'm very glad that I will be able to see it for the first time by running it.

It seems like the majority of my travel these days has been related to running.  Most of the time though, the big event is a race, and not just running for fun.  Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy races...but I'm really looking forward to just enjoying the run, taking in the scenery, not worrying about how fast we're moving, taking pictures, and just appreciating it all.  Sometimes it's easy to forget in the day-to-day, but I have a feeling it will be one of those experiences that will remind me how lucky I am to be a runner.

While some of the guys have been busy reading this recommended reading for the trip, I took a different route to learn about how to survive 44 miles in the Grand Canyon.  A few weeks ago, I watched this really bad movie called "The Canyon".  Here is a list of things I am now well aware of:

• Don't go on a mule ride with a crazy random local guy.
• It is a bad idea to go off the trail...you could get lost.
• Rattlesnakes can kill you.
• Cell phones don't work very well in the Canyon.
• It can be quite hot down there.
• It's sort of a good idea to bring lots of water.
• Don't try to climb vertical rock walls without any experience or equipment.  
• If you break your leg in the canyon, you will probably be attacked by wolves.
• If you are a guy there on your Honeymoon, whatever you do don't trust your wife.

Sorry if this ruins it for all of you who have been itching to see this movie.  

Seriously, though, I really can't wait to get there and experience it for myself.  Maybe it's because I'm from MN and do not get to see places like that very often, but I've already decided it'll be one of the coolest running experiences I'll ever have.  And nothing beats a trip with the guys...will be a ton of stories and memories for sure.

Mardi Gras Marathon - Race Report

The long winter of training finally culminated in a race on Sunday in New Orleans.  I’ve been really dialed in on this one for a long time, and couldn’t have asked for much more – fast course, legs felt great, absolutely perfect weather.  I had a whole lot of respect for the marathon distance before this race, and after 2:31:13, I crossed the finish line with a whole lot more.  All in all, I gave it a valiant effort at cracking the 2:30 mark, and real happy to come away with a good race, many lessons learned, and knocked 5+ minutes off the old PR.  And of course have a good goal for next time!

It’s funny how 99% of the work in this sport is done outside of competition.  Good thing for me, I am lucky to have the best and smartest runner I know in Chris Lundstrom as my friend and coach.  I was telling Chris on Saturday that if I screwed it all up in the race, it surely wouldn’t be his fault.  He got me through the best stretch of training I’ve ever had and did it feeling really good.  I’m definitely thankful to him for getting me to the start line in a position to give it a shot.

On to the Race!
When I woke up at 5 on Sunday morning, I found it ironic that the temperature in Minneapolis was about the same as in New Orleans – a nice crisp 39 degrees or so at the start.  After checking in my gear bag, I made my way to the front coral and anxiously awaited the gun.  I was glad to meet fellow trail runner Nick Clark right before the race and run the first mile or so together.  The general plan was to start off a bit conservative for the first 10k, then start cruising a bit through the middle of the race to give myself an outside chance at grinding it out in the end for 2:29.

I ran most of the first 5 or so miles with a half marathoner up until the courses split.  Things were smooth sailing through here and felt like I could run that pace all day…just the way it should be on tapered legs.  After the split, I was just a bit ahead of Nick, and already out of sight of the 7 guys ahead of me.  I came through the first 10K averaging 5:49s, and was sort of proud of myself for holding back a bit as planned (the goal average pace was 5:43).  I had my first of three GUs around here, and started ticking off some faster miles.

I came through the halfway point exactly where I wanted to be in 1:14:52.  I knew I’d be cutting it real close and it would take a near perfect split race to pull it off, but that’s the way a marathon is supposed to be run.  I was cruising here through some great parts of town and feeling good – the course went from Audubon Park down St. Charles Ave, to Decatur and the French Quarter, then up Esplanade to City Park and the Lake.  I was still holding on to the pace I wanted, but it started requiring a bit more effort around 18 or 19.  I came through mile 20 in 1:53:54.  It was slightly encouraging that my second 10 miles was a little faster than the first 10, but I knew I was tiring when I was getting real close to passing a guy, and just couldn’t quite close the gap.  The course took a couple 180 degree turns up by the lake before coming back down south along City Park into the finish for the last 4 or 5 miles.

This is where things slowly started to slip a bit more…just couldn’t quite hang on to the pace.  I don’t think I looked at my watch more than once or twice for the last five miles, mostly because I was afraid of the numbers that it would be showing and wanted to just run.  By this time I knew I wasn’t going to be breaking 2:30, so just kept it rolling and as steady as I could to finish with a solid time that I was still real happy with.

In hindsight, I’d love to go back in time to mile 20 of that race and see if I could be just a little bit tougher, but I guess that’s what the next race is for.  It was definitely a great experience and I learned a lot as always.  I really liked the course, was a perfect day, and had a fun few days in a cool city…not too bad of a long weekend out of MN in February.  And I'm convinced this whole marathon training adventure should leave me with a great base for ultras this summer.
 
Post Race
After the race, I had a chance to visit more with Nick about summer plans…definitely looking for him to tear up the trail at Western States again this year, among many other races for sure.  Also had a chance to congratulate the winner – Fred Joslyn – who qualified for his first Olympic Trials with a 2:18:48.  Great guy and real excited for him.

After getting my stuff again, I met up with my friend Ryan and his friend Sally (both ran their first half and I think are hooked!), and Ryan’s girlfriend Stephanie and his buddy Brian.  We enjoyed a couple of the best tasting beers I’ve ever had before heading out for some of the best tasting pizza I’ve ever had.

Next Up…
I signed up on Saturday for Cascade Crest 100 in August, so as far as races are concerned that’s the next big one for me.  There will be plenty of adventures before then though.  And this 40+ degree weather I came home to has me thinking about the trails.
_ _ _ _

And here is the Garmin data for any of you numbers and splits enthusiasts.  The Garmin runs a few seconds per mile faster than actual.

Mardi Gras Marathon Weekend Begins

I'm usually not one to put much stock in quotes, or even remember them, but this one by Martin Luther King stood out to me on a random commercial this morning during the 10 minutes I had the TV on:

“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

Whenever I get myself caught up in trying to wrap my mind around one big task all at once, it just seems overwhelming to the point where it doesn’t seem possible and you don’t know where to begin.  In reality though, you can’t take the second step until you take the first, so why worry so much about trying to take every step all at once?  I guess the lesson learned for this weekend is to trust the training and not think too much about trying to run all 26.2 miles fast, but just begin and let it play out from there.

As for the trip so far, I made it to New Orleans this afternoon and I’ve already decided I really like the city.  Yeah it might be a bit rough around the edges to say the least, but it’s got a ton of character which works well for me.  It’s definitely not like any other city I’ve been to, and can’t say that about very many places.  First stop was the Expo to pick up my packet and meet up with my friend Ryan from college who lives and teaches here (and is running his first race in the half).  We met up with his buddy Brian for dinner, and even ventured down Bourbon Street.  Tomorrow will probably be a pretty low-key day…sleep in a bit more than usual, jog a few miles in the morning, and maybe see a bit of the town in the afternoon.  Ryan very conveniently lives about 3 blocks from the start, so it’s nice not to have to worry about race-day logistics and all.

Oh, and I’m loving this tropical paradise thing they have going on down here.  Ok, it was only like 50 degrees this afternoon, but sure felt toasty compared to the -10 I woke up to this morning in Minneapolis.  It should be perfect weather for a run.

Taper time and planning ahead

So I haven't written anything in a while, but I've just been strategically saving up some really great updates for a special time.  Well you're in luck...that time has come!

• First and foremost, I had my first ever cup of coffee this morning after a long run with the guys (thanks Soller!).  This closely followed my first cup of tea a few weeks ago.  Apparently 2011 is the year of being adventurous.  Get excited...there's more where that came from.
  
  
• I did my taxes today.  Refunds are a good thing.  That's all I really have to say about that.
  
  
• I ran my first 10K at the Polar Dash on New Years Day.  It was a bit cold and windy, but then again it's January in Minnesota.  The race went pretty well, but my only regret here is turning down a once-in-a-lifetime offer by my buddy Erik about two minutes before the race to run in a penguin costume.  Dang that would have been memorable.
  
  
• The training for this marathon I'm running in two weeks is pretty much in the books, and now I am thinking that a bit of taper time will feel sort of good.  I've learned a whole lot since Nov 1 about how to train for a marathon.  It's just so much different than training for ultras...or at least I definitely don't get so hung up on 5 seconds here and 10 seconds there when running on trails.  I think I've realized that those long slow trail runs definitely come more natural to me, but I know the marathon training makes me a better runner all-around and it has been a lot of fun...just in a different way.
  
  I've had a couple really good workouts where I've felt pretty optimistic, but also plenty where I thought to myself, "There's no way in hell I can run this fast for 26.2 miles."  Nonetheless though, I know I just have to trust the training, hope for a good day, run my heart out, and everything else will hopefully take care of itself.  Regardless of how things shake out, I'm excited to race again since it's been a while, and looking forward to a good long weekend in New Orleans.
  
  
• I'm so excited for spring...believe it or not I think it'll be even more adventurous than coffee and taxes!  I have a pretty full six weeks planned to start the season from late April to early June.  It'll be complete with three 50Ks and a double-crossing of the Grand Canyon.  I'm sure I'll be trashed by the end of all that, but hoping it'll leave me with a real good base of long runs and hills.  I still have to figure a couple things out for late June and July, but am planning on the main event of the year being the Cascade Crest 100 in the end of August out in Washington.

Cheers to 2010

It seems like everyone's been thinking about 2011 plans as of late (myself included).  But before we get the cart before the horse here, I think we must pay all due respect to 2010 before tomorrow when it will be long gone and forgotten about.

It seems like it all went by fast, but thinking back to all the great stories along the way, it’s hard to believe it was all crammed into one year. There are many more, but here are 10 of the greatest memories from races and training runs that stand out:

• Psycho Wyco TCRV Road Trip – Seven of us made the first trip in the TCRC RV to trudge through 31 miles of mud in Kansas. Here I may have become the slowest guy ever to win money at a race I didn't even win - $75 for a 50K in 4:58…yeah I know it doesn’t make any sense. 

Yeah that's a good looking RV...definitely turned some heads.

• 'Groundhog Day' Run – This was actually in April…had to be there. It was a rainy 24 miles of the lakes, river roads, trails, greenway, etc., complete with the Seaton stair climb and Nick ending up in Cedar Lake. 
• MDRA 7 Mile – This one started with 7 miles and a photo shoot for Joe before the race, then the 7 mile race during which I only got lost once, and a 7 mile cool-down. Great spring race! 
• Olathe Marathon – This trip already has a couple top 10 lists of its own…several months of trash-talking, Erik eating about 4 pounds of pasta before the race, Nick’s practical jokes, Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ, a great race, and a big group of Minnesotans taking most of the top spots! 
• Afton 40 Miler – Great training run with Tony, Jeff, and Chris…until Tony and I were stopped dead in our tracks at about mile 37 by a HUGE snake. Luckily we made it out alive. 
• Kettle Trip – Positive part is I ran a great 50K! Downside is the race was a 100K and by about mile 47 I was a complete disaster and falling asleep on a chair at an aid station…and don’t really remember much of the last 15 miles.  All in all, many lessons learned a great road trip with Paul.
• Western States Trip – Incredible five days in CA with Tony, Laurie and Chris (and Dylan on race day) to crew/pace for Tony. Luckily, we weren't replaced as pacers after Lundo and I spent the two days before the race in a constant state of getting lost.  I’ll never forget all of us running through Auburn with Tony for the last mile and a half…so great to see someone train like crazy for a race , and then have it all come together when it counts. 
• Superior Sawtooth – Will always have a soft spot for the Superior Trail Races.  It was a great experience and I will always be thankful for Joe, Arley, and Dylan for getting me through it all. 
• Fall Trail Series: Friday Night Edition – For probably 99% of people, this doesn't sound like fun. But for about a dozen or so runners, 15 miles of night trail running followed by good food and beer is about as close to a real party as some of us get. 
• Snowpocalypse Run – 22 miles through the middle of the snowstorm that brought down the dome…epic MN winter run.

And I’m sort of addicted to keeping track of numbers…this is the wrap for the year:

• 4,597 miles 
• 634 hours, 41 minutes 
• 449 runs
• 9 races 
• 373 miles of racing 
• 9 days off (all between Sep 12 and Oct 7) 
• 11 pairs of shoes 
• About 67 loops of Hyland 

I wonder how many fewer miles I will have to run next year to just maybe have a shot at getting a girlfriend...

That One Was Memorable

It seems like about 97 runs out of a hundred are more or less just another run.  Don't get me wrong, it's all a good time...but how many training runs really stand out above the rest as unique?  

Today was a little different though.  Today was memorable.  This winter it seems like it snows all the time in Minneapolis...but this is a whole other level.  So far I think we're at like 13 inches and counting, and the winds are howling...quite the winter wonderland to say the least.  

Six of us were crazy enough for the epic adventure this morning.  It actually started out not too bad, but kept snowing harder and getting windier as we went.  I think this one can be summed up with a list of firsts:

• First time trudging through 8 inches of snow on the Greenway.
• First time making a snow angel on a run...I'm more of a snow man guy but it was too fluffy.
• First time running down Hiawatha Avenue...not sure if that was legal.
• Possibly the first time ever six guys ran down the middle of Lake Street for 4 miles...we only got honked at a couple times.
• First time anyone in our group helped a car get unstuck on a run...good work Dylan!
• First time trying to do any sort of pick-up in a blizzard.  Yeah that one failed miserably.
• First time I ran the vast majority of the last two miles of a run with my eyes closed.
• First time I ever got my car stuck.  I was just three blocks from my house and some real nice people who were helping someone else get unstuck gave me a little push.

All in all ended up with 22 miles and some good memories.  Now I am snowed in at my house...time to start shoveling, then maybe another movie and some pancakes!