Kohl Elementary 5k

Not much better than last week, 18:51.

This race is just down the street (.6) from my house.  I jogged over, extended the warm up to 2 miles.  I pretty much knew from the get go that the funk that has been in my legs was not gone, even with a light day yesterday.

I ran into Shad at the tail of my warm up, and exchanged some kind words with him (including the obligatory back and forth sandbagging).   Also saw Kircher working the start and the finish so it was good to chat with him.  They had a moment of silence at the start in memory of TJ Doherty … sad story still.

I had hoped to get out a bit easier, and even though it felt as much, I knew by a half mile (2:46 according to the Garmin) that it was probably still a bit too hot.  So I screwed that up.  Clearly my lack of pace familiarity (as I am not training it) was showing.  I was never ahead of Shad.  I maybe was as close as 30 yards at one point just past two miles, but he got a visual on me at the turn and then pulled away well.  5:37, 11:43 (6:06), 17:46 (6:02), and then 64 seconds for the rest for 18:51.  (those are Garmin measured miles that usually come up a bit sooner than the course marked miles – the splits that I did not gather).  No real quick or zip at the end either.  Just a grind from about a mile on.

Something else is up – I can feel how I get blocky in the finish.  Like my stride is as if I am running with a backpack on my back.  It is never smooth but it gets really bad now as I fade.  Jogged around for about five miles mulling it all over.  A bit of doubt, a bit of some excuses, a bit of a wake up call, a bit of gratefulness.  10.4 for the AM.

There is a significant difference for me right now between 6:40 and sub six miles (which I apparently just eeked out).  I just have not done that work that much and I guess it is fair to say that I am being a typical 40 something and showing a quick decline in that area by not working it.  I am probably also carrying 5 –10 pounds extra, and that is probably good for 10-20 seconds a mile.  Both are correctable, but I have not been the disciplined guy to do that – so I am getting what I have trained /exercised for I guess.

In any case, it was good to get out for a second week and get smacked around a bit and see where I am at.  I might not like the message but it is real.  The Kohl 5k is a good race:  local, good sponsor schwag, prizes, solid course (winner went sub 15), big community event but not TOO big. 

Late afternoon 5.7 miles easy.

Tuesday 101111

Ah, another endurance junkie movie in the works …

Some guys I follow on the interwebs just did that Zion Traverse thing.  Like to do that some day but water looks like it is tough to come by there.

Coming out of a bit of a funk from the weekend with the camping, a decent run on Sunday but then a long Sunday night.  Woke up this AM with a nice sized zit on my nose.  Not just one of those little ones but one of those that like a birth of an alien coming out of your face.  Anyway …

AM – I was unable to meet Bob for a workout today because of my work schedule, but went off of what he was thinking of doing and did a 5k tempo-time trial thingie.  So - I headed over to the local Kohl 5k course (where, when I last ran it in a race setting, I pulled up at about a mile and a quarter).  I last ran on this as a workout way back in April.  When I did that then I averaged 6:08 pace and today, not feeling so great – I was 6:03.  I really slowed a bit in the second mile … GPS says close to 6:50 pace (ugh).  Some of that is uphill but some of it is just “falling asleep” in the workout.  Fastest stuff was at 5:35 pace … which, well is closer to where I want to be for a whole 5k run at some point.

Probably should have strapped on the HR monitor to normalize the effort, but, well … next time.

All in all, not zippy, but a.) improvement that I will take in light of feeling stale and b.) I use to be able to workout faster than I race, but all that seems to be the other way around now.  Not sure why, but I think it is the better of side of things.  7 miles.  Pretty much will roll easy the rest of the week heading into Saturday.

Oh yeah, when I was running this thing in the spring, there was this little dog tail of a block that I missed all spring.  I learned that on race day this year (when that had the Kohl 5k).  So all spring my timed runs over there were about 6/100ths short.  Today I came in at 3.14 and 18:58 (so, yeah, I was a bit slower overall but the course was more accurate … and yes, I did nudge it a bit in the last quarter to assure a sub 19).

Considering picking up some brews for Sunday afternoon.  I figure if I can finish the bugger under 24, I ought to be able to get back to the house, get a nap, and then wake up for a few brews post.  Invite coming out, but it is sketchy.  I mean, I could be in a hospital getting an IV instead or something.

I am amazed at the kind words, comments, suggestions and insights that I got in yesterday’s post.  Some highlights are captured below because I think they are great views for all considering ultras or races that are beyond what they think they are physically capable of.  And, well – they are amazing comments!  How could one not be inspired after reading this stuff sent to them?!

…  take walking breaks for a few minutes at regular intervals (like at each lap or something?) to (a) use different muscles and (b) make sure you stuff your face full of food and drinks.
…  not worry about stupid DNF stuff. Shit may happen.
… The only thing you should take seriously is a planned easy pace so you don't get too aggressive immediately. Im no expert, but one of the most impressive things you could do, IMHO, whatever the time ends up being, would be as tight of splits as possible.
… Focus and preparedness + a good day can equal a great race. But we've all seen plenty of examples where having huge focus just doesn't pan out anyway. It's your race, enjoy the experience of going really long.
… 1) Start. 2) Finish.
… No matter how bad it hurts or how much you "think" you're suffering, it will get better, then worse, then better. The first wave of pain is the worse, then just roll with it and take care of the fueling. Just keep in mind how good you'll feel knowing you did it, then you can decided whether you like it or not based on informed, personal information. These things are so different for everyone. They aren't that difficult, really. Many, many people who are not as fit or physically capable as you finish them all the time and much more difficult ones than Boulder. Have fun and absorb the experience good and bad.
… embrace the suck.

Tony’s comments.

1) You've carved out a certain financial and time commitment to this endeavor, so you owe it to yourself (and maybe your family?) to not give up (easily). This requires that you stand on the starting line Saturday morning with the absolute, rock-solid, internal conviction to FINISH. NO MATTER WHAT (barring injury/health issues). The bottom line is that if you start with anything less than that kind of conviction, it will be way too easy to rationalize a DNF to yourself when the going gets tough past miles 60, 70, 80 that you will almost certainly regret later. Of the two 100s I've DNFed the first was because I didn't have that conviction and the second was because of health concern/being completely incapacitated and incapable of further forward movement.
2) I'll save you the suspense and let you in on the little secret that after 45mi or 50, or 80 it is STILL JUST RUNNING. There is no magic.* Success/satisfaction (finishing) is mostly determination, stubbornness and tolerance for suffering. Be mentally prepared that any prolonged discomfort you've encountered on Pikes or in any other long run will be total child's play (seriously) compared to what is virtually guaranteed to happen on Saturday. It's stupid how much these things hurt. Or maybe I've just been doing it wrong?
3) You will HAVE to eat more than you have thus far in your longer efforts. Period. Plan out a regimented fueling strategy to follow from the start and stick to it. Finishing will be almost completely dependent on your ability to get as close to 200-300cal/hr as possible down the hatch (and have it stay down).
4) Nick touched on it, but from the very beginning go at what feels to be a stupid, awkwardly slow pace for the first 60ish miles. You'll be so happy you did, later.
5) Stay in the moment. Be prepared to adjust expectations on the fly. Tiered goals are key to staying in the game mentally.
But, seriously, I'm a massive novice at this stuff. Heck, Tim L has finished as many 100s just this summer as I have in my entire life!
*There actually is some magic. The magic is that you can be feeling phenomenally shitty--even at some point shockingly and discouragingly early in the day--and if you just keep plugging away, things will eventually turn around. It's true. That experience is the revelation of running 100 miles. Don't give up.

A note I got …

Start slow and VERY easy. . If you want to average 12:00 pace then running 7:30 pace to start is foolish. You should look to hold the slowest natural stride possible.
Stay relentlessly positive and NEVER consider the distance remaining. Or at least don't try to wrap your head around it, those miles will come to you, no need to chase them.
Once you reach a certain level of fatigue it levels off and doesn't get much worse. It's not like a 10k where it's an intense pain... it's just a dull fatigue. Nothing to fear at all. A marathon hurts worse.
And ultimately your body will become less and less of a factor (if you take care of it) and your mind will become the only thing that matters. If you are worried about the 100 miles from a physical view, don't. Your body will do what you ask of it. Take the day as it comes and try to stay close to the moment because that is all you can control. What happens in 4 hours isn't worth worrying about... in 4 hours then consider it. And with that said, pace and nutrition are the only things you can control that determine the future. Focus on those and the rest will come to you. 20-30oz of fluids per hour. 1 Powerbar per hour for the first 3, then move to fluid only. If you catch yourself running faster than 8:00 pace then immediately stop and walk for ~30".
And stay positive no matter what. Negative and positive thoughts cause a physical reaction through hormone release. Look at how you FEEL when you get pissed in traffic... then look at how you FEEL when you are running on a beautiful trail on a perfect day. Your reaction to an outside stimulus is what you choose it to be. Get negative and you increase your chance of quitting.

Saturday 043011

AM - got out for the Kohl 5k. Saw Lucho, Brandon, Aaron, JT all at the start. JV was there too taking pictures. The competition was going to be deep (Adam Rich went sub 16 - impressive on such a windy day as I think there was a steady push from the west at 20mph during the race), and I figured I'd benefit regardless of the outcome: a decent race, a decent workout or an opportunity to run with JZ. I told JZ that if things were not going well, I'd probably circle back for him and he seemed positive about that. In retrospect, I guess that set the board.

So while I did not feel great at the start, I got out and ran relaxed and steady for the first mile (5:38). But, the weeds set in and I just lost any motivation in second mile. I could hear myself saying, "okay, time to go" but then saying "nah." At a mile and a half, stepped off and circled back to JZ - and my head went from dark on not running well in this 5k to light and joyful. Circling back and seeing JZ smile as I came back for him made the choice simply obvious.   Photos courtesy of the Kennards – thanks Aaron, Nan.  This might be the last shot you get of me with both feet in the air the same time as JZ.

 

It is, however, challenging to see your kid go into the hurt locker. JZ definitely did the last half mile, and was pushing. I found myself mentally saying "yeah man, dig" but then also "stop that man!"

KZ volunteered for this event.  She is in the famous red coat in the background (here is why it is famous).

 

I’d say his form is a heck of a lot better than his old man’s.

Typically after a race effort like this I am a bit irked, but I don't feel any of that right now. I had a good time out there with the community of runners-bloggers, neighbors and my family. Hung out a bit with JT, $100, and Brandon a bit afterwards, shooting the breeze. Got some well deserved crap for stepping off and not letting those guys get their due in a square up beating me (which they probably would have got had I continued to go for it). My take is they did.  Photo courtesy of Brandon F.

Also learned that I have been running the course a little wrong. There is one little swing around a block that I have been missing that brings it right to 5k.

12 miles on the day.  End of April …280 miles, 43 hours, 30k something vertical, 5 days off in there too.  Bring on May.  1202 miles on the year.

This is a great story about a runner and his dog.

When I ran tonight I was wondering if there were any "odd" records at Pikes like parent-sibling combo, married couple combo ... and then those could be combo'd as well ...Ascent, PPM, Double. I am guessing the Burrell father son team is the fastest on the parent sibling front for the Ascent and the Marathon.  Buzz (Dad) ran a 2:40, 4:16 and Galen ran a 2:18, 3:45 - for general numbers of 4:38 (nearly better than the average ascent and just over 8 hours for the RT.  Of course, this happened over a 26 year period so … In any case, it is a tough mark to beat I think.  Unless it has been already beat?  I doubt it …

Also I have heard that Comrades gives out a variety of medals based on time.  I don’t know (but I am sure I could research their cutoffs) what they are, but I think that would be cool at Pikes.  Sub 2:30, 3, 3:30 type of Ascents … sub 4, 5, 6 marathons.  Or whatever …

Brandon has anger management issues with my comments.

Tuesday 042611

Whytomwhy gave me a good tip on how to recover or capture songs from the IPOD that are not on your computer.

AM - Aaron headed to the east country to check out the Kohl Elementary 5k course (on the fence at this moment if I race this effort or if I run it specifically with one of my kids). It served as a good motivator for me to get up and get it done early (which I need to get into the habit of this year - particularly since the sun rise / sunset is now 6:07, 7:49). As the course swings about a 1/3 of a mile from my front door, I had no excuse to skip this. So after I drove there (just kidding ...).

We jogged the course once and then did some strides on the second time around and then tacked on a bit to round it out. 11 miles. Aaron's got a pretty good shot at PRing this weekend, and breaking 17 so I am stoked for him.

Justin is getting his Weekly trail results up.

Awesome writing by Mr. Reavis.

Insightful post from Matt Fitzgerald on the differences on US vs. East African race approaches.

I may have shredded my vocal cords singing "Walk" tonight with FF.

Sunday 041011

Justin ran a 2:32:02 in the heat at Rotterdam. Apparently hit the half in 73:44, but the last five were all north of six minute pace. Solid effort on a tough day.

Apparently Bill Lee, the guy I worked with last year in burro racing, is in IC after getting rolled under one of his own vehicles.

Earlier this year I was contemplating a trip to the Grand Canyon next weekend. I am not doing that but am interested in doing a long day. Kicking around doing a bunch of laps on Green - like five? (maybe four when I start thinking about it), starting before dawn, and hitting a variety of routes, with the benefit of having an aid station at the car. More to come on this.

Earlier this week I had thought I might do the local 5k here in town (Shorter 5k) but I scratched that after the double Green on Friday. A race day registration of 35 bucks really scared me off. Sheesh.

Last night I could feel that I pushed the edge a bit on Friday. I ought to have backed off the volume on Saturday, but KZ wanted to bike a bit more - so rather than go to hell for denying time with my daughter on the bike I did a bit more. I should have got on a bike myself.

But all that said, I felt pretty good this AM. The legs were a bit heavy, but I had a good night sleep. I decided I'd go check out the Kohl Elementary 5k course (KML file). I have been getting at this every couple of weeks. Kept things in tempo check this AM, it went pretty well (right around 6:10 average pace). 8 miles on the day.

Last two weeks have been a fail on the hour of alternative exercise. Decent week on whole, as I got my largest vertical day yet this year and a decent session of turnover on Tuesday. Miles were a bit low, but given that Monday was only 3 miles, I made up okay. All that said, the session on Green on Friday was revealing to me that I have quite a few chinks in the armor that I could be working on.

I am going to try to continue to strike this balance between turnover, a mountain once a week, and consistent mileage. I am making some ground with the turnover stuff. I can see that I have some hill work to do (but feel confident that will come) and the long run stuff (probably along with a mountain run), but will probably keep a really long run to something like once a month - mostly just goofing off.

PM -4 very easy miles to the library and back with the hobo pirate stabbers.

Week = 77 miles, 11.75 hours, 6680 vertical
April = 110 miles, 16.75 hours, 10040 vertical
2011 = 1032 miles, 153 hours, and 77.8 k vertical

Sunday 030611

AM – 2 mile warm up, then ~20 minute tempo (6:20 pace), mile jog over to BHS and then 8 x 200 meters there.  Fair progress here:  I was about 20 seconds faster at this today (as I am using a measured course) with an AHR about 5 beats lower for the tempo.  Managed the 200s starting at 39 and working them down to 36.  9 miles on the day.

Listened to an interview with Phil Maffetone (MAF guy).

I am interested in doing this as it is local  and via Broomfield Rec.  I’d like to do it with my daughter, but there is a 16yo age limit on it (checking on that). 

Week = 72 miles, 9.75 hours, 4000 vertical
March = 62 miles, 8.5 hours, 3.5k vertical
2011 = 675 miles, 100 hours, and 60k vertical.

Alternative exercise – at the rec center today I was able to assure I got my hour of alternative exercise for the week.  I did a circuit with KZ (she was showing me what they suggested they do) and then added on some tris, abs, and leg work.

Decent week.  Still feeling a bit pressed for time, and have not yet made it a habit to get up early for doubles – and frankly, I am not sure that will occur before April.  Wanted to maintain the discipline of getting after it a bit a couple of times a week and was able to do that a bit with Simms on Tuesday, the down wind quarters on Thursday, and the workout today.  Got some feedback this week that I am mulling over a bit.  The first was that I ought to focus on three workouts a week and never miss those – no matter what.  The second was that I have done enough base work here for a bit and it is really time for me to start killin’ it. 

In regards to the three workouts, I am not sure I could outright say “every Tuesday I am going to do 5 by a mile blah blah blah.”  First, my schedule does not always allow that.  Second, there are some days I feel mentally I am ready to get after a workout, but I know my body is not.  As an example, yesterday I was ready in my head to get after it but my legs felt like crap.  So I ran easy. 

But I like what this thought represents – what three things am I going to get after regularly?  I would say it comes to these three for me (at least today):   A flat turnover workout, a mid shorter hill workout, and a longer run (and probably with hills and altitude as the summer progresses).  The flat turn over workout:  could be classic track, could be a 20 minute tempo, could be a minute on, minute off.  It can't be the treadmill.  I think the best one for me here (at least today) it would be 5-6 mile repeats, but it has to mix in some faster than 5k pace stuff (so strides, or 200s, 400s).  These force me to run at a pace above what I am currently comfortable with, and run quicker when I am tired.  Today’s tempo was an example of this.  The mid shorter hill workout:  I see this as an effort up Shadow or Green or Lindens.  I think the best on this for me (at least today) would be up Green would be Gregory, Ranger, GREENMAN or maybe Long Canyon.  Another option would be these Simms Hills I do.  The longer run is stuff like getting up to Lucho’s place, or to Mosquito Pass or the Skyline Traverse.   More generally, I don’t think I need to worry about mileage for mileage sake, and I think I can be fine off the periodic long run (maybe every couple, three weeks) .

KZ is sitting here tonight listening to Jimmy Buffett.  And enjoying it.  JZ has been digging Kevin Reeves.

Friday 021811

PM – 11 miles.  3 mile warm up, then 20 minute tempo, some recovery and then 8 x 40 seconds on, 80 seconds off.  Mile warm down.

This is the first time in a while (at least this calendar year) where I have put together two structured workouts in a week.  It feels good, and an appropriate step back into training versus exercising. 

I did not realize how different this sort of work makes me feel until 8PM that night where sort of suddenly realized I was tired.  Not a bad tired, but a good tired.  But, we had the Blue and Gold Banquet to get through and so we did.