some down time

it appears that i am actually taking a week off. at first it was just a result of being very busy attempting to get a bunch of work done prior to doing some traveling for christmas activities. then i decided to not pack my running gear for our trip. my body is feeling really good right now. no tenderness in my knees. left tibia feels great. when we get home, i will be so ready to partake of some enjoyable miles. it might be kind of cool to end the year with 2,200 running miles for the year, but whatever-will-be-will-be :)

marathons

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

• little rock marathon (march)

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

• chicago marathon (october)

Indiana

Iowa

• des moines marathon (october)

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

• minneapolis marathon (june)
• grandma's marathon (june)
• twin cities marathon (october)

Mississippi

Missouri

• frisco (april)
• st. louis marathon (april)
• kansas city marathon (october)
• bass pro marathon (november)
• run for the ranch (december)

Montana

Nebraska

• omaha marathon (september)

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

• oklahoma city memorial marathon (april)
• route 66 marathon (november)

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

ultras

Alabama

• mount cheaha 50k (february)
• pinhoti 100 (november)

Alaska

• susitna 100 (february)

Arizona

• zane grey highline trail 50 (april)

Arkansas

• arkansas traveller 100 (october)

California

• western states endurance run 100 (june)

Colorado

• hardrock hundred mile endurance run (july)
• leadville trail 100 (august)

Connecticut

• lake waramaug 100k (april)
• bimblers bluff 50k (october)

Delaware

• delaware 100 mile endurance run (september)

Florida

• iron horse 100 (february)
• lost 118 (february)
• keys 100 (may)

Georgia

• sweeth20 50k (april)

Hawaii

• h.u.r.t. 100 (january)

Idaho

• bear 100 (september)

Illinois

• chicago lakefront 50k (march)
• mcnaughton park trail runs (april)

Indiana

• opsf ultra 50/50 (november)

Iowa

• equalizer endurance run 6 & 24 hour (october)

Kansas

• psycho wyco run toto run (february)
• rockin k trail run (april)
• psycho wyco psummer (july)
• patriots' run (september)
• heartland 100 (october)

Kentucky

• land between the lakes 50 (march)

Louisiana

• louisiana trails mission 50k (november)

Maine

• pineland farms trail challenge (may)

Maryland

• mason dixon longest day challenge 100k (june)
• jfk 50 mile (november)

Massachusetts

• 24 hour around the lake (july)

Michigan

• hallucination 100 (september)

Minnesota

• zumbro 100 (april)
• fans 24 hour (june)
• superior sawtooth 100 (september)
• wild duluth races (october)

Mississippi

• mississippi 50 (march)

Missouri

• frisco fifty 50k (april)
• ozark trail 100 mile endurance run (november)

Montana

• swan crest lucky seven 100 (july)

Nebraska

• 
  

Nevada

• labor of love 100 miler (april)

New Hampshire

• 
  

New Jersey

• 3 days at the fair (may)

New Mexico

• jemez mountain trail runs (may)

New York

• beast of burden 100 (february)
• can lake 50 (october)

North Carolina

• umstead 100 mile endurance run (march)

North Dakota

• 
  

Ohio

• 
  

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

• lean horse 100 (august)

Tennessee

Texas

• rocky raccoon 100 (february)

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

• kettle moraine 100 (june)

Wyoming

• grand teton races (september)

blogs

austin, chad

b, jenn

b, michael

bewan, gabe

browning, jeff

callahan, duncan

centis, shelly

childs, denis

clark, nick

claxton, doug

crosby-helms, devon

decker, kurt

donaldson, jamie

down the backstretch

eichhorn, aron

galloway, jeff

godale, mark

goggins, david

greer, kim

griffith, scott

henry, gary

hilborn, ariana

holmes, ben

holmes, geoff

johnson, eric

jones, shane

joy, michelle

jurek, scott

karnazes, dean

krejci, marc

krupicka, anton

larson, peter

masland, caleb

meltzer, karl

neuberger, thomas

p, wayne

parr, timmy

portera, anthony

reeves, ben

rogue valley runners

sauciuc, mircea

speirs, steve

spirit-flower

sullivan, jason

t, jeff

thornley, craig

v, jason

voeks, coleen

w, matt

wakefield, david

westermeier, mike

zimmerman, mark

tired...

i am thinking about letting a few things go around this blog and i am thinking about taking a break from dailymile.... instead i may post more around here. i will try and not make any rash decisions, i have a tendency to do that when i am tired. i am still recovering from some kind of "bug", and it is a bit of a bummer to not feel like myself. i am also dealing with a tender left knee. i am trying to baby it, i believe it is just a work-load-adjustment situation.

the-log 11.09.2009 - 12.06.2009

week 11.09.2009 - 11.15.2009

11.09.2009:
[1]: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.
[2]: 8 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.10.2009: 8 miles of running @ "nixa high school track" in nixa, mo.

11.11.2009: 12 miles of trail running @ "wilson's creek national battlefield" in republic, mo.

11.12.2009: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.13.2009: "run to the lights" 5k of running in branson, mo.

11.14.2009:
[1] 13 miles of running in republic, mo.
[2] 10 miles of running in republic, mo.
[3] 2 miles of running

11.15.2009: 10 miles of running (w/scott) on "frisco highline trail" in willard, mo.

week total: 74 running miles [2009: 1,817 running miles]

week 11.16.2009 - 11.22.2009

11.16.2009: rest day

11.17.2009: 6 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.18.2009: rest day

11.19.2009: 14 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.20.2009: 6 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.21.2009: 10 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.22.2009: "route 66 marathon" 26.2 miles of running in tulsa, ok.

week total: 62 running miles [2009: 1,879 running miles]

week 11.23.2009 - 11.29.2009

11.23.2009: rest day

11.24.2009: 7 miles of running in smithfield, nc.

11.25.2009:
[1]: 3 miles of running (w/melinda) in smithfield, nc.
[2]: 2 miles of walking (w/melinda & robin) in smithfield, nc.

11.26.2009:
[1]: "gobbler's run" 5k of running in wake forest, nc.
[2]: 9 miles of running from smithfield, nc. to garner, nc.

11.27.2009: 8 miles of running in smithfield, nc.

11.28.2009: rest day

11.29.2009: 17 miles of running in republic, mo.

week total: 47 running miles [2009: 1,926 running miles]
week total: 2 walking miles [2009: 205 walking miles]

week 11.30.2009 - 12.06.2009

11.30.2009:
[1]: 9 miles of running in republic, mo.
[2]: 6 miles of running @ "republic middle school track" in republic, mo.
[3]: 7 miles of fivefinger running @ "nixa high school track" in nixa, mo.
[4]: 8 miles of running (6w/scott) in republic, mo.
[5]: 6 miles of running in republic, mo.
[6]: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.
[7]: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.

november running miles: 318 miles

12.01.2009: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.

12.02.2009:
[1]: 5 miles of running in republic, mo.
[2]: 11 miles of running in republic, mo.

12.03.2009: 12 miles of running in republic, mo.

12.04.2009: 5 miles of running in republic, mo.

12.05.2009: 31.05 miles of running on "frisco highline trail" walnut grove, mo.

12.06.2009: 8 miles of running in republic, mo.

week total: 120 running miles [2009: 2,046 running miles]

wow! awesome month of running. running is my home, and there is no place like home!

gobbler's run 5k: 19:41.29

we decided a few weeks before thanksgiving to participate in the "gobbler's run" in wake forest, north carolina as a family outing. after my 5k experience on 11.13.2009 at the "run to the lights", i experienced a bit of a mental struggle regarding how to approach this event. part of me didn't want to race it. i considered just running with my sisters and approaching it as a purely recreational event. i finally resolved that i would attempt to go for some age division hardware and approach the event as a race. another race factor was that my nephew was gunning for me. he had managed an 18:30 5k during fall cross country, so i was envisioning him finishing 30 seconds to a minute in front of me. he claimed that he had recently lost some of his running fitness via shifting into basketball season. i didn't believe him.

the race started on a climb. i experienced some boxing in and was a step or two behind my nephew. as we finished the climb i found myself passing him and resolved to just run my own race. i attempted to stay relaxed during mile 1 and i was able to find a good rhythm. first mile split: 6:14. the second mile started with another climb. at this point i knew i had slowed a bit, but was trying not to slide too much. i had a teenage boy in front of me who was running very sporadically. every time i started to catch him he would surge and move in front of me. i didn't figure this would last for very long, as he appeared to be struggling. hit the second mile split in: 6:41. i wasn't too pleased with the split, but i could tell that i had enough juice to pick the pace back up. after the second mile split i again encountered the surging struggling teenage boy attempting to prevent me from passing him. i finally dropped a comment: "find a pace, and stick with it." my comment seemed to take the wind out of his sails, and he faded behind me. i was pleased to see my mile three split: 6:11. i managed to finish strong and never get passed by my nephew, who i was expecting to come roaring by me at any moment. finish time: 19:41.29. mile split average: 6:20.

melinder

mary ann and robin

the gobbler finish

cole

melinda and sarah

paige

caleb

jake

david and john

reviewing the event with the bobster

a good time was had by the entire family. i was feeling confident that i might have cracked the top 3 in my age division and so i payed attention to the awards ceremony with great interest. once they got to the older age divisions, we were informed that they would only be giving hardware to number one in the older divisions. thus, no hardware for me. when the results finally posted a few days later i discovered i got 3rd in my age division (30-39) and 14th overall out of 1200+ participants. this was a better 5k experience than the "run to the lights", but 5k events continue to have minimal attraction for me.

route 66 marathon

prior to heading to tulsa for the "route 66 marathon", i decided that i didn't want to race the event. i was pleased with my time in des moines, and i felt like it was my peak performance for the fall marathoning season. knowing that my great friend scott griffith was on a mission to run a sub-4 hour marathon, i inquired if he would be interested in letting me run with him and assisting him in any manner he deemed helpful. scott agreed to us running together, and thus i had my mission coming into the event. the week prior to the marathon, we went out on a rehearsal run to try out some different run-walk-run strategies. i was wanting to encourage scott in the direction of a strategy similar to the one i employed at "the flying pig" (which involved running 90 to 95% of each mile and walking the remainder), whereas scott was accustomed to doing a 4 minute run:1 minute walk pattern during his regular runs, thus he was wanting to stick with what he had practiced. during our rehearsal we landed on a plan of letting scott pace the first 13.1 miles using his 4 to 1 pattern, and then letting me pace the last 13.1 using a 90% - 10% pattern.





scott and i got to the marathon expo with plenty of time to check out the various vendor booths and grab a good portion of free samples.





we spent saturday evening at scott's sister's house. she prepared us an awesome meal and provided us with very comfortable accommodations. saturday evening we watched my copy of "running the sahara" and it seemed to be a perfect movie to prep our minds for the 26.2 mile adventure.




when race day arrived i had embraced my role as marathon mule :) i was intending to carry all of scott's fuel throughout the event so he could stay light and focus purely on reaching his goal of covering the 26.2 mile distance in under 4 hours.




we intended to take the first mile out in 8 minutes and then do our first 1 minute walk interval. we executed that perfectly. for the next few miles i let scott do his thing, but i was concerned that he was pushing the pace a little on the hot side. i spent a lot of time a step or two behind scott during the first 6 to 7 miles.









this was my first marathon running with another runner, and i found that it really enhanced the marathoning experience. we really had a lot of fun during those first few miles. about 10 miles in i noticed that scott's pace was sliding and that it might be a good time to raise the possibility of switching to my strategy sooner than 13.1. scott agreed to us going with my strategy at mile 11.




as we continued through the next few miles i was enjoying the job of pacer. i believe it was about mile 16 that i started to notice that scott was falling a step or two behind me during our run segments. by the time we got the the 20 mile marker, it was apparent that scott was not going to be interested in dropping the walk segments, and that his pace was sliding. the last 10k was very challenging. scott was wanting to walk longer and more often than the time we had allotted and the running pace was sliding down about a minute per mile slower than was intended. the extra time we had in the bank from the first few miles was disappearing fast. i did all i knew to do to encourage scott. my thought at this point was that a shuffle was faster than scott's walking pace, so i tried to encourage scott to keep the shuffle going. just prior to the last mile, i told scott that only one more walk segment would be possible. we picked out some landmarks to mark off the last walk section. we walked it, and then attempted to keep it rolling into the finish. with 385 yards to go, scott only had 2 minutes left on the clock. i pushed ahead and kept yelling "shift gears" and "you have to find another gear". somehow, HE DID IT!!! check this, his official chip time was: 3:59.59.





skinny bear and flying duck coming into the finish!





scott in front of his sister's house.



a big lunch at "indigo joe's" after the race.





i completed my seventh thon and my seventh state! a very awesome weekend!

run to the lights 5k: 20:35.7

pre-race

the "run to the lights 5k" is a pretty unique event. the event takes place at "silver dollar city" on a friday evening. the race starts at 10 p.m., but participants get access to the park from 6 p.m. until the rides shutdown at 9 p.m. this event is a real bargin for a family. a family could register for $50 and that included long sleeve event shirts, access to the park on race night, and a free pass to come back to the park before the end of the season (a one day pass by itself is usually $54).

we met up with the griffiths after work and caravaned to ozark to pick up one of brittany's friends. dinner was subway in ozark.

once we got to "silver dollar city" and picked up our race packets, the kids went off in their own direction, the women went off in theirs, and scott and i enjoyed some chill time.

the women enjoyed riding a variety of rides, but they got a bit carried away and ended up messing up susan's stomach. she landed the role of "bag lady" during the event and did an excellent job keeping all of our stuff secure.

scott was craving a cookie and this is what he found. i helped him eat it, but he ate enough of it that he got to experience its lingering presence during the race.

once all the rides closed down, our group gathered to get on the appropriate attire. i had some difficulty finding sufficient space to do some warming up. just when i thought i found a section of road to warm-up on, i got addressed over a megaphone by one of the shuttle drivers informing me that i was not permitted access to that road.

all the runners gathered and awaited to be escorted to the start location. the start location was at the top of a hill and the front of the line was packed with little kids. i forced my way up to about the third row. we then were held in this area for 10 to 15 minutes while they waited for all the shuttles to clear the parking lot. any warm-up benefit was totally lost as our heart rates returned to resting rates and our bodies started to get chilled.

the race

once the race started i was able to avoid getting boxed in, but i was distracted a bit due to a couple little kids sprinting around in front of me and by my side. the course started with a good sized descent. i tried to let gravity help me, but i also was not wanting to take it out too hot. once the downhill section was complete, the little kids had cleared out of the way and i finally had an opportunity to get some kind of rhythm going. just when i was starting to feel a bit smooth a 180 degree turn emerged. the map of the course implied a little loop in the parking lot and then a loop section in the actual park, so i had no idea what to expect out in the parking lot. it turned out that more than two-thirds of the course was in the parking lot. it also turned out that we faced 6 180 degree turns throughout the course. i would also like to mention that after the initial down hill section, the remainder of the course was a climb with a couple little downward dips thrown in (downward dips in the dark).

this turned out to be a very tough event for me. i think at about a mile and half in i started facing a mental battle to even keep running. i was endeavoring to relax and find some kind of a smooth glide, but i was having serious difficulties finding any such thing.

once we got into the park i got passed by a couple of runners. one of the only highlights for me was during the final hill. i charged up that hill strong and passed one of those runners back.

regarding my mile splits, nothing very impressive there. i have read that the best way to run a 5k is with a little bit of a pace slide. i had a little more of a slide than i would prefer.

finish time: 20:35.7 (6:37 avergage)

overall place: 26 out of 1,119 finishers

division place: 4 out of 71 finishers (30-39)

afterwards and afterthoughts

i finished this event with a bad taste in my mouth regarding 5k events. i started to recall some of the painful experiences i had running 5k events in high school. i don't think 5k events are my thing. i like some short stuff on the track: 800 meters and 1600 meters, but then i think road racing for me starts at 10,000 meters.

a good time was had by the other participants in our group.

jake had fun and really really enjoyed the hot chocolate and cookies after the race.

the event schwag: long sleeve shirt.

the-log 11.02.2009 - 11.08.2009

11.02.2009: rest day

11.03.2009:

[1]: 8 miles of running in republic, mo.

[2]: 12 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.04.2009:

[1]: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.

[2]: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.05.2009: 5 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.06.2009: 5 miles of running in republic, mo.

11.07.2009: 38 miles of running in republic, mo.; billings, mo.; aurora, mo.; verona, mo. [route-60-adventures: two]

11.08.2009: rest day

total running miles for the week: 76 miles [2009: 1,743 miles]

enjoyable running week. i had to be cautious with regards to some tenderness in my right knee earlier in the week. i started the week thinking 16 miles a day, but adjusted in accordance with what my body was communicating. i got a little carried away on my saturday long run, but loved it and learned a lot in the process.

i have now put a 100 mile event on my plans for 2010: "the lean horse 100" in hot springs, south dakota.

back to running in harmony with my heart and not permitting any stress regarding efficiency to soil my love for running.

route-60-adventures: two

yesterday, 11.07.2009, i set out for my second adventure run on route 60. i recently purchased a nathan hydration vest (the hpl #020) and was gunning to give it a go. my first route 60 adventure run was a 16 mile round trip to billings, mo. the intention for this trip was a 30 mile round trip to marionville, mo. in the back of my mind i was contemplating the possibility of going all the way to aurora, mo and back for a 40 mile trip.

here i am heading out the door, sporting my new vest and my feathered and lethal hair (time for a trip to the barber shop).

this is my starting location, just outside my door. the intention was to take a similar photo when i finished at this location a few hours later.

this is where i get onto route 60, about a mile and quarter from my home. you can see one of the republic water towers in the photo.

coming into billings. somehow i missed the welcome to billings sign.

i was hoping to catch the temp in this photo: 66. a car wreck took place immediately behind me as i was taking this photo. i hope i wasn't a contributing factor...

some cheering spectators in billings!

encountered some construction between billings and marionville. i was pretty excited to discover that i am faster than a speeding steamroller.

coming into marionville. i was hoping to catch a glimpse of one of their white squirrels.

i was feeling fresh coming into marionville and decided i would go ahead and make this a 40 mile journey.

coming into aurora.

coming into aurora, i started thinking this trip might be an excellent opportunity to go for a new distance best. my best is 50 miles, so i was thinking i would go out 26.2 miles and then head back for a double-marathon-run.

getting near verona

coming into verona

a historical marker located in verona

a memorial to lawrence county world war 1 vets located in verona.

this was my aid station. they had a spigot i used to refill my hydration vest. i stopped in around mile 25 and then grabbed another refill when i came by again.

coming back into aurora.

once i completed 50k i started to get that done feeling. the temp. was rising a bit and all the fuel i had with me was not sounding good. my right knee started getting a bit tender and the idea of making a bail out call to my wife got increasingly attractive. during the first 26.2 miles i did not employ any walk segments and i was hoping to make it back home with very limited walk segments. i was out there to run, not walk. once i got to 35 miles, i had morphed primarily into a walker and the thought of walking for the next 3 hours didn't appeal to me.

walking into marionville

i finally got in contact with my wife when i was at about 37 miles. when i knew she was on her way, i start to run again. i wondered if i might possibly be able to get to 40 miles. when i got to 38 and noticed a dairy queen i decided to call it a day.

this was my finishing location for the day.

check the salt!

my wife to the rescue. she even knew that it would be wise to cover the seat with a towel.

the run map and elevation

so route-60 adventure #2 was 38 miles. the day was a bit humbling. i am now aware that i have much room for improvement in the running endurance category. i am glad i can go the marathon distance without the need for walk segments (and possibly 50k), but i am wanting to stretch that boundary in a big way. i think with the right pace and conditions i can do a 40 mile run with minimal walk segments. that might be something to work on over the next few months.

i am going to try some different things in the area of fueling over the next few long runs.

regarding my hydration vest: LOVED IT!!!

route-60-adventures: one: HERE.

the-log 10.26.2009 - 11.01.2009

10.26.2009:

[1]: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.

[2]: 6 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.27.2009:

[1]: 5 miles of running in republic, mo.

[2]: 9 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.28.2009: 10 miles of running in lake ozark, mo.

10.29.2009: 11 miles of running @ "school of osage stadium" in osage beach, mo.

10.30.2009: 7 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.31.2009: 14 miles of running on "frisco highline trail" in willard, mo.

11.01.2009: 15 miles of running in republic, mo.

total running miles for the week: 81 miles [2009: 1,667 miles]

october 2009 running miles: 231 miles

a very enjoyable week of running. got within 4 miles of my biggest mileage week of all time. appreciated a good variety of routes this week, including a 10-miler in lake ozark, mo. pictured above is the toll bridge that was part of that run. i ran across the bridge with the sun setting and ran back across with a good view of the moon.

made the decision this week to not make a boston-qualifying attempt in tulsa. instead i am planning to run with my friend scott and attempt to help him accomplish his time goal. this decision took a big weight off my shoulders. i am officially registered for the "little rock marathon" in the spring and i hope to attempt a boston-qualifying performance there.

halloween hustle: event-schwag

des moines marathon: event-schwag

the-log 10.12.2009 - 10.25.2009

10.12.2009: rest day

10.13.2009: 6 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.14.2009: rest day

10.15.2009: rest day

10.16.2009: rest day

10.17.2009: rest day

10.18.2009: 26.2 miles of running in des moines, iowa [des moines marathon]

total running miles for the week: 32 miles [2009: 1,544 miles]

10.19.2009: rest day

10.20.2009: 4 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.21.2009: 8 miles of running on "frisco highline trail" in willard, mo.

10.22.2009: 10 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.23.2009: 8 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.24.2009:

[1] 1 mile of running in springfield, mo.

[2] 6.2 miles of running in springfield, mo. [halloween hustle 10k]

[3] 5 miles of running in republic, mo.

10.25.2009: rest day

total running miles for the week: 42 miles [2009: 1,586 miles]

i am very pleased regarding where i am at with running right now. my run in des moines really felt like a breakthrough marathon. being able to jump into a 10k this past weekend and run at a pace that was somewhat competitive really was encouraging. i am ready to continue to ride the wave of efficiency improvement for a few more months.

i am born to run, and running is my home!!!