Here are my initial Running Goals for 2009:
1. Finish McNaughton Park 100 - April 10-12
2. Sub 20 minute 5k
3. 100 Mile Bike Ride (workout or ride)
4. Direct Successful Ultra in NW Indiana
5. Develop More Goals...(as the season goes)
New Feature - Random Quote
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein
Later.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
2000 Miles, Thomas Jefferson, and Happy New Year
The end of one year is today and the beginning of a new year is tomorrow...This means different things to each person, but it's safe to say that this past year is like no other year for most of us. I'm also willing to bet that next year will bring a year that is unlike any other year for most of us.
So, it took some work in December, but I surpassed 2000 miles (or so) for the year. Some brief stats are:
Total Miles: 2013*
Days: 283
Low Month Total: 142 (January)
High Month Total: 202 (May)
Monthly Average: 167.75
Weekly Average: 38.7
*Figure is a little low as I rounded down run distances most of the time
The 2000 mile is more impressive to non-runners than it is to runners, but this year was a little different for me. I had more distractions than in previous years:
Work had me traveling a lot in in Spring 2008 and then again in the Fall 2008
2007 ended with me recouping from a scare at the ER and a weekend hospital stay
I used Oct 08 and Nov 08 both as "cut-back" months rather than just 1 month
But I did have some highlights:
Got involved with a running team: www.dirtyredracing.com
I volunteered at 4 races: McNaughton Ultra (IL), Pittsfield Peak Ultras (VT), Buckley (IN), and Chicago Marathon (IL)
I finished a new distance: 12 Hour Race (not greatest performance, but finished healthy)
I started the process for Directing an Ultramarathon in November 2009
I lowered my 5K PR to 20:33
So, I've been reading a lot of Thomas Jefferson or about him lately. I recommend that anyone who wants some good reading material that they check out some of his essays, quotes, a biography about him, or maybe just dig out a copy of the Declaration of Independence. You might be surprised about how much he thought about then relates to our lives in America right now.
Goals for 2009 coming soon along with an announcement about the Rundure 8 Hour Event.
Later.
So, it took some work in December, but I surpassed 2000 miles (or so) for the year. Some brief stats are:
Total Miles: 2013*
Days: 283
Low Month Total: 142 (January)
High Month Total: 202 (May)
Monthly Average: 167.75
Weekly Average: 38.7
*Figure is a little low as I rounded down run distances most of the time
The 2000 mile is more impressive to non-runners than it is to runners, but this year was a little different for me. I had more distractions than in previous years:
Work had me traveling a lot in in Spring 2008 and then again in the Fall 2008
2007 ended with me recouping from a scare at the ER and a weekend hospital stay
I used Oct 08 and Nov 08 both as "cut-back" months rather than just 1 month
But I did have some highlights:
Got involved with a running team: www.dirtyredracing.com
I volunteered at 4 races: McNaughton Ultra (IL), Pittsfield Peak Ultras (VT), Buckley (IN), and Chicago Marathon (IL)
I finished a new distance: 12 Hour Race (not greatest performance, but finished healthy)
I started the process for Directing an Ultramarathon in November 2009
I lowered my 5K PR to 20:33
So, I've been reading a lot of Thomas Jefferson or about him lately. I recommend that anyone who wants some good reading material that they check out some of his essays, quotes, a biography about him, or maybe just dig out a copy of the Declaration of Independence. You might be surprised about how much he thought about then relates to our lives in America right now.
Goals for 2009 coming soon along with an announcement about the Rundure 8 Hour Event.
Later.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
47 is 47 and 12 Hour Run Part 2
So we were up early to head to the start line for the 8:00 AM start. The weather was going to be a good running temperature especially for something of this magnitude and it was supposed to be dry, no rain. Like i mentioned before, i originally had high hopes for this race. And i'm not an excuse maker, but training had hit a couple of snags about 1 month and a half out. I had an infection that caused me to do nothing at all for 10 days on top of a lot of work building up with plenty of traveling for it as well. Anyways, here goes the details...
Hour 1 went well, i finished 7 miles and was working the "Get out to an early start" strategy. I quickly learned on the first loop that this course was a set of 4 small hills rather than the flat square block that i had envisioned in my head. Being from NW Indiana that lacks a lot of serious hills, running these hills over and over again was not what i had really trained for...again though no excuses (it was nice to hear the founder of the race running his 31st version admitted that the course was tough).
Hour 2 went along just fine with 6.5 miles being completed. But something wasnt right and I could already feel the emotional roller coaster starting inside my head. Temperature was good, i decided to take a 10-15 minute break to be proactive against the physical and mental issues. I've learned from previous events that it isn't a smart strategy for me to just pound through these phases; this time i was going to try to what i call "recover through" the issues.
Hour 3-7 were rough and i averaged about 3-4 miles per hour. It was definitely up and down. Jessica started running with me and did about 10 miles over this span of time. I was definitely dealing with the strugles and getting through them. I'm not sure what the real problem was but it could've just not been my day. I ate some McDonalds and ate some pizza too. I was taking in plenty of water, gatorade/endurox, gel packs...anything to put calories in to help with energy levels.
Hour 8-10 went a little better as i was back on the high of the roller coaster; energy levels were definitely up a little bit. Jessica ran another 7 miles or so over this time; she was an animal and did 21 miles total on the day with me (8, 8, and 5). Which means that i'll be getting her into a half marathon soon and more after that, i know she likes it and can handle it.
Hour 11-12 were ok as i was now feeling the physical more than anything in my legs. Some cramping had set in within my calves and hamstrings. Darkness had set in a little and my feet were hurting a little now too.
So, in the end i did 47 miles. I've definitely had better overall results in some of my other ultras (my 50 mile road PR is 8:56, so i'm capable of being faster), but sometimes the value of the adventure is found in the journey itself rather than at the end. I learned some valuable race strategy lessons and had a great time with my family crew. I got to meet a bunch of new people, made new friends, and have tons of memories from this little weekend adventure in Eastern Ohio.
I know i talked about a self experiment and measuring a bunch of variables over the race, but during packing and planning, i forgot a bunch of those items. Looking back, it would've just been annoying with how the race was going. Maybe some other time, some other event.
So there was a connection between the mileage covered and the amount of money raised for the charity. I ran 47 miles. I raised $1,235 dollars (12 + 35 = 47). I know it's coincidental and sort of a result of statistical tweaking, but who cares. It still is cool and sometimes cool is just cool.
Later.
Go Run.
Hour 1 went well, i finished 7 miles and was working the "Get out to an early start" strategy. I quickly learned on the first loop that this course was a set of 4 small hills rather than the flat square block that i had envisioned in my head. Being from NW Indiana that lacks a lot of serious hills, running these hills over and over again was not what i had really trained for...again though no excuses (it was nice to hear the founder of the race running his 31st version admitted that the course was tough).
Hour 2 went along just fine with 6.5 miles being completed. But something wasnt right and I could already feel the emotional roller coaster starting inside my head. Temperature was good, i decided to take a 10-15 minute break to be proactive against the physical and mental issues. I've learned from previous events that it isn't a smart strategy for me to just pound through these phases; this time i was going to try to what i call "recover through" the issues.
Hour 3-7 were rough and i averaged about 3-4 miles per hour. It was definitely up and down. Jessica started running with me and did about 10 miles over this span of time. I was definitely dealing with the strugles and getting through them. I'm not sure what the real problem was but it could've just not been my day. I ate some McDonalds and ate some pizza too. I was taking in plenty of water, gatorade/endurox, gel packs...anything to put calories in to help with energy levels.
Hour 8-10 went a little better as i was back on the high of the roller coaster; energy levels were definitely up a little bit. Jessica ran another 7 miles or so over this time; she was an animal and did 21 miles total on the day with me (8, 8, and 5). Which means that i'll be getting her into a half marathon soon and more after that, i know she likes it and can handle it.
Hour 11-12 were ok as i was now feeling the physical more than anything in my legs. Some cramping had set in within my calves and hamstrings. Darkness had set in a little and my feet were hurting a little now too.
So, in the end i did 47 miles. I've definitely had better overall results in some of my other ultras (my 50 mile road PR is 8:56, so i'm capable of being faster), but sometimes the value of the adventure is found in the journey itself rather than at the end. I learned some valuable race strategy lessons and had a great time with my family crew. I got to meet a bunch of new people, made new friends, and have tons of memories from this little weekend adventure in Eastern Ohio.
I know i talked about a self experiment and measuring a bunch of variables over the race, but during packing and planning, i forgot a bunch of those items. Looking back, it would've just been annoying with how the race was going. Maybe some other time, some other event.
So there was a connection between the mileage covered and the amount of money raised for the charity. I ran 47 miles. I raised $1,235 dollars (12 + 35 = 47). I know it's coincidental and sort of a result of statistical tweaking, but who cares. It still is cool and sometimes cool is just cool.
Later.
Go Run.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
47 is 47...my 12 Hour run Recap - Part 1
so again, i have let myself down by not keeping up with thi sblog, but there has been a lot going on and a lot has happened in my world, the endurance world, well...just the world in general.
on October 4th, I had my 12 hour run that i originally had real high hopes for; this post will serve as the recap of that adventure. On Thursday, my crew (mom, Jessica, Cadence) left Cp for Richmond, IN to cut the drive in half. I've done plenty of races doing all the drive on the day before and have learned that kind of stress/effort can be costly to energy levels. We woke up early Friday morning and headed off towards Woodsfield, OH. We stopped at my mom's aunt/uncle's just east of Columbus to visit for a quick bit and also to plan to stay there on Saturday night after the race to limit the drive on Sunday. After the visit, we finished our drive to Woodsfield, where we made our way to the B&B where we would rest for the night. There was a pre-race dinner at a local pizza house on Friday night. All the competitors were present and it quickly hit me how small of a field it was going to be. Fortunately, for me, i enjoy the small tightnit race field we had at this race because ultimately a run like this was a personal endeavor/adventure that i had set out to prove something to myself. I think there was 12 starters in the field covering both sexes and many age brackets. There were some locals as well as some outsiders like me. We enjoyed some great pasta, introduced ourselves to all the competitors and crews as well as received our shirts/jackets. Stories were traded as well as jokes amongst all the previous runners (i was 1 of 2 newcomers). What a great bunch of people to be around the night before we set out to punish our bodies for 12 hours. We headed to the store after dinner to pick up some food, snacks, and supplies for the race and then headed to the B&B for bed.
I'll give the details of the run portion on part 2 ( I have to board a plane for Orlando now).
Last item to note....I had raised a total of $1,235.03 for the St Jude Children's Research Hospital. I want to thank everyone who supported me in any way on this effort whether in running, donations, emotion, etc...Thanks. Stay Tuned.
Later.
PS Go VOTE.
on October 4th, I had my 12 hour run that i originally had real high hopes for; this post will serve as the recap of that adventure. On Thursday, my crew (mom, Jessica, Cadence) left Cp for Richmond, IN to cut the drive in half. I've done plenty of races doing all the drive on the day before and have learned that kind of stress/effort can be costly to energy levels. We woke up early Friday morning and headed off towards Woodsfield, OH. We stopped at my mom's aunt/uncle's just east of Columbus to visit for a quick bit and also to plan to stay there on Saturday night after the race to limit the drive on Sunday. After the visit, we finished our drive to Woodsfield, where we made our way to the B&B where we would rest for the night. There was a pre-race dinner at a local pizza house on Friday night. All the competitors were present and it quickly hit me how small of a field it was going to be. Fortunately, for me, i enjoy the small tightnit race field we had at this race because ultimately a run like this was a personal endeavor/adventure that i had set out to prove something to myself. I think there was 12 starters in the field covering both sexes and many age brackets. There were some locals as well as some outsiders like me. We enjoyed some great pasta, introduced ourselves to all the competitors and crews as well as received our shirts/jackets. Stories were traded as well as jokes amongst all the previous runners (i was 1 of 2 newcomers). What a great bunch of people to be around the night before we set out to punish our bodies for 12 hours. We headed to the store after dinner to pick up some food, snacks, and supplies for the race and then headed to the B&B for bed.
I'll give the details of the run portion on part 2 ( I have to board a plane for Orlando now).
Last item to note....I had raised a total of $1,235.03 for the St Jude Children's Research Hospital. I want to thank everyone who supported me in any way on this effort whether in running, donations, emotion, etc...Thanks. Stay Tuned.
Later.
PS Go VOTE.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Why we do this (part 2) & 12 Hour Race Preview
i was with a group of people after a workout one night and we were all discussing a couple of recent events and training runs that had really been hard, difficult, etc...for each of us in different ways. someone said, "Man, aren't we supposed to enjoy this stuff." I thought to myself, she's absolutely right, so I put my headphones on and ran home. this goes back to my original point of wanting to push the body to its physical and mental limits by undertaking these events. sure, sometimes training can wear you down, injuries happen, sickness happens, we sacrifice other extracurricular activities sometimes, but in the end we have an understanding of our heart, mind, and our will to endure.
12 Hour Children's Hospital Race Preview
so, it's 2 days away from my 12 hour race and i'm a little anxious for a few reasons:
12 Hour Children's Hospital Race Preview
so, it's 2 days away from my 12 hour race and i'm a little anxious for a few reasons:
- training has been suspect lately (work, work travel, injury, personal life busy, etc...)
- important people in my life have donated money supporting this cause on my behalf
- typical pre race/event jitters
- logistical, race is in Woodsfield, OH which is 7-8 hours driving from CP, IN.
Anyways, i have been through events longer than this and i have done some different training runs this year than normal including many more speedwork sessions which have beeen high intensity workouts. they have supplemented my typical plogging/jogging/run-walk/trot workouts that i normally do.
Right now my plan is to go out a little harder than most people probably will but i have to get a groove going. I been through 50 milers and 100k's and started off in pace mode and it took it's tole on me early in terms of dragging....so I'm going go out harder and then work the pace work back in after about the first hour. Weather looks to be similar to what we are getting in Chicagoland area from low of 40 to high of 70 but sunny...i'm hoping to stay in the 50-60 range for a while as i dont do well with heat. I'll be changing clothes often to avoid chaffing and avoid being uncomfortable. it should be an easy race to crew since it is a 1/2 mile loop and we return by the crew every lap...wont have to carry water with me, and will focus on hydrating early and often. I'll be strategically making myself stop and sit down at every hour at the 45 minute mark to change, rest, hydrate, eat, smile, laugh, cry, eliminate waste, talk, enjoy, etc...
Goals of event:
- have fun (i also plan to get my fiancee Jessica to run 10-20 miles throughout day)
- complete 50 miles (current road 50 mile road personal record = 8hours 56 minutes)
- complete 60 miles (this is only a 12 minute mile pace)
- complete 26 miles in 4 hours
- complete 50 miles in under 8hours45minutes...this would put me on pace to be closer to 65-70 mile race
Different strategies to potentially be used:
- Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute
- Run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes
- Run 1 mile, walk 2 minutes
- Run 25 minutes, walk 5 minutes
Wish me luck.
Later.
Monday, September 29, 2008
why we do this....
so i've been thinking since my last post about the question, "Why do we do this?" In my case and other endurance atheletes, i am referring to the idea of training for months on end just to show up one day and put your body through an event that pushes your physical and mental self to its very end...only to receive a medal or a shirt or in some cases a nice shirt or a nice medal...and 99% of the time we pay to do this.
this is an easy question for me to answer, but it's not an easy question or answer for most people to understand...the problem is perspective. For example, I don't understand why people smoke cigarettes. But when I ask smokers why they do it, most of them are slightly angry by the question and take offense to the question...most of them follow with an answer like, "I can't help it," or "I'm addicted," or "I know, I'm trying to quit." All answers suffice to answer my question, although being a non-smoker, none of the answers convince me of thinking that smoking is good for them, or good for me for that matter.
Now, back to my original question. If I were to answer the question, "why do you want to run for 12 Hours?" with "I can't help it" or "I'm addicted" or "I know, I'm trying to quit," I don't think people would accept it and i wouldn't be happy with giving that type of answer. The fact is that, this endurance stuff is an addiction, but unlike smoking, it is something that i love. it is a passion so i would want my answer to be better and i wouldnt want to get angry about the answer as well. Even after i explain this to people, they look at me with as much confusion as i have when i talk to a smoker...I mean, I love getting to the end of a run soaked in sweat, with my quads aching, calves cramping, shoulders aching, dehydrated, lightheaded etc....wait maybe i do understand why people dont understand...
countdown: only 5 days until 12 Hour Children's Hospital Run
www.stjudeheroes.org/users/rundure
later.
this is an easy question for me to answer, but it's not an easy question or answer for most people to understand...the problem is perspective. For example, I don't understand why people smoke cigarettes. But when I ask smokers why they do it, most of them are slightly angry by the question and take offense to the question...most of them follow with an answer like, "I can't help it," or "I'm addicted," or "I know, I'm trying to quit." All answers suffice to answer my question, although being a non-smoker, none of the answers convince me of thinking that smoking is good for them, or good for me for that matter.
Now, back to my original question. If I were to answer the question, "why do you want to run for 12 Hours?" with "I can't help it" or "I'm addicted" or "I know, I'm trying to quit," I don't think people would accept it and i wouldn't be happy with giving that type of answer. The fact is that, this endurance stuff is an addiction, but unlike smoking, it is something that i love. it is a passion so i would want my answer to be better and i wouldnt want to get angry about the answer as well. Even after i explain this to people, they look at me with as much confusion as i have when i talk to a smoker...I mean, I love getting to the end of a run soaked in sweat, with my quads aching, calves cramping, shoulders aching, dehydrated, lightheaded etc....wait maybe i do understand why people dont understand...
countdown: only 5 days until 12 Hour Children's Hospital Run
www.stjudeheroes.org/users/rundure
later.
Monday, September 22, 2008
injuries, work, and why we do this....
I'm still getting used to blogging and remembering to post updates, changes, thoughts, etc....but I'll get better. Even though I'm not sure anyone reads this blog but I'll pretend.
Anyways, training has been interrupted for a couple of things, but I'm still getting by. had an injury a couple weeks ago that kept from doing any activity at all. Details....let's just say that it was an infection caused by running and friction in place that is uncomfortable for anyone. I think that'll do. After coming back from that, i was able to hammer out a week of running and training, but had to go to Florida for work for 3 days, which didn't allow me to run. Oh yea, in between that, my basement flooded which doesn't help free up time either. This is all mixed with planning a wedding, prepping one house to be sold while planning the build of another house.
Currently, i am 12 days out from my 12 Hour Children's Hospital Run. I will be hammering out 7-8 days of hard runs/training sessions before i have to travel for 3 days to West Virginia for work right before the race. I tapered once and i hate it...so i hope 3 days rest in West Virginia will be enough for the 12 hour run.
All this going on, I'm always asked "why do you do these type of events or this type of training?" or "why do you put yourself through that?" or blah blah blah blah..... my first response in my head is to ask that person, "Why don't you do these events?" or "Why don't you put yourself through this?"
More on this later...
Thanks.
Anyways, training has been interrupted for a couple of things, but I'm still getting by. had an injury a couple weeks ago that kept from doing any activity at all. Details....let's just say that it was an infection caused by running and friction in place that is uncomfortable for anyone. I think that'll do. After coming back from that, i was able to hammer out a week of running and training, but had to go to Florida for work for 3 days, which didn't allow me to run. Oh yea, in between that, my basement flooded which doesn't help free up time either. This is all mixed with planning a wedding, prepping one house to be sold while planning the build of another house.
Currently, i am 12 days out from my 12 Hour Children's Hospital Run. I will be hammering out 7-8 days of hard runs/training sessions before i have to travel for 3 days to West Virginia for work right before the race. I tapered once and i hate it...so i hope 3 days rest in West Virginia will be enough for the 12 hour run.
All this going on, I'm always asked "why do you do these type of events or this type of training?" or "why do you put yourself through that?" or blah blah blah blah..... my first response in my head is to ask that person, "Why don't you do these events?" or "Why don't you put yourself through this?"
More on this later...
Thanks.
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