Lean Forward Run Farther

So much for democracy

2012-01-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

This morning my alarm went of at 5 a.m. Time for a run.
I took a democratic poll of my body on whether or not to run.

Results:
YES: 0
NO: every fiber in my being.

Giving in to the consensus, I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep.
Looks like I may have to impose martial law to get out of bed tomorrow.

One Month

2012-01-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

ONE MONTH.
That's how long I have gone without running. I ran with my brother at Dana Peak Park the weekend before Christmas, and since then, not a step until this morning. I am definitely going to have to readjust to getting up an hour or two earlier. . . .

ONE MONTH.
After this little respite, I now have one month to prepare for Cross Timbers on February 18. Like last year, I will admit that I'm not up to a 50 miler right now, so I'll be running the marathon again. A month is certainly not much time to prepare for a trail marathon; I'm counting on having retained a bit of fitness from the end of last year. Besides, Cross Timbers is a great place for a guy like me to take it slow and easy.

Cross Timbers trail. Take it slow.

Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics, by Jeremy Schaap

2012-01-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

Considered by many the greatest Olympian of all time, Jesse Owens took center stage at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, winning 4 gold medals and doing his part to shatter Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. Triumph follows his story, from his first informal races as a boy in Ohio, to his unprecedented performance at the 1936 Olympic Games. Jeremy Schaap tells Owens' story in the context of the history and controversy leading up to and during the Olympics, bringing the reader into the passions of the day.

Owens loved to run as a boy--no surprise there. His gym coach noticed him in class, primarily because of the perfect form of his legs. Throughout his career, his physical form was noted by many coaches and admirers. When, as a pre-teen, he ran an impromptu 100 yard dash in world-class time, the coach thought his stopwatch must have malfunctioned, but recognized the talent he had on his hands. Starting with the great raw material of Owens's natural form and perfect body, he worked around Owens's school and work schedule--young Jesse's earnings were a major contribution to the Owens family budget--and helped him gain the attention of college coaches. Owens attended Ohio State, where he set multiple records and led the track team, working toward qualifying for the 1936 Olympics.

Schaap spends a lengthy section of the book discussing the American movement to boycott the Berlin Olympics. The Germans were turning somersaults keeping Jews off their Olympic teams. Many Americans wanted to boycott the Olympics as a protest against the German's racism. The hypocrisy of the American position is laughable in retrospect. Jackie Robinson was still a decade away from playing in major league baseball. Consider Jesse Owens: the star of the OSU track team, he was not even permitted to live on campus! When he traveled to meets, he couldn't stay in the same hotels and eat in the same restaurants as his white teammates. Yet the Americans wanted to call Hitler on the carpet for his racism.

Coincidentally, I recently watched Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia, which documented the 1936 games. Schaap gives details of Riefenstahl's experiences during the filming. In spite of Hitler's desire to feature Aryan supremacy in the games and in the film, Riefenstahl made Owens the star of her film, just as he turned out to be the star of the games. Schaap gives some interesting background on Riefenstahl and her film, which was a much bigger deal than I realized.

Schaap presents Owens as a remarkable natural talent who remained humble about his accomplishments, yet always wanted to do more. When the press and others were famously talking about the snub from Hitler, who didn't formally congratulate Owens after his wins, as he did many of the white athletes, Owens refused to fall into the fray. He noted that Hitler waved at him after he won. In fact, he later cheekily went on to say that Hitler hadn't snubbed him, that FDR had by not sending Owens a congratulatory telegram.

Few have ever run as fast or as well as Owens. Winning 4 gold medals at the Olympics is a rare feat. Breaking 3 world records and tying a fourth in under an hour at a college track meet, as he did in 1935, may never be done again. He was truly a one-of-a-kind runner.

Olympia (Documentary of the 1936 Olympics)

2012-01-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

In 1936, Hitler wanted German, and German/Aryan superiority to go on display for the whole world to see. Hosting the Olympics gave him the stage, and, to the credit of the Germans, they did raise the bar for the Olympics, elevating the games beyond a sporting event to a spectacle. German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl was there to capture it all on film.

The diving scenes are among the most famous.

The greatest contribution Olympia gives us is the extent to which Riefenstahl documented the events themselves. The games were broadcast on television, but in a very limited way. The massive coverage we enjoy of every Olympic event today was unheard of then, of course. Unlike sports coverage today, Riefenstahl does not emphasize the names, countries, or back stories of the athletes, but the form of their bodies and the mechanics of their feats. She includes little dialogue or commentary, but focuses on the beauty of motion and athletic skill. You definitely see more glory than agony of defeat. Even on decades-old film, Olympia captures the speed and grace of the athletes beautifully.

See how the runners had to dig out their "starting blocks"?

We, of course, have the benefit of historical hindsight watching this today, but I think surely even objective viewers at the time must have been put off by the fawning over Hitler. Overseeing the games as the grand host, Hitler appears as the almighty game master. Tens of thousands of citizens in the stands gleefully salute the Fuhrer. He smugly celebrates the victories of his Aryan subjects. But--hah!--when that African-American superstar, Jesse Owens, wins medal after medal, beating out Hitler's chosen ones, what did he think then?

The opening ceremonies would have been better without all the goose-stepping and heil-ing.

Riefenstahl's Olympia is considered one of the great sports films and pioneered several filming techniques. I know nothing about making a movie, or about the technical requirements of certain kinds of filming. I do know this: most of this movie can be done better today with a low-cost, commercially available, hand-held video camera. This is not to slight Riefenstahl, but to say that the modern film watcher is spoiled by what we see in theaters and what we're able to film on our own.

As an historical artifact, Olympia is valuable and important both for the Olympics and for the filming of sporting events. But for purposes of entertainment and enjoyment, you might be left wondering what's the big deal.

2011 in review

2011-12-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

The last day of the year. No more running until 2012. It's been a good year for running.

Highlights:

6 races of marathon distance or greater
100 consecutive days of running
Marathon PR

According to my Garmin records, I ran 1109.81 miles, for 205 hours, 7 minutes, and burned 156,573 calories.

I don't have any particular goals for 2012, nor have I signed up for any races. I would love to:

run 6 races of marathon distance or more
set another marathon PR
run a mountain ultra
finish another 50 miler (last 50 miler I finished was Feb. 2010)

Here's wishing you a happy, healthy, and active 2012! Keep on running!

Nice Place to Run: Dana Peak Park

2011-12-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, when the whole Mastin clan got together at Meme and Papaw's for a Christmas gathering, my brother and I got up early on Saturday to head over to Dana Peak Park for a couple of hours of trail running. Only about a 30 minute drive from Salado, Dana Peak Park treated us to some rocky trail running with sunrise views over the lake and some nice climbs up Dana Peak and the hillsides around Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

Up and running before the sun on Christmas break. . . .

We came across these crosses carved out of a stump.

The lake is LOW, but we saw several people fishing in boats, so I guess the fishing is still OK.

We saw a bunch of deer, especially near the lake. I thought about trying some persistence hunting. It was a perfect opportunity. The deer were on a point; we could have cornered one and . . . well, I didn't know what I would do with it once I caught it. I didn't really feel like having to explain myself to a game warden. I'm sure I could have caught one! Haha.

I wouldn't say these are the greatest trails I've ever run on, but it's definitely a nice place to run. There's not a lot of shade, so come summertime, you'll be wanting to jump in the lake. If you're in the area and looking for a place to run, check it out. I'm sure I'll be back sometime. Here's a web site with pictures and descriptions of the trails.

Isle du Bois 50K race report

2011-12-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

Pacing. It's all about pacing. After my highly successful run at White Rock on Sunday, where I ran a negative split, I thought maybe I would have learned my lesson about pacing. For this 50K, I would hold back for the first couple laps and blaze to the finish on the last lap. Instead, I ran my usual trail ultra, feeling good at first, gradually getting to the point of wanting to quit the stupid race, then feeling great for having finished.

This was the debut race for Endurance Buzz Adventures, put on by Dave Hanenburg of EnduranceBuzz.com. I had never run at Isle du Bois and for some odd reason I was picturing a relatively easy course. It turned out to be similar to the Cross Timbers course at Lake Texoma, although not quite as tough as that. I would place it at tougher than Lake Grapevine's north shore, where I ran the Rockledge Rumble a few weeks ago. Slightly more ups and downs, many more technical sections, and way more lose, pointy rocks. Thankfully I never fell, but one runner I talked to had already fallen 6 times--on lap 1! And check out this runner's busted lip! (Go to Julie's blog here and scroll to the bottom.)

I started out hanging around the back of the pack. I thought I might replicate my White Rock strategy--start out in back, so I'm passing and not being passed. That's probably a dumb strategy. I passed a few people early, then fell in behind a small group of runners, including a lady named Chris and a guy with a mohawk. I ran with them for a few miles, but at the aid station, halfway through the loop, I left before them and felt like I picked up the pace a little. I finished the first loop in 2:00:46, feeling like I could keep that up and beat my Rockledge time (6:50).

Loop 2 started out well. I was thinking negative splits, passing and not being passed. I managed to keep a pretty good pace the first half of the loop, but after the aid station I slowed down, feeling like 2 loops would be plenty today. After White Rock, my soreness and stiffness was gone by midweek, but the latent muscle fatigue began to rear its ugly head right about now. Chris, who had been in sight most of the second lap, finally passed me shortly before we got back to the start/finish area. I finished the second lap at 4:13:36. Not a negative split, but still not so bad; loop 2 was .4 mile longer, after all.

I filled up my hydration pack--no cups at this eco-friendly race!--and got a snack to head out for the third loop. I knew at this point that a negative split was out of the question, shortly gave up on beating my Rockledge time, and ended up just wishing to finish, to get off this trail and back home. The field was so spread out by this time that I saw very few other runners. One way-too-perky-after-having-run-23-miles lady passed me up, looking fresh like she was on her first lap. A runner named Bill caught up to me with a few miles left and we crossed the line together at 7:17:31.

This is one race where I'm glad I didn't run in my VFFs. Not knowing the trail at all, I chose to wear my NB MT101s. There were some really nice sections of dirt, but with the sharp rocks, and with lots and lots of dead leaves masking the lurking obstacles, my feet would have been thoroughly bruised and bloodied by the end of the day if I had worn the Vibrams.

Dave deserves praise for putting on a first-class trail race. Of course, the weather cooperated beautifully, which helps, but he busted his tail to make the rest of it fall into place. Everything ran nicely, the support was perfect, and, as best I could tell, everyone had a good time. I hope IDB becomes a staple of the North Texas race calendar.

Boring post, right? No pictures. Check out these other blogs for some great pics of the day. You might even see a picture of me if you look hard enough!

Julie, who busted her lip.

The Trail Zombie.

And Dave, the RD, will surely post some good pics at EnduranceBuzz.com.

100 Days of Running

2011-12-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

After a running lull this summer, I decided that in order to get myself back in the running habit I would try running every day. Even though I have been, at times, very consistent with a running plan, I find it very easy to stray. One rest day turns into several, recovery days after a race turn into weeks. . . . So as I looked forward to some fall races, I started my daily running.

Today marked my 100th consecutive day of running. Starting at the end of August, I ran every day, a total of 595.74 miles, including a trail 50K and a new road marathon PR. I think that PR is, at least in part, due to my daily running.

I did learn one thing: it's kind of nice not to run sometimes. There were plenty of days when I just didn't want to get up in the morning, or, if I hadn't run in the morning, just wanted to go to bed without running. I have decided that it's OK to have those rest days, and to schedule non-running days. I guess there's some message here about my personality, that I somehow feel like I can only do things in the extreme or not at all. Hopefully, moving forward, I can find some balance, following a training schedule consistently without having to compulsively run every day.

In the meantime, I'm sleeping in tomorrow.

White Rock IV

2011-12-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

Today I ran my fourth consecutive White Rock Marathon, and it was by far my best and most enjoyable. All week I had been checking the weather forecast for the race: low- to mid-40s and wet. The forecasts were spot-on. The temps hovered around 42-44, I think, and the rain came down continuously. Thankfully, the rain wasn't very heavy; it ranged from a misty drizzle to light showers. The result was a wet course, lots of splashing through puddles (VFFs are perfect in these conditions), and thoroughly drenched runners. (Oh, and by the way, the rain kept some of the bands, who usually play along the course, away. I didn't miss them at all!)

Slick and splashy was the order of the day.

One of the things I hate about these big urban marathons are the crowds, so I decided to avoid the pre-start mess as much as possible. I intentionally went late, so I had absolutely no traffic. I parked right at 8, and heard the National Anthem and fireworks from afar. I got to the first bank of port-a-potties, and to my surprise there was a bit of a line, but I only had to wait a couple of minutes. (Note to other runners: when you're doing your business in there, lock the door! When it's not locked, some oaf like me will open it, embarrassing both of us!)

I jogged over to the starting corrals, and fell in with the crowd, walking slowly with the herd a few hundred yards to the starting line. I ended up crossing the starting line at 8:23. Pleased with myself for a smooth arrival and start, I began running by all the slower runners. Since I was late I started several corrals back from the one I was assigned based on my projected finish time. So the first mile or two I spent a lot of time weaving in and out of the slower runners. Eventually the crowd thinned out, especially after the half marathoners split off from the full marathon course.

This was a unique element of today's race for me. Usually, especially late in a race, I'm the one getting passed. But today, from the start, all the way to the last mile, I passed virtually everyone I encountered on the course. Unless I'm mistaken, the only runners to pass me were relay racers on fresh legs. I kept thinking that it couldn't last, that I wouldn't be able to keep up my anticipated pace, but as I passed each mile marker, and remembered those places where, in prior races, my pace slowed for good, I kept pushing, determined to keep a steady pace. Somehow, I did. In fact, I ran reverse splits. My slowest mile was the first, crowded one. My fastest mile was mile 24, near the end!

At the race expo Saturday morning, I picked up a pacing arm band, which tells you what your time should be at a particular mile marker in order to have a particular finish time. I almost picked up a 3:45 band, not trusting my training, but decided that I would give 3:35 a shot and try to PR. I'm sure glad I did!

The volunteers had a tough, cold day, but were cheerful and helpful without fail!

I was more inwardly-focused during this race than I usually am; I didn't really talk to anyone, except to say hello to NTTR member Eunsup Kim, who I see at every race I run in. But, as usual, I saw a couple of other runners who nearly stopped me in my tracks and made me thankful for two good legs and the ability to run. One was a double amputee. He ran on some of those prosthetic running blades. I didn't stop and chat but was inspired by what must have been a huge effort on a difficult day. A few miles later, I passed a wheelchair racer. Just up the street was his cheering section with signs reading, "My husband is the stud on wheels" and "My dad is my hero--first wheelchair marathon" and that sort of thing.

Besides running my best marathon time to date, the fact that I ran consistent splits and felt great throughout made this the most satisfying race I've run. I guess I could always train harder, but I really wouldn't change a thing about my training, race day preparation, and pacing plan. The only thing I would change would have been to lose those 20 pounds I have been meaning to lose. How much faster could I have run without the extra weight to carry around! I still love the trails, but come December 2012, you just might find me pounding the pavement of Dallas once again.

Bottom line: 3:33:51
462 out of 4530 overall
401 out of 2810 all men
83 out of 537 men 40-44
and best of all: Over the final 6mi I passed 285 runners and 0 passed me!

Yasso 800s and my WR prediction

2011-11-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

The White Rock Marathon is only 11 days away. This will be my 4th consecutive White Rock. This morning I ran my last Yasso 800s leading up to White Rock. Yasso 800s are an interval training workout that also serves as a predictor of marathon finish times. (See my entry on Yasso 800s from this time last year here.)

This morning I averaged a 3:35 800. The best thing about it is that if I leave out the first interval (I wasn't quite warmed up yet), intervals 2-10 ranged from 3:31 to 3:36. I am encouraged by this consistency and by the strength of the latter intervals. My normal pattern on intervals or tempo runs is to taper off with slower times at the end, and to be inconsistent in pace throughout.

So based on the Yasso 800s philosophy, this should predict a 3:35 finish at White Rock. This is actually pretty encouraging; my marathon PR is 3:35, set at White Rock 2009. There are lots of factors, and Yasso 800 times are no guarantee, but I have been putting in more miles more consistently in the months leading up to WR than I did last year. (I'm at 87 consecutive days of running, and counting.) Maybe, just maybe, I have another 3:35 marathon in me.

Ultracentric at Lake Grapevine

2011-11-21T18:22:00.001-08:00

I have been running in organized races for over 3 years now, so my volunteering at a race was LONG overdue. I had absolutely no desire to run in the Ultracentric run, so I figured I'd spend a few hours there volunteering. Lorrie, who hosts the NTTR trail runs, rounded up the volunteers and planned all the food. I showed up for a few hours Saturday morning to help with food and registration.

The Ultracentric Experience is a timed run, with 48-, 24-, 12-, and 6-hour races. Competitors run on a 2-mile loop as long as they can, as fast as they can. The winner is the runner or walker who, at the end of the specified time period, has covered the most ground. I didn't want to run because: 1. I ran in a timed race last year (Run from the Ducks, 8 hours) and decided that sort of race, running the same short course over and over all day, is not for me; 2. Ultracentric was run on pavement, with no shade; and 3. I ran the Rockledge Rumble the previous weekend and will run White Rock in 2 weeks.

When I got there, around 5 a.m., several of the 48-hour runners were plugging away, and some were sleeping, including one at the back of the food tent. Shortly before 6, eventual winner Volodymyr Balatskyy hit 100 miles, less than 21 hours from Friday's 9 a.m. start. He ended up with 208 miles, 68 more than the next competitor. In the 24 hour race, Andy Thompson hit 90 miles, 6 miles better than the next runner. The great part about is that at 61, he was older than all the others in the 24-hour race!

Special recognition goes to 11-year-old Isabella, who won the 6-hour race. Apparently she and her dad travel all over the place running in races. A fun bonding time for them.

I'm glad I was able to help out Saturday, and glad I wasn't running. It was already getting warm and muggy when I left the event, shortly after the 9 a.m. start. It must have been a long, hot day for the runners. But I congratulate all those dedicated souls, thank Lorrie for her hard work, and commend Robert for putting on a unique event.

Rockledge Rumble Race Report

2011-11-12T14:43:00.001-08:00

Today the North Texas Trail Runners put on one of their flagship races of the year, the 16th annual Rockledge Rumble. This race and NTTR are well intertwined in their respective histories. As is the tradition, the Rumble is run around Veterans Day, with a theme of honoring America's veterans.

So starting with the most important part of the day, Tom Crull, race director, led us in the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, then introduced veterans who had come out for the race. Today we were honored to be joined by veterans who served during WW2, one guy who returned from Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago, and many in between. I can't help but be moved thinking about the sacrifices they and their families made serving our country, and thinking about the many men and women who don't come home. And of course I remember my grandfather's proud service during WW2 and my father's service in the Navy. Running a trail race seems so insignificant in light of their service, but the freedom to enjoy such hobbies and other pleasures of life is one reason they fight. Thanks to all our veterans!

Granddaddy and Dad with the Mastin boys at Granddaddy's 95th birthday party.
I probably should have a picture of them in uniform, but I don't think I do.

I started out hoping to finish in under 6 hours. I thought it was doable. Two weeks ago I ran a little over 20 miles in 4 hours on the same course, so I figured if I could improve on that pace just a bit, I could do it. I was on pace for a while, finishing 20 miles in about 3 minutes under 4 hours, and keeping that pace for another couple of miles to the 22 mile turnaround. But after that aid station stop, starting out on the final loop, I knew I didn't have a 6 hour finish in me. The first 22 miles, I averaged well under 12 minutes per mile. The last 10 miles, I think I averaged over 15 minutes per mile. Not so great. So my finish was nearly 7 hours: 6:50:56 (39/76 overall, 13/15 40-49M).

Of course, trail running is not all about the times. (At least for me; I know I'll never be a front runner, unlike Matt, who won the whole enchilada for the second consecutive year! Way to go Matt!) Trail running, for me, is about running in a beautiful setting and pushing my body harder than I normally do.

Lake Grapevine's north shore has awesome single track. The shade was welcome today.

It's also about the people. I got to run with Dave, who I run into frequently at these races and whose always interesting blog I read. I ran into Andy from Abilene, whom I met at Run from the Ducks last year. Mike was there, not running after having run at Cactus Rose 2 weeks ago, but his greeting at the finish was most welcome. T. O. finished a few minutes behind me (he passed me late, then took a wrong turn), but while I will hardly be able to walk tomorrow, he'll probably be running the Fort Worth Marathon. I finally met Dave from endurancebuzz.com face to face. There were lots of familiar faces and friends. The trail running community is a lot of fun to be around and at every race or club run I meet new folks and catch up with others. All in all, a well-spent day!

Char and Fred, President and First Gentleman of NTTR.

Chariots of Fire

2011-11-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Chariots of Fire came out 30 years ago, but remains every bit as powerful today. You don't have to be a runner to be inspired by Eric Liddell, the "Flying Scotsman," who set the world record in the 400 at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Besides his highly esteemed character, his missionary work, other running feats, and rugby exploits, Liddell famously chose to forgo a chance to run the 100 meters, his best event, at the Olympics. The qualifying heats for the 100 were run on Sunday. He refused to compete on the Lord's day, so ran the 400 instead.

Liddell winning the 400 at the Paris Olympics.

It's a moving story of one man's conviction and shows the real heart of a champion. Even though I'm a Christian, and most Sundays you'll find me at church, I never have shared Liddell's conviction about Sunday. At one point, as he's leaving church, a boy's ball comes across his path. He gently chides the boy for playing on Sunday. What? Most of us don't spend all day at church, so why not spend the rest of the day playing? I could almost see correcting the boy if he were chopping wood or something, but a pick-up soccer game hardly seems offensive to God. I certainly have run on Sundays, even a few races, and have missed church because of Saturday races. I'm quite sure I don't measure up to Liddell spiritually, but his dogmatic conviction about Sunday seems a little misplaced.

Charleson pretending to win the 400 at the Paris Olympics.

The running in the movie is fun to watch. I'm more into long distance running, but that would make for a boring movie. Liddell's sprints make for more interesting viewing. Ian Charleson's portrayal of Liddell's passionate, no-holds-barred running style makes me want to go out for some hard sprints. However, I don't think I have it in me. Liddell's famous line from the movie is, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." My version is, "God made me slow. When I try to run fast I feel his mockery." Here's a video of Liddell's finish in Paris.

Rugged and Raw 20K race report

2011-10-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I returned to one of my favorite places to run, after too long an absence. The trails along the north shore of Lake Grapevine are maintained primarily by mountain bikers, but they are prime trail running trails. Over the last year, my trail runs have been on trails within a shorter drive from my house, but Saturday's run may have convinced me that the few minutes of extra drive time may be worth it.

Saturday's inaugural Rugged and Raw 10K/20K, sponsored by Back on My Feet--Dallas, served as a nice training run for Rockledge Rumble, coming up in 3 weeks, but based on some conversations I overheard, also provided an introductory trail run for some road runners.

I lined up for the 7:30 20K start with, I'm guessing, about 20-25 other runners. I saw some familiar faces: Phil, with whom I ran at Lake Whitney earlier this year; Fred, whom I've seen at many races and who amazes with his finishes, including a sub-34-hour finish at the Wasatch 100 last month and a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim run this spring, all at the ripe young age of 62. I knew I shouldn't try to keep up with Phil, so I let him go on ahead and fell in with the middle of the pack. After a short run across the parking area, we immediately jumped onto single track. Feeling good, I cruised along with the runners in front of me for a while. A few minutes down the trail, I glanced down at my Garmin--I was running an 8:30 pace! That's much too fast for me, certainly faster than I could maintain on these trails for 20K.

I let off the gas a bit and eventually fell in with a couple of other runners. I ran with Teresa for a bit. She runs in one of the BOMY running groups. I enjoyed hearing her first-hand account of her involvement with the organization. About half-way through, I ended up running with Brent, which was nice. I let him set the pace, and I know he ran faster than I probably would have on my own, but I kept up with him, finishing in 2:08:58, second in my age group (out of 3!), 12th overall (out of 21 finishers).

Besides a nice run on a beautiful day on some terrific trails, this run and the whole mission of BOMY remind me of one of the great things about running: out on the trail (or street or sidewalk), everything else is stripped away. We are not business owners and homeless people, flight attendants, medical professionals, and stock traders, single or married, rich or poor. We are runners. BOMY gives people who have ended up at a low point, either by bad luck or bad choices, a chance to participate in something that will not only build up their bodies and minds, but will give them a chance to interact with runners as runners, as people with people. Thanks for the great morning, BOMY. Run on!

Races coming up . . .

2011-10-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've been a little light on racing this year, but I plan to rectify that soon. If you follow my Daily Mile entries, you may have noticed I'm on a streak: 54 days in a row of running every day. I've been following a training plan pretty closely, working toward Rockledge Rumble and White Rock. Besides those 2, I have a couple more on the calendar.

This weekend is the Rugged and Raw 20K. It's at Lake Grapevine north shore, same trails as RLR, so it will be a good warm-up run for the Rumble. Plus, it's benefiting a cool charity called Back On My Feet, which starts running clubs for homeless people. Check out their site and story.

Next is the Rockledge Rumble 50K, also at Lake Grapevine. I have wanted to run this race, sponsored by North Texas Trail Runners, but if it's on a Baylor football weekend, I skip it. This year Baylor has a road game on that day, at Kansas, so I'm running. It's not the easiest place to run, but it should be considerably easier than the Toughest in Texas 50K I ran in Waco's Cameron Park last year.

I figured, since I'm going to be in shape for the Rumble anyway, and since I've run it the last 3 years, I might as well run the White Rock Marathon. Yes, it's a crowded road marathon on city streets, pavement all the way, but going for 4 in a row, and trying to improve on my time from last year will make it fun.

For these first three, I'm signed up and ready to go. Now I have to decide whether to sign up for a new race in the area, the Isle du Bois Trail Run at Ray Roberts Lake State Park. This one was announced right after I signed up for White Rock, or I might have skipped WR altogether. So, will I run WR, then 6 days later run the IDB 50K? Or run the 10 mile? Or should I go volunteer at an aid station? Or just sleep in? I don't know yet. . . .

As for 2012, I don't know that, either. Will 2012 be my year to tackle a 100 miler? Get another couple of 50 milers under by belt? Hit a mountain run in the summer? There are lots and lots of miles to be run. . . .

Runner? or jogger?

2011-10-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

The other day when I was running in River Legacy Park, a popular mountain biking trail, a mountain biker approaching me on the trail called back to his buddy, "Jogger!" I appreciate the consideration; I certainly don't mind mountain bikers being aware of me an not running me down.

However, his calling me a jogger irked me a little. . . . I wanted to holler back at him, Hey, I'm a runner! I may not be moving very fast, but I am a runner! I read Runner's World and Trail Runner magazines! I'm a member of North Texas Trail Runners. I sometimes shop at Fort Worth Running Company.

So what is the difference between running and jogging? Here's what I found:

Merriam-Webster has two relevant definitions of jog: "a : to run or ride at a slow trot; b : to go at a slow, leisurely, or monotonous pace."

And it defines run thus: "to go faster than a walk; specifically : to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step."

I do go faster than a walk, and normally both feet leave the ground in each step, but there's no denying that my pace is often slow, leisurely, or monotonous. So by definition, I jog and I run. Jogging is running slowly. Running is like jogging, only faster. I guess I need to get over it and admit that I'm a jogger. And sometimes a runner.

Running America, with Marshall Ulrich

2011-10-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I posted a review of Marshall Ulrich's book, Running on Empty, the bulk of which covered his record-breaking coast-to-coast run. Running America, a documentary about his run, presents a very different perspective from the book, visually capturing the trials and logistical challenges of such an attempt.

As Ulrich discusses in the book, he started this attempt not as a solo effort but with Charlie Engle, another ultrarunner with a long and impressive running resume. Charlie dropped after a couple weeks, but stayed with the crew, riding his bike, speaking at several stops and participating with the crew. Ulrich pressed on, completing the run in 52 and a half days.

Since Charlie was a main impetus behind the film--he had earlier done a film about his run across the Sahara with 2 other runners, Running the Sahara--he remained a focus of the film, even though he wasn't running anymore. In Ulrich's book, Ulrich talks about the tensions with Charlie and the crew; that's not portrayed in the movie. It's probably best not to immortalize that on film. . . .

The movie does have a positive spin that doesn't really come through in the book. Shot during the run-up to the 2008 presidential election, the film spends a lot of time on a "one America" theme, interviewing onlookers and passers-by about being American. This part didn't add much to the movie for me, and not only because I believe the result of the 2008 election was ultimately destructive for the U.S., but I would rather have focused on the physical demands and logistical details of Ulrich's run.

That criticism aside, Running America is a compelling story and a visual treat. Runners will like it, and some non-runners might be inspired to get up and go. We can't all run across the U.S., but we can all run farther than we think we can.

For mountain runners

2011-09-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

I aspire to be a mountain runner, but I can't call myself one--yet. In a recent reading of Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, I ran across this quote, apropos of mountain running:

In the mountains the shortest way is from peak to peak, but for thatroute thou must have long legs.

If only. . . . But I guess a mountain runner would say the fun isn't only at the peaks, but on all the ridges and valleys in between.

Happy running!

Karl Meltzer on The Human Express

2011-09-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday night I happened to see The Human Express, a documentary about Karl Meltzer's run from Sacramento, California, to St. Joseph, Missouri. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express, Meltzer decided he would run the 2064-mile Pony Express route, something no one had ever done before. The Human Express records the travails and triumphs of Meltzer and his crew as they follow this historic route.

No stranger to covering long distances, Meltzer has run the Appalachian Trail, and has won more 100 mile races than anyone. But running 50 miles a day for 40 days has got to take its toll, right? It would for most of us, but Meltzer seemed to gain strength through the run. He took daily readings of his resting heart rate and other vitals, and, once he got stabilized after a couple weeks, his health seemed to improve. Impressive.

I liked his comments on endurance and speed. He said he doesn't do speed work, but trains for long races by running long distances. It makes sense, but I have to wonder how well that translates to mere mortals like myself. Meltzer lives and trains in the Rocky Mountains, so his daily runs must be hilly, rocky, at altitude. If you're running on mountains every day, you probably don't need to worry about getting in some intervals on the track. Still, his simple, high-volume, low-stress approach to training is appealing.

The Human Express served as a great commercial for the Hoka One Ones. These are the anti-minimalist running shoes, with so much sole they remind me of those moon shoes that kids wear. I am a running minimalist, but the farthest I've ever run in my VFFs is 50 miles on trail. Meltzer ran that much or more every day for 40 days on dirt and pavement. The Hoka's almost cartoonishly wide soles and thick cushioning certainly made that pounding more tolerable. His feet held up remarkably well through all that running.

Meltzer's run is an impressive accomplishment, one more to add to his unmatched running resume. Here's a guy who loves to run, and has figured out how to get a corporate sponsor to pay him to do it. More power to him! I look forward to hearing about Meltzer's next insane distance feat.

That's a long, long way to run.

Holey VFFs and a custom pair

2011-09-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

A year ago, I got a new pair of red and black VFFs (see here) after I wore a hole in the sole of my blue ones. I finally started feeling a hole coming on my red ones, and this week it finally wore through. I figured I must run more heavily on one side or the other, and pulled out my old ones to compare. To my surprise, the hole is in the other foot. The good news is, now I have a cool red and black and blue pair with no holes. I figure since most of my runs these days are in the pre-dawn darkness, no one will be around to laugh at me for wearing mismatched shoes.

Kelly said I could make the full transition to barefoot running by wearing these until the sole is completely gone. Hmm. . . . it's a thought. . . .

I know you're jealous of my one-of-kind, custom VFFs!

The Lure of Long Distances, by Robin Harvie

2011-09-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

If you've read my blog at all, you know I'm a sucker for running books. I prefer the narrative/memoir books to "how-to" or training books. The Lure of Long Distances is about as memoir-ish as they come. I knew I could relate to Harvie on some level by the bio on the book jacket: After trying unsuccessfully to improve his marathon time, "he decided instead to see how far he could run before keeling over" and started running ultramarathons. That's my story, too. I started running seriously later in life, completing my first marathon at age 39. Lots of running books talk about how our bodies start getting slower after 40, so I knew I'd never get too much faster. I started reading about ultramarathons and decided that I may not be fast, but maybe I can last a long time on my feet.

Harvie was a younger man when he started running ultras, and has run much farther than I ever have. The Lure of Long Distances covers his running history, primarily the year he spent preparing for the Spartathlon, the annual 152 mile race from Athens to Sparta. He weaves in his training experiences, personal stories, reports from other races and runs along the way, anecdotes from history and modern running, and plenty of literary and poetic reflections. He writes skillfully, putting together some beautiful and effective passages.

Harvie spent many hours running along the length of the Thames.

However, the overall product didn't turn out to be a very satisfying read. All the well-written passages and stories flowed from one to another, kind of like the aid stations in an ultramarathon. By the time you get to the end, you know there were some nice views and good conversations along the way, but they only fit together in the sense that they were part of one long race.

This is not to say I didn't like the book. It was an enjoyable read. But sometimes when I finish reading a book about running, I want to put my shoes on and head out the door right away. This one made me sit back on the recliner and think about getting ready for bed.

The subtitle of the book, "Why We Run," is, in a way, a bit of false advertising. Harvie sets out to discover why he runs, but it's up to us to find our own way. He concludes, "Running is not about fitness, competition, or even other people. It is simply about becoming a more sentient person, living . . . a more authentic life." I'll buy that. But I still ask myself sometimes, "Why am I doing this again?"

Running Man with a Plan

2011-09-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have finally put together my training plan for Rockledge Rumble and White Rock. Since WR is 3 weeks after RLR, I decided to treat RLR as my last long run before the marathon. I used the training calculator on runnersworld.com, and am not completely happy with the result, but I think I can work with it. The time goals are pretty ambitious, as I used my 2009 WR time (3:35) as the starting point. It's been a while since I've run that fast. I have also substituted a 3 mile easy run for the 2 rest days each week, in the interest of keeping up my streak (17 days so far).

With the ambitious time goals, I am sure I won't meet them, like today. I set out to run a tempo run at a sub-8 pace, as prescribed here. I knew I couldn't run that fast, so decided to shoot for mid-8's. After a mile of that I was about out of gas, so I just finished 5 miles at an easier pace. We'll see how intervals go next week. I figure if I can get most of these miles in, at progressively faster times each week, I will do OK at these races.

Streaking

2011-09-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have had a mixture of admiration and suspicion of people who say they have run every day for a long period of time. I have been a firm believer in rest days. But I wonder if a rest day has to be a non-running day? After taking about 6 weeks of "rest days," I have been running every day for 10 days, trying to build my base back up. I have been only running 5-6 miles per day at a pretty easy pace, with no long runs and no intervals. So far, so good. Now that I'm feeling better about my base, and with a couple of races on the calendar, I will definitely need to start in on some intervals and long runs, which may require a rest day. But a rest day could mean a short jog around the block . . . . I don't know how long I'll keep up the current streak. 30 days? More? One thing I'll promise: my streaking will be fully clothed.

Upping the ante: White Rock IV

2011-08-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

I wrote the other day that I had signed up for the Rockledge Rumble in November to get myself back in training for racing mode. I decided that even though I had sort of sworn off road racing, since presumably I would be in decent shape for the Rumble, I might as well pound the pavement with 30,000 of my closest friends 3 weeks later in Dallas. Tomorrow the entry fee goes up $25, so I decided to take the plunge.

Now I really have to get serious about training. For the last 2 years, I have run with the 3:20 pace group. In both cases, I stayed with the group for the first half, then slowed down, finishing in 3:35 and 3:57. I don't think I'll be able to get to a 3:20 pace by December, so on my race registration, I put in my predicted finish at 3:59. Surely I can get in under 4 hours again.

I have a ways to go to even get that fast. I have run 5 miles each of the past 3 mornings at around an 11 min/mile pace. For a run like that, I should be running 8 or 9. We'll see if I have it in me. Cooler temperatures will help, as will quitting my Dr Pepper habit.

New race, new motivation

2011-08-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is not a good pattern. Shortly after the Toughest in Texas 50K in March, I went about 5 weeks without running. Since the Capt'n Karl's 30K at Inks Lake last month, it's been about 6 weeks since I have run. Not good. I have to get back on a schedule. When I put together a running plan in anticipation of a race, I don't always stick to it, but at least it gives me some goals and motivation.

So last week I signed up for the Rockledge Rumble 50K. I guess I'd better start logging some miles! I am looking forward to the Rumble, the premier race put on by NTTR. I have run many times at the north shore of Lake Grapevine, but never in a race. It's only 12 weeks away, so I'd better work on a training plan and start putting in my miles!

Running on Empty, by Marshall Ulrich

2011-08-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

If you have ever considered running across the country, or if you have ambitions of trying to set the record for running across the country, here's your cure: pick up Marshall Ulrich's Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America. I do admire Ulrich. How can you not? He has accomplished all of the major ultramarathoning feats, and then some. For instance, not content with simply winning the "world's toughest footrace," the Badwater Ultramarathon, four times, he decided to do it 4 times in a row! He ran the course out and back and out and back, a total of 586 miles, non-stop. His list of jaw-dropping, amazing running accomplishments is pretty long.

Ulrich complete Badwater one year totally self-supported, pulling this cart.

So it makes sense that he would aim to break the cross-country record. Running on Empty chronicles that effort, with plenty of other stories about his running exploits and his life. The first few pages surprised me and had me nearly in tears as he recounted his first wife's struggle with cancer and her death at age 30. Horrible and tragic. He attributes his running career in large part to his ongoing efforts to cope with his death.

The bulk of the text is, of course, dedicated to a narrative account of the cross-country run, from the steps of city hall in San Francisco to city hall in New York City. It's a tale of misery, injury, fractured relationships, hardship, and excruciating pain. Yes, there are highlights, short encounters with others along the way, and a great sense of accomplishment as he does break the masters and grand masters record, the third fastest time overall, 52 and a half days.

It's a long and lonely road from coast to coast.

If you are a runner, especially if you are an ultrarunner, and your friends and family think you're crazy (What? You ran 50 miles in one day? You ran in a race that started at midnight? Your toenails fell off?), just give them a copy of Ulrich's book. I can almost guarantee you that the craziest running event or accomplishment you have done pales in comparison to Ulrich.

Thanks to Dave at Endurance Buzz for the free book!

Run! 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss

2011-07-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not really one to be a hero worshiper, but in a lot of ways I would love to be like Dean Karnazes. There aren't many people in the world who both love to run as much as he does, and can run as far as he can. My longest races are a slow training run for him. In his new book, Run! 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean tells some funny stories of his running life, as well as reporting some of his race experiences (most of which are pretty funny, too!). Just about anyone, runner or not, will be in danger of catching a bug for running after reading this.

Dean's not without his critics in the world of ultrarunning. When his name comes up when I'm running with people, opinions will range from awesome to idiot. Sure, some of his runs might be viewed as publicity stunts, but he's got enough wins and fast finishes in major races to be certifiably great. He has completed Badwater several times, including a win, and has 11 silver buckles from Western States. What more does the guy need to do?

When he's not running organized races, he runs forever just for fun. That's what I like about his feats. Sometimes he runs organized races, sometimes he runs on his own for a sponsor or charity, but many of his ultras are run alone, for the sake of the run. This is a guy who sleeps little, needs little time for recovery, and is never as happy as when he's out for a long run.

I know I'll never be the runner Dean is (In spite of his repeated statements that he's just a regular guy, there's no question that the genetic lottery has worked in his favor.), but I want to be more infected by his joy of running. He has made a life of it, and has included his wife, father, and children as much as possible. If you don't know much about Dean, or if you have followed his career for years, you'll enjoy these stories. And you'll have a hard time not going out for a run once you're done reading!

Shorter night at Inks Lake

2011-07-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

As I posted the other day, I headed back to Inks Lake State yesterday for the Capt'n Karl's run. As always, Joe Prusaitis and Tejas Trails put on a great race. This one has really grown since I ran 2 years ago. That race had 51 starters; last night there were 106 registered for the 60K and 144 registered for the 30K. It made for a traffic jam at the park entry, and some parking issues, but the race organizers, park officials, and runners all handled it well.

And, they're off!

I started out fully intending to go the distance for the 60K, knowing I would be slower than my last effort here, but ready to tough it out. I did OK for 2 loops, but 1/2 way through the third 10K loop, I took a walking break that ended up being way too long, and I never really got going again. After walking for while, I decided I was too hot, too lazy, too tired, too out of shape, too bored, and too under-committed to go 60K. So I got to the start-finish and told Joe I was satisfied with 30K tonight.

The highlight was getting to meet Trey. Last Sunday, when I ran with Don, he told me to look for his friend Trey. "You can't miss him--he's the one with one arm." Sure enough, just after the start, I saw him and introduced myself as Don's friend. We ended up running together most of my race. He's about as nice a guy as you'll ever meet, which isn't surprising, since the same could describe Don. Once I started walking on loop 3, he took off. I think he had held back for me a couple times, but he had a lot more in the tank than I did.

I tried to keep up with Trey but ultimately I couldn't do it.

Born with one arm, Trey is well accustomed to doing things with one hand (how about this: He played football at Sam Houston State and holds the school record for career blocked kicks!), but here's one he may not have encountered before. At one point, his hand somehow had a collision with a cactus. I helped him out, but I know next time I get a hand full of cactus, I'll be grateful for that second hand!

Even though things didn't play out as I had hoped, it wasn't a bad run. The trails at Inks Lake are fun and challenging. The moon, just a couple days past full, was beautiful. It was hot (according to my car thermometer, 101 when I arrived at the park at 6, a cool 87 when I left shortly after midnight), but it could have been much hotter, and there was a bit of a breeze from time to time. I don't know that I'll sign up for this race again, but I would love to come back and run these trails or hike them with my boys--only I think I'll wait until it's 40-50 degrees cooler. . . .

Looking ahead to Inks Lake

2011-07-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but I have been maintaining this blog for nearly 2 years. My first race report was for the Capt'n Carl's 60K at Inks Lake, August of 2009. That was the longest race I had ever run (race report here). I just read over that race report, and I fear I am not as fit as I was then. Since I've been working days, I haven't been getting in the volume that I was at that time, and I've put on a few pounds. I'm going back to Inks Lake this weekend, but I'm not sure I'll be able to match my time from 2009. I am looking forward to it, though. Look for a race report here in a few days!

Nice Place to Run: Big Cedar Wilderness Area

2011-07-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

I joined NTTR for another club run Saturday morning. This is the biggest club run I've been too; over 30 people were there. Some familiar faces, new faces, and, I later learned some I never saw! It's a big trail system, so unless you happened by the aid table at the same time, it was easy to miss someone.

I know I have written this here before, but I may have found my new favorite trails! Big Cedar Wilderness is on the property of Mountain Creek Community Church, which is on the highest elevation in Dallas. The trails wind around for miles behind the church. They're rarely flat, boast some pretty nice climbs, and you're treated to views of the surrounding area, including views of nearby Joe Pool Lake.

A hot spot for mountain bikers, some of the trails include jumps and obstacles designed for our two-wheel trail brethren. But their presence didn't detract from our running. On the contrary, they give us someone to blame trail litter on. (Who dropped that empty Gu packet? Must have been a mountain biker!)

So for hill training, pretty views, and shaded trails in the Texas heat, Big Cedar fits the bill. I'll be back.

I pulled this picture from another web site. I'll have to take my camera next time.

Taking recovery too far

2011-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Every runner knows you have to give your body a bit of time to recover after a race, a long run, or a particularly hard workout. But my tendency sometimes is to use recovery time to indulge my laziness.

Case in point. Last weekend I ran a 5K on Saturday. I ran there and back, making my mileage total 26.3, surely enough to justify a recovery day, maybe 2. So. . . .

Sunday morning: slept in. Legitimate recovery.
Sunday night: went out for pizza, no running.
Monday morning: July 4! Slept in, of course. Maybe I'll run tonight . . .
Monday night: Nope. Went to see the fireworks.
Tuesday morning: Nope. Stayed up too late watching the fireworks.
Tuesday night: Nope. Kelly was out, so I was alone with the kids.
Wednesday morning: Nope. Too lazy.
Wednesday night: Nope. Went out for Mexican food with Kelly's parents. Too stuffed.
Thursday morning: I woke up one minute before the alarm went off, so I guess this morning's run was meant to be.

Laziness? Lack of commitment? Or my body's telling me it needs more time to recover? I prefer the latter explanation, but I think the former has more explanatory power.

Hope for the Hungry 5K

2011-07-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

This morning, since I was at my parents' house in Salado, I decided to head over to Belton for the Hope for the Hungry 5K. Hope has started these trail runs at their headquarters to raise funds for their ministry among the poor around the world. I was not familiar with the organization until recently, when Danny Davis, an associate pastor at my parents' church in Salado and a long-time family friend, left his church position to go to work for Hope. Check out their web site for details of their work: http://www.hopeforthehungry.org/.

I've known Danny since he was a baby. I know I am on the short side, but we're on a slope here, so I'm not as short as it looks.

You may be wondering, "Paul doesn't run 5Ks, does he? He only runs long trail races!" True. So I decided that to get my long run in, I would run to the race site. The run there was nice. I did hit a snag when my google map directions let me down. That "bridge out" sign meant it! So I had to backtrack and find my way there. The run there was about 12.3, home was about 10.8, hot and slow. Total mileage for the day, 26.3. An ultramarathon! (Barely!)

The race was a fun, 2-loop 5K through grassy fields, winding single track, and a little bit of dirt road. Even with an 8 a.m. start, it was getting hot. It would have been nice to have more shade, but we all need our vitamin D, right? My goal was to come in under 30 minutes; I finished in 28:25. I figure I could have run harder without my 12 mile warm-up. I also thought I'd better hold back a bit so I wouldn't have to crawl home. Still, I felt good about my pace and ended up second in my age group.

I met some nice folks. Christian came out for his first 5K. He's a sprinter, he said, so this longer distance was a challenge for him. He did great, though, finishing a minute or so behind me, also second in his age group.

Christian, a fast 11 year old, ran a great first 5K.

Another runner had on a t-shirt that read "World Record Holder," so I had to ask what his record was. Turns out he holds the record for most miles on a treadmill in 24 hours, over 160. Sounds painful. He also said he's getting ready to run Leadville and is training to qualify for the Olympics in the marathon. More power to him! (Here's an article about his treadmill record.)

I'll be watching for John's results at the Olympic trials!

I was home by lunchtime, was greeted by my kids and my nieces pelting me with water balloons, took the kids for a swim at the neighbors', and got to hang out with my parents and my sister and her girls. All in all, a good day!

My cheering section on the way home.

Check out this awesome cactus tree!

Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel

2011-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Seeing this book and the subtitle, I was intrigued, yet skeptical. If I follow my mind and run by feel, I will usually sleep in instead of run, and quit when I get tired. I have a hard enough time meeting my goals without giving into laziness! But Matt Fitzgerald offers up a slightly different way of thinking about training and running.

Reading Run made me realize that, while I have enjoyed reading many running books, the ones I enjoy most are the stories about people running, not so much the training or coaching books. Run fits the latter category. This book is directed at the serious runner, preferably one who has trained with a coach or a team. Fitzgerald does give a nod to the casual runner at times, but the target audience seems to be the more serious running crowd.

That's not to say a back-of-the-packer like me can't benefit from his teaching. To run by feel, run happy and confident. Fitzgerald gives the example of Dean Karnazes, who loves to run long distances more than just about anyone, running for hours and hours just for fun (as well as to raise money and awareness as he did in his recent coast-to-coast run). Then there's Haile Gebreselassie, who always runs with a smile. (I reviewed a movie about him here.) Confidence, Fitzgerald writes, comes from experience and training. So, for instance, if my training runs have been at a certain pace, I have more confidence that I can run that pace in a race.

Fitzgerald seems not to be a fan of training plans, those schedules that tell you weeks ahead of time what you'll run on a particular date in preparation for a race. However, unless a runner has a strong foundation from systematic training or coaching, or is one of that fraction of a fraction of a percent of us who is gifted with unusual speed or endurance, the running by feel plan will not get the runner race ready. When we train with a plan or a coach, Fitzgerald would say that every day we need to be willing to alter or even eliminate that day's plan, depending on how we feel.

As a practitioner of minimalist running, I was heartened by Fitzgerald's embrace of minimalism. He did dismiss the various stride training programs out there, like pose running and Chirunning, endorsing a simple change of footwear as a means to change stride:

The only common running technique flaw that exists at the level of gross motor coordination is that of overstriding, which is cause by the wearing of shoes and is best corrected primarily by addressing footwear, not by learning an entirely new way to run. Indeed, I believe that if all runners ran barefoot, the various running technique systems would not exist. . . . Practicing running barefoot on grass, on sand, and/or on an at-home treadmill will get your neuromuscular system accustomed to making ground contact with a flat foot underneath the body's center of gravity. Wearing the lightest, least cushioned running shoes in which you are comfortable in your everyday training will help you transfer your barefoot running form over to your shod running.

He claims that shifting to minimalist shoes changed his stride from heel strike to mid-foot strike and solved his runner's knee problem. In fact, for running maladies in general, "eschewing pavement in favor of dirt is perhaps the most proven means of reducing injuries by reducing impact."

There's a lot of common sense in his book, and a lot of science. But beginner runners need not apply.

My new running buddy. Not.

2011-06-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last year we got a new dog. He's a hyperactive poodle mix. He runs around the house like a lightning bolt, jumps like he has springs in his legs, and always has tons of energy. For grins, I decided to take him on a run. I knew he wouldn't be able to make it for my usual 10K route, so I just set out for a mile around the lake.

Turns out he's more of a sprinter than a long distance runner. He did OK for a few minutes, but began to slow significantly in less than a quarter of a mile. I let him rest a moment, then proceeded to drag him while I ran a few hundred more yards. He was trying to stop, so I picked him up and ran with him for a few steps before figuring out that was uncomfortable for both of us. I put him back down and we continued around the lake, walking at a brisk pace. Finally, after about 3/4 of a mile, he stopped. Sat on the sidewalk and refused to move. I picked him up and carried him the rest of the way home. Oh, well.

Coco doesn't really get into posing for pictures.

Vibram Five Fingers Treks

2011-06-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss not to give an update on my experience with my VFF Treks! Short review: I love them!

You may recall that I had some not so great experiences with my VFF Trek Sports (read here). I bought a pair of Trek Sports, and split a seam in less than 30 miles, got a replacement, and split the seam again in less than 30 miles. I was pretty put out, but due to Vibram's generous return policy, I got my money back both times. I finally found a pair of Treks and couldn't be happier with them. Treks have the same sole as the Trek Sports and the same basic design, but they have a leather upper instead of the nylon mesh of the Sports.

So far, I have run a trail marathon (Cross Timbers) and a trail 50K (Toughest in Texas) in the Treks, plus a bunch of training runs on trails. I don't know the total mileage, but they have held up well through it all. I still love running in them, I just have to decide whether they will be sufficient for longer runs on rockier trails. At the TnT 50K, when I was running with Joe P., I mentioned that I had met one of his Austin runners who was running in one of Joe's races in VFFs. Joe's comment was, Yeah, but he hasn't finished those runs! As comfortable as they are, they do lack the foot protection that many trail running shoes offer. I may need to try another shoe for some of the runs on my calendar, but for shorter runs, and runs on trails that are less rocky, VFFs are the shoes for me.

A Quest for Adventure, by David Horton

2011-06-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Last year I wrote about the documentary The Runner, which followed Davd Horton's record-setting run of the Pacific Crest trail (my review here). A few years before this effort, Horton set out to break the speed record on the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. A Quest for Adventure tells the story of his 1991 A.T. run, as well as his 3rd place finish in the 1994 Trans America race. With daily dispatches from both runs, Horton and his co-author Rebekah Trittipoe give us a detailed account of what it took to finish both of these feats.

After watching The Runner, I was ready to lace up my shoes (or Velco up my VFFs) and follow Horton's footsteps on the trail. The DVD has the benefit of both the visual element--the scenery was spectacular--and the time element--you get the whole experience in less than 80 minutes. By contrast, after reading A Quest for Adventure, I was convinced that if I ever run or hike the Appalachian Trail, I will do it nice and slow, preferably in chunks. And I don't think I ever want to run across the U.S.

Horton does love to run, that's clear. Unfortunately, the tone of Quest leans more toward pain, loneliness, and suffering. Horton's wife was reluctant to send him away for the months the AT run would take. He frequently speaks of how he missed her, of crying on the trail, of longing for home. Some days he had someone running with him, but much of his time was spent running alone. I'm sure the scenery was great, and the trails were great, but that paled in the misery of the long days (30-40 miles or more) day after day after day. Even his finish in Maine seemed anticlimactic.

OK, I've run the whole trail and set a new record. Can I go home now?

At least the AT run was on nice trails and had a view. The Trans America race was pretty much all pavement, with some nice views, at times, I'm sure (we live in a vast and varied nation with some beautiful sights to see), but running on the road all that time had to be a drag. Some was on the shoulder of the interstate, some was even on highways with no shoulders, with 18 wheelers blasting by! Plus, there was very little drama here. After the first few weeks, the top spots were separated enough that the best the runners could do was to maintain their place.

Please don't hear me saying that I minimize or belittle the accomplishment of running across the U.S. or setting the AT record. But I'm left asking, Why? Horton, a Christian who teaches at a Christian university, speaks frequently about glorifying God in his accomplishments and relying on God's strength and provision. He said he felt the prayers of his many friends and acquaintances who were praying for him, and he sensed God's answers to his prayers along the way. I was reminded of the time I was deep into a 50 miler and asked God for his help to finish strong. I clearly heard God laugh at me and say, "I never asked you to sign up for this race! You're on your own, buddy!" (OK, so maybe that wasn't really the voice of God. . . .)

During the Trans American run, David paused at the crossroads of the AT and the Trans America course.

Horton did give an idea of what a production each of these runs was. In both the AT and the Trans Am, he had dozens and dozens of people crewing for him at one time or another. And he doesn't go into a lot of detail about the expense, but it sounds like it definitely took some careful planning and budgeting to make these happen. On the AT, he even washed dishes and cleaned to pay for some of his lodging!

The other striking thing is that he grew stronger through each run. Rather than wearing him down, the daily runs built up his conditioning, so that he was running as strong, if not stronger, near the end as at the beginning! Clearly, this type of feat is nor for everyone, but it seems to agree with Horton.

A Quest for Adventure may not be the most beautifully written or profound book you've ever read, but as a journal of 2 remarkable runs, and as a resource for those who want to take on such a challenge, it's worth a read.

More info on the book here: http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/quest.htm.

Justice Run done

2011-06-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday I ran in the Justice Run at church, which I mentioned here. I did a poor job of recruiting pledges, overestimated my readiness to put in big miles, and underestimated the heat factor. In spite of that, we had a good time and raised some money to rescue young girls from the sex slave industry.

I started the day early, rising before 5 to leave the house and run to church. I took an indirect route and got in about 15.5 miles before I got to church. I took it slow and easy, maintaining a 10:30-11:00 pace, so I would have plenty in the tank for the run itself. I got to the church with a half an hour to spare to get registered and rehydrated for the run, which was scheduled to start at 8:30. I was waiting around for the start before I realized there wasn't really a start, just an open invitation to run whenever you want, so I took off a few minutes after 8:30.

I still ran pretty slowly, taking time to visit with friends who were running and to tarry at the aid station. This was certainly more social than competitive, and many of the participants weren't runners, so there was a variety of paces and a lot of walking on the course. It was nice meeting a new friend from NTTR, who came with 2 of her friends and her daughter.

After a few one mile loops, I realized I did not want to keep running in the heat to hit my 50K goal, nor did I think I could finish before 11:30, the stated stop time. So I quit at 11:30 after having run 11 1-mile laps, bringing my day total to about 26.75 miles. It wasn't a certified course, but using my Garmin mileage I'm putting it down as a marathon-distance run--a very slow marathon run!

Sorry, no pictures. I should have at least taken a couple. Many thanks to David Moore who organized the run, and especially to Kelly's parents for sending me my one and only pledge--and a generous one at that! (If you still want to contribute, you can! There are plenty of slaves needing redemption!)

Happy National Running Day!

2011-06-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

What is national running day? I don't really know. Here's a web site:
http://www.runningday.org/site/

Any excuse to encourage running is OK with me. So go run!

Fun Run for human trafficking

2011-05-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

I've never done a fund-raiser run, but I'm planning on one for 6/4. Our church youth group is sponsoring it to raise money to aid victims of human trafficking. Funds will go to "Sower of Seeds" ministry. I plan to run at least 50K (31.2 miles). If 20 of you pledge $1 per mile, that would be enough money to rescue a girl and support her for 3 months. Can I count on you? For details, send me a note or go to http://www.wellspringdfw.org/fun-run-june-4/

Nice Place to Run: Sansom Park

2011-05-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I met up with a couple dozen new friends and familiar faces at an NTTR club run at Sansom Park. Fred and Char Thompson organized the run, fresh off their epic Rim to Rim to Rim Grand Canyon adventure (this is one run I'd love to do one day; read about the Thompson's experience at endurancebuzz.com). We met up at the parking lot in progress and hit the trail at 8.

For some reason, I have never made it over here before. It's about as far from home as Cedar Ridge or Oak Cliff Nature Preserve, if not a little closer, and every bit as enjoyable. It's more technical than Oak Cliff, maybe not quite as technical as Cedar Ridge. The advantage it has over Cedar Ridge is that it drains much better. We've had some pretty good rain the last couple of days, but the trails were in great shape. It was just muddy enough to keep the mountain bikers home, but not so muddy that runners ended up with mud bricks over their shoes.

Trail running at its best: single track through leafy woods, hardly a flat spot in sight!

As is often the case with trails like this, created and maintained by mountain bikers, there are lots of loops and interconnecting trails. The big loop the Thompsons marked out was about 8 miles, but you can easily find longer or shorter routes. The first loop I ran with a couple of different people, then set out on the second alone. I was going so slowly, and stopping to take pictures, that I thought surely someone would catch me, but they never did. I would have liked someone to pace with; the second loop ended up being as much nature hike as trail run.

This is a beautiful spot, located near the dam where Lake Worth spills into the Trinity River. The cactus blossoms have come and gone, but the yucca and lots of wildflowers were blooming. I saw some squirrels, of course, saw several cardinals, caught a glimpse of a pair of deer bounding away through the underbrush, and scared away some lizards, who scurried away in the leaves. There are views of Lake Worth and Carswell Joint Reserve Base, and of the waterfall just below the dam. Most of the time, there was so little noise I could convince myself I was miles from civilization, until the silence was shattered by a jet taking off from Carswell!

Waterfall and a fishing spot just below the dam.

Another view of the waterfall.

It got a little hot and humid by the time I was done, but this was a great run at a great spot. I'll have to come run there again soon!

Bluffs above the trail.

It's hard to see them in this picture, but this hillside had lots of little flower.

And here are more flowers:

Back-to-back half marathons at Lake Whitney

2011-05-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the sort-of annual Lake Whitney State Park camping trip with a bunch of friends from church. At least 20 families went this year, the biggest group ever. There were kids running around everywhere, the weather was perfect, and I think everyone had a blast.

Before we left, I e-mailed Phil, whom I met at an NTTR trail run a few weeks ago. He lives in the area and had told me there were some nice trails near the state park. He didn't steer me wrong! Just a couple hundred yards from the entrance to the state park, there is a wildlife management area gate. I don't know the full extent of land this leads into, but there are miles and miles of single track, double track, equestrian trails, game trails, and cattle trails where someone can run for hours.

On Saturday morning, I ran from our campsite, found the gate, and explored the trails for a bit before circling back to pick up Kurt. He said he normally runs only about 5 miles, but he ran a good 9 miles this morning, about 6 of that on trails. My Garmin read 13.3, but I ran a quarter mile or so before it picked up the satellites.

On Sunday, I met Phil at the gate. He was running 20, as he is training for a trail marathon in 3 weeks. I didn't think I was up to 20, primarily because of time. We ran together for 12 or so miles (15.6 total for me). He runs here frequently, and knows the trails well.

This is a delightful place to run. Totally flat, but with good variation in surfaces. I didn't run in any sand with Kurt, but with Phil we got into some sections that had pretty deep sand. As much as I don't like sand, I was reminded that Vibram Five Fingers are the best for sand. (I haven't posted an update on my Treks. I love them! Update coming soon.) There are some nice views of the lake, plenty of cows, and a few deer. We saw bobcat and turkey tracks; some bow hunters were out there looking for a turkey dinner. We ran through pastures, saw scrubby mesquite and blooming cactus, and followed trails through thick canopies of trees. I wish I'd brought my camera to get some shots of the trail. If this were closer to home, I would definitely become a regular. In any case, I will have some good trail running to look forward to on our next Lake Whitney camping trip!

Oh, yeah, I can't forget Kelly. Both days I left before she got up, but by the time I got back she had gotten the kids up (rather, the sun had gotten the kids up and the kids had gotten her up!) and dressed and fed them breakfast, and had breakfast waiting for me. She tells me she's happy to do it, so I'll take her word for it! Thanks, Kelly!

This is the course I followed with Phil.

On the road again

2011-05-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely, I've been getting back into my running groove. I had 3 decent runs last week, and, although I was slow getting started this week (still getting in some O.T.), I should get 3 runs in this week. Getting up early, running in my neighborhood, even though I struggle to get out of bed, is a great way to start my day.

However, I was struck this morning that summer is around the corner. Since I missed the chance to register for Jemez (which I'm sort of glad of now; I'm in no shape to run a 50Kin the mountains!), my next race is Capt'n Karl's at Inks Lake on July 16. This is where I ran my first real trail ultramarathon in 2009 (report here).

Late July sounds like it's ages away, but the race is only 10 weeks away! It's definitely time to put together a training plan and get on some trails. It's certainly easy to step out the front door and run on the flat streets of my neighborhood, but Inks Lake is rugged and a bit hilly. As always, I'm in that place of preferring trail running but stuck doing most of my training on roads, just because that's where I am. Come race day, we'll see how ready I am to hit the trails!

On the trail again

2011-04-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, it really has been 5 weeks since I've run. Not a step since March 20 until this morning. My biggest excuse is tax season. I have been going in to work an hour earlier and staying later. Some nights I got off at 10 and reported back to work at 7. (Just so you know, I wasn't required to work those hours; I chose to do so.) So I didn't have a lot of time or energy to get a run in. Now tax season is over, I'm back to a normal work schedule, and the too much work excuse won't work for me any more. Now I just have to get my laziness tamed. . . .

It was nice getting out this morning. I returned to Oak Cliff Nature Preserve. I shared the trail with a bright red cardinal, some other little birds, a bunny, and a kitty who seemed surprise to see me. After an hour or so I started to see some mountain bikers, but they are typically courteous and don't run me down. The trails run through dense woods with the trees full and green, then pop out onto meadows blooming with wildflowers.

I ran a slow 6.6 miles, which was plenty. I'm sure I'll be sore in the morning. It was pretty warm, and the humidity felt like a coat weighing heavy on my shoulders. It's just a hint of the hot Texas running coming up this summer.

Boston Marathon

2011-04-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today is Patriots' Day, which probably means nothing to you unless you live in Massachusetts or you're a marathon runner. The 115th Boston Marathon was run today, as it is every Patriots' Day, with a new course record and a tight, competitive finish. The Kenyans ruled the day (surprise!) with Geoffrey Mutai taking first in 2:03:02, followed four seconds later by his countryman Moses Mosop. They both beat Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie's world record of 2:03:59. (However, their records may not qualify as world records due to course certification.) A 16 mph tailwind helped the runners along. American Ryan Hall beat his PR of 2:06:17 by finishing in 2:04:58. Just to keep these times in perspective, the leaders were averaging 4:41 minutes/mile. Most of us can't conceive of running that fast for even100 yds (that would take 15 seconds) much less 26.2 miles. Congratulations to these winners and all the runners today!

Mutai crossing the line with Mosop not far behind.

On a personal note, one of my key running goals, since I started running, is to qualify for and run in the Boston Marathon. Boston is the only recreational marathon that requires entrants to run a qualifying time to enter. Although my preference is to run ultramarathons on trails, I would still like to experience the history and pageantry of Boston. It's like Mecca for runners. So my plan has been to run one road marathon each year, with specific training toward a BQ time. In 2009, I came within 15 minutes of my qualifying time of 2:20 (QTs vary by age and gender.). That's not exactly one little push at the end, but I felt like I could get there. Then in 2010, I stayed on a great pace for 1/2 the marathon, but ran out of gas and ended up taking a little over 4 hrs to finish. That was frustrating, but I knew my training hadn't been what it should have been, and still felt like I had a 3:20 marathon in me.

But now the Boston Athletic Association, raising the bar even farther, has lowered qualifying times by 5:59. So for 2012, I would have to run a 3:20:59 to qualify (there was a built in 59 second grace period). But for 2013, I would have to run 3:15:00 (no grace period). To make matters worse, there will be a rolling registration period, so runners who have faster than the BQ time can register first; the slowest runners in the group might not have an opportunity to register until 2 weeks later.

I understand the organizers' dilemma, trying to maintain a great race and being as fair as possible with the entry process. Says the race director, "We want people to get better, from a competitive perspective." So, Mr. Race Director, you leave me no choice: get faster I will! And if I don't get that 3:15:00 in the next couple of years, I'll see if I can crank out a 3:25 with my 45-50 year-old body! (or a 3:30 at 50-54, or a 3:40 at 55-59, etc.)

Toughest in Texas 2011 results

2011-03-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

The results have been posted from last Saturday, and I was pleased to see that I was not last! I knew a few people had come in behind me, but did not expect to be right in the middle of the pack. Of 21 50K finishers, I was number 11. The winner, a guy named Paul Terranova, won in 4:43:35. Not bad!

My 7:33:11 finish sounds really slow, especially compared to my only other 50K race, El Scorcho in July 2009. At that race I ran a 5:19:23. However, I can hardly compare the two, since El Scorcho is run at Trinity Park in Fort Worth, on flat, groomed trails. At TNT, my Garmin recorded 10,600 feet ascent/descent. I think I can justify taking a little longer on that course!

Race director Tim Neckar said he got some negative comments from people who got off course. I thought the course was exceptionally well-marked. I think they don't recognize that one of the many additional pleasures of trail running is the challenge of staying on course.

I read a report of the A-OK trail run in Oklahoma. (This is the one put on by Mary Ann Miller, whom I met briefly at Cross Timbers a couple weeks ago.) One runner, Eunsup Kim, whom I've met at a number of races, walked the first 7 miles, then ran the rest, to win the master's division. Maybe I need to take a lesson from him.

Toughest in Texas 50K

2011-03-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I returned to Waco, home of my alma mater, Baylor University, to run the Toughest in Texas 50K. I always loved Cameron Park when I lived there, but it is much nicer than I remember. The facilities have expanded and improved, and the trails are much better maintained and well-marked. The physical beauty of the park, especially the great views from the bluffs over the river, is unmatched in the area.

Tim Neckar, a running coach based in Houston, started the Toughest in Texas trail runs about 5 years ago. Runners can choose the 5, 10, or 20 mile course, or the 50K. Twenty-five or so of us lined up for the 50K start at 7 a.m. The course, 3 loops of about 30 1/3 miles, runs through the park, up and down the trails, which get lots of traffic from mountain bikers. As befits the needs of mountain bikers, the trails feature lots of long climbs and descents. The names of the trails, marked like ski slopes with green circles, blue squares, or black diamonds to rate difficulty, reveal what runners can expect: "Sidewinder," "Vortex," "Rio Perdido" (that's Dangerous River, in case you don't know Spanish).

Like many races, the highlight of this race was who I ran with. For the majority of the race, I ran with Stuart Skeeter and Joe Prusaitis. Stuart, an experienced trail runner and long-time family friend, has been running ultras for years, and has finished numerous 100 milers, so this little run was nothing. In e-mail exchanges before the race, he went on about not being in shape for this race. I don't know if it was humility, or if he just had a good day, but he seemed to be in pretty good shape to me! If you know trail running at all, then you know Joe, the king of trail running in Texas. As founder of Tejas Trails, he directs some of Texas's best trail runs. A veteran trail runner, he has completed an amazing number of ultras, including finishing the Hardrock 100, one of the toughest mountain ultras ever (the course includes a summit of a 14K peak), and less than 2 weeks later completing the Badwater Ultramarathon, the "world's toughest footrace," which starts every summer in Death Valley, where temperatures are easily 120-130 degrees. When I first started getting into trail running, Stuart told me how lucky we are in Texas to have a large number of races. It's not luck, though. It's Joe!

My feet deserve a medal for what I put them through.

So I ran much of the race with these two guys; needless to say, I was out of my league. We stayed together throughout the first loop. Actually, Stuart breezes through aid stations, so after I stopped for a drink and snack, I would then have to catch up to Stuart. Joe lingers a bit more than I do, but he never had a problem catching back up. We finished the first loop in 1:55. Not bad, but I wondered if I would be able to keep it up. Joe and Stuart are both stronger, more experienced runners than I am, so I knew it would take a lot to stick with them. The second loop was slower, but I still felt pretty strong. We stuck together through the first aid station, but after the second, Stuart took off, and we never caught him. Joe and I finished the second loop at about 4:20; I knew it would be slower, but I didn't realize it was 30 minutes longer.

I started the third loop alone, feeling pretty sluggish, but Joe quickly caught up with me and I got to draw some energy from him for a couple more hours. The first part of the loop is consistently tougher than the latter portion, so we suffered through those miles together. Then at the aid station we were greeted by my brother, Mark! That was a treat, to have him pace us for a while. He's run this race every year it's been run, and runs at Cameron Park for fun, so he knows the trails. Unfortunatly, I was about at the end of my rope, so he didn't get much of a run in, going as slowly as I was. The three of us ran together to the next aid station, and after about the mile 7 marker, with a little more than 3 miles left, Joe took off, showing his finishing strength. I was in my late-race 15-20 min/mile struggling to the finish mode.

Jacob's ladder. It's steep.

I finally passed the 10 mile marker, delighted that the end was near. Shortly after this, the course follows the road for a few hundred yards (the rest of the course is all single-track), until it reaches the cruelest course ending ever. Just ahead, maybe 200 yards away, I could see the finish. I'm almost there! But, no, the course veers to the right, up Jacob's Ladder. This is a stone staircase, 90 steep steps, not regular staircase steps, but big steps, straight up the side of the hill. Climbing these is tough. After 10 miles, tough. After 20 miles, really tough. After 30 miles, torturous. So, up the stairs, around the back of the hill, and finally across the finish line at 7: 35. Not exactly negative splits. 1:55, 2:25, 3:15. Ouch.

My beautiful wife and 3 terrific kids at the finish couldn't care less about how slow I was. They weren't very eager to get hugs from stinky, sweaty me, but they were still happy to see me. Stuart had finished in about 6:15 (undertrained. Haha!), and had stuck around to see me cross. Joe had finished about 20 minutes before; I got to introduce him to my family and visit with him a bit more. A burger and two cans of Dr Pepper made for a perfect finish.

This was a fun race, but the race organization, aid stations, goodie bag (nice gloves and technical shirt), and post-race spread were all overshadowed by the great trails. Which is as it should be. I loved Cameron Park when I lived in Waco, and it's even more lovable now. Anyone who lives in or around Waco and doesn't spend some time here every now and then--whether for a hike, a trail run, a mountain bike challenge, or just to sit on a bluff overlooking the river--is really cheating himself.

This crew was a welcome site at the finish line. No, Zippy, I don't want to climb Jacob's Ladder again!

Ready for a 50K?

2011-03-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Am I ready for a 50K? We'll see. I'm going to Waco for the Toughest in Texas Trail Runs in Cameron Park. I biked there a little when I was in college, and ran there a little when we lived in Waco later on. But this was before I was really running; at that time, I would run for 30 minutes or so with Princess (how I miss her!) and call it good, thinking I was a real trail running stud. I figure this race will take me at least 6 hours, if I go really fast, more likely 7 or more.

This race is only in its fourth year or so, and my brother has run in every other running. He won't be there this weekend, so I have to run to make sure there's a Mastin represented. I am looking forward to running with my friend Stuart, a veteran trail runner and a great guy. I have never run with him before; we'll see if I can keep up!

This race calls itself Toughest in Texas. Cross Timbers, where I ran the marathon 3 weeks ago, calls itself the Toughest Little Trail in Texas. I guess I'll let you know in a few days who wins the toughest trail prize!

Nice Place to Run: Oak Cliff Nature Preserve

2011-03-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

This morning I joined a few other runners for a North Texas Trail Runners club run. I had never been to Oak Cliff Nature Preserve and thought this would be a great way to meet some other runners and check out some new trails. From my house in east Fort Worth, it took less than 40 minutes to get there. (Of course, I wouldn't want to drive that on a weekday morning!) The entrance, a little bit hidden among some apartments and industrial buildings, certainly doesn't scream "great trail running ahead!" But I had seen some pictures and read so reports, so I knew to expect some decent trails.

The trails, faithfully maintained by DORBA (Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association), loop around for about 8 miles total. The trails themselves are not as challenging as those at Cedar Ridge, but there are plenty of short climbs to keep it interesting, on many of which I thought, "There's no way I could ride my bike on that!" The trails loop around and intersect; it's not hard to get turned around. But DORBA keeps them well-marked, so once you get familiar with the layout, there's no need to send up a flare. We did see plenty of mountain bikers, but they were considerate and easy to share the trail with.

On any scale, the trails at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve are fun trails to run on. The fact that they are nestled in this south Dallas neighborhood and so easily accessible make them a great place to run. Check them out.

I kept up wit both these guys on this day, but I think they'd be too fast for me to keep up with on a longer run.

Kay hosted the club run and kept us fueled up. She's training for a double ironman triathlon. That's intense!

These pictures aren't very good. For more on Oak Cliff Nature Preserve, including better pictures, go here:http://www.texaslandconservancy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=148
or here: http://www.dorba.org/trail/oak-cliff-nature-preserve

Oh, and here's DORBA's map, showing how they fit all those trails in a not very big piece of land:

Cross Timbers 2011 results

2011-02-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

The final results have been posted from last week's Cross Timbers Trail Run (here). I was in the middle of the pack, which I do prefer to dead last. Of 45 finishers, I was 27th; 21 of 33 male finishers. Marathon times overall were remarkable similar to last year's, with 2011 times only slightly faster than 2010. The 50 mile race, however, was considerably slower. I am sure the heat had everything to do with that.

In my last post, I mentioned several people I met on the trail.
Mack--The 66 year old with whom I ran most of the first half. He finished about 5 minutes ahead of me. Maybe I could have caught him. . . .
Jared--The 30 year old I ran with the first half and for several miles after Mack left us. He finished about 45 minutes after me. Stomach issues or not, he pressed on to the finish. Good show.
Buddy--Whose picture I posted. He finished in 11:52:51, beating his 2010 finish by 7 minutes. So I guess the heat didn't slow everyone down!
Mary Ann Miller--Turns out this little lady with the trekking poles is a bit of a legend around here. She's been around the trail running world for some time. She's 74, and finished the 1/2 marathon in 10:15:36. She lives in Plano, but hosts a race every year on some land she owns in Oklahoma. (A-OK 50K/25K Trail Race) Here's a little post from the Dallas Morning News blog: "Hip Replacements Don't Stop Trail Runner"

Again, a great race, with some great folks. I hope I'll still be plugging away at 66 or 74 like these new trail running friends!

Back to Cross Timbers

2011-02-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

Last year, I ran the 50 miler at Cross Timbers, 2 weeks after running the 50 miler at Rocky Raccoon. I took a looooong time to finish, almost 15 hours. So this time, I decided to head back for the marathon. I was glad I did, for many reasons! It was a great day, and, as usual, a great race.

The Cross Timbers Trail run, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this weekend, claims to be the oldest trail run in Texas. It's run on what they call the "Toughest Little Trail in Texas." They won't hear any disputes from me! The course is an out and back, run twice for the 50 miler, and once, plus a loop at the beginning, for the marathon. They also have a 5 mile and 1/2 marathon, which feature the toughest first section of the trail. They say the marathon course has 5510' elevation gain and loss, but my Garmin said about 7400'; I'm going with Garmin. Either way, there's a lot of up and down on the course.

The 50 mile runners took off in the dark at 6:30. By the time the marathon started, at 7, there was plenty of light.

I arrived early enough to get my number, have a drink, and cheer for the 50 milers as they started their long day. I also ran into a few running bloggers whom I keep up with via their blogs: Mark Smith (The Naked Runner), Dave Elliot (And the Adventure Continues), and I saw, but didn't get a chance to say hello to, Dave Hanenburg, who maintains an informative blog covering trail running all over the region (EnduranceBuzz.com). The more of these races I run, the more a sense of community I feel with this great group of people: trial runners!

Soon the sun came up and it was time to begin the marathon. The race director reminded trail running newbies not to expect to run their usual marathon pace, to expect to add about 30% to their usual marathon time. I chuckled to myself; I thought, more like 50% if I'm lucky, possibly more! After the marathon correction loop, we started up the trail. I started at a pretty conservative pace, forcing myself not to pass what I perceived to be slower runners. (I have learned that most of those slower runners are faster than me anyway!) After a couple of miles I fell in with Mac, from Mississippi, and Jared, from Lewisville. Mac, a seasoned road and trail runner who has run all over the country, told us about his favorite races and tried to recruit us to come run at some races in Mississippi. Jared has been running a few years, but this was his first trail marathon. He set a great pace, so I just stuck with him, Mac right behind.

At this point, I practically have to go on all fours. Coming down this portion is harder than going up.

Mac was slow coming out of a couple of the aid stations, but always caught right back up. He left the turnaround aid station before Jared and me; I kept thinking we would catch back up to him, but this experienced runner who was at least a decade or two older than me left us young bucks in his dust. Jared and I ran together for a few more miles, but he was having some stomach issues, so I ran on ahead. I didn't hang around long at the finish to see him cross the finish line; I'll be scouring the race results to see whether he ended up finishing.

I love this course! Almost 100% rooty, dirt single track, winding through the woods.

For a few miles after I left Jared, I was able to pick up the pace a bit, but once I hit the rough part, the last few miles of the race, I went pretty slow. The trails overall were in much better condition this year than last, with no spots that forced you to run through mud. It was quite a bit warmer than last year. I was getting pretty hot at the sun crept across the sky. I imagine the 50 mile runners had a hot afternoon. I remember those last miles as miserable, dark, and lonely, as I struggled toward the finish line last year. They weren't all that much easier this time. I was hot and ready to be done, but I was buoyed by the fact that I only had to do it once! The end was near! Those are still some pretty long miles. I was beginning to smell those burgers, in my mind at least.

The Cross Timbers trail doesn't have long climbs, but there are lots of short, steep ones.

I finally crossed the finish line, 5 hours and 55 minutes after I started (58% longer than my road marathon PR, thank you!). The burgers were hot and delicious, the drinks were cold, and my body was grateful that I didn't have to turn around and do it again! Last year I remember coming into that tent to replenish my drinks and gels, smelling the burgers, seeing the marathon and 1/2 marathon runners happy and relaxed, and forcing myself to go out and run some more. That was tough.

Don't forget to pause and take in the views of Lake Texoma!

Speaking of tough, at every race, I see and meet more tough runners. There was the nice lady with the trekking poles whose age I won't speculate, but who has to be older than my mother (70). She was attacking those trails with vigor I hope I have when I'm that age! I got to visit with Fred Thompson, an NTTR fixture who has run trails all over the place. He's in his early 60s and going strong. I asked him his secret, but he laughed and said, "I don't have a secret, I just love to run! If you love to run, you'll keep going!" I don't know what distance he ran yesterday, but he probably did it faster than me. And of course, I always admire those tough guys who keep a steady pace, out there in front, running 50 miles at a pace I can keep for 10 miles on a good day. One of the great things about trail running is that everyone's welcome: those speedsters at the front, the slow ones at the back, and everyone in between.

Buddy Teaster, one of those steady runners, was well into the second out-and-back of the 50 when I met him on the trail.

In sum, Cross Timbers 2011 was a reminder of why I love trail running. Any trail runner (or hiker, which I was for a good portion of the day!) will love this trail. The race itself is executed flawlessly. The volunteers (so many! so dedicated! so helpful!) kept me fueled up and always had a kind word, ready to serve. I must say I was happy to have run the marathon rather than the 50 mile, although I may have broken my course-slowest record had I attempted it. (I also got to see Zippy's 4th grade Longhorns win [Yippee!] and take Elliot to see the Baylor Bears lose to Tech [Boo!]) Next time around, maybe, just maybe I'll sign up for the 50 mile race.

Cross Timbers, shorter this time

2011-02-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

A year ago, when I crossed the finish line at Cross Timbers after a seemingly endless 15 hour run/walk, I said, "I'm never doing that again!" Well, the Cross Timbers Trail Run is tomorrow, and I'm doing that again. I'm running the marathon instead of the 50 mile run, so hopefully I won't take 15 hours to finish. I'm hoping to finish faster than at least some of the 50 mile runners.

Why am I going back? It's a fun trail. Hilly, rooty, beautiful, wooded, almost all single track. It's certainly challenging. Although the elevation is low, it's almost constantly up and down, some of it pretty steep. And it's a fun race. The race organizers do a tremendous job of planning and hospitality, providing a well-run race where every runner feels supported and important. And, like most trail races, the on-the-trail camaraderie is worth the trip. So I know it will be a fun day, if a lot shorter than my day on the trail last year.

I haven't been running as much as I should have been leading up to a marathon, but I'm hoping my legs will be fresh as a result. Time prediction? I don't know about a prediction, but I'd love to finish in 6 hours. But tomorrow I'll be happy just to be on the trail and to cross the finish line. Full report in a couple days!

Trail Running with Kelly

2011-02-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

My conversation with Kelly as I was gathering my gear for a trail run:

Me: Do you ever wish you could come running with me on a trail run?

Kelly: (without a second's hesitation) No.

Me: Why not?

Kelly: Because I would be here (pointing at her side) and you would be way up there!

Me: Well, then what if I only run as fast as you run?

Kelly: Then you wouldn't be running!

Maybe one day I'll get her out on the trail with me. But I'm guessing it won't be anytime soon.

Vibram Bikila review

2011-02-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

I have been running in VFF Sprints for about a year and half now for virtually all my training runs, 2 road marathons, a trail 50 miler, and various shorter races. I love them and don't ever want to run in anything else. I still have some road shoes which I wear to walk around on the weekends, but for running, it's only VFFs for me.

Runners have been wearing VFFs for a while, but for the first time, Vibram has created a shoe exclusively for running, the Bikila, named after Abebe Bikila, who won the marathon at the 1960 Olympics running barefoot. On top, the look is similar to some other VFF models. The biggest noticeable difference from prior models is the padded collar, which adds some comfort, especially around the Achilles, and makes it look more like a traditional running shoe.

The sole is where the Bikila really sets itself apart from other Vibram models. You can see in this picture the rubber "anatomical pods" distributed around the sole. This gives the sole protection in all the right places. The white portion at the arch is thicker and stiffer that what you find in other VFFs.

The smooth ride felt nice when I started running in the Bikilas. Overall, they feel great, but the pods and thicker, stiffer sole reduces the feel of the road. The foot still can move like it's bare, but the sole gets less response from the surface. Having run so many miles in the Sprints, which have a much smoother, thinner sole, the sole felt like a lot more between me and the surface than I'm used to. But there's no question that the Bikila's sole is much thinner than the typical running shoe.

With the Bikila, Vibram continues to make valuable contributions to minimalist running. For someone who's looking to try out the transition from traditional running shoes to minimalist shoes, the Bikila would be perfect. It provides enough sole to alleviate fears of injury due to glass, rocks, or other obstacles you might find on the street, yet is flexible enough to give a barefoot feel. A barefoot runner, or a runner accustomed to a thinner sole, like on the VFF Sprint, might feel like there's way too much to the sole. The Bikilas can be a great first step into the minimalist running revolution.

Shoe Failure at Cedar Ridge

2011-01-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

For the second Saturday in a row, I headed to Cedar Ridge Preserve for a morning run. This time, I got there before all the hikers and walkers, so for the first hour or so, I had the whole place to myself (except for--what was that figure I saw?--maybe a raccoon). Greeting the new day on the trails, quiet and alone, I ran and enjoyed the great weather and fantastic trails.

Sunrise over Cattail Pond

I can't say enough about this place. Maybe because I've gotten so bored with running on the streets in my neighborhood, or maybe because I have been able to run so little the last few weeks, but I have really enjoyed these last 2 runs. Winding, hilly single track, with a good sprinkling of rocks and roots, make this a great place to run.

This morning I planned to run 18-20 miles. After 7 or so, I started feeling like I was getting a hot spot, which surprised me, because I very rarely get blisters while wearing my VFFs. I stopped at the picnic tables and looked at my foot. My shoe's seam was splitting along the big toe! That's so very frustrating. That lets trail grit get in the toes, creating abrasion in all the wrong places.

Then I looked at my other foot, and saw this lovely sight. Dirt had gotten in there and rubbed me raw (That's blood between my toes). Ouch. I'm not saying trail running should be pain free, and dirt in the shoes is certainly part of trail running, but I would like to avoid this kind of unnecessary pain when possible, especially due to a simple shoe failure.

For a little background, I bought my first pair of VFF Trek Sports last fall. I wore them on a short training trail run (5-6 miles), then at Palo Duro Canyon. After about 17 miles at PD, that same seam split, letting in dirt, dust, and pebbles with every step. That's not the whole reason I DNFed that day, but it was a contributing factor. Vibram has a 90-day warranty on their shoes, and Luke's Locker was generous in taking them back and giving me store credit for them.

After a few weeks of calling all the Luke's locations, waiting for them to get a pair in my size, I finally got a new pair, identical to the first. I wore them last week at Cedar Ridge for the first time. And today the seam went out. In both cases, in less than 30 miles, the seam went out. I will not buy VFF Trek Sports again! The problem is, I LOVE running in them! I don't know that I'd want to run in anything else! I've ordered some VFF Treks, which have the same sole, but have a leather upper, rather than the fabric of the Trek Sport. I'm sure hoping they will perform better. Oh, and by the way, I wore a pair of VFF Sprints, decidedly not made for trail running, at the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler last year, and had no problems at all.

Nice Place to Run: Cedar Ridge Preserve (again)

2011-01-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I waited over a year before returning to Cedar Ridge Preserve. I ran there once last year, on New Years Day, as part of an NTTR club run (posted here). This south Dallas park is about a 30-40 minute drive from home, so my only excuse for not going back is that it adds at least an hour to the time I schedule for a run. I prefer to run out my front door, but the options there are limited. I was reminded on Saturday why Cedar Ridge is worth the drive.

In the D/FW area, this is the only trail system I know of that offers hills, a variety of trail surfaces, easy access, and is closed to mountian bikes. Now, I don't have anything against mountain bikes, but to have to dodge them and their ruts can take away from a trail running experience.

The parking lot was much more full than I thought it would be on a cold Saturday morning. I saw some groups of ladies in an exercise class, several small groups of random hikers and/or birdwatchers (it is an Audobon park, after all), and a troop of Boy Scouts training for a Philmont trek. I also saw 2 trail runners. After passing a guy in black tights going the opposite direction several times, I saw him at a trail head and thought I'd catch up with him. He was about 20-30 yards ahead of me at the time, and I never saw him again--he was going much too fast for me!

Then I ran into another guy I had passed a couple of times and stopped to chat. His name was Mike, and it turns out we have run several races together without ever meeting. We ran together for a couple of hours and had a great time talking about running and life. We agreed that Black Tights was pretty fast--too fast for us! We kept a nice pace, and with the company, I ended up going farther than I probably would have on my own.

Other than my 25 miles at Palo Duro, this was my longest run in the VFF Treks. They did great, and this run convinced me to go ahead and run at Cross Timbers with them rather than shoes. If memory serves, Cedar Ridge is a great triaing ground for Cross Timbers, with lots of short, steep climbs, and similar trail surfaces. I'll need to get out here a couple more times before Cross Timbers, hopefully with Mike or some other good running company.

50/50: Dean Karnazes's Marathon Challenge

2011-01-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I posted a review of Ultramarathon Man, the movie documenting Dean Karnazes's running of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days (posted here). The accompanying book, 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days--and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! chronicles those 50 days and throws in lots of practical running and training advice.

I really enjoyed Dean's recounting of the runs, of his ups and downs through the 50 days, and his personal stories of the people he met along the way. This was late 2006, before I was interested in running at all, but through Runner's World magazine, blogs, and e-mail lists, runners accross the country signed up and ran with him. On weekends, many of the marathons were large events. During the week, he ran the certified course in whatever city they were in, and worked with the race director for logistical help. This marathon tour was a huge production, with dozens of people supporting him the whole time, and many more volunteers pitching in at each stop. Besides the physical feat of running the 50 marathons, the practical feat of coordinating this travelling circus is impressive as well. (Oh, and by the way, after his last marathon--New York City--Dean said, "No one had booked me a return flight from New York to San Francisco. So I decided to run instead." For the next 90 days, he ran all the way to St. Charles, Missouri, where he had started the 50/50, but decided he missed his family and went straight home from there.)

The crew set up full marathon amenities, like this cool finish line, at every event. This lady ran the 6 New England marathons with Dean and cartwheeled across every finish line!

I must admit I was taken in by the subtitle of the book. I want to achieve Super Endurance like Dean! Well, maybe I can. Mixed in with the travelogue, Dean offers lots of training and running advice for both beginners and experienced runners. I don't believe you can ever get too much input. If you read a magazine like Runner's World for more than a few months, you soon realize you're reading lots of similar running wisdom, presented in different forms. 50/50's advice is in the same vein. Throughout the book is some great advice for runners, but it interrupts the prose of the 50/50 quest, and is presented in a scattershot way which would make referencing it difficult later on.

All that good advice fails on the promise of the subtitle. If I did everything Dean says, I know I would be a better runner. While I don't want to minimize Dean's amazing commitment to running and his intensity and love of the sport, I think he has to admit that he is genetically gifted. I still wonder if I could reach his level of endurance; I'll never know if I don't try, but I'll never be able to try because that guy runs so freakin' much! As one example, during the 50/50, Dean's blood was tested periodically. At the end of it, he showed 1/4 as much muscle damage, as measured by creatine phosphokinase in the bloodstream, as a typical runner after one marathon! Has his body adapted, or is this a genetic advantage he has? Who knows.

Dean raised money for his charity, Karno's Kids. You gotta love the slogan, "No child left inside."

On a side note, even though the 50/50/50 challenge sounds likes something no one has ever done before, at least one person beat Dean to it. Sam Thompson started a similar quest earlier in the same year, completing 51 marathons in the 50 states plus D.C. in 50 days to raise money for Katrina victims. In this Runner's World interview, Dean sounds supportive, "What Sam's doing is absolutely terrific. . . . if he encourages other people to get out and do things, I can't take anything away from him," but gets in a little jab, too: "He's obviously wanting to scoop what I was doing." According to this Sports Illustrated article, Dean had some nice things to say about Sam Thompson's feat, and, in fact, talked his own major sponsor, North Face, into taking Sam on as well. While Dean finished it with a small army and a large sponsor, Sam finished it with his wife and a trickle of a word-of-mouth campaign. Both are amazing, but I tend to think Sam's might be a bit more amazing.

All things considered, Dean is an amazing runner and remains high on my list of running heroes. I'm pretty sure I'll never match anywhere near his accomplishments, whether completing the 50/50/50, winning Badwater or Leadville, or running 300 miles in one stretch. But he is an example to all runners to stretch ourselves, and set out to accomplish things we never thought we could do. For some, that might mean finishing a marathon. For me, it might be qualifying for Boston or completing a mountain 100. More importantly, he promotes running just for fun. Step out the front door, and run as far as you can in one direction, then run back home. I love his take on the Australian walkabout. He says to set aside a day for a runabout. Start running in the morning, before the sun comes up, and run until after the sun goes down. And just like Dean, enjoy every step of the way.

Sleeping, not running

2011-01-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

I have neglected this blog for a few days, and I have neglected my running for a few days! Between working lots of overtime and trying to get to the kids' concerts and basketball games and practices, I haven't been able to carve out time to run. I have to weigh hours of sleep versus hours running, and this week have concluded that I need the sleep more than the run.

I guess most runners face this dillemma at some point. Running invigorates and energizes, but it also uses up energy. Any coach or runner will tell you, you must get your sleep to rebuild; it's just as important as a good diet. So this week, I have chosen sleep over running. Hopefully I can get in couple of good runs this weekend.

I need to log a couple of long runs soon--I went ahead and signed up for the Cross Timbers marathon. I ran the 50 miler there last year (I came in last.), but I am not confident in my current ability to do well for 50 miles. If I come in last on the marathon, at least a few of the 50 mile runners will still be on the course! It's a fun, hilly course, so I'll plan on taking it easy and having fun. Meanwhile, I'll be trying to find some time to run!

Ultra-Walking

2011-01-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, the Star-Telegram ran this article by David Casstevens about Jeff Rudisill, a man in his 60s who is walking across the U.S. I was immediately taken by the task itself and the attitude of Rudisill. He's by no means the first person to take such a journey, but I couldn't help giving him a distant slap on the back for his boldness and simplicity.

Can you live for a year on this many supplies?

A few years back, Rudisill spread out a map of the United States, and drew a line from Southern California to Emerald Isle, S.C. From there he began planning his route. Starting in August of last year, he began walking, pushing his cart of supplies. As of now, he's in South Carolina, getting close to his destination. Along the way, he has reveled in the places he's seen and the people he's met. "This is a pretty nice nation, with a lot of good people." You can read about the people and place of his journey at his blog, http://walkingman2011.blogspot.com/

Rudisill's home for most of the journey. He spent some nights in home or hotels, too.

Casstevens sums up Rudisill's walking philosophy like this:

Jeff Rudisill isn't walking across America to honor the troops or save the whales or raise money to find a cure for plantar fasciitis. God didn't tell him to do this. . . . Is he doing this for the environment? The homeless? Women's rights? World peace? A smile creased his tanned face as the earnest, slow-talking man considered the questions. He answered with Forrest Gump simplicity. "I like walkin'," he said.

I don't fault anyone who does walk or run or anything else to raise money or awareness for his or her favorite cause. But I love Rudisill's heart here. What more reason does he need that a love of walking?

I look at running like that. I don't run to raise money or awareness (but I'm not saying I ever will.). I certainly don't run to win a race or set a record (OK, I might as well admit I never will, anyway!). There's nothing wrong with running just to run, walking just to walk. I like runnin'. Maybe when I'm in my 60s, I'll run across the U.S.

Feet in the Clouds: A Tale of Fell-Running and Obsession, by Richard Askwith

2011-01-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you thought fell running referred to the common experience of many trail runners, you would only be partly right. In British English, a fell is "a barren or stony hill." In the UK, fell running is a long and storied tradition. In Feet in the Clouds, journalist Richard Askwith gives his first-hand accounts of his experiences in the sport and reports of his runs, facing down some of fell running's great challenges.

Most of the fell races have a simple course and simpler origins. It's no coincidence that many of them start from a village pub. You can almost hear the challenge after a couple of drinks: "I bet you a round of drinks that I can run to the top of that fell and back in an hour," as he points out the window to the nearby mountain. So many of the races, though they are short in terms of mileage, are run basically straight up the mountain and straight back down.

Of course, over the years, many of the races have become more refined, and draw more than just the patrons of the local pub. Askwith starts running with friends on weekends, and frequents these races, taking us on a tour of fells around the U.K. and the races held on them, and walking us through a hall-of-fame of British fell runners. The stories he tells are entertaining, but they do contribute to drawing out the book longer than I felt like it ought to be.

Anyone who has been a trail runner or has been around trail runners will get a kick out of his descriptions of the races and the racers. A couple of examples: "Fell-runners, I was learning, see sports injuries in a different way to other athletes. . . . Pig-headed refusal to face the medical facts is a central tenet of fell-running dogma. . . . Most of them see demonstrable indifference to health-threatening agonies as a necessary badge of honour, without which you cannot really claim to be a paid-up member of the sport." I haven't suffered real "health-threatening agonies" but have certainly seen people press on through pain to finish a race. This piece of advice sums up a key area of wisdom for ultrarunning: "I have learnt that successful ultra-distance fell-running can have as much to do with what you eat and drink as anything else."

Along the way on the Bob Graham Round.

A key thread through the book follows Askwith's pursuit of the ultimate fell running challenge: finishing the Bob Graham round. This is not a race run on a specific date, but a course on which runners summit (and descend) 42 Lake District peaks, covering a distance of about 72 miles, in 24 hours. Based on his descriptions, this is much harder than it sounds. I'll save you the suspense: he does finish, but it takes him several tries.

As I said, Feet in the Clouds seemed overlong. But I did enjoy his profiles of the fell running legends. As I read I thought about how much fun it would be to write a book about the races and runners I have met in my short, quite limited trail running career (career? That sounds funny. You know what I mean.) In the North Texas Trail Runners, and people I have met from Tejas Trails, and others I have read or heard about, there are plenty of great stories that could easily fill a book. Maybe someone like Askwith, with his writing talent and a passion for trail running, will take on such a project. In the meantime, it's fun to read about American trail runners' counterparts across the Atlantic.

2 years, 11 races

2011-01-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, I ran my first marathon, the White Rock Marathon in Dallas. Last month, I ran it again. In between the two, I ran a number of other races, a grand total of 11 races of marathon distance or greater in a span of just under 2 years, plus a couple of ultras in which I DNF'd (after 19 and 25 miles respectively) and a few shorter races. On the one hand, that sounds like a lot of running. On the other hand, during that time I've met a number of runners who run marathons almost every weekend, or run back-to-back ultras.

I don't know where my perfect balance is. Sometimes I think I recover well, but sometimes not. It took me a while to feel back to normal after White Rock. I'd love to be one of those guys who can run a marathon on Saturday, then another one on Sunday, and then run a 50 mile trail run on Saturday. Or who can finish 4 mountain 100 milers in one season. At this point, I'm not one of those guys. But I think I can get there.

Back on my feet

2010-12-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

I know you're supposed to rest a bit after a marathon, but since White Rock I have gone 18 whole days without running a step!! Ugh! Excuses? Not really. Just 1) lazy, 2) tired, and 3) lazy. Plus, I don't have a running plan in place right now. That's the main reason. If I don't have a plan laid out telling me what to run today, I tend not to run. I have decided not to run the Bandera (100K)/Rocky Raccoon (100 mile) combo I had said I would run (back in October). I'm thinking my next run might be Cross Timbers (50 mile) in February. Yes, as I crossed the finish line at the last one, I swore I'd never do it again. But after coming in last place and nearly setting the record for the slowest time ever on the course (report here), I feel like I have to redeem myself. Plus, I can probably beat my time from last year!

So this morning I slept in, but I did get out and run 8 miles. I returned to my hilly route. I didn't run there for several weeks leading up to White Rock, since I was focused on upping my pace. If I go to Cross Timbers again, I will definitely have to be doing some hill work.

More importantly, whether you're running, sitting on the couch, flying or driving to see your family and friends, have a very merry Christmas! I pray that Jesus will be more real to you than ever this year!

Jogging for Jesus, soul music style

2010-12-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

More fun from my Google searching! Ever heard of Leslie Harris and the House of Fire? Me neither. But they recorded at least this one song, that, for its silliness, has stayed alive on the internet. It is silly, but oddly addicting. . . . Click on play and hear this musical treat for yourself! (This link will take you to another site that plays the file. It's safe as far as I can tell. . . . And I have no idea if posting this falls under fair use, so if I'm breaking a law or violating copyright here, please forgive me.)

PLAY JOGGING FOR JESUS

Early one Sunday morning Jesus came into my room.
He woke me up saying, "We gonna have a run."
I jumped up out of my bed, put on my jogging shoes.
My wife she woke up saying, "What are we gonna do."

And I told her (I told her!)
Jogging (I'm jogging!) for Jesus (for Jesus!)
Oh yes I am now! (I am)
I'll keep on, I'll keep on running with the Lord.

My wife, she got up, ran in the other room
Said "All of the children get up, we gonna have a run!"
And as we ran for a mile or two I noticed we never got tired.
Every time I looked around, God was by our side!

(chorus)

Some people jog-a for pleasure
Some people jog-a for fame
And all of us get in line, we're gonna jog-a in my Jesus' name
All of you people get up on your feet and put on your jogging shoes
And all of us get in line, we're gonna spread the news.

We are (we are) jogging (jogging) for Jesus!
We are running with the Lord!
(etc., ad lib, keep on running, keep on singing!)

Running with Jesus kitsch

2010-12-10T19:52:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I wrote about my "Running with Jesus" friend at White Rock. While looking for an image to include for that post, I ran across some Jesus kitsch that I thought I'd pass along. I was reminded of the time when I was 12 and decided I would be a jogger. I used my lawn mowing money to by some Nike running shoes with the waffle soles. I saw a t-shirt in the Christian bookstore in the mall with a turtle wearing a sweatband that read "Jogging for Jesus." I asked for the shirt for my birthday, but I didn't get it. I wish I could find a picture of that shirt! Here are some more modern interpretations of the theme.

Looks like Jesus is in the lead.

Does Jesus need to stretch before running?
He must have been pretty fit, walking everywhere he went.
Did people in the first century have a clue about stretching?
If Jesus stretched after a day's walking up toward Jerusalem, the disciples would probably have thought he was nuts.

Not a very good picture. It says, "Jesus is my running buddy." You can get this on key chains, shirts, mugs, bags, etc. at Zazzle.com. Jesus is a good running buddy. He never gets too far ahead or behind, doesn't care if you fart, and will always listen.

Here's another view of the one from the last blog. Cute? Dumb? Silly? Inspiring? You be the judge.

Running with Jesus at White Rock

2010-12-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of people use their running time as devotional time, enjoying fellowship with Jesus as they run. I have to admit I'm not one of those people. I do pray occasionally when I run, like when I'm struggling during a race, looking for divine power to go on. But running time generally isn't prayer time for me.

Sunday at White Rock, I came up behind a runner whose shirt said "Running with Jesus" on the back. I asked him if Jesus was helping him out today. Sure, he said, but ask me again in 15 miles. I told him about one time when I asked Jesus for help in a race. Last February at Rocky Raccoon, I was tired, hurting a bit, and running out of steam. I asked Jesus, sincerely, to give me some strength to go on. He didn't take long to reply: I didn't ask you to run this race! I didn't sign you up! You're on your own, buddy! (All of this said with a friendly punch in the arm.) I had to agree with him, and knew that my training and my mental and physical stamina would get me through the race.

My Running with Jesus friend, after I told him that story, was not too impressed. "He told you that, did he?" I said, yeah, he didn't make me sign up today, but I sure could use some help. So right there while we were running he put his hand on my shoulder and prayed for strength in my legs to go on. I guess I did feel a little boost there! (I sure could have used some more of his prayers around mile 21.)

I quickly let my friend know that I am in fact a believer, and that I do believe in the efficacy of prayer, and that I meant no blasphemy by my story. I'm sure that wasn't Jesus I heard from on the trail at Rocky. I know the ability to run, the time and resources to train and enter a race, the beautiful places to run, the very air, water, and food I rely on to run, are all wonderful gifts from him. But I'll continue to rely more on training than prayer to get me to the finish line.

Pacing and negative splits

2010-12-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

I've heard of negative splits. I've even run negative splits in training runs. But negative splits in a race? Forget it! Usually when I run in a race, I try to hold back at the start, to hold some energy in reserves for later in the race, but it's never enough. Negative splits constantly elude me.

The official results page from White Rock lists the times and rank for 10K, 1/2 way, 20 miles, and finish. I don't feel like figuring the paces for each of these, but it's instructive to look at the relative rankings of the winners. The following is the rank at 10K, 13.1 miles, 20 miles, and at the finish for the top 10 males:
9, 5, 1, 1
7, 6, 2, 2
5, 7, 3, 3
10, 10, 6, 4
14, 13, 8, 5
4, 3, 4, 6
1, 1, 7, 7
2, 4, 10, 8
13, 14, 12, 9
15, 15, 15, 10
From this you can't tell how their pace changed throughout the race, but you can sure see that the winners were holding back. The seventh and eighth finishers must have had some confidence at first--or maybe they knew those Kenyans (1-5 were all Kenyans) were just a few paces back and they would inevitably close in. . . .

In my case, I'm guilty of going way too fast out of the gate. I felt like I was doing great. But check out my places, again at 10K, 13.1 miles, 20 miles, and finish: 403, 477, 666, 1241. My pace was steady from 10K to 13.1 miles, but others were gaining on me. I lost some ground to mile 20, then a lot of ground the last 6 miles. Compare these results to Mark's: 1193, 1139, 1048, 1027. I'm not sure he ran negative splits, either, but at least he gained position throughout the race instead of losing. To further illustrate, according to the White Rock data, Mark passed 129 people in the last quarter of the race, and 32 passed him. Me? During the last quarter, 436 people passed me, I passed 1. Ouch. As I look forward to another race, I definitely need to work on pacing and finishing strong.

White Rock III: Two Races in One

2010-12-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Today I ran the White Rock Marathon for the third consecutive year. It was an absolutely perfect day. Sunny, cool, but not too freezing, with very little wind. The race started at Fair Park this year instead of the American Airlines Center, which gave us quite a bit more room to move around. For an urban marathon, White Rock does a great job, with terrific support and amenities.

As I said in my last post, I had several goals for White Rock today. The biggest, same as last year, was to qualify for Boston with a 3:20:59 finish. I figured this would be a stretch, and it was. I started with the 3:20 pace group, and at first thought I would struggle to keep up. But after a mile or two, I got in the rhythm and really did not feel like I was pushing it too much. In fact, when we saw the 8 mile marker, I was a bit surprised; I couldn't believe we had already run that far. I stayed on pace for the whole first half, and felt good about finishing with the pace group. But I stopped at about the 1/2 way mark to use the porta-potty, and never did catch back up to them.

Even though I was behind the balloons of the pace leader, I had a wrist band that told me what my time should be at each mile marker to finish in 3:20, and for the first couple of miles after my break, I was still on track. But gradually, each split became longer: 30 seconds behind, 2 minutes behind, 4 minutes behind. After mile 16, each lap became progressively slower. I didn't really hit "the wall," I just got slower and slower. Those last 10 miles were so discouraging, as virtually every runner near me was passing me up. So my second goal, to beat last year's time of 3:35:32, gradually slipped away, and I began to focus on beating my time at WR I in 2008, 4:03:15. I ended up finishing under 4 hours, at 3:57:29.

My brother Mark ran, too, and finished about 5 minutes faster than I did. I think a better strategy for me would be to accept the reality that I don't have a 3:20 marathon in me, and Mark and I could have run together. If we had started together with a 3:40 or 3:50 goal, perhaps we could have helped each other run even faster.

I had a lot more fun the first half than the second, finishing with my best-ever 1/2 marathon time, but that took so much out of me that most of the second half was nothing but toil, finishing with my worst-ever 1/2 marathon time. The two halves together made a not terrible finishing time, but I know had I run smarter I could have achieved a better finish. I guess I'll start making plans for the next BQ attempt!

White Rock III

2010-12-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning I will run the White Rock Marathon for the third consecutive year. WR I, 2008, was my first ever marathon. I was pleased with my finish, coming in at just over 4 hours, 4:03:16. By the time I ran WR II, 2009, I had run a few marathons and ultras, and improved my speed. I started with the 3:20 pace group, but had to slow down after 18 or so, and finished in 3:35:32. Still a great improvement over my PR, but short of the goal: a 3:20 Boston qualifying time.

So for WR III, I have several goals.

1. 3:20:59. This is the time in which a 40-44 year old male has to finish a certified marathon in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Boston is the only major U.S. marathon that has a qualifying time, and it's the goal of many a runner to get there.

2. 3:35:31. If I don't qualify for Boston, at least I would like to beat my time from last year. I read somewhere about a guy who held the world record for the number of marathons in which he beat his previous time. This is my 4th road marathon (I ran the Cowtown in February of 2009; all my other marathon and longer races have been on trails.), so why not keep the streak going?

3. 4:03:15. Surely I can run faster than I did at my first marathon, when I didn't really know much about training or running a race!

4. If I can't beat any of those times, I'd at least like to have fun and finish without injury. Mark is running, too, but he says he'll be slower than me. (So I guess goal #4 could be to beat my little brother, who, as Zippy says, is nowhere near as fat as me!)

Things seen while running: a wild hog in the neighbors' yard

2010-12-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

I wrote a few weeks ago about seeing the small herd of wild hogs crossing the road behind my house. (this post). Last Wednesday morning, the day before Thanksgiving, I saw on on my street! He was hanging out in Stacy and Brent's yard, on the corner just where we enter the neighborhood from Precinct Line. It was about 5 a.m., and I'm sure he thought he had the street to himself. I stopped and watched him, wondering if he would stick around long enough for me to go get my camera. I didn't have to think about it long. His early morning activities interrupted, he took off toward Precinct Line, to disappear into the woods. I'm glad he didn't run toward me; he can run much faster than I can! I will have to remember always to run in the morning with a camera and a high-powered rifle. Wild pork sausage anyone?

The swine was in this front yard.

This is the swine's work, not in someone's yard, but along Precinct Line.

Stacy and Brent were spared the hog landscaping job, but I did see some houses that were attacked. In fact, our next-door-neighbor's flower bed was turned up pretty good. I don't know why they didn't get the grass at our end of the street.

Salado Turkey Trot 2010

2010-11-26T18:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day marked the first ever, as far as I know, Salado Turkey Trot. The attendance was terrific: nearly every member of my family signed up to run! We had a one mile race and a 5K. With Dad as honorary race director and official time keeper, we ran around my parents' neighborhood on a warm, muggy, and a little bit drizzly Thanksgiving morning.

The milers get ready to start, with Mom patrolling in the golf cart.

Drew took first place in the mile run, followed closely by his brother Evan and sister Lindsay. I guess Mark's family got the fast genes. . . . Kelsey got a special prize for finishing the mile while pushing Chloe in her wheelchair almost the entire way.

Kelly and Kelsey and Chloe race to the finish, while Zippy and Drew watch.

The field for the 5K was a little bit smaller. Mark, David, Drew, Jake, Evan, Zippy, and I started. Zippy dropped out after about 200 yards, and, inexplicably, got lost coming back home. (He actually made it back home before anyone realized he was lost. . . .) Drew dropped out about 1/2 way through; I think his mile win took too much out of him. Jake dropped, too, when his asthma acted up.

The 5K start. Notice Zippy running barefoot. Smart kid. Also notice Lisa, sitting on the curb, still in her PJs.

Mark and I tied, with a blazing fast time of 25:07 (Mark probably had to hold back to stay with me, since, as my goofy child declared, I am a lot fatter than Mark!) Evan followed a few minutes later, with David bringing up the rear, declaring that he hadn't run that far in years!

Dad cheering on his boys to a photo finish.

The promised rain never never fully materialized, and the bitterly cold wind didn't come up until later, so the weather was about perfect for the Trot. I think everyone had a good time and all will now start training for the Salado Turkey Trot 2011!

(Big thanks to Laura for the photos!)

The Runner

2010-11-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Dean Karnazes and the documentary UltraMarathon Man, which chronicles his quest to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. That's a total of 1310 miles in 50 days. Last night I watched another documentary that make Karnazes's quest look like a stroll in the park! OK, I admit, there's nothing easy about what Karnazes did and does, and I don't take away from that, but I think even Karnazes has to be impressed with David Horton.

The Runner follows the 55-year-old Horton as he attempts to break the record for running the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT runs from the Mexican border in Southern California, through California, Oregon, and Washington to the Canadian border, a total of 2650 miles. I won't keep you in suspense: he crushed the record, covering the distance in 66 days, 7 hours, 16 minutes. So if we round off the 67 days, and take Horton's reckoning of 2666 miles (there were a few off-trail adventures), that would be almost 40 miles a day, every day, for 67 days. (He did take a day off around day 28, during which he ate and slept all he could.)

I really enjoyed this movie on a number of levels. First of all, as an introduction to the PCT. Even though I went to Yosemite National Park when I was 11, I guess I mainly think of California as coastline, cities, and agriculture. But there are major mountains in California! (I know, pointing out the obvious!) The trail "passes through six out of seven of North America's ecozones including high and low desert, old-growth forest and artic-alpine country" so hikers and runners experience quite the range of terrains and views. Every scene was absolutely gorgeous.

Second, David Horton himself impressed me. A committed Christian, Horton teaches health sciences at Liberty University. Some scenes showed him running with his students in his popular running class. His boundless energy and love of running infect the students, some of whom become ultrarunners themselves. He loves to run, and attributes his ability to run long distances to a God-given gift. Horton's PCT record is but one accomplishment in a long career of running ultras. He's run all the biggees, won many of them, has run across America, run the Appalachian Trail, and is race director for several ultras.

Third, how about the sheer insanity of running that long for that many days! Yeah, I've run a couple of 50 milers, but to run 40-50 miles, much at altitude and on rugged trails, every day for more than 2 months is inconceivable! For many legs of his run, Horton had people running with him. Even experienced, world-class ultra trail runners who ran with him expressed their disbelief. They could keep up with him for a day, but struggled to imagine keeping it up days on end. I love the way he fits in with these ultrarunners: a clean cut, middle-aged professor from one of the most conservative Christian universities hanging out with these hippie trail-running young bucks, and not only holding his own but winning their admiration.

This is a well-made video about a great guy and passionate runner, running on a gorgeous, challenging trail, setting a record and having fun. I find nothing not to admire about Horton, and, maybe, in the back of my mind, can see myself, someday, following in his footsteps. . . . (In my dreams!)

Things Seen While Running: Premature Christmas Decorations Again

2010-11-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

I saw my first premature Christmas decorations Saturday (11/13). Last year I saw them on November 9 (post here), 4 days earlier. I think the difference may be that the neighborhood I saw them in last year was a pay-someone-to-put-up-your-decorations neighborhood. (I don't live in one of those neighborhoods.) They probably have to get on the schedule early for those decorators.

Of course, I've been seeing Christmas stuff in stores for while, since before Halloween. But Friday night I saw a first, Christmas trees for sale at Borders Books, of all places. One was purple and one was pink. Yuck! I don't get it. Also on Friday, KLTY was playing a Christmas song every hour, which Zippy loved, and Chloe was listening to her new Christmas CD! Ugh! I love Christmas and I love Christmas music, but it's too much, too soon!

One last thing: Chloe's CD has the worst Christmas song ever, "J-E-S-U-S, Holy Child." The children sing, "There was a holy Christmas child and Jesus was his name-o, J E S U S" to the tune of BINGO! Awful, just awful!

Merry early Christmas.

Yasso 800s revisited

2010-11-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I'm dumb or just ignorant. Probably a healthy dose of both.

I have been running Yasso 800s for 2 years now. Developed by Runner's World's Bart Yasso, Yasso 800s are a way to run intervals by which you can predict your marathon race time. You run 10 800s, with a 400 jog break in between, and your average time on the 800s predicts your marathon time. So if you run them in an average time of 3 minutes 20 seconds, you should be able to run a marathon in 3 hours 20 minutes.

Bart Yasso, super runner and super nice guy.

I had it down. Like I said, I've been running them for more than 2 years. I have, several times, run Yassos in less than my goal of 3:20. But the other day, a friend of mine dropped a revelation on me. You see, I initially based my Yassos on the brief article about them in Runner's World. It repeatedly refers to running 800s, but never states whether that's 800 yards or meters. (Actually, now that I look at it again, it says 800 meters right there in bold letters at the top. Maybe they added that recently for morons like me!) I'm an American, I don't use metric. Why would I? Eight hundred yards is .454545. . . mile, so I have been setting my Garmin for intervals of .46 mile.

Well, if I had ever run on a track, I would know that when runners talk about 800s, 400s, 1600s, or whatever, they are referring to meters! As my friend pointed out, I should be running 800 meters per interval, not 800 yards! Eight hundred meters is .4971 mile, so this morning I reset my Garmin for intervals of .5 mile. That extra 4/100 of a mile may not sound like much, but it adds 211.2 feet to each interval.

Like I've said, I have, on occasion, run 3:20 or faster Yassos, in anticipation of being in the ballpark for a 3:20 marathon. I probably ran my Yassos today as fast as I've ever run, but since I ran 800 meters instead of 800 yards, I only averaged 3:31. I think I'll still run with the 3:20 pace group at White Rock, hoping against hope that I'll find some way to finish in that time. But more realistically, I would expect to be able to finish in the 3:31 range. Run and learn.

Ultramarathons and public policy

2010-11-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading Reason, my favorite magazine, and ran across a column referencing JFK's 50 mile hikes. Several months ago, I wrote about the historical origins of the modern 50 mile race (here). In short, JFK wanted to promote fitness, so he adopted the military 50 mile hike concept for civilians. All over the country, people were going on 50 mile hikes. Ultimately, the movement died when he did, but the race that bears his name, the JFK 50 Mile Race, lives on; the 48th annual race will be run on November 20th.

Back to Reason. Greg Beato's column, "The Fitness Divide," discussed JFK's emphasis on fitness. He didn't want the U.S. to be less fit than any enemy who might invade us. He wanted the government to "make a substantial contribution toward improving the health and vigor of our citizens." His efforts, unfortunately, have lost out to the growing "national flabbiness." The military and fire and police departments complain that their recruits are out of shape. In 2009, "more than a third of America's adults qualified as obese."

Ironically, during this same time period, exercise in America has taken off. "In 2009, a record 467,000 people completed a marathon in the U.S." and even in the mainstream media, reports of ultramarathons and other endurance events are commonplace. How is this "fitness divide" possible? Beato writes that, yes, conveniences like fast food and technological advances contribute to poor diets and sedentary lifestyles, but they also have given us record amounts of free time. Who had time to train for a marathon if one was plowing the fields, washing clothes in a washtub, or taking hours to prepare every meal?

If fast food chains gave us 1,000-calorie milkshakes, they also freed up time to go jogging. If VCRs gave us the couch potato, they also gave us aerobics videos. If technology made it less necessary to expend energy in pursuit of daily subsistence, it also gave us Nike air soles, polypropylene running shorts, heart-rate monitors, and organic granola.

The policy question in all of this lies in the level of government intrusion in our personal lives. I'm hearing more and more about taxes on sugar and other "unhealthy" foods, restrictions on advertising and marketing food to children, and other supposed anti-obesity measures. The attitude seems to be, "We're soft because technology, processed food, and our consumerist way of life have made us soft, and only Congress can liberate us from obesity." Of course I want people to be healthier and more active, but let's draw the line when it comes to legislating personal behavior.

Here's an ad from the President's Council on Physical Fitness:

Beato's column is in the December 2010 issue of Reason. It's not posted online yet, but in a few weeks you should be able to read it at reason.com.

UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons - 50 States - 50 Days

2010-11-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Some people are just made different. Dean Karnazes makes that point in this video: it's all about choosing your parents well. Karnazes's ultrarunning feats astound anyone who's heard of him, and many have. He's been featured on countless news shows, talk shows, published a couple of books, and run in races all around the world. It's easy to look at him as a hero.

UltraMarathon Man chronicles one of his many bold feats: he ran, as the title suggests, a marathon in all 50 states over the course of 50 days, culminating in the New York Marathon. Some of the marathons were organized races. Most were put together by his crew, in which case they followed the course of the host city's established marathon. Through the grapevine and his blog, Karnazes gathered a group to run with him at each site, sometimes hundreds of people, in one case only one.

One thing that struck me while watching this was how much fun it must be to run with Karnazes. I have heard criticism of him as a self-centered self-promoter, but none of that came across in this video. He shows lots of interest in the people he runs with, and shows genuine humility when people express their admiration. He promotes not himself, but activity, exercise, getting people off the couch, fighting childhood obesity and general inactivity. Who can argue with that?

This feat, running 50 marathons in 50 days, has been replicated, probably by a number of people. Karnazes does it right, though, with great support and planning, getting to every state in 50 days. It's hard not be inspired by him. For someone who runs the occasional marathon, you have to ask, can I do more? For someone who's never run one, you have to ask, why not try it? Before I get too excited, though, Karnazes reminds me that his body chemistry and genetic make up have enabled him to have an extraordinary level of endurance. Can I get there through nutrition and training? That's the big question. But after watching this movie, you'll be inspired at least to think about it!

My 50 milers

2010-10-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

After my DNF at Palo Duro, I have been reflecting on my ultrarunning record. I'm slowly crawling out of my post-DNF depression, but still rather disgusted with myself for quitting. It especially hit home after reading about Bart Yasso's race at Comrades in South Africa and his long history of running through pain (article in Runner's World here). He has lyme disease yet has continued to race and to inspire others. But I got a little hot and discouraged so I quit. Wah, wah, big baby.

So here is my illustrious record of 50 milers:

October 2009, Palo Duro: finished 13 minutes before the cutoff. I probably would have laid down on the trail and quit if I hadn't met up with Brett, who was also running his first 50 miler.
February 2010, Rocky Raccoon: finished in just over 11 hours. Not a bad finish, but my ankle hurt so badly I went and had it x-rayed the next day. Nothing there, I'm just a big baby.
February 2010, Cross Timbers: a tough, hilly course, especially compared to the relative flatness of PD and Rocky. I finished in about 15 hours, close to setting a course record. The only slower time was set by a man in his 70s. I probably would have quit this one, but I had to keep going to get back to my car. I was probably not recovered from Rocky, 2 weeks before.
March 2010, Grasslands. I quit after about 19 miles. It was cold, wet, and muddy. I still felt like a wimp, even though only 7 of the 70 starters finished.
October 2010, Palo Duro: quit 1/2 way through.

Not exactly a steller 50 miler resume. Part of my problem out on the course is the gradual loss of motivation. I start thinking, I gave up a whole weekend for this? I could be hanging out at home, playing with the kids, watching college football, working in the yard or around the house. I missed soccer or football or judo! I could take Kelly on a date! And what's the point anyway?

So, contrary to a recent post, I'm not going to plan on the 100k in Bandera and the 100 miler at Rocky. I'm not saying I'll never do another 50 miler. Part of me still wants to run a 100 miler, to try Western States or Leadville. But part of me says, too, I could just go someplace pretty and run. I don't need to pay a fee and get a number just to experience a nice trail. The trail at Palo Duro is great; I love to run it, and it's got some great views. But one lap gets you all the views and trails. The next 3 are more of the same.

I'll start running again soon, and I'll probably sign up for another race soon. I'm still planning on running White Rock since I'm already registered, but after that, I'm not sure what I'll run next.

Sign on the trail

2010-10-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

One trademark of the Palo Duro Trail Run is the signs posted along the course with witty and/or inspiring tidbits. Toward the end of the loop, just before entering the camping area where the start/finish is located, one sign reads: "Adversity doesn't build character; adversity reveals character." I guess a little of my character was revealed Saturday. I encountered a little bit of adversity and quit. I didn't have any particular physical reason for quitting, just a general fatigue and overall malaise. I didn't see the point of continuing.

Short Palo Duro Trail Run race report

2010-10-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

DNF. Dropped 1/2 way through. I am a wimp.

2 weeks! 100 miles?

2010-10-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, I don't think I've ever gone 2 weeks without posting. I guess I was letting a milestone sink in: my last post, the Run from the Ducks race report, was my 100th post! Balloon drop! Fireworks! Party! OK, so no big deal. It's also closing in on a year since I started the blog. I started it after Palo Duro last fall, and this weekend is my second shot at the Palo Duro 50 Mile Trail Run.

Last year's Palo Duro run was my first 50 miler. I finished a few minutes before the 12 hour cutoff. I'm heading up to the canyon this weekend again, hoping for a sub-11 hour run. I don't know that I'm in much better shape than I was this time last year, but I'm hoping that the experience I've gained will help me in the latter miles. This will be my 4th 50 mile race.

Speaking of multiple 50 mile races, I have decided not to pursue the Texas Style 50 Mile Grand Slam this year. You may recall that last year I ran three 50 milers of the 5, then on the 4th I DNF'd, so I didn't finish the Slam. In fact, the Slam had no finishers last year. Palo Duro is the first race for the Slam, but they have changed the format this year so that instead of the 5 races from last year, runners can choose 5 of 7 possible races. Due to my own scheduling, after Palo Duro, the next 4 I could choose from will be in a 7 week period, with 2 weeks between each race. I don't think I would do very well with those so close together, so I'm going to try something different.

After Palo Duro, I'll return home for some hard training for the White Rock Marathon, the first weekend in December. I'm aiming for a Boston Marathon qualifying time (3:20). I'm feeling pretty good about it, but I need to lose some weight and crank up my pace on long runs. After that, I've got some new races on tap.

On January 8, I'm going to run my longest run yet, a 100K (62 miles) in Bandera. But that will be a mere training run for my next goal: my first 100 miler. Last February, I ran the 50 miler at Rocky Raccoon at Huntsville State Park, so I'm familiar with the course. Next February 5, I'll find out if I have what it takes to run 100 miles all at once. More to come. . . .

8 Hour Run from the Ducks

2010-09-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday I spent a lovely, wet day at Clark Gardens Botanical Park running from the ducks, peacocks, geese, and some other fowl that may have been a guinea hen. It was the 4th annual Run from the Ducks, my first, and my first timed run, in which you run as much as you can in the allotted time. I was skeptical about this format, but decided it would be a nice opportunity for a training run looking ahead to Palo Duro Canyon.

The Race
Run from the Ducks is run by Tony and Carolyn Mathison and their daughter Cayla, along with a race committee of volunteers. It showcases the lovely Clark Gardens, and raises funds for The National Vietnam War Museum. Tony, an ultrarunner himself, starts the race by drawing a line in the dirt with his toe (in Saturday's case, in the mud). At then end of the day, he recognizes every runner (he and Cayla put on a chip and walk the course a bit so that they are the last place male and female runners; he doesn't want a registered runner to be in last place). The course tours the gardens on dirt, grass, and gravel in a .854 mile loop.

In the past, Vietnam vets from the area counted laps, but this year they added chip timing, which probably made it a much easier day for the vets. There were still several there to cheer us on. (On a side note, it crossed my mind that they probably endured rain and mud a million times worse in unthinkable conditions as they served our country in Vietnam. A humbling thought. . . .) Also present were Mr. Clark, the gracious namesake of the Gardens, and his daughter. The family atmosphere, home-town feel, small field, friendly race directors and volunteers, and great setting make RFTD exactly the kind of race that I got into trail/ultrarunning to enjoy.

The day started out wet. I woke up to pouring rain and lightning. What a great day to sleep in! But I dragged myself out of bed, confident that it was a passing storm. During the drive west to Weatherford, the rain stopped, so I thought it was clearing up. I was wrong. At Clark Gardens, the rain continued with a vengeance. Thankfully, the support tent was large and dry. This is probably the only race I'll ever go to in which the support tent has chandeliers, carpet, and tablecloths. (Clark Gardens hosts lots of weddings and receptions.) We watched it pour, watched the lightning, and waited for a one hour delayed start.

We finally did get started at 8, not that the rain had stopped. It continued to rain for about 2 1/2 more hours. Needless to say, we got wet. The raised beds at the gardens did a nice job of retaining the water--on the trail! Even after the rain stopped, we splashed through the mud and puddles all day. But it stayed very runnable; even the worst muddy spots were better than the best spots at Grasslands last spring.

So we ran, around and around, all day long. The weather cleared up, but it didn't get too warm. The one aid station (a logistical advantage of a short, repeating course--fewer aid stations to stock!) had plenty of the usual supplies. Passing by there, and by the support tent where I had some other supplies, once every .854 miles, made this an easy race to run. In many ultras, you might have 5 miles or more between aid stations, so you really have to think, what will I need over the next hour or so? At RFTD, if you get hungry or thirsty or need something else, it's always less than a mile away.

This is a great race for people who love timed races, obviously. I spoke with several runners who have run similar races and love them. For those who don't love them, it's a wonderful way to try ultrarunning. If you have run a marathon and want to try a longer distance, this a perfect setting: flat, even course, accessible aid stations, friendly folks, and the ability to stop at any time. And in my case, this serves as a perfect training run for a longer race, getting in time on my feet with support provided.

The Racers
One of the things I enjoy about these events is getting to know other runners. RFTD is especially well-suited for this since the course is so short; even if someone is slower or faster than you, you'll eventually see them again as you lap each other. So I got to visit with some nice folks:

Dan--who said he weighed 400 pounds 2 years ago, had gastric bypass surgery, and now competes in endurance events to raise money for childhood obesity awareness.
Thomas--who runs marathons most weekends, sometimes 2 a weekend. He's a machine. If I remember correctly, he ran the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in February, then ran a marathon the next day.
Buddy--an experienced ultrarunner, he paced for Drew Meyer at Western States.
Jeff--another experienced ultrarunner and Leadville 100 finisher.
Robert--who was running in his first ultra.
Katrina--who's leaving in 2 weeks for Iraq, serving in the Air Force. Won the women's division.
Claude and Andy--who kept running by me like I was standing still, and who finished 1st and 2nd.
Deborah and Tammy--who were on the race committee. Both of them like to race in timed races.
Carlos--whose wife sat out there ALL DAY cheering him (and me) on.
Ken and Lorri--the only married couple on the course (as far as I know).

My Race
I set out to finish 35 miles. I figured I could do that, and if I had a great day I could break 40. I started out pretty well. The first 4 hours I ran a lot with Jeff, Buddy, and Robert, eventual 4th, 5th, and 6th place finishers. I enjoyed talking with them, and picked up some racing and training tips, but after a while, I took it a bit slower. The second 4 hours, I had segments where I ran well, but couldn't keep up that pace.

With the wet conditions, VFFs were a good choice to run in. I stopped once about 5-6 hours in to clean them out; I think the only shoes that wouldn't have collected mud and gravel would have been waders. I did get some chafing in some personal areas, even using my cream to prevent it; when you're that wet for that long, it's hard to avoid! Overall, my body held up well and I was even able to walk the next day!

So what did I learn? I was reminded that my biggest weakness in ultras is nutrition, and maybe hydration. I am quite sure I didn't eat enough, and I may not have drunk enough. At about 4 hours, I ate a sunbutter sandwich, which sat in my stomach like a stone. I subsequently had some cramping and 2 too-long potty breaks (one additional benefit to a small loop course--the potty is never more than .854 mile away, and it was an actual bathroom with plumbing, not a skid-o-can) which slowed me down. By the end, I was doing a lot more walking than running.

The bottom line, I ran 37.05 miles, according to my Garmin. Official race results, 10th place overall, 43 laps, or 36.722 miles.

Is That a Runner?
Sometime after 7 hours had passed, I was walking along, counting the minutes to the finish. A little boy, maybe 3, came the opposite direction with his daddy. He asked his daddy, "Is that a runner?" I'm sure I didn't look like a runner, but I was running on the inside!!

8 hour run tomorrow

2010-09-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have run an organized run. My last races were my Grasslands DNF in March and the 5k at my kids' school in April. Tomorrow I am going to run a race I said I would never run, the 8 Hour Run from the Ducks in Weatherford. As it happens, Elliot will be gone for a puppet competition, so I'm off the hook for soccer, so I thought, why not, this will be a good training run for Palo Duro.

I had said I wouldn't do this run because it sounds so boring. For 8 hours, I, along with about 40 other runners, will run laps on a .854 mile loop. The winner is whoever runs the most laps.

The good:

It's in Clark Gardens Botanical Park, so the scenery will be lovely, even if it's lovely again and again.
The anticipated slow pace and short course guarantee lots of opportunity for interaction with fellow runners. Like a cocktail party on a track, except with Gatorade instead of martinis.
The race benefits the National Vietnam War Museum. That's got to be a good thing, right?
A long training run with support. Much easier than a long run where I have to carry all my food and water or stop at convenience stores.

The bad: what could be bad?

It is supposed to rain tomorrow, but that will keep us cool. Should be a great day!

If you're really bored, you can track my progress through the day here.
And of course, check back here for a full report afterwards.

First run in the new VFF Treks

2010-09-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

At long last, I finally got a pair of Vibram Five Fingers KSO Treks, the VFFs designed for trail running. The sole is a tad thicker, and there are some lugs on the sole to help grip on the trails. I tried them out on a short 5 miler at Tandy Hills Natural Area, which I wrote about a few months ago here. I had run there before in my VFF Sprints, and was uncomfortable for much of the time on the rocky trials. With the slightly thicker soles, the Treks made a big difference. I still stepped carefully on the rocky sections, but my feet didn't end up feeling pulverized. One side issue--any of you VFF wearers have an issue with grass and weeds getting stuck between your toes? Some of the trails there are not well-travelled, and are a bit overgrown. There were a few times I had to stop and pull big weeds out from between my toes.

This run was also a wake-up call: I do not run enough on trails and hills. By necessity of schedule, most of my running is on flat streets and sidewalks in my neighborhood, which is fine if I'm running road races. But to get ready for the trail runs I have coming up, I really should make more time for trails. Tandy Hills offers some great short climbs for training. I got to practice my "power hiking" there (i.e., I was too hot and tired to run up the steep, rocky trails, so I walked some of them!), as well as picking my way down those trails.

Drew Meyer, superhuman!

2010-09-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

Drew Meyer has done it! He's completed the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning! That means that in less than three months' time, he finished Western States 100, Vermont 100, Leadville 100, and the Wasatch 100. That's right, 4 100 mile races in a summer. Did I mention he's 62? What an accomplishment!

(Photo from Endurancebuzz.com)

The Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run is in Utah, in the Wasatch Mountains, with a cumulative elevation gain of over 26000 feet. That's a lot of climbing for a guy from Fort Worth. Drew finished in 35:27:32. That's a lot of hours awake, much less a lot of hours on your feet, much less a lot of hours running in the mountains, much less a lot of hours running at elevations up to 10000 feet. No matter how you measure it, Drew has accomplished what most would never try and what few could actually finish. Huge congratulations to him, and many thanks for the inspiration! Way to go!

On the Wasatch 100 course. What a gorgeous place to run. Or walk. Or sit. Or anything.

(Photo from http://www.wowasatch.com/gallery/Wasastch%20100.htm)

Things Seen While Running the Lawnmower: A Snake in the Grass

2010-09-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

If you've read this blog at all, you will know that every entry isn't strictly about running. So here's one that's not at all about running. The other day when I was mowing in the back yard, I moved a soccer ball which was in the corner. Underneath, I found this little snake! Kelly says it's a diamond back water snake, a harmless little guy. He wasn't happy with me, though. Watch him strike at me 48 seconds into the video.

A Friday laugh

2010-09-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

I hope this isn't me at White Rock:

Leadville Follow-Up

2010-08-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

I read a couple of race reports from the Leadville 100 I wanted to pass along.

Anton Krupicka, a world-class trail runner, writes a nice blog (here). His impressive running resume includes a win at Leadville in 2006 and 2007, a win at Rocky Racoon in 2007, and a close second at Western States this year, where he and winner Geoff Roes both broke the course record. A favorite to win at Leadville this year, he unfortunately took a DNF after running the majority of the course.

One passage from his race report jumped out at me: "Dakota [his pacer] and I crawled along at a pathetic 9-10min/mile pace with the only thing keeping me from walking being sheer shame." This after running at least 60-70 miles among the front runners of a race that attracts the best ultramarathoners, and shortly before dropping out of the race. I know I shouldn't even begin to compare myself to a world-class runner like Krupicka, but that "pathetic 9-10 min/mile pace" sounds blazing fast at Leadville!

Krupicka around mile 60. This photo appears at his race report on Running Times's site.

He added, "Dakota let me walk for a few seconds as I ate a gel (poor, weak, weak excuse)." That's an excuse I frequently use during a race! And yeah, I guess it is pretty poor and weak. . . .

Closer to reality, I also read Drew Meyer's report. He's an experienced trail runner who ran an impressive race. In spite of a bit of nausea and some blisters, he finished strong, just under 29 hours. To finish at all in a race with a 46% finishing rate is impressive. I liked his account of his stomach issues: "I had a little stomach problem [at Halfmoon aid station]. About 100 feet beyond HM I asked Mark [his pacer] to go back for more Coke (to replace that which was now on my shoe along with the soup) and resumed walking." Fun times on the trail.

Thanks to both of these runners for the inspiration! Next time around look for me on the trail!

Barefoot Running on NPR--again!

2010-08-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last month, Diane Rehm had a show dedicated to barefoot running (I noted it in my blog here.). Last night, I happened to hear another show called "To the Best of Our Knowledge", which had a feature on running. It wasn't all about barefoot running, but most of it was.

The first segment was an interview with Christopher McDougall, who told stories from Born to Run, and, of course, talked a bit about barefoot running. Then Gretchen Reynolds talked about health and running, including a response to the interviewer's question about barefoot running. Then Jason Robillard, a long-time barefoot ultrarunner discussed barefoot running. Finally, the presenter read selections from Haruki Murakami, a novelist and runner who never mentions running barefoot.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable program for any runner, barefoot or not. I downloaded the whole show from itunes; you can also stream it and find out more about the interviewees at the website, ttbook.org.

Things Seen While Running: Wild Hogs Crossing the Street

2010-08-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning as I headed out for my long run, I was greeted by an amusing sight. Just a couple hundred yards from our house, a small herd of 5 wild hogs stopped traffic as they crossed Precinct Line, looking for better foraging grounds I suppose. I sure wished I had my camera with me! They weren't too big, and paid no attention to me.

Not the hogs I saw. Just a random picture I found on another site.

Negative splits on a long run--getting there!

2010-08-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

This morning several things were working in my favor, improving my long run pacing.

It wasn't hot. Monday our high was 107. Today it was in the 70s and overcast. Much nicer.
It was morning. I don't mind running in the evening, but I generally run better in the morning.
I ate more. I e-mailed a running coach I met on our bike ride, and he encouraged me to take in more calories when I run. I more than doubled my intake. Plus I at breakfast an hour before I ran.
I slept longer and later. I went to sleep around 9. I usually get up at 5 to run, but this morning I got up at 6:15 or so, helped get the kids ready for school, ate a good breakfast, took the boys to school, and left to run about 7:45.

All this resulted in getting closer to my goal of negative splits. I kept a pretty steady pace then ran 3 miles at the end in 8:06, 8:36, and 8:42, not quite the goal race pace, but faster than the average pace for the run, 9:17.

Happy running!

Another Fantasy Run: Leadville 100

2010-08-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

In 1991, I knew nothing about running, except that I didn't really do it. I knew I loved the mountains, though. I went backpacking in the Collegiate Peaks area of Colorado with Dale, a Baylor recreation professor, a couple of other "adults" (we were right out of college), and some high school kids. While we were huffing along one day with our sea-level lungs, a woman came running toward us. Dale recognized her from TV coverage he had seen of the Leadville 100. We stopped her and she said she was up there training for Leadville. The concept of such a race was new and astounding to me, but now running that race is on my long-term to-do list.

The elevation of the Leadville 100 has a low point of 9200' and a high of 12600'. The air's thin up there, especially if you're used to 600'. I don't know the specific trail, but I know it's a gorgeous area.

Who is this guy? I don't know. But I'd sure love to be where he is.

Duncan Callahan, from Gunnison, Colorado, took the men's victory, finishing in 17:43:24. He also won in 2008. Sea-level, flat-land runners got some encouragement from the winner of the women's race: Elizabeth Howard (who won Rocky Raccoon this year) from San Antonio won in 21:19:47! A Texan won Leadville! That's fantastic! Texans were well-represented overall. Sean Lewis from Fair Oaks finished 8 minutes before Elizabeth, and Steven Moore from Austin finished about 12 minutes after her.

Closer to home, Drew Meyer of North Texas Trail Runners finished in 28:59:37.7! Drew, 63, is now 3/4 finished with the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. He has three short weeks to recover before Wasatch. Congratulations to him and good luck at Wasatch!

One of these days, I'm going to run this race. A flatlander from Texas took the women's title. The two Texans who finished near her are a couple years older than me. I'm not saying I'll be in the top ten in 2011 (or ever), but I sure would like to line up at Leadville and cross that finish line, and, more importantly, to enjoy the ride in between.

Cross training: swimming at Kaanapali Beach

2010-08-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Just as biking all downhill isn't really training, neither is snorkeling off the beach. But what a cool experience! I grew up in Corpus Christi, so snorkeling wasn't exactly something we did. Even if the water were at all clear, which it usually wasn't, there simply wasn't much to see.

By contrast, just off the beach at Kaanapali, there were beautiful reefs, abundant and varied species of fish, and sea turtles. I couldn't believe the turtles, so docile and comfortable with a bunch of people swimming around them. My brother-in-law even held onto one's shoulders and went for a ride (which we found out is illegal. . . .).

These pictures, taken with one of those disposable underwater cameras, aren't great, but I hope you enjoy them. I know I enjoyed taking them! Aloha!

Cross training: Biking down Haleakala

2010-08-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Since I'm still not running, due to my bruised ribs and consequent wimpiness, I thought I'd add some "cross-training" posts. I don't bike much, but if I could go on bike trips like this more often, I would!

For Elliot and me, one of the highlights of our Hawaiian vacation was the bike ride down Haleakala, the dormant volcano on Maui. The day started early; we had to meet at the bike shop at 3AM So Elliot and I -- along with my brother, Mark, his wife, Regina, and son, Evan -- left the hotel at 2AM for the drive to Haiku.

At Haiku we were fitted for bikes, helmets, and rain gear, then hopped on a van for the ride to the top of Haleakala. We stopped near the visitor center of Haleakala National Park at 9745 feet above sea level, where we watched an awesome sunrise. We could see all of Maui and the surrounding islands, as well as the Big Island. We were happy to have the rain gear; wind chills were in the 30s or lower, and we were freezing our tails off. The boys kept asking to go back to the bus, but Mark and I insisted that they wait until we could see the sun. The view was incredible!

After another scenic overlook and a bathroom stop, we got the bikes and hit the road. Elliot's bike at home has coaster brakes (where you turn the pedals backwards to stop), so he had to get used to the hand grip brakes. At first he got the front and rear brakes confused and immediately flipped over, but he got it figured out soon after that.

Then the fun began! The road down Haleakala is steep and winding! We got on the bikes at 6500 feet (the National Park Service doesn't allow the bike tour companies to ride inside the park). In the first 10 miles, we dropped 3000 feet! That's steep! We did not want to get out of control and run into oncoming tour buses, so we stopped from time to time and kept a moderate speed, but at times we went over 30 miles per hour. At one point Elliot's rear brake malfunctioned, and when he tried to stop with the rest of the group, he flipped over the handlebars in a dramatic wreck. Thankfully he was unharmed. Also thankfully some of the bike shop guys were nearby and were able to come fix Elliot's brakes.

We decided that watching the sunrise at 9745 feet was the highest elevation Elliot has ever topped. It was also the longest bike ride for him--about 22 miles. He's probably not yet ready to try riding up the mountain--but maybe next time.

A week off

2010-08-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

I used to make fun of football players who sat out of games because of a bruised rib. A bruise? What a bunch of wimps! Now I know better. The first time I injured my ribs, I slipped while climbing in a window at home (I had locked myself out). More recently I twisted my body in an odd way on a night trail run, somehow bruising my ribs.

Last weekend at the lake, Elliot tried knee boarding. He picked it up quickly, knee boarding like a pro. With more time, he'll learn to do tricks, I'm sure. He made it look easy, so I tried it. I am not a natural. Bouncing along on the board, I bruised my ribs, in the same place as when I was running a couple months ago. It hurts to walk. It hurts to cough, sneeze, or hiccup. It hurts to roll over in bed. Worst of all, it hurts to run. I admit--like those NFL wimps, I, too, am a wimp.

Thankfully, Palo Duro and White Rock are months away, so I have plenty of time to recover, and I figure missing a few days this far out won't kill me. But it's still frustrating not to run, especially since I felt like I was slowly making progress.

Eine Kleine Nachtlaufen

2010-08-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

I don't speak German, but since Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is normally translated "A Little Night Music," and since laufen means run (I think), my title means A Little Night Run. German speakers, I welcome your corrections. Actually, now that I google my title, I find that I'm not at all original. No big surprise.

Anyway, tonight was a night for another frustrating long run. I feel like I'm on track in my training: I'm close to goal in intervals; I'm making progress on my tempo runs; and my easy runs have been at an acceptable pace. All three have definite room for improvement, but I'm getting there.

Long runs are another story. The ultimate goal, per my White Rock training plan, is to run my long runs at a pace of about 9 minutes/mile, with the last 4 or so miles at race pace, about 7:30. Tonight I started out OK. The first hour I ran mid-9s. The second, around 10. So after 2 hours, I was definitely in the sub-10 range. The next mile or two were a little slower, and I decided to pick it up on mile 15. I ran a blazing fast 8:50, aided by the first 1/2 mile being downhill. The next mile, not so fast: 10:59. After that, I got a little slower. The last 2-3 miles were a painful, slow walk home.

This has become my pattern for long runs: strong start, but seemingly not excessively fast, then a few miles of struggling but keeping an OK, if not optimal, pace, followed by a death march to the finish, as my friend Stuart would say. Now that I think of it, that's pretty much my pattern in races, too. So what I practice in training runs comes out in races. I don't know how to get out of that! I'd settle for even splits in my long runs now, but I'm far from that, much less negative splits! The good news: I still have 4 months until White Rock.

Brief training update

2010-07-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned last week, I started my training plan for White Rock. It's certainly not ideal to start a new training schedule on the week of vacation, but I still managed to get most of it in. I did skip Monday's long run. As soon as we landed after the flight from Maui, I headed home, unloaded the car, showered, dressed, and headed to work. Needless to say, no time for a long run that morning, and I certainly didn't feel like it that night!

Even so, I got in 32 miles last week and 37 this week. And I put in some pretty decent intervals this morning. I know I won't get to every run on my calendar, but as long as I get most of them in and see some progress week to week, I'm happy.

I'll leave you with this picture I took from our hotel in Hawaii:

Another Fantasy Run: Badwater Ultramarathon

2010-07-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have written about Hardrock and Western States, mountain trail runs I would love to run in someday. Because of its notoriety, I have to put the Badwater Ultramarathon on that list, too. I don't know if this would be a fantasy run or a nightmare run. Unlike those other two races, Badwater is run all on pavement. Hot, oozing asphalt. In Death Valley. In the middle of the summer. Temperatures during the race can reach 130 degrees. Runners' shoes melt on the hot pavement, necessiting frequent changes.

Here are some runners struggling through the 2009 Badwater Ultramarathon.

Not content with the standard 100 mile ultra distance, Badwater starts in Death Valley and runs 135 miles to Mount Whitney. They call it the "world's toughest foot race." I don't know if this would be tougher than Hardrock. I think the challenges would be different. The elevation change is a huge factor (from 280 feet below sea level to almost 8300), but the heat would be the greatest challenge. I have heard of people training by running in sweat suits all summer, putting their treadmills in the sauna, or strapping heat blowers to their treadmills. But I'm not sure any of that can prepare runners for the Death Valley heat.

How's that for a climb?

This year's winner: Zach Gingerich, who finished in 24:44:48. That's quite an improvement over his 2008 finish, which was over 37 hours. In the women's field, Badwater veteran Jamie Donaldson won for the third time, in 26:16:12. Out of 80 starters, an impressive 73 finished. Most impressive of all was another Badwater veteran, Jack Denness, who finished in 59:13:02. Why is that impressive, given a finish time well over double that of the winner? Simple: Denness is 75! He became the oldest Badwater finisher 5 years ago, and topped his record this year, his 12th finish. I don't know the details, but I'm sad to report that Amy Palmiero-Winters dropped about 1/3 of the way through.

I may never make it to Badwater. But I'm keeping it on my list. Maybe someday. . . .

50 mile week

2010-07-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

A decent week of training last week. The week before, I was at church camp with the boys. It was scheduled to be a low-mileage week anyway, but I didn't even get in the short runs I had planned. Last week I was back to normal, and even got a 20 miler in. This is the first week I have gotten in 50 miles since January (except for the 50 miles runs in February and March).

I starting putting together a schedule for training for White Rock. I am basing it on a 20 week plan in Bart Yasso's book My Life on the Run. He uses a 10 day cycle rather than the tradition 7 day, so it's a bit trickier to plan, and will be trickier to implement, since long runs will be on different days each week. He says with the 10 day cycle, older runners have longer to recover between long runs thus can run faster. Of course, this first week of training I will be in Hawaii, so we'll see how well I get my runs in.

I will once again be aiming for a Boston qualifying time at White Rock. Maybe this will be the year to do it!

It's about time: New VFFs

2010-07-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

I have some Luke's Locker gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. I thought I would use them to buy some new VFFs, but they can't keep them in stock. Even if they have them at all, they never have my size. So I finally broke down and ordered some from The Shoe Mart. Free shipping, and they were here in 4 days.

I've been running in my VFFs for almost a year. I don't know how many miles I have put on them, but I did run White Rock and the Rocky Raccoon 50 mile trail run in them, plus some other races and virtually all my training runs. As you can see, I have about worn them out. The seam along the big toe ripped pretty early on; we'll see if my new pair does the same.

I got the new ones in this flashy red and black color scheme. I'm sure they'll make me run much faster! They're also Sprints. I noticed a couple of minor changes in the stitching, but they're essentially the same.

I still have the Luke's gift cards. I'll be calling them regularly to see about buying some VFF Treks. In the meantime, I'll start wearing out these new Sprints!

Another Fantasy Run: Hardrock 100

2010-07-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted about the Western States 100, a race I would love to run--someday. Another great trail race is the Hardrock 100, run last weekend, July 9-11. Hardrock, started in 1992, is not as old as Western States, but looks to be much tougher.

For comparison, WS has a cutoff of 30 hours. The winner this year set a new course of 15:07. Hardrock's cutoff is 48 hours; the winner this year ran it in 27:18. The elevation range of the WS course goes from 6200 to 8750 feet, with total climbing of 15540 feet, descending 22970 feet. Hardrock boasts 33992 feet of climbing and the same descent. Average elevation is 11000 feet. Runners cross 13 passes of 12000 plus feet, as well as summiting Handies Peak, 14048 feet. I would never say WS looks easy, but with the additional climbing, elevation changes, and navigation (Hardrock says to brush up on your orienteering skills--the trail's not always clear. . . .), Hardrock definitely sounds like a tougher challenge.

These runners have a long day-and night-and day-and night ahead of them!

I wish Hardrock posted the ages and home states of the runners. I know some from Texas and other relatively flat, low altitude place states run there; Glenn Mackie from NTTR finished in 32:36. How do those people train? Climbing stairs in an office building while wearing a surgical mask? As much as I'd love to run this--someday--at this point it's hard to conceive. But with views like this, how could I not want to be there:

I'm not ready to run 100 miles through the Rocky Mountains, but looking at these pictures sure does make me want to pay them a visit. Excuse me while I start planning a trip to Colorado. . . .

(The pictures are from Blake Wood's online gallery.)