What I've been up to.....or something.

So it's been awhile since I updated anything.  In the last few months I just decided to just run consistently.  I was running about forty to fifty mile weeks.  I was training for a 50 mile race but I injured my foot and that was pretty much the end of that.
     During my injury time I turned my attention to weight training.  I started learning how Bruce Lee trained for his sport and his methods became the inspiration for my training.  He had an insane training regimen with the philosophy that you should train every part of your body.  Now he was a martial arts fighter so this makes total sense for that.  I just want to run trail.  So I decided to focus my efforts on a weight training regimen that would help me become stronger and more injury proof.  Lots of core work and shoulder and leg strengthening.
     I came up with the training philosophy of "Train for nothing; be prepared for anything".  This was directly inspired by Bruce Lee.  I don't really like to run races.  I like training though.  If it wasn't for being registered for the Prairie Spirit run I wouldn't have minded being injured so much.  Weight training has been a good compliment to my running and a good substitution when I'm experiencing an injury.
    After several weeks my foot was healed and I started running again.  This was about mid March and I was advised not to run the Prairie Spirit run (by my foot doctor, wife and friends).  I then set my aim on a local race called "Dances With Dirt ~ Gnaw Bone".  I wanted to do the 50K or the 50 mile race there.  I did an 18 mile run three weeks from the event and figured the 50K distance would be a better fit.  The fifty miler would have been too much for me in hindsight.
    So in that month leading up to the race I started focusing on hill training.  I had to abandon any what little adherence to the Maffotone method I had in order to train the way I wanted.  This switch was inspired by a Bruce Lee quote:

     I see the Maffotone method as beneficial.I enjoy running hills and the Maffotone Method prevents me from doing that at my present fitness level.    Basically I don't have the patience to build my aerobic motor to get to the point where I can run hills according to the Maffetone method.  Another Bruce Lee quote that influenced me away from strict Maffetone adherence is "Obey the Principles without being bound by them."  So I decided to train by loosely following Maffotone's method but have fun training.  And for me, running hills and charging up them as part of my training is fun.
      The Gnaw Bone 50K came and went.  I had fun doing it and met a lot of cool people.  I went in wanting to run the course in under 6 hours and accomplished that feat.  I found out what weaknesses needed to be addressed but overall was pleased with my effort.  I had a good time but I still don't think I'm sold on running races.  I would just rather say "On such and such date I'm going to run 50 miles" and then train to do that.  I don't really need a t-shirt to commemorate the event.  Or a medal that will just lay around the house or something.  Or to spend a hundred dollars.
     Shortly after the GB50k a friend asked if I would pace him for a 100 mile race that he wanted to run.  It was about a month away and I agreed.  I had never paced anyone before so I had my work cut out for me.  I'm bad about my own nutrition and taking electrolytes and all that other shit while running.  Now I've agreed to help someone with their own nutritional needs while running.  We're fucked.   This race was the Mohican 100 that took place in Ohio on June 21st and 22nd.  I ended up pacing him for about 34 miles.
     I didn't really train for this.  I had just been consistent with my running so I was able to do the distance.  (Whether or not I did a good job pacing or not is another story.  I would give myself a C+)  This fit into my new "train for nothing; be prepared for anything" philosophy that I started following several months ago.  The 34 miles was a new distance PR by a little over an hour.  I did 33 and some change at the cancelled "Eight hours of Payne" non-event event. 
     The last several months have gotten me out of my routine.   I've had to request some weekends off, I had to taper for the Gnaw Bone and Mohican races, and holidays have thrown my routine off.  I had to struggle to run consistent with my normal Wednesday "long day" run being vacant.  I can't wait to get back in a good routine. 
     
    

Dances with Dirt half marathon 5-11-13: My epic race report

My wife was going to run the 50k at this event so she paid for my entry as an early birthday present.  I had spent most of the year either not running (due to injury) and then heart rate training to get back into running gradually and, hopefully, safely.
     The night before the race Erin and I went to bed about 10 o'clock with multiple upstairs and downstairs alarms set to go off at 4 am.  At two am I was woken up by my dog who needed to go outside.  I took him outside and then got back to bed.....and laid awake.  And then just laid there some more.  And some more.  And then my alarm went off.  Shit.  I just got up and jumped in the shower decided that I could sleep in the car after the 6am 50k start. (The half started at 9am so I could get two/three hours of sleep in the car.)
      Ate breakfast (hard boiled eggs and avacados) and then we were off.  Erin started her race and I went to the car for some sleep.  Or to be kept awake by trailgating relay teams.  Shit.  I'll just lay here as still as I can and conserve energy.  Then race time approached and saw some of my BARA (Bloomington Area Runners Association) friends and just kind of waited for the race to start.
      I started off and my heart rate (HR) was slowly rising as I ran.  This was good because usually it would spike really high on colder mornings and I would have to walk instantly.  The course took a turn over a metal bridge and then up a pretty steep hill made up of 3 to 6 inch deep mud.  Instantly raising my HR to over 160 (145 being my max).  So I have to slow down to a walk and then I lost my shoe in the mud.  The whole time my watch beeping every 5 seconds **deedledeedledee**.  I grab my shoe out of the mud and throw it back on my foot and tighten the laces around my ankle.  **deedledeedledee**  I take about three steps and lose the other shoe in the mud.  I grab that, throw it on, and tighten that one's lace (I use nathan never ties so it was a quick fix of just pulling the plastic tab tighter).  The only bright spot of this whole thing was running with Cheryl Hickock during this.  **deedledeedledee**
     So I had my shoes on tightly and proceeded to walk up this mud pile of a hill.  Except my **deedledeedledee** heart rate was not going down.  The mud and the incline was making my body work too hard.  So I decide to aggressively hike the hill and walk at the top to lower my heart rate.  **deedledeedledee**Lots of walking to lower the heart rate.  Finally it goes down and I caught up with Cheryl again.  So I ran with her a little ways and then **deedledeedledee**.  I could tell that I was annoying the other runners around me and I was increasingly getting frustrated myself.   That's when I decided to step off the trail and switch my Garmin to a simple training program.  And that's when the fun began.
      I just took off like a dog after being cooped up all day !!!  I couldn't help but smile.  This was the first time off HR training since getting back off running in March.  I just zipped along and slogged through the mud.  Hitting hills and dodging giant mud pits and running through others.  We got through the campground and then on trail 9 which Erin and I had run several weeks before.  I had caught up to a small group of 8 or 9 runners and we cruised along in a single file line for quite awhile.  Then we came upon a pretty good sized hill and the group slowed down to hike up it.  I kind of went to the left and began running up.  The others saw this and stepped off the trail for me and one girl asked "Are you gonna run it?"  I nodded and picked up my pace.  Then as I out front they all started clapping !!!  It was the coolest thing !!!  I got up that hill (the first hill I've run since probably October!!!  With HR training you walk up hills to keep your HR down) and could feel the lactic acid building in my thighs.  But it was totally worth it !!!   A few minutes or so later and I was at the top and by myself.  I came around a turn and there was a mom with her sons looking for morel mushrooms and I jumped over a tree that had fallen on the trail.  I got around another turn and started heading down some switchbacks and couldn't see anyone ahead of me.
      Halfway down the switchbacks I caught a runner coming fast out of my peripherals.  I came to another turn in the switchbacks and yelled "Ben Bartley !!!"  Ben was running the 50 mile race and he was catching up fast.    I got out of his way and ran behind him and we chatted for a little while.  We came to an incline and were catching up with other runners.  He was politely asking to pass and I followed him through.  Then he started pulling ahead.  Then was gone. (Ben would eventually win the 50 mile race and set a new course record) I came to a fork in the trail and the half marathon took a right while the 50 miler and 50k route went left towards hesitation point.  (Which I was thankful for, I don't know if my legs could have handled the other big trail 9 hills....let alone the incline up to hesitation point).  So I continued to go along and noticed that my HR was hanging around 160 and my pace was about 10 minutes a mile or so....i was slowing down from the 9 minutes I was doing since taking myself of HR.  (I had no idea what mile i was at because I forgot to note where I stopped the HR training and switched to a basic training program.)
        This part of the trail headed back to the campground area and eventually I was running past campers, tents, and on roads.  I passed another aid station but didn't stop since I was carrying a water bottle.  Then the trail turned back into the sloppy horsetrails again.  I was having a blast running through the mud and navigating to dry spots then stomping in a giant mud puddles.  Charging up hills and passing people, offering and receiving encouragement....loving it !!!
        It was somewhere around here that the trail took a minor detour for some bushwhacking.  For about fifty feet or so I had to duck and jump over some branches.  This part opened out into another trail and I spotted a self-serve aid station out of the corner of my eye.  Then I caught my toe on something and started to fall.  I lowered my shoulder and rolled with it.  I somersaulted to my feet and kept going.  Shortly after that my right shoulder had a little twinge developing in it.  I couldn't tell what was causing it.  Was it the fall, my handheld water bottle, or maybe it wasn't a good idea to do 110 pull-ups the day before while at work.  So then I started switching my waterbottle from hand to hand.  I never carry my waterbottle in my left hand so this was awkward.  If my car key wasn't in it's pocket, I probably would have just tossed it to the side of the trail.  It was around here that I started feeling nauseous.  So I drank some water hoping that would help but it instantly got worse.  Fuck.  I looked at my Garmin and my pace was slowing but my HR was still hovering around 160.  I slowed my pace some more and I started to stabilize.
      The trail came upon a nice looking vista to the left and I looked out into the distance as I ran.   The trail was gradually inclining and I started to catch a small pack of runners.  Then the trail opened up and i was staring down a super muddy former ski slope of the closed down ski world.  I knew the end was in sight and I side stepped around some long haired dude who was trying to figure out how to get down this shit storm.  I just threw caution to the wind and barreled down recklessly.  "Go mountain goat !!!"  the guy yelled at me and I started laughing.  (Probably sounding a little like a crazy person)  But I was having a blast !!!  I knew the end was near.  All i had to do was get down this giant hill without breaking myself and the rest is cake !!!
     The course wound around a creek and up ahead I saw people standing by the creek.  Why the fuck are they standing there?  Oh, because the course goes through the creek.  Awesome !!!  I came up to a group of three girls who were hesitant about getting in.  Just as I stepped into some weeds to go around them one of the girls slipped and awkwardly fell on her leg with it bent behind her on the bank and her other leg in the water.  I asked her if she needed help and had my arms ready to grab her to hoist her up.  She said no and I jumped in the water before i knew it.  I started to run high knees until it got to about my waist.  Finally got through that unexpected fun (now with all the mud washed off) and got to dry land and saw the property line where the chute was located.  I looked at my Garmin and my pace had slowed again.  Considering the water i wasn't surprised.  So then I booked it toward the chute with all I had left.  And it was awesome.  I could hear Bill Bartley yell my name as I entered the chute, my friend Heather handed me my medal, and came out the other end feeling awesome and, most importantly, uninjured !!!  The past five months of core workouts and balance workouts my physical therapists had me doing paid off !!!
     Alicia, who had finished a minute or two before me, looked at me and said something like "You didn't do that heart rate training"  and I said I had to turn it off.  I walked off a little and looked at my Garmin.  The data field i was looking at was set to the time of day and not my pace !!!  No wonder I thought I was getting slower....it was just time going by !!!  Classic !!!

By the numbers

Overall I finished at 2:13:41 on a kick ass challenging mud strewn course.  My average pace was 10:12 miles.
My pace while heart rate training the first two miles was 13:43 minute miles.  My pace for the rest of the race after ditching the heart rate training was 9:24 minute miles.  At one point my cadence got up to 200 steps per minute !!!  I have never recorded a cadence that fast !!!