Lumberjack Days Re-Cap

Lets start by saying this is the fastest year that I can remember for the the Lumberjack Days 10 Miler. Five guys running under 51 minutes?? That's great to see. It was a good day to run, as most of the summer has been. 70ish degrees, a nice wind from the NW, the sun did come out at the start, and there was some humidity, but for July 25th...I am not going to complain. About as nice a day as you could have for July. Which made not being in good shape for this a bit disappointing...but that is/was the plan for the year.

The start was moved up the hill from previous years...must have re-measured the course. Last year there were very few people who wanted to line up on the front line...this year it was packed on the front line. It was nice to see a bunch of the bright yellow Run N Fun jerseys, and to see those jersey's on some younger, good runners. I joked with Kelly, after seeing who was there for the team, that we would look like Team Astana.

The first few miles were alright...struggled to find a good pace or rhythm. I found my rhythm around a mile and half and worked my way up to Pete. Kelly caught up to us at 2 miles, and the three of us hooked up for a few miles, trading off little surges. I crashed down the hill before 3 miles, Kelly kept flying as we bottomed out on the hill. I thought he was pushing it a little too much for that early, and Pete seemed to agree with me as we looked at our 3 mile split, and he yelled something at Kelly. Shortly after 3 miles, we grouped up again, and ran together past 4 miles, up the short hill after the railroad bridge. When it finally leveled out again, Pete put in a move that Kelly or I were not willing to cover. One of those moments when you are mentally weak, and kick yourself later for not trying to cover. So at that point Pete was gone, and Kelly was pulling away. Went through 5 miles in 26:55.

As I reached 6 miles, Pete seemed to almost catch the group in front of us, and Kelly was not pulling away anymore, and I knew when the big downhill started just before 10k, that I would be able to blow by him during that stretch...and it was my hope that I could crash down the hill fast enough to catch Pete again. If I was not confident in my fitness, I was confident in my new found ability to run down a hill at a fast pace. I did catch and pass Kelly with ease, but I failed to gain any ground on Pete and pack he was catching. As we bottomed out just past 7 miles I could feel someone catching me, and it wasn't Kelly. Mike went by me just after 7 miles and put a quick 10 meters on me before I toughened up and decided to go with him. My thought for the next 2 miles as I chipped away at him, was that I would catch him in the final mile, since I know the turns and layout very well. The only problem that occurred...was that I ran out of steam in the final 1/2 mile. I was able to muster an average kick when I knew I had to hustle to get under 54.

With my current state of fitness, I was pleased with this race. I ran only 20 seconds faster last year, and ran the exact same time two years ago. Two years ago I was getting ready for Chicago, and last year I was in better shape. The only difference is that I was fried the previous two years, and each step felt like a struggle. This year I am feeling a bit more fresh, but I am in a little worse shape. So maybe you can call that a wash?? For myself, fitness is more a confidence type of thing, and I had very little confidence or toughness in me on Saturday. The Como Relays start in 10 days, and so does my "real" training. So running 53:59 in a down segment...I will take that. Now I need to work on racing as well as Pete does.

Song of the Day: Computer Camp Love - Datarock

Crying Lightning

The title has nothing to do with anything I am about to write, I just needed a title, and nothing seemed fitting this time.

This week has been a lot like the previous two weeks. Will end up with 6 runs and probably about 70 miles...with no up-tempo efforts, with the exception of the Lumberjack Days 10 Mile on Saturday. The only difference this week is that my legs are starting to feel recovered. The knees do not ache, the quads are feeling fresh. That being said, I still took Wednesday off, because it seems to be the routine now. That will change in August, when the Como Relays start. When I thought about training for the rest of the year, the Como Relays was what I targeted as starting throwing in up-tempo work. So far...I am on schedule.

As far as running the past few days...Monday was a recovery day...just 8 miles, pretty easy. Tuesday was a group run from the store of 12 miles, ran a pretty good pace, but we usually do on Tuesday. Took Wednesday off. Ran at Willow last night with Finch, Tony and Wynn. Felt pretty relaxed, except for the hills (they never feel relaxed).

When Finch and Tony turned in early, it was just Wynn and I for the final 1/2 of the run. We talked about how the trails and races in Vermont/New Hampshire are "different" than around here. You will just randomly encounter a steep grade that you cannot find around the Midwest. That being said, we were talking about running the Mount Washington race next year, and possibly staying out in the area for a week to run the Cranmore Hill Climb the following weekend. The week in between we threw around the idea of getting a group and staying at a condo or camp for the week while exploring the area, the trails, the towns, the micro-brews. Pretty much sounds like a slice of heaven to me...since I was already planning such a trip before talking to Wynn. I guess you could say I am having a shift in focus (in concerns to running) since I find myself getting more excited for trail races and hill climbs than I am about Lumberjack Days or the MDRA 15k.

Song of the Day: Treat Me Like Your Mother - The Dead Weather

The Education

Today I learned more about the marathon, in a two hour time frame, than in any other time (besides the race itself) in my brief marathon running "career". I ran along the Red Cedar Trail just outside of Menominee, Wisconsin with Mike and Finch. It was not from those two that I learned anything new about the marathon. It was from the person who biked along with us, Sean Hartnett, that I learned some insight into the race that has defeated me in four attempts. Nearly everything he told us on the run made sense. He gave each of us a sheet of paper as we left that gave, "10 Ways to think like a marathoner". All good advice, that I have never seemed to consider or follow in the past. Does this make me want to marathon sooner than I had planned? Yes. Will I marathon sooner than I had planned (2011)? I don't know.

Another thing I learned on the run today...I am not in peak, or even good, shape. It was a struggle to hang on at times. I am happy I chose to stay in last night as opposed to going out for the night. If I had gone out, would have missed out on a great learning tool, and I would still be running.

As far as running is concerned...I am running about 70 miles a week right now on 6 runs. No up-tempo work, no strides. I am starting to feel a bit better, but I am going to hold off on adding in up-tempo work til after Lumberjack Days.

Song of the Day: Electric Relaxation - A Tribe Called Quest

The Will or A Way

Both seem to be lacking right now...

I would like to believe that the Cranmore Hill Climb along with combination of not taking a huge break after Green Bay Marathon has caused my current tiredness, but I know that's not entirely true. It seems that each July I just feel tired and slow. And this year is no different. The only difference between this year and the previous 3 years, is that I am not trying to run workouts. I am treating July like I would treat January...running moderate mileage, doing all the drills and exercises, but not attempting anything up-tempo. The funk in July could be a mental thing, but it is not something I am willing to work on...to me it just feels like a good time to take it easy. Plus when we get to the first Wednesday in August the Como Relays begin, and those always get me to jump start the training.

The next few races I have planned could be interesting. Lumberjack Days and the MDRA 15k. We will see how well I can race off of just base work. In the past I have done alright on purely logging miles, but I also haven't felt as tired during the phase. I can usually find motivation for Lumberjack Days since it is the hometown race, but the 15k will be something else.

As far as running the past few weeks...the week between Cranmore and Afton Trail Run, I ran about 45-50 miles, with 2-3 days off, and extremely sore quads. It took 5-6 days for my quads to not hurt while walking down stairs or running down hills.

Last week I logged 72 miles on 6 runs. Pretty happy about that, though I should work on running for 7 days, the day off last week was pure laziness. Again...nothing to special about the last few weeks. Just running to run right now.

Song of the Day: The Blues Are Still Blue - Belle and Sebastian

Cranmore Hill Climb

The Cranmore Hill Climb, mountain race in North Conway, New Hampshire. Never, have I experienced anything remotely close in my running life to what I encountered on Sunday. I read through the course description, looked at all the course photos. Trained at Afton Alps. Was ready for a pace slower than I was accustomed to running...but none of that was remotely close to preparing myself for a mountain race.

When we arrived in the White Mountains area on Friday, we drove around to see the national forest, the mountains, and the area in general. The first few ski areas we encountered has enormous ski hills. When we drove to the actual site of the course, I knew that I was not fully prepared for what we were going to encounter in a few days.

Race morning was a bit different than most race mornings. The weather was cool, but humid. There seemed to be the threat of rain all morning. Driving to the course took only a few minutes. We did not warm up on the course...figured we had to run 2 loops during the race, may as well avoid hills during the warm-up. It is quite a different experience being at a race and not knowing anybody else there. All of the usual crutches that you have for performance measures are non-existent.

Now for the race...if you can call that a race. Started at the bottom, the one of only two flat sections on the course (bottom and top). You start the race by taking a quick right hand turn and the start of the ascent. The course narrows into single track trails within the first 400 meters. I was caught off guard by how fast it went out the initial 400 meters. I was caught behind a lot of people during this initial stretch. When the course opened up a bit, I was able to work my way through the pack, and towards the very back of the lead pack. The climbing was tough, but the pace wasn't too bad yet. I figured the back of this pack was a good place to position myself. Well...then the real climbing started. The first 7-8 guys hit the steep section and kept powering up the hill. I hit the steep section and thought I was going to pass out. Within a matter of seconds I was full-on walking. And not a fast walk. Felt pretty discouraged at this point. 10 minutes into a race, and I am walking?? A quick look behind me saw almost everyone else walking. It was then that I developed an entirely new level of respect for those few guys who kept motoring up the steep hill.

The first steep section seemed to take a while to walk up...and I knew there was a second steep section before the summit. And I was intent on running that entire portion. That didn't happen either. I was experiencing a new level of pain and hurt at this point.

On the drop down the hill...that was a relief. I took the first few minutes of the drop to get control of my breathing, and find a good pace. It took about two minutes to get into aggressive downhill mode. I was pleasantly surprised on the downhill...I was really only passed through the extreme technical portion. I held my place on the rest of the downhill, and even caught the guys who passed me on the technical portion towards the bottom of the hill.

When we got to the bottom of the hill, I felt pretty good. I was catching some guys on the flat, and went through the first lap in 26 minutes, and I knew the winning time was 52 minutes last year, so I knew my pace was decent. On the initial climb up the hill on the 2nd loop, I was catching and passing people. I was thinking that my strength on hills would help me with the 2nd lap. Well...that feeling was short lived. It turns out the steep portions were even more brutal on the 2nd lap. And it turns out that I am not a fast walker. The guys that I passed while running, were blowing me away walking up these steep parts. I lost quite a few places during the walk, and not to guys running past me, but to guys walking past me. Kinda frustrating, but nothing I could do at that point. Tried walking faster...couldn't, tried running a bit...couldn't, tried to move my feet in a running motion...couldn't. All I could do is walk slowly.

By the time the final downhill portion came around...I didn't really care about place or time anymore. I just wanted to get to the bottom and finish running. I was quite frustrated at how unprepared I was for this race. A few guys passed me on the 2nd downhill portion...I didn't make any effort to go with them. I didn't let them blow me away, but I didn't put up much of a fight either.

I ran the 2nd loop in 30 minutes...56 minutes for the entire race, and 24th place. Not what I had envisioned. The funny thing about the entire experience, is that within an hour after the race, I was preparing myself to do this again next year...and going over what I can do to better prepare myself. I think seeing the mountain in person is now a huge preparation tool. I am hooked now! The challenge is amazing, and I want more!


Song of the Day: Cuts Across The Land - The Duke Spirit

The White Mountains

I am blogging from the road...here in North Conway, New Hampshire. I did not have any ideas of what this area would be like, before traveling here. The town of North Conway, has a Wisconsin Dells type of feel, quite family oriented. The mountains and ski hills around here are large. I know it is not quite Colorado, but it is still much more hilly than anything you will find in the Midwest. We came upon a ski hill on our trip to Mount Washington, and it was HUGE! We got out of the car to explore the hill a bit more, and it turns out that from base to peak is a 2100 foot climb. The Mountain Champs are only a 1200 foot climb, and I am happy about that. 2100 feet seems like an unimaginable climb. So, after seeing that ski hill, we were off to the Cranmore Ski Resort, the site of the US Mountain Champs. And 1200 feet does not seem as daunting as 2100 feet, but it still looks like a huge climb. These ski areas make Afton Alps look like a bunny hill. We walked a little bit of the course, and the footing is a lot worse than I had imagined. The footing makes Afton Alps look like a golf course. Afton Alps may have be a good prep for this race, but you can't replicate the real thing. Now it is sit and wait until Sunday morning for the race to begin. This will be unlike anything I have ever run, and I am excited to see what this is all about!

Now for running this week...

Monday - 12 miles, ran pretty relaxed, but the sun, heat and humidity were a bit much. Towards the end of the run, it became "jog time" and I was just happy to be done with the run for the day. The day after a decent 5k, and battling the heat of the day, it seemed like a victory to get through 12 miles.

Tuesday - Ran with the group from the store. Right foot was starting to hurt. Not sure what the pain is...could be a foot bruise, and I am hoping its not a stress fracture, but I am not sure what one feels like, since I have never had one. I am thinking foot bruise from the racing flats I wore on Sunday.

Wednesday - Ran 10 miles after work, and later in the evening to avoid the heat. My foot is hurting quite a bit now. Not in panic mode yet, but worried about my ability to run fast this weekend.

Thursday - Ran 10 miles in the morning with Jeff. Right foot was hurting most of the way, and 2nd toe on right foot is now swollen. Still not in panic mode, but definitely worried about it at this point.

Friday - Ran for just over an hour in North Conway, NH with Kelly. We ran around the hotel area, and never really found a trail or road that we could run on for more than ten minutes. So it was an exploration run. Not a bad run, but just not a consistent run. Right foot is feeling better...didn't hurt nearly as bad. Thinking it will not affect me during the race on Sunday.

It is almost time to find out if mountain and/or trail running is my thing! I know this is probably not the ideal course to break into the mountain scene, but you have to start somewhere!

Song of the Day: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson

The Northwoods Smell

It has been a week...exactly...since I last posted. I don't know what kept me from posting this past week. I must have just plum forgot.

A quick re-cap of running this week:

Mon 6/15: 10 miles - my legs still felt beat-up from the run in the Alps on Sunday

Tues 6/16: 12 miles (roughly) with the group from the store. I felt old with this group, the only person older than me, was Kelly. Quite a few recent college grads on this run in the rain. The pace was quick at times.

Wed 6/17: 14 miles after work. The same route I run nearly every Wednesday, but after running much faster the week before with Mike there is now a new standard for this course. But it took me what it normally takes me to run this route. Maybe next week??

Fri 6/19: 10 miles with strides. Nothing of note about this run. Morning run, a few strides, some exercises after. Pretty typical.

Sat 6/20: 6 miles from hotel by the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth to the Grandma's Marathon course, via Chester Bowl. I started this run at 6am, and by the time I reached mile 22/9 I was sweating. Not a good sign for the marathoners and half-marathoners.

Sun 6/21: Chad Greenway/MN Vikings Gridiron Gallop 5k at Lake Nokomis - 15:45, 1st place. 13 miles total for the day. Making 65 miles for the week.

Now for discussion:

I had two feelings watching Grandma's Marathon on Saturday. The first feeling was sympathy for what the runners/racers were experiencing with the weather. It was brutally warm when the lead marathoners reached London Road/Superior Street. Very few people looked like they were enjoying themselves or running with comfort. It was difficult to watch at times. The second feeling was relief and satisfaction on my decision to run Green Bay Marathon a month ago. My decision was based mostly on weather. I didn't want to experience another hot marathon. Green Bay was not warm, it was sunny, but not warm...I wore gloves the entire race. Grandma's was hot and sunny and humid. If I do run anything at Grandma's next year it will be the half-marathon.

The Greenway/Vikings 5k around Lake Nokomis this morning was a tune-up race for next weekend. I wanted to red-line it a bit to remember what it feels like to really hurt, since the last time I have raced hard was Get in Gear. I ran 15:45, and won by a minute or so. But I found it difficult to push myself to that red-line point. I felt within myself and composed the entire way, which is a strange feeling for a 5k. It was fairly humid, and a bit warm, but there was no sun shining, and that made a big difference. This race was great though! What a great event. Especially if you have kids who happen to be Vikings fans. Maybe it is just the Vikings fan in me, but I thought it was a great low-key event. A few Vikings players were on hand to put on the race, and hang-out with the kids. The door prizes are pretty darn good too. The gave away 4 sets of Vikings tickets. Didn't win any of those, but I was hoping! They gave away a bunch of signed jerseys and balls, and even Vikings ties. Below is a photo of the award. Probably the greatest race award I have won.
Song of the Day: Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot

2 bedrooms or 1.5 bedrooms

The week that was:

When was the last time I posted? Monday? Oh...what has happened since then? Any life changes? No. Anything out of the ordinary? I can't remember, so that must mean no? How about running? May as well talk about that!

On Tuesday I ran a track workout at Macalester. 8x400 with a 400 meter jog in between. Ran a 67 on the first one, then 68's for the remaining seven. Started the workout with 2x200 meter strides in 32 seconds. A pretty good workout for the first speed workout in a while. Ran the workout with Kelly.

On Wednesday I ran a 14 mile route from the store, that I tend to run on Wednesdays when there is no snow or ice on the ground. Mike must be feeling pretty good, because we ran the course faster than I have run in the past, with the exception of the day I ran a tempo workout on the course. We even took a slight detour when we ran upon construction on one of the bike paths. So we ran about 1/4 mile on railroad tracks. Good thing it was only for a quarter mile, because there was a fast moving train on the horizon, and I don't think it would have had the ability, or desire, to stop. After the run we went to watch the Nature Valley Bike Race Criterium in downtown St. Paul. Pretty cool atmosphere. A lot of people out watching, having some drinks, and enjoying a pleasant Wednesday evening. I wasn't watching for anyone in particular, but I was amazed by the speed and positioning of the pack, and they speed at which they take corners.

On Thursday I ran at Willow River with Finch, Tony, Mike and Wyn. We ran about 12 miles. The pace was pretty relaxed until we didn't wait for Mike when he stopped at the bathroom. He caught us in a timely manner, and then blew by us in an equally impressive fashion. The pace got a bit more up-tempo from there. It was a good run, it felt like we were absolutely flying at certain points.

On Friday, I ran after work with Jeff. We ran our morning 10 mile route, and I tagged on an extra mile at the end to make it 11.

On Saturday, I ran my 10 mile route that goes up the Highland Pkwy Hill. Ran 4 block long strides at the end. A more relaxed pace than many of the runs during the week.

Today I convinced Kelly to run the Afton Alps Mountain Bike Trails. We parked at the state park, and ran down to the base of the ski hill. Ran two loops, and it was warm! Today was my best day for sweating yet! I led the first loop, and tried to let myself "fall" down the hills. We took a quick break before starting the 2nd loop, and Kelly led for the first part. It was much more difficult to follow than lead. When we came up on the first big, steep hill I went around him and that was the last time I saw Kelly on the run. I was happy that I ran the same time for both loops (about 45 minutes), even though I felt a bit tired during the 2nd loop. After the run, I drove to Stillwater and watched the final race in the Nature Valley Series. Much easier to watch than the race in St. Paul on Wednesday. That might be because of the watching point. My dad and I watched at the top of the final hill on the criterium. Those guys are impressive. To crest that hill and then start hammering...something I couldn't do on a bike.

Song of the Day: House of the Rising Sun - The Animals

Solid Gold

Grand Old Day in my experience is the warm-up for the festival season. I like to call Grand Old Day, the opening day and the state fair is the playoffs. Painfully cold temps kept Grand Avenue in the PG-13 realm on Sunday. Last year it seemed pretty skanked out. This year was tolerable. The good part of the day is that I got to experience one of the local groups that I have been listening to the past few months...Solid Gold. They played about a 40 minute set on the Dixie's Stage. Most of it was good, some duds, but that's what live shows are all about. The other good part of Grand Old Day, is being able to walk a half-mile away from my place and consume a foot-long corn dog, a bag of mini-donuts, and a coffee. Pretty darn good!

As far as running goes...On Friday I met Jeff for a 6am run. Ran 11 miles, pretty uneventful.

On Saturday I woke up early enough to get a run in, but did some computer work and sent out emails instead, so I ran after work. Ran a relaxed 10 miles with alternating on/offs from Lexington Ave to Dale Street on Summit Ave.

On Sunday I ran a tempo run as part of the Grand Old Day 8k. Ran well through 4 miles, 21:23, but told myself not race today...and I didn't, but there were 2 guys near me at 4 miles, and I let off the pace a bit to keep from racing. That's alright though...I will take the run through 4 miles, and I felt really strong on the uphills. Pulling away from the other 2 guys easily going up both bigger hills. I don't know if this is a race that I would want to give an all out effort. Running on Grand Ave does not have the same feel as running on Summit.

Today I ran my Monday morning 12 mile route. Pushed the final 2 downhills. Starting to feel more natural running fast downhills. I will probably make one more trip out to Afton Alps before Grandma's weekend, plus a run in the park this Thursday. All in all, a pretty solid week of training, lets see if I can string together another two weeks like this past one.

Song of the Day: Didn't I - Darondo

Mountain Bike Trails

I live a pretty boring existence at times! I can't really give you any grand stories of what I did during the day, or even anything that remotely resembles a good story. It almost feels like a routine of wake-up, do your things, go to sleep. The "do your things" part is pretty vague, but you can group all your daily activities into that category. The most exciting thing I have done the past few days includes downloading new music, and booking a hotel for New Hampshire that has a moose as a mascot.

Now for the running thing! On Tuesday night...Kelly, Chris and I ran to the SPA track, but it was being used by a pretty large group. It is the only time in the past two years that I have seen that track in use by other people. So we ran to Macalester. There are usually people on that track, but it is usually not a big deal to use that track, except there were steeple barriers blocking the inside lanes. The easy solution for that, was to move the barriers. So the planned workout was to run 5x1200 meters at faster than 5 minute per mile pace. My first three reps were between 3:40-3:41, and 3:45 in 5 minute pace. My fourth rep was 3:45, with a bad middle lap. And for the grand finale I only ran 800 meters in 2:30. Now granted this is the first time in a while I have run "faster" reps on the track. So, you could call this workout, "feeling it out". The part I was pumped up about was starting the workout with two 200 stride repeats in 32 seconds.

On Wednesday was National Running Day, and I ran from the Highland Lifetime Fitness as part of Twin Cities Marathon. Ran 6-7 miles with the group from the club. A nice relaxed pace. My legs did not feel fresh...I had a hard time figuring that one out!

Today I drove to Afton State Park to run some hills, and check out the ski hills at Afton Alps. I was surprised there is no fence between the state park and the ski area. So my run in the state park last about 5 minutes, and I crossed the grass in the Alps. I started the run in the Alps by running straight up a ski hill, then I noticed a dirt path and some markings, so I followed the markings. It turns out there is a 6-7 mile mountain bike course at Afton Alps, that travels up and down the ski hill. I may have a new favorite run! After I completed the first loop, I stopped and wondered why I signed up for a mountain race. The second loop around, I didn't run as hard, especially on the downhills. It is a lot more difficult to make those steep downhill turns on questionable footing when you are getting tired. In all, I ran for 1:21, I think that might be 11 miles...not sure though. I will definitely head back out there before running mountain race. Maybe try to get in 3 loops on the mountain bike course. It is tough running, and you question why you are doing it at times, but it is also the type of running that I love, and one of the reasons that I am drawn to this sport.

Song of the Day: Fake Tales of San Francisco - Arctic Monkeys