Wide Spot in the Road

Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run - Saturday December 11 2010

2010-12-18T08:26:00.002-06:00

Today was the Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run, a 7.8 mile trail race through the trails of Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton, Illinois. Billed as "the toughest and most grueling race in the Midwest" (by the event organizers), it certainly lived up to that reputation today, although, “Muddiest” could have been added as well. As we left the weather in Springfield was 30 degrees and drizzle. As we drove West and South the drizzle turned to light rain with periods of downpour throughout the drive.

Race check-in was in the great room of Marquette Lodge, which was originally a CCC project and underwent significant renovation/improvements several years ago. The lodge was also the sight of the pre-race meeting. Runners and spectators milled around the giant chess board, huge fireplace while talking and also listening to the band.

The race started at 9:30 but runners are released every 30 seconds in waves. As a trail run, the race takes place on single track and sending 500 plus runners out in a mass start would be chaotic. As soon as you stepped off the parking lot you were running in mud. The route starts off on a nice, flat section of trail, but it quickly gets hilly. And then hillier.

The leaves, which usually make the footing tricky, were actually welcome today. The leafy mud was much easier to move in, and the leaves were so smashed down by the rain and the other runners that it was actually pretty easy to see where rocks and sticks were.
And, frankly, rocks and sticks were the least of my problems today. Between the mud and the hills, it was some tough going for me. I had fought some sort of bronchitis all week and pumped myself full of cold medicine. I could feel the effects as soon as I hit the first major uphill.

Besides the mud, there is also a large rock outcropping on the trail that forces runners to go through one at a time. No way to squeeze a bunch of runners through. This forces all of us to slow down. My group let a couple of fast guys zip through before we all made the scamper up.

The trail was extremely muddy. So muddy in fact, that on many of the up hills, walking was the only way to get up. Slipping and sliding followed foot planting as we were reduced to walking & helping each other up some of the steeper sections. As a mid-packer this kind of race becomes very fun. We all realized, even before we started, that this was not going to be a PR type of run. The group I stuck with had a great time, laughing, sliding, falling and flinging mud.

The weather during the run alternated between light rain and drizzle. We didn’t get too much of a downpour although one stretch was pretty heavy rain for about five minutes adding to the already muddy conditions. I was in Wave #6. I saw up through Wave #27 in the parking lot prior to the start. With the conditions that I was slogging through, I felt sorry for those runners that were running in these conditions after a couple of hundred runners in front of them stirred up the mud even more!

I only fell two times, (full fall, hitting the ground on my butt) and both falls happened in the same spot. If you go to the Team Godzilla website you can see video of folks at the very spot, one video showing people coming up the hill and the other video showing folks going down. Its not me in the video, but you’ll get the idea of the troubles I had there.

Parts of the course offered fairly solid footing and I was able to make relatively good time for those stretches. That gain was offset by the muddy, mucky conditions elsewhere on the trail. My time was considerably slower than any of my other runs on the trail. On the Team Godzilla website I noticed the overall average time was 16 minutes slower this year than previous years, but this year also had a record high number of finishers.

This race remains one of my favorite trail runs. Registration opens for the race on September 1 at Midnight. This year the race filled up in just over 10 hours. I’ve run the race in all sorts of conditions and have never failed to have a blast. Well organized and a well run race overall. If you haven’t taken the time to try the Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run, you don’t know the fun you are missing.

We're In!

2010-11-25T06:23:00.000-06:00

We received our notification from the River to River Relay v.2011 that Team When Bad Knees Happen to Good People has a slot in this year's relay. I am especially excited for this year's race. When I finish my 3 legs of this year's version, I will have been all 8 runners and completed all 24 legs. I will be Runner #3 this year. The easiest of the runners (altho for this race that's not saying much in the hills of Southern IL).
The hotel reservations are made and the registration fee has been mailed. Now, the training & the waiting.
I'm stoked!

2010-11-07T12:53:00.000-06:00

River to River Relay v. 2011

Lewis & Clark Half Marathon 2010

2010-10-09T07:06:00.007-05:00

Or, as it should be labeled, RoseMarie's FIRST Half Marathon.
If you know my wife, you know that she is an amazing woman. One of her positive attributes is that she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. I know that it is said that anyone can do anything they want to do if they put their mind to it. In RoseMarie's case, it is not one of those "sometime things", it is an EVERYTIME thing. She's about the size of an NFL Linebacker, only her tiny little body doesn't know it!
Early Spring, RoseMarie asked if I would find a training plan and help her train to run a Half Marathon. The Canal Connection 10K had been her longest run and she decided that she needed to experience a Half to see if she could do it and also to see if she liked longer distances. I chose the L&C because I knew, from experience, that it was a flat fast course and would be a good introduction to the distance. We signed up, put the race on the calendar and lined out training runs.
Race day finally arrived. Waking up at the hotel, the temp was 38 degrees and the skies were clear. We headed from our hotel to cover the 5 miles to the start area. The cars were already lined up and it took us 45 minutes to get to Verizon Wireless Ampitheater start area. I am grateful for chip timing! By race time, the sun was up and we had about as perfect race conditions as you could order up. Clear, cool & beautiful.
The race started and we crossed the start line about 15 minutes after the official start time. Part of that was due to the number of runners, the other was due to the traffic pouring into the race area. This was probably the only negative to an otherwise well-run and organized race. I think that will change with next year's version being part of the Rock n' Roll series of races.
The miles starting clicking off and RoseMarie had a great pace and was running strong with no problems. Earlier in the week, she had developed some sciatica pain. A full Summer's training had gone problem free but the week of the race, a problem developed. Fortunately the injury didn't re-appear until near the end of the race so she had a great run.
As with most runners, the miles flew by as we talked and enjoyed the scenery and the other runners. I had often heard that the "fun" part of the marathons and half marathons were towards the back of the pack. I found that to be true. The people that were running with us were the ones that were intent on having a good time, talking to everyone & making sure that the experience was fun. We fit right in.
RoseMarie's longest run had been 10 miles. We quickly reached the 10 mile mark and she quickly had 10 down and only a 5K to go. As the miles slipped by, she conquered 11, then 12 and as we turned into Old St Charles and started towards the finish line, even mile 13 was underfoot and the finish line crossed.
RoseMarie smiled and as we walked off with our blankets, medals and the self satisfaction of completion, she said that she thought she would like to now try a full marathon. I smiled at my lovely bride and advised her to wait a couple of days before making that decision.
Overall, a fantastic experience. This was the final version of the L&C Half & Marathon as it has now become a part of the Rock & Roll Series of races. The venue will change and quite a bit more but still will be a large, near-by race worth running.

Sign Up Time

2010-10-04T14:20:00.002-05:00

The countdown is on: Oct 19 exactly at noon is the time to sign up for the 2011 River to River Relay. I'll be sending an email out soon to team members, past & present, to get everyone thinking about that time of year. No, its not just about Boston!
We had some trouble fielding all 8 runners last year and had the help of a couple of friends that jumped in last minute. Hopefully that won't be the case this year. The countdown continues .........................

Happy Birthday to Me?

2010-09-26T06:29:00.002-05:00

Today is my 51st birthday. This is pretty much uncharted territory since I haven't been 51 before. I'm sure that being 51 is much better than not quite making it to this milestone.
Since its my birthday I figured I should post something no matter how trivial or mundane.
This is the 2nd Birthday I haven't looked forward to in any way. Last year's 50 mark was the 1st birthday that I wasn't too thrilled about and now this year's edition is about the same.
I have some upcoming races:
Oct 03 - Lewis & Clark 1/2 Marathon
Oct 16 - Sand Creek Trail Run
Nov 07 - Canal Connection 10K
Nov 20 - Furrow Euro X Country
Dec 11 - Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run
Jan 08 - Siberian Express
I have some trail runs on the radar for Feb & Mar but will wait until closer to the race dates before finalizing.
Then in April, the mother of all races, River to River Relay v.2011

River to River Relay v.2011

2010-09-14T06:04:00.003-05:00

In about a month will be sign up time for the River to River Relay v.2011. This will be my 8th year and, barring misfortune, I will complete all 8 runners, all 24 legs. I'm looking forward to this year. This version will also be the easiest legs of the race. The reward for sticking to the race & being there year after year is getting to run the least demanding stretches. Altho, not to be lulled into a false sense of security, there are not many "easy" portions to the R2R. Particularly for an aging flat-lander like me! I'm glad to have it done this year. There is only one more version of the race I feel compelled to complete after this year and that is when another runner, Mark Milnes, will complete his 8th and final running. That completion is scheduled for v.2012, as long as no more babies come along.
So, sign up coming, hotel rooms reserved, plans made. As long as we get a slot, otherwise, the anticipation grows..............

Okay, so now what?

2010-09-09T06:17:00.002-05:00

No Triathlon this year. Two reasons: Schedule (the Xterra Triathlons I wanted to do were scheduled while I was busy) and Training (this swim stuff is not as easy as it looks). Next season, I will need to do more than "talk" to a coach and watch some videos. Since I have not been a swimmer I will need to have a swimmer coach me more directly to get the stroke down & figure out what I am doing much earlier in the season so that my swimming actually helps, rather than hinders.
So, back to the trails. I love trail running and since more and more trail runs are available, I'll be hitting the dirt.
Oct 16 is the Sand Creek Trail Run in Decatur
Dec 11 is the Pere Marquette Endurance Challenge - registration filled in less than 10.5 hours!
In November I'll run the Canal Connection 10K, an annual tradition for RoseMarie and me. Although not a trail run, it sort of is since the bulk of the run is on the Canal Tow Path and not roads and is very scenic.
So, as the Cubs, Cards & Royals fans say..... Wait 'til next year!

Ethiopian Food

2010-08-01T06:52:00.004-05:00

Saturday, we traveled with friends to St Louis to try Ethiopian Cuisine. We ended up at Meskerem Ethiopian Resaurant. What an amazing experience. We opted for the tradtional experience, that is, the food was served on a single tray, and pieces of flat, sourdough like bread - Injera - are torn off and used as utensils. We ordered a combo platter and some extra courses to have the widest possible sampling. WOW is all I can say. Great food, great experience. We sampled the lamb, beef, chicken and a couple of vegetarian dishes.
The link will take you to the restaurant website so you can see the full menu and directions. Its located on South Grand, a bit south of Arsenal Street and the Tower Grove Park. The stretch of Grand is an eclectic collection of ethnic restaurants and a couple of shops including our favorite Asian Market.
Next on the list, Afghani Bedouin Cuisine.

Swimming & Triathlon

2010-06-22T20:53:00.000-05:00

This year I would like to do my first Triathlon. I am not a swimmer by any means. Running & Biking I can do. Not only can I run & bike, I do run & bike, all of the time. Swimming, to me, is daunting.
My target Triathlon is the Xterra Illinois Wilds August 21. This is not that far away but I am sure I can do this. Of course I'm talking about the 16 mile single track bike and the 6 mile trail run. I am confident of finishing and finishing well for those two sections of the race. There is a problem, triathlon consists of Swim, Bike, Run. I can't get to the Bike, Run portion of the race without going through the Swim part first. Surely there is a loop hole somewhere!
Okay, rather than whining, I am swimming. I have watched the Total Immersion videos and have a friend that is a very good swimmer that has agreed to coach me and help me get to a place that I have a relatively nice stroke. To me a relatively nice stroke is one that upon exiting the water, no one will be pointing and snickering. Really, that is a my goal and I think its a fine one!
So, I start. Oh boy, I'm starting. Stay tuned to see how it goes.

Hospital Hill Half Marathon - 2010

2010-06-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

My alarm sounded at 5 am. I turned the coffee on & checked the weather; 77 degrees & 73% humidity. This is June in Kansas City. I was back in my hometown to run the Hospital Hill Half Marathon. A hilly half that promised to test my Central Illinois training with heat, hills & humidity.
7,600 runners were announced to be participating in the Half, 10k & 5k races.2,699 runners completed the half and I finished in the 745th place. I was 37th of 137 age groupers. 6:55 started the wheelchair division with the half following at 7:00 and the 5 and 10K starting 15 minutes after that. All of the racers were able to “enjoy” Hospital Hill.
The race started in front of Crown Center and headed north. The first part of the race was a gentle climb 2 blocks then turning east and backtracking toward the Starting Area. As we neared Crown Center we veered left and with less than 2 miles under our feet, there it was (cue scary music and sound effects) the Hospital Hill. The Hill is about ¾ miles long. It snakes its way up the incline so that the entire hill isn’t visible. I think that’s a good thing.
Topping the hill we continued south along Gilham Road through several beautiful and historic neighborhoods. There were many landmarks that I hadn’t seen in years. The Velvet Freeze Ice Cream plant was a wonderful memory. Continuing south we encounter, that’s right, more hills. We climb next to the UMKC & Rockhurst Campuses. At the top of that incline with a right turn we headed west on Meyer Boulevard. This stretch is through beautiful old neighborhoods as well. Many people were out of their front lawns enjoying the morning & cheering us on. We high-fived kids along this stretch and many folks had sprayers & sprinklers set up for us to run through to help keep us cooled down. At the corner before the course turned north to return through the Brookside area, a group of students were handing out paper towels soaked in ice water. That was a welcome handout! I placed the towel on my neck and immediately felt cooler.
I also ran this stretch with the wife of the Offensive Coordinator for the Mizzou Tigers. I was updated on all of the plans for this year’s Football campaign & asked a ton of questions. A very nice and very informative woman. Thanks for the info Carrie.
This was a relatively long flat stretch through this area. We crossed Emanuel Cleaver Parkway just after mile 10 and started back into the Midtown area climbing up Broadway. When I say climbing up Broadway I mean climbing up Broadway. We hit the hill at mile 10.02 and didn’t reach the peak of that hill until mile 11.55. I had no problems along the course until I hit this climb. My calves started screaming about 1/3 of the way up. This is the stretch that I saw many people stopping to take care of cramped legs and a handful of runners hitting the green-space to puke up what little of their breakfast might have remained. We topped this hill and had about a mile of gently rolling hills through the Midtown area and turned to head towards the finish, there was a race volunteer apologizing that there was one more hill to climb and what a hill it was! Short and steep. The hill was probably only 200 or so meters long but extremely steep. The climb was hard, the mirror downhill on the other side harder, my quads were screaming. From here the race was literally all downhill. The course ran through Liberty Memorial and then down Main, jumping over to Grand on 27th and through the finish line.
Overall, this was a wonderful race. The course was great, the race organizers did a first rate job and I can’t wait to run again next year. I’ll know a little bit more of what to expect for the hills. The heat and humidity, I’ll leave up to the Kansas City weather folks. A very nice finisher’s medal and flip-flops with the course map printed on the sole were the prizes for all of us that crossed the line. The schwag included a technical shirt, socks and hat. The goodie bag was like the rest of the race, very well done. For those of you interested, June 4 2011 is the date for next year. I’ll be there, hope you will be too!

Awash in Nashville

2010-05-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

Awash in Nashville, or, How a simple trip to Tennessee turned into a 36 hour Nightmare! We left Springfield late Saturday, May 1, headed to Cleveland Tennessee to pick Lauren up. She was taking her last final of her Freshman year at Lee University in Cleveland on Monday morning. Our plan was simple. Nashville by Saturday night, a relaxing night in a hotel, breakfast and a leisurely drive to Cleveland down I24 to the Chattanooga area on Sunday. We were spending the night with friends & after breakfast on Monday, load LJ up and head back towards home, making a few stops along the way to enjoy ourselves.
We left Springfield later than planned. We had made arrangements with our friends in Cleveland to store Lauren's fridge and microwave. I called LJ to ask if she could make it home with her stuff in her car sans those two items. We argued. Omen #1.
On the way down I57, a quick dinner stop in Marion IL and I asked RoseMarie if she minded if we stopped in Paducah KY rather than traveling on to Nashville. I was tired and didn't want to drive that extra couple of hours that night. I travel better in the morning and felt like a good night's sleep was a little more important. RM agreed so I called Marriott and they made the change for me. We saw lightening in the sky as we pulled into our hotel and a quick weather check showed some storms approaching the area. Severe thunderstorms rocked the hotel the entire night. Rain, hail, wind, thunder, lightening, all of the elements that make a great storm rolled through with clock-like regularity as it seemed to crescendo every hour on the hour. The night was long and sleep was light and interrupted. Omen #2.
Sunday morning dawned sunny and beautiful. With the storms behind us, we checked the "My Way" app on my blackberry and found two Starbucks in Paducah! What a bonus. The first Starbuck's we checked was in the hospital. It wasn't open on Sunday. The second was in the mall. It didn't open until 10 am. Omen #3.
Prior to leaving the hotel, we had seen the news and knew that part of I24 East of Nashville was closed due to flooding and heavy rains. We had mapped out our route to circumvent the trouble by heading North of Nashville, taking I40 through Lebanon, TN and then heading south to pick up 24 well South of the flooded area. As we headed East, the skies grew darker and the rain picked up. Water was on the side of the highway. The normally tranquil Red River was a raging torrent only a foot or two under the interstate. General conditions deteriorated as we neared Nashville.
We pulled into the Nashville Metro area only to find our alternate route blocked by police. As we looked North on the roadway we wanted to take, we saw the asphalt completely covered with water. Omen #4.
RM got out of the car and ran to the Police vehicle and asked what our options were. She was told that getting a hotel room was probably the safest..... and the officer was dead serious! He said that major roads and interstates were closing by the minute and that travel was unsafe. I was a little confused at this point, how does EVERY major roadway and interstate in a city like Nashville flood? That is unheard of! We headed on through the city, since I couldn't go around Nashville to the North, I would head South and then head East. A couple of extra hours of travel time wouldn't be as bad as being stuck in an area going through this! South closed, literally, right in front of us. We followed open roads back into the downtown area. Panera was still open, we sat and checked the internet for possible open roads out of the city. There were none. I made a quick reservation at a downtown hotel so that we would have a room and then shopped to see if I could find a cheaper alternative. The hotels were either full or filling up rapidly. While I was surfing, a State of Emergency was declared for Nashville. We were kicked out the Panera and headed out into the deluge once again. We went to our hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon in the lobby waiting for our room. After three hours of "lobby time" we were able to finally check in and turn on the tv. What we watched was shocking. While driving around the city trying to find a passable roadway, we were unable to see most of the damage as the rain was so intense. Seeing what was happening on an Metro wide scale finally allowed my mind to get a grip on the magnitude of the situation. 15" - 20" of rain was falling on a metro area that had already received normal spring rains. Creeks and rivers were already high, at normal Spring levels. This additional rain had nowhere to go, other than out of the banks of the rivers and into the neighborhoods and suburbs and the City of Nashville itself. As we watched the news coverage, we realized why our family and friends were texting and calling. We were in the middle of a disaster. We, personally, were not in danger and were dry and safe during our stay in Nashville. Fortunately we did not need the help of any first responders. Our heroes were the staff of the Marriott who went out of their way to serve a lobby crammed with wet and impatient guests. And also the folks at Pie in the Sky. Fabulous pizza, wonderful staff. Outnumbered and understaffed by folks that were unable to get home due to the flooding, Pie in the Sky stayed open and fed tons of stranded travelers. I highly recommend their pizza if you travel to the Nashville area. I would recommend giving the city some cleanup time.
As we drove back through the area, on I24, with Lauren and her "stuff" from college, we were able to survey quite a bit of damage and to see the flood waters still enveloping much of the lower parts of the city. At last report, 19 people had last their lives, Millions of dollars of damage, homes washed away. Our adventure was very tame compared to those that now are left with picking up pieces of their dampened city. We made it through and are grateful to have only been "inconvenienced". Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

River to River Relay v.2010

2010-03-21T11:35:00.002-05:00

All eight slots are now filled & the roster has been submitted. We inch closer and closer. My knee feels good, slightly stiff but no pain and Friday's run was fine. The Waiver is completed & printed and signatures are needed from all of the folks running but that is an easy task since it isn't turned in until team meeting/registration the evening before the race.
Now a brief rest and then coordinating who stays where and who brings what. We've done the race enough, this is now the easy(ier) part of the race.
I'm excited. To me, this is the most fun race of the year. Challenging, difficult at times and always fun with our van crammed with stuff, people and a wonderful day.

27 days to River to River. Are you ready?

Knees & R2R

2010-03-18T05:49:00.001-05:00

Interesting week so far. Tuesday at work, I turned from my desk to get up and my heel caught under the leg of my chair. I heard a "pop" from my right knee. Now I've been a little sore. No knife like pain, I don't think any significant damage, but too sore to cross train yesterday (skipped Plyometric P90X Workout) and too sore to run this morning. I am older now (maybe wiser?) and will skip today's run. Hopefully I'll be back on the run tomorrow morning.
Also had stinky news yesterday, we lost two runners from Team WBKHTGP! A father-daughter combo had planned to run with us. The daughter, Claire Schmidt, is an amazing athlete and had tried out for, and made, a basketball team. When the team was announced and the schedule reviewed, conflicts arose. We lost! Basketball won out. So now I am back to two empty slots on the team. Phone calls & emails are going out. The roster is due by Monday so I am hustling to get the spots filled.

30 days to R2R Relay. Slightly elevated stress level with two additional spots to fill!

Cactus Classic Trail Race

2010-03-13T19:08:00.002-06:00

The Cactus Classic Trail Race was run in the Sand Ridge State Park. The race is put on by CITRA (Central Illinois Trail Alliance – see link @ left). The drive up was intermittent rain and drizzle through Central IL farmland. The 90 minute drive was about half interstate and half two-lane. The drive might have been nice but the clouds were low & the drizzle kept things a nice gray. Race time weather was mid to upper 40's. The rain and drizzle stopped and waited until the race was over before resuming. Mother Nature can be so thoughtful!
The wind farm on 155 was an interesting sight as we lost a couple of lanes and made our way through small towns.
The race was in main part of the park and the park lives up to its name. While not brutal in terms of hills, the soil was very sandy. On the upside, this kept any of the trails from being too muddy. On the downside, the uphill runs in the many sand bogs made for many challenging stretches of the race. The race was 6.6 miles per the race director, 6.42 by my Garmin Forerunner 305 but I was under the impression that this was a 10K. I hit the 5.5 mile mark and kicked into gear (as much a gear as I had left) and started my move. As I ran past the 6.2 mark on my GPS unit, I realized I may have misunderstood! I kept the pace up to the end but felt it in my hammies & calves.
The hills were rolling; the worst seemed to be at mile 5.26, a ¼ mile uphill that ended with a short level and a very steep downhill. The same sand that made going uphill interesting made going downhill all the more fun!
Overall I felt like I did well enough. This week had me fighting the flu bug (and losing too many of those battles). My legs felt heavy and I felt like I hadn’t trained for a couple of weeks. All things considered, I was happy with my finish and with a great run.
Only 68 runners ran the inaugural version of the race. The race director stated next year they are going to try to incorporate an additional distance and include a 15K or 20K version as well. The race was well marked and well run. A side note: Prior to being a runner I didn’t pay too much attention to Port-a-Potties but now have grown to appreciate having enough and also when they are clean! Thanks to the guys at CITRA for a well put on party.

And, only 35 days until River to River Relay! Anyone else excited?

Virus

2010-03-09T16:50:00.002-06:00

The flu. Is there anything worse? Now I know why yesterday's run was so difficult. I had heavy legs and had a very difficult time getting thru my workout. I was racking my memory trying to see what strenuous thing I had been involved in for the weekend that would have made me feel so tired. By 11:00 am, I had a good idea. THE FLU! AAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! The flu hit when I felt I was making some good progress in training, now I get to take a couple of more days off to try to rid my body of this infernal virus. Stinks. Oh well. I will run in the morning, based on how I sleep tonite, probably squeeze an easy run in on Thursday & then to the Cactus Classic 10k on Saturday. Fortunately the weather is warmer, although the Saturday trail run looks like it will be a bit wet. I'll see how I end the week and how the race goes. Race Report on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

February, WOW!

2010-02-28T05:58:00.002-06:00

So much for February. The shortest of months went by a little faster than I would have liked. Decent training (on the dreadmill). March looks like there will finally be some weather that will not be painful (or slippery). I am excited to start getting outdoors to get some training in. I think I am at my mental limits for indoor training. The treadmill and bike trainer are very boring now and very difficult to get a consistent workout on simply because I'm tired of my basement workout room! GIVE ME FRESH AIR!
The rest of the month has been good. A trip to TN to see our youngest at school (it snowed and I ended up on hotel treadmills), Missions Convention at church which is always exciting. Probably the most eye opening part of the convention was the Voice of the Martyrs and to hear the persecution of Christians around the world and how much they are enduring. I am definitely a spoiled and whiny child as a Western Christian compared to what is endured in many countries around the globe. I vow to appreciate my freedom and my relationship with God.
March is here and spring is around the corner. Easter only a few days behind that. The new season brings all sorts of promise and expectation and I can't wait to see what is in store!

January Training

2010-02-04T06:44:00.002-06:00

January is over & February is finally here. Training was fun on my new treadmill. Put in close to the miles that I wanted to. Started ramping up my intensity to where I thought it needed to be for January. February will be an upgrade in miles & workouts (I hope). January had a few challenges, quite a bit of OT taking up my time plus the Daniel Fast through the first 21 days of the month. Fueling was an issue & although I didn't bonk on my runs, no run was easy. Each run seemed to require more mental effort than physical. As I turn the corner into February, the OT doesn't ease up but fueling should be better. RoseMarie and I have also started P90X again, all workouts, not just fitting in a couple per week. That should elevate my core strength pretty quickly and I will definitely feel the positive results of that sooner rather than later. I'm looking forward to February training, maybe the brutally cold weather is past and some outdoor runs will be in the works.

Siberian Express Trail Race

2010-01-02T14:56:00.002-06:00

No, I didn't run today. I woke up, saw the -3 degrees and thought, I can't do this. I couldn't see a race in negative air temp, -19 wind chill being fun. I wimped out, started the coffee and climbed back in bed to share some coffee and talk time with my lovely bride. I hated missing the race, the 1st time I've missed since finding the race six years ago, but, I don't think I would have enjoyed the race at all. I'm sure everyone that ran had a great time and hardly missed me. I'll run an extra hill workout this week for being such a wienie.

NEW TREADMILL!!!

2009-12-22T17:55:00.002-06:00

After burning through cheaper treadmills for years I finally have attained the Grail. Actually, I didn't go out and get the treadmill, my wife & youngest daughter surprised me with the treadmill for Christmas. My wife called me at work and told me I needed to come home as the furnace was making noises and smells like something is burning. I took off and got home, didn't smell or hear anything but RoseMarie took me downstairs to look at the furnace and on the way, there it was, a Landice Treadmill.
My old treadmill had burned out after one year. We had bought the treadmill because its what we had the cash for about 2 years ago. The reviews were decent for the machine but not stellar but we took a chance. I have been whining and whimping about not having a treadmill for a while. I had a foot injury in early fall and seriously curtailed my running and by the time I was ready to get back into the run, rain and weather had become a factor.
Now I have a treadmill, on that has a lifetime warranty! This one isn't wearing out. I doubt I can burn this treadmill out. I'm going to try though.
My first workout was this morning, I did 3 tempo blocks inside a 6 mile run. This treadmill is smooth. It also has a keypad so that I can go up and down in speed or incline by punching in the desired numbers rather than ramping up by pushing an up arrow or a plus sign. This treadmill hits its target speed or incline FAST. Be ready for it. There are 5 pre programmed workouts and space in memory to program 5 of my own.
I am a happy camper. I'll let you know how the treadmill holds up. I'm stoked.

Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run v. 2009

2009-12-13T11:53:00.002-06:00

The Pere Marquette Endurance trail race is 7.6 miles of brutality and it is one of the funnest races around. Somewhat difficult to get into due to the cap on the number of runners, I was able to run this year by using a transfer of a runner that could not make the race.
The day was mid 30's, very gray and a little drizzly at times. Fortunately the rain and sleet held off until I was on my way home.
The race is run in the State Park bearing the race name outside of Grafton, IL. The race is scenic with beautiful vistas and overviews and long, looping trails in the depths of the woods, not that I see too much other than the trail in front of me and other runners. Rocks, roots, leaves and ice were the order of the day. I witnessed a few spills but none of them serious. I did see a couple of runners being aided by the staff, hopefully their's were minor injuries & they will running very soon.
The trail starts and ends on a short section of level trail, everything else is up or down. Most of the trail is either steep or steeper. There are enough breaks along the way to give some rest but after mile 6, a section of stairs make for tough going. I don't see how the fast guys cover some of the areas. It seems somewhat impossible to me, but then again, I am only a mid-packer and I do not possess some of the superhuman strength that the elites do.
As I was running down the final descent the thought crossed my mind that I was about to complete a trail run without an injury but realized I still have about 3/4 mile to go so I put that thought out of my mind so I could avoid any injury, like tripping and falling right in front of the finish line.
I did finish without any problems other than some muscle fatigue and a little sweat and mud. I'm thrilled that blood was not part of my race this time. My finish time was acceptable, slightly slower than last time I ran the course. I was originally attributing the slower pace to all of the ice but as I looked at the results page I noticed several age group records were set. I'll work on a different reason.
Overall, very satisfactory and very fun. Highly recommended but difficult to get into. Good luck and I'll see you there next year.
Next race: Siberian Express Trail Run, Jan 2 2010 in Kickapoo State Park Illinois. I can't wait.

a thought . . . . .

2009-11-26T06:45:00.000-06:00

Passionless = Lifeless

Looking @ 50

2009-10-31T08:04:00.002-05:00

Here I am, solidly 50 years old. My first few days into my 5th decade were a little rocky. I didn't have any problems with 30 or with 40, but for some reason 50 did not seem to be a milestone I wanted to cross. I can point to several reasons why I was dreading this crossing, underemployement, youngest in college, among other issues causing me to feel sorry for myself. Really that's all it was. Feeling sorry for myself. My wife's parent's health has been rough. I had planned a 50k for my 50th and, due to time constraints from all of this year's demands, dropped my plans to participate. We spent more time getting all of the necessary "stuff" together so that we could take our youngest to Tennessee to start college. All sorts of demands and issues popped up this summer that seemed to drain my joy for life.
This fall I had some help from some friends. One friend, a very young 28 year old friend, had a cancer scare. Another is going through difficult times with a parent dieing of cancer. Another friend lost his father. In these dire circumstances, some bright spots starting shining through. Mostly, family and friends. These friends we are standing with are some of the most wonderful and amazing people I have had the privilege to know, not only know, but know well. Plus, they like me. Probably would even admit to loving me if pressed. Friendships like this don't simply happen. These types of friendships are forged from shared circumstances, happy & sad, that build strong bonds that endure. As for family, two beautiful daughters that I think of with pride. A son-in-law that I can count on as family & as one of my closest friends, along with two wonderul (although slighly smart-aleck) grand-daughters. I am also blessed with the most amazing woman in the world that I get to call my wife. She is an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, surrounded by a mystery, as any woman should be. But she is also my best friend, wonderul life's partner. There is none better.
After some reflection, I have determined that I am a very fortunate man to have turned 50 in this particular set of circumstances. I think that if life has been this good, this far, I am ready to see what the next 50 will hold!

Thoughtfulness

2009-10-02T22:01:00.003-05:00

Competing demands or coexistent pursuits? Tolstoy penned that the attaining of truth was less important than the pursuit of the truth? Are the coexistent pursuits that of pursuing God and also finally attaining? Is there any type of final clarification of holiness, prior to heaven? Can we ever really attain God? Is there more growth and maturity in the pursuit, the chasing? Or, is the ultimate goal, the catching, the attaining, the only worthy goal?

Day 13 - Plodding Along

2009-09-05T06:19:00.002-05:00

Nothing spectacular in the physical this week. I ran & did my regular workouts. I dialed the workouts down a couple of notches and ran a slower heart rate and also decreased my miles. No bonking on the runs but my workouts were very hard and generally cut those short. This fasting stuff is amazing at the challenges that are brought on just by changing a few main items of diet. I am still hungry all of the time. The food on this Daniel Fast is not filling and rarely satisfying. The correlation hit me a couple of days ago. Do I approace God in the same way or does my trip to church "fill and satisfy" enough that the rest of the week I don't worry too much about spending my time with God or seeking more of him?
The insights keep coming. Late last week, I was blessed with another insight as I was praying. I was in prayer for our youngest off to college and as I was praying, I kept having the thought drop into my head, "What are you doing?". I was annoyed. I'm praying, this is very obvious, what's the deal? The thought kept popping up in the middle of my prayer time. I began to think about what this might mean. As I contemplated this thought, God spoke. Not audibly but I believe He answered my question. Yes, I was praying. That was obvious, the part of the idea I was missing is how much of "me, me, me" was in the prayer. As I looked deeper, I saw how much of "me" was in my worship and my giving and all other parts of my life. Maybe, after last week's blog of "The Good and the Bad" this one should have been titled, "The Ugly". I have a feeling this will be one of those long processes, trying to take "me" out of the equation but I am very certain that it will certainly be worthwhile.

Day 6 - The good and the bad

2009-08-29T14:36:00.004-05:00

Day 6, Saturday is here and so far we are throught the detox of the physical. Monday was difficult. Headaches and nausea were the order of the day. Monday evening being the worst. Tuesday and Wednesday were progressively better and since Thursday we have only felt hunger. As we talked and prayed Tuesday nite, our overall impression was how spoiled and ridiculous we are as Western Christians. Too many people, in this country and around the world, would have loved to have had as much to eat as we did for that day, even if it was "only" fruits and veggies. We have had that impression on our minds each time we've started to complain about the amount, or type of food that we are eating.
The weekdays went by pretty quickly. Worked helped by keeping us busy. Today was the most difficult post-detox day as Saturday is our day to sit on the patio in the morning and throughout the day and have coffee. That particular comfort task gone for another couple of weeks. We will survive, I'm sure.
So far, the biggest impression I have come out with is how spoiled I am, and how blessed I am. I have all of the food that I want and I still am not satisfied. As I've talked with friends that have undertaken longer fasts like this, the overarching impression I have from them is that we go into something like this expecting God to meet needs in our way. God is dealing me and giving me insights I wasn't looking for, but I see how important those insights are.

Daniel's Fast

2009-08-20T10:14:00.003-05:00

We have taken our youngest off to college. Now she is a college freshman living in Cleveland TN for most of the next four years. Its a good feeling for her and for us to be onto our next phase of life. For us, the empty nest parents, part of that next phase is figuring out what our next phase is. We have spent most of the last three years unemployed or underemployed. I have been in a job outside of my chosen career field for the last 2 1/2 years. We are, starting on Monday, for the next three weeks, spending out time fasting and praying about specific areas to see where we feel God would have us, geographically, physically and most importantly, spritually as we head into this next phase.
We are undertaking a "Daniel's Fast". For twenty one days, we will eat only veggies & fruit and drink water and juices. In many aspects, this will be very difficult. I'm an endurance athlete, caffeine is a major food group! In some respects, this will be welcome as we de-tox our bodies and learn more about healthier eating and foods that we can incorporate into our day to day training/lives.
The most exciting aspect will be to deny "king stomach" as one writer has penned, and in denying ourselves, concentrate on what God has to say to us about our lives and some very important decisions we feel we need to make.
I will update this blog from time to time with my impressions, both physical and spriritual, about the fast. I will also include some of the lessons learned. Stay tuned

Another trail run

2009-07-27T17:21:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to run in the Mud Mountain in Edwardsville IL. Its a 5K in length over the SIU-Edwardsville Cross Country course. The race is a fundraiser for a local high school cross country program.
We have run this race each year for the last few years and each year the field grows, this year being the largest yet. I ran a PR but not good enough to get into the iron. Warm, humid and hilly are the best descriptors for this race.
A very good race for a very good cause. Highly recommended.

River to River Relay version 2009

2009-04-27T20:05:00.003-05:00

Its done. The 2009 version of the River to River Relay. Team When Bad Knees Happen to Good People ran in the mixed division. We ran with a couple of people that graciously filled in for us, Hillary & Karen. They did a great job, as did everyone on the WBKHTGP team. I was runner #1 this year. Leg #1 is downhill, 3.6 miles, pretty easy, other than watching for potholes ground that would grab me. Was able to keep the downhill at sub-7 minute/mile pace and ran a 6:54 pace. I turned my ankle Tuesday before the Saturday race & was a little tender & anxious for my part of the run. Leg #2, 3.35 miles, was rolling hills, the hardest leg that I had and was mostly gravel and rough road. I took it a little easier than I normally would have and ran my slowest time of the day at a 8:29 pace.. Leg #3 was run after a cool front moved through making the run a little easier. Up & down but overall easier than the second leg. I was able to push that 3.2 miles in at a 7:40 pace to average 7:35 for the entire run. I really should be happy with the time considering a really crappy training winter & spring.
During the ice/snow of February, my treadmill gave out. I was sick with the flu and missed a week and a half of traing and then rolled my ankle shortly before the race. I was not as sharp as I have been in past years. So much for the technical aspect and the whining.
As usual, the team I run with was fabulous. Wonderful people that can spend all day in a van and still find ways to laugh and continue to have fun regardless of the weather and what we may run into. My team is fantastic and running just gets better and better with this crew.
With this run, I have now completed Legs, 4, 5, 8, 6, 7 and 1. Next year, the 2010 version I will run Leg #2 and then finish with Leg #3 in 2011.
Andy, who said that we were crazy for wanting to run all of the tough legs, took on the toughest of them all this year by being Runner #6! Andy is an animal.
Dan is always prepared and always gives us good times, Richard is a machine, 'nuff said. Bryan the Beast is tough & ran thru some problems this year to keep our team on course. Bill stepped in after an absence and filled in without missing a beat. Hillary, Dan's niece, and her friend Karen filled and did fantastic on their legs. Our cheerleaders kept us going and did a great job crawling in and out of the van and putting up with the smelly runners for an entire day. Special thanks to Claire Schmitt for stepping in and complete Leg #3 for Runner #8 after an injury. What a way to spend a 14th Birthday!
All in all, fantastic. If you haven't run this race, you really are missing one of the premier racing events offered in Illinois.

2009-03-27T06:12:00.000-05:00

2009-03-27T06:03:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the end of March all of the sudden. Did anyone see this coming? I have been pulling old running pictures & scanning them into digital storage & also thinking about favorite runs. I've been comparing road running races & training with trail running races and training. So far, trail running is coming out way ahead. I ran the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Festival 25K in Dogwood Canyon MO last fall & fell even deeper in love with trail running. I've posted some pics from that race. I was able to win my age division. The other guy was already on crutches & I hid one so he was at a distinct disadvantage.
There were several water crossings, amazing climbs, loose rocks, leaf covered obstacles and a ravine or two to scramble through. All in all, one of the most fun races I've run. I also enjoyed the runners more. The 50K guys & gals were all about sharing information and helped me with advice on getting up and down the huge climbs (several were 400' + ).
Bass Pro did a great job of putting the race on. The 50K did have a glitch or two as some cows stole a couple of signs that marked the course.
The scenery was beautiful. A clear fall day in the Missouri/Arkansas Ozarks. We did pass into Arkansas at one point in the race when we hit the top of "Seven Mule Pass", so named as it took seven mules to haul a log up the hill. Wonderful scenery and a mix of single track, water crossings and old logging roads.
For this year, I will stick to trail races anywhere I can find them & since I turn 50 this year, a 50K is definitely the race for the fall.
Now the hard part? Which race? The North Face Endurance Challenge in Wisconsin looks good, but then, so does returning to the wilds of MO and running the BPS Fitness 50K. I have some time to decide and I'm not going to stress. Plus I'll look at other races around the Midwest to see what I think.

2009-02-16T09:38:00.000-06:00

2009-02-16T09:30:00.001-06:00

Upcoming Race: River to River Relay. An amazing race that takes me with a van full of friends across Southern Illinois. We start South of Carbondale in the LaRue Pine Forest and finish in beautiful downtown Golconda, IL. 8 runners running 3 legs each covering 80 miles. Some very tough hills & amazing scenery. I think the best part of the race is the silliness going on the van with the other runners & the cheerleaders that accompany us.
We have only two rules that matter: 1) No walking until the van passes, & 2) NO BUTT BATONS! Any runner found guilty of the butt baton will not be picked up but will have to run the remainder of the race, even if the remainder would be the full 80 miles. We would head to Golconda and start eating rib-eye sandwiches & listening to blue grass.
Along the way to get ready for the R2R this year I am running in the Delavan Panther Fostbite Classic Half Marathon on March 8 & also the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon on April 4. I'll let the times of those runs help me fine tune my training.