This week did not quit go as planned. Holidays always seem to make me lazy and eat a lot of food. We went to Nebraska for Easter and all I did was eat junk food and did not run. I was planning on doing 2 hours or so on Easter Sunday but with all the family around and all the junk food in the belly that did not happen. Anyway here is a log for last week.
Monday- Run treadmill 4 miles
Swim for 30 mins
Weights 45 mins
Tuesday- Run 7 miles at Bear Creek State Park
Wednesday- Run 6.5 miles at Green Mountain
Thursday- Run 7 miles at the track (2 mile warmup; 3X800 with 400 recovery; 2 mile cooldown)
Friday-Snowshoeing attempt on Mount Columbia (9.75 hours; 15 miles; 4200 feet of gain) did not summit
Saturday- Run treadmill 6 miles
Sunday- off
Total running miles this week: 30.5 (does not include the 15 snowshoeing miles)
Here is the trip report and pictures from Friday's attempt on Mt. Columbia.
http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=4122&cpgm=tripmain
This week has started out badly with me being lazy and eating like crap. It is time to turn that around. We are heading out to Moab on Friday to do some camping and running. Hopefully I can get some miles in. I will have an update on that next week.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Log for the week of 3/10-3/16
I finally started feeling better last week and was able to resume my running and training. I did not do much in the way of cross training like I usually do but did get some runs in. All of my runs were outside on trails, no treadmill time at all! The weather was just Awesome last week and I hope it holds this week so I can start rebuilding my mileage and base.
Anyway here you go:
Monday: Off (still feeling a little sick)
Tues: Run @ Green Mountain lower 5 miles
Wed: Run @ Apex (hills) 5.25 miles
Thurs: Run @ Mattew Winters 4.75 miles
Elliptical machine for 30 mins
Friday: Off
Saturday: Run @ Green Mountain to summit and back 5 miles
Sunday: Run to Morrison and back 13.25 miles
Total miles ran: 33.25
Need to get this over 40 next week and get back to 2-3 hours of cross training.
Have a great week!
Shad
Anyway here you go:
Monday: Off (still feeling a little sick)
Tues: Run @ Green Mountain lower 5 miles
Wed: Run @ Apex (hills) 5.25 miles
Thurs: Run @ Mattew Winters 4.75 miles
Elliptical machine for 30 mins
Friday: Off
Saturday: Run @ Green Mountain to summit and back 5 miles
Sunday: Run to Morrison and back 13.25 miles
Total miles ran: 33.25
Need to get this over 40 next week and get back to 2-3 hours of cross training.
Have a great week!
Shad
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Trying to get IT back
Seems like since the Red Hot 50K I have been on a downward spiral with no end in sight. The first 2 weeks I cut back on my running because of knee pain caused by the super hard slick rock in Moab. Last week I was sick for 5-6 days with a combo of the super cold and flu I think. All I know is that I missed 3 days of work and did not get out of bed all weekend.
Last night was the first time that I have been running in 8 days and boy did it hurt. All I did was a 6 mile run, 3 out and back, on the trails at the base of Green Mountain in Lakewood. This is the trail that I usually use for easy runs but yesterday was not easy. Not to be gross but I was blowing snot all over myself and feeling like I have not ran in months, light headed, ect.... Hopefully that will improve as the week goes on and I can get that IT back.
I am suppose to do the 24 Hours of Utah in 2 weeks but I am unsure if I will or not. We are going to go out there and camp but I may not run the race. I think what we might do is go out there to watch and I can jump in and do some pacing at night. That might be a better way to get some training in besides pushing my body for 24 hours straight. I could get 4-5 hours in that way I think. During the day while waiting to run after 8pm I could get some rides in on the mountain bike. Not a bad thought.
Anyway I will get back to posting my weekly log once I have one to post again next week.
Have a great week everyone!
Shad
Last night was the first time that I have been running in 8 days and boy did it hurt. All I did was a 6 mile run, 3 out and back, on the trails at the base of Green Mountain in Lakewood. This is the trail that I usually use for easy runs but yesterday was not easy. Not to be gross but I was blowing snot all over myself and feeling like I have not ran in months, light headed, ect.... Hopefully that will improve as the week goes on and I can get that IT back.
I am suppose to do the 24 Hours of Utah in 2 weeks but I am unsure if I will or not. We are going to go out there and camp but I may not run the race. I think what we might do is go out there to watch and I can jump in and do some pacing at night. That might be a better way to get some training in besides pushing my body for 24 hours straight. I could get 4-5 hours in that way I think. During the day while waiting to run after 8pm I could get some rides in on the mountain bike. Not a bad thought.
Anyway I will get back to posting my weekly log once I have one to post again next week.
Have a great week everyone!
Shad
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Running of the Red Hot 50K
This past weekend we went out to Moab to run the Red Hot 50K+. Before getting into a race report I thought I would do a quick weekly breakdown of my training last week.
Mon: OFF
Tues: Run 6.25 miles
Wed: Run 6.25miles/ Swim 1hour/ Lift weights 30mins
Thurs: Run 4.5 miles
Fri: OFF
Sat: RACE- Run 34 miles
Sun: OFF
Total ran for the week: 51 miles
Now lets get down to the quick race report, at least what I can remember.
There was 3 of us going out to run this race; Andrew, Tim, and myself. Andrew rode out with us on Friday while Tim and his wife meet us in Moab. Friday night we all meet up at Pasta Jays on Main St for a little carb loading. This is a great resturant with great service. It was the only place that we ate at the whole weekend where we were happy with both the food and the service.
We got up the next morning around 6am leaving the hotel at 6:30. We had to have our drop bags for the 5 aid stations there at the start line by 7:15am. I decided that I would only have 3 out of the 5 allowed drop bags (which I never used). All for the second half of the race. I did not put much in each bag, just a couple of gels and some extra sports drink. I figured between the backpack I was running with and the aid stations that I should be fine.
Right at 8am the race started up a dirt road. The first mile was a climb up and over the mesa (I guess that is what they are called). The plan was for Tim, Andrew, and I to stick togetter and just have a good time. After about 10-15 mins I looked behind me where they were and they were gone, crap I was not paying attendation and took off on them. I felt bad for doing that to them and debated if I should wait at the first aid station at mile 6 for them or just run my race. After about a 5 minute conversation with myself I decided just to run my race. My original plan was to run 20-30 mins then walk for 5 mins, keeping this up until the end. At this point I decided just to run based on how I felt. If I felt good I ran, if not I walked.
The first half of the race was a mixture of rolling hills, some moderate climbing, jeep 4X4 roads, and sandy trails. It was not bad at all, there was some slickrock that would beat you up a little when running on it. I crossed aid station 3 at mile 17 in 2:31. Right were I wanted to be for a sub 6 hour finish. At aid station 3 I was finially able to see Ashley and the kids, it was the only place on the course that they had access to until the finish line which lifted my spirts. Also at that aid station my friend Rebecca was there with one of her friends. They had driven out from Denver to cheer the 3 of us on. They ran with me for about a mile to see how I was doing.
From aid station 3 to aid station 4 was about 6-6.5 miles and a huge climb. The fourth aid station was on top of the mesa some 1500 or more feet above us. I did some walking in this section on the big uphills due to the miles starting to add up on the old legs but for the most part I was able to hold my own. About half or a little more than half was ran on slickrock, the rest was on normal trails. I came into the 4th aid station around 3:45-4 hours into the race. I am not sure the times from this point on because my batteries in my GPS watch went dead during this section, I forgot to replace them before the start of the race. This aid station was at mile 23.
From aid station 4 to aid station 5 was the hardest part of the whole race. The entire section was ran on slickrock which is harder than concrete. There was no real trail to follow on this section. We just went from pink flag to pink flag hanging from the brushes. Sometimes there were no pink flags and you had to find the painted symbol on the rocks to figure out where to go. I got off track a few times and added about 1/2 mile or so to this section with backtracking I did. I have never felt so remote before, there was times where I would not see another person for an hour or so. I also spent most of this section walking. I was having stomach problems and did throw up along with some leg pain due to all the slickrock. At times we where going sideways across a 40 degree slope on slickrock. This was very hard on the body with all the up and down hill. It seemed like this section would never end then we dropped into a canyon that had a sandy trail which to run on. This made me think that the 5th aid station had to be close, but I was wrong. After about an half an hour running down the canyon we had another big climb up the slickrock to the 5th aid station at mile 29. I came into this aid station around 5 1/2 hours after starting.
From the 5th aid station to the finish line was only 5 miles. The first 1/2 mile or so was up a small hill of slickrock from there you jump on a 4X4 jeep road that you follow to the finish line all downhill. Where the trail and the road meet you can look down into the valley and see the finish line, this got me going and I started running again. As I headed to the finish line I came across Ashley, Rebecca, and Lora about 3/4 of a mile from the end. I was walking when I came across them, they told me to get going so I did and finished in 6 hours and 24 mins.
This time of 6:24 gave me 77th out of 154 overall and 38th out of 57 in my age group of 39 and under. Not quite the results that I have been used to this past year but this race kicked my ass and I was under trained for it. Of course this time last year there is no way I would even think of running a marathon yet alone an ultra.
Here is the link to the website and results.
Red Hot 50K
On Sunday we drove through Arches National Park and headed home. If you ever get this chance this is an awesome place to go. I plan on returning there next month after the 24 hours of Utah.
Here is the link to the pictures that I took in Arches National Park
Pictures
Mon: OFF
Tues: Run 6.25 miles
Wed: Run 6.25miles/ Swim 1hour/ Lift weights 30mins
Thurs: Run 4.5 miles
Fri: OFF
Sat: RACE- Run 34 miles
Sun: OFF
Total ran for the week: 51 miles
Now lets get down to the quick race report, at least what I can remember.
There was 3 of us going out to run this race; Andrew, Tim, and myself. Andrew rode out with us on Friday while Tim and his wife meet us in Moab. Friday night we all meet up at Pasta Jays on Main St for a little carb loading. This is a great resturant with great service. It was the only place that we ate at the whole weekend where we were happy with both the food and the service.
We got up the next morning around 6am leaving the hotel at 6:30. We had to have our drop bags for the 5 aid stations there at the start line by 7:15am. I decided that I would only have 3 out of the 5 allowed drop bags (which I never used). All for the second half of the race. I did not put much in each bag, just a couple of gels and some extra sports drink. I figured between the backpack I was running with and the aid stations that I should be fine.
Right at 8am the race started up a dirt road. The first mile was a climb up and over the mesa (I guess that is what they are called). The plan was for Tim, Andrew, and I to stick togetter and just have a good time. After about 10-15 mins I looked behind me where they were and they were gone, crap I was not paying attendation and took off on them. I felt bad for doing that to them and debated if I should wait at the first aid station at mile 6 for them or just run my race. After about a 5 minute conversation with myself I decided just to run my race. My original plan was to run 20-30 mins then walk for 5 mins, keeping this up until the end. At this point I decided just to run based on how I felt. If I felt good I ran, if not I walked.
The first half of the race was a mixture of rolling hills, some moderate climbing, jeep 4X4 roads, and sandy trails. It was not bad at all, there was some slickrock that would beat you up a little when running on it. I crossed aid station 3 at mile 17 in 2:31. Right were I wanted to be for a sub 6 hour finish. At aid station 3 I was finially able to see Ashley and the kids, it was the only place on the course that they had access to until the finish line which lifted my spirts. Also at that aid station my friend Rebecca was there with one of her friends. They had driven out from Denver to cheer the 3 of us on. They ran with me for about a mile to see how I was doing.
From aid station 3 to aid station 4 was about 6-6.5 miles and a huge climb. The fourth aid station was on top of the mesa some 1500 or more feet above us. I did some walking in this section on the big uphills due to the miles starting to add up on the old legs but for the most part I was able to hold my own. About half or a little more than half was ran on slickrock, the rest was on normal trails. I came into the 4th aid station around 3:45-4 hours into the race. I am not sure the times from this point on because my batteries in my GPS watch went dead during this section, I forgot to replace them before the start of the race. This aid station was at mile 23.
From aid station 4 to aid station 5 was the hardest part of the whole race. The entire section was ran on slickrock which is harder than concrete. There was no real trail to follow on this section. We just went from pink flag to pink flag hanging from the brushes. Sometimes there were no pink flags and you had to find the painted symbol on the rocks to figure out where to go. I got off track a few times and added about 1/2 mile or so to this section with backtracking I did. I have never felt so remote before, there was times where I would not see another person for an hour or so. I also spent most of this section walking. I was having stomach problems and did throw up along with some leg pain due to all the slickrock. At times we where going sideways across a 40 degree slope on slickrock. This was very hard on the body with all the up and down hill. It seemed like this section would never end then we dropped into a canyon that had a sandy trail which to run on. This made me think that the 5th aid station had to be close, but I was wrong. After about an half an hour running down the canyon we had another big climb up the slickrock to the 5th aid station at mile 29. I came into this aid station around 5 1/2 hours after starting.
From the 5th aid station to the finish line was only 5 miles. The first 1/2 mile or so was up a small hill of slickrock from there you jump on a 4X4 jeep road that you follow to the finish line all downhill. Where the trail and the road meet you can look down into the valley and see the finish line, this got me going and I started running again. As I headed to the finish line I came across Ashley, Rebecca, and Lora about 3/4 of a mile from the end. I was walking when I came across them, they told me to get going so I did and finished in 6 hours and 24 mins.
This time of 6:24 gave me 77th out of 154 overall and 38th out of 57 in my age group of 39 and under. Not quite the results that I have been used to this past year but this race kicked my ass and I was under trained for it. Of course this time last year there is no way I would even think of running a marathon yet alone an ultra.
Here is the link to the website and results.
Red Hot 50K
On Sunday we drove through Arches National Park and headed home. If you ever get this chance this is an awesome place to go. I plan on returning there next month after the 24 hours of Utah.
Here is the link to the pictures that I took in Arches National Park
Pictures
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Another Example of the Boulder Craziness!!!
This is an article that I found at the local paper here in Boulder Colorado. Enjoy.....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandrock: Turner training for U.S. trek
By Michael Sandrock (Contact)Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Glen Turner is planning on running with "Zzzoomer," his self-made running cart, from Oceanside, Calif., to Savannah, Ga.
For the past several months, drivers on Baseline Road in east Boulder County have sometimes been startled by the sight of Glen Turner running along the road pulling a trailer loaded with rocks, looking like some variation of Fred Flintstone. There is, however, a rhyme and a reason to Turner's strange training regime.
Sunday, the Louisville stonemason embarks on a 55-day run across the United States. It is an effort that, if successful, will be the fastest unsupported, transcontinental run ever.
Turner's 2,493-mile trip will start in Oceanside, Calif., and end in Savannah, Ga. He hopes to average at least 46 miles a day, for 55 consecutive days -- or less. Making it all possible is the "seventh-generation" cart he designed and built.
The cart -- nicknamed "Zzzoomer" -- has a single wheel in the back and two wheels for turning in the front, brakes and can hold a lot of weight. During the day, Turner will run inside the middle of the cart, pulling it and all his gear -- roughly 70 pounds. At night, Turner will sleep inside "Zzzoomer."
What is perhaps most remarkable about Turner's planned run is that it's a training run for a proposed run around the world. Turner, 48, would start that journey in July and finish 2½ years later. That run is part of the World Run Project.
"I need to know I really can do it (the world run)," Turner said , "and I need to know I really want to do it. Two-and-a-half years is a long time to be away from family, friends and work."
Turner knows he wants to run across the United States. He has been meticulous in his planning for this running adventure. He will have local kids following along online in community running teams at http://www.grtrunning.com/. One goal is to inspire children to run.
Turner is a pleasant, outgoing fellow, as seen by the many friends he visited with while drinking a beer at a Boulder Trail Runner's symposium last week at Sherpa's restaurant. That gathering was one of Turner's few nights out recently. He has been living an ascetic lifestyle, renting out his house and living in a renovated garage.
Turner sold most of his masonry tools to raise money, although last week he was still working. He was building stone pillars at Folsom Field, generating some last-minute funds. Turner has spent much of his savings building the latest incarnation of "Zzzoomer," and is looking for sponsors for his run.
"I totally scaled down," he said. "I am ready to go. I am in incredible shape right now."
Turner, who excels in six- and 10-day races, is coming off a third-place finish in the three-day Race Across the Years in Phoenix, Ariz. As is the case in many of his runs, Turner got stronger as the race went on, clocking 83 miles on the third day. Only the world and U.S. 48-hour record holders beat him.
Turner is comfortable running incredibly long distances for days on end. Last summer, he spent three weeks in Denmark running 35 miles a day. That, too, was a test to see if he has the "right stuff" for a world run. Turner has shown many times he does indeed have the "right stuff" for a transcontinental and even a world run.
The key, Turner said, is "emptying" his mind.
"I listen to music and get into the feeling of what I need to do now. I don't think about the rest of the world," he said. "I am into my own form, my own breathing."
There will be a bit of fun on his run across the country. Turner said the best part of running with the cart comes when he reaches the crest of a hill. Then, he sometimes hops on for a fast ride down.
"It's a blast," he said. "A real fun thing. I have been debating whether to do it on the (transcontinental) run. It is just too much fun not to."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandrock: Turner training for U.S. trek
By Michael Sandrock (Contact)Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Glen Turner is planning on running with "Zzzoomer," his self-made running cart, from Oceanside, Calif., to Savannah, Ga.
For the past several months, drivers on Baseline Road in east Boulder County have sometimes been startled by the sight of Glen Turner running along the road pulling a trailer loaded with rocks, looking like some variation of Fred Flintstone. There is, however, a rhyme and a reason to Turner's strange training regime.
Sunday, the Louisville stonemason embarks on a 55-day run across the United States. It is an effort that, if successful, will be the fastest unsupported, transcontinental run ever.
Turner's 2,493-mile trip will start in Oceanside, Calif., and end in Savannah, Ga. He hopes to average at least 46 miles a day, for 55 consecutive days -- or less. Making it all possible is the "seventh-generation" cart he designed and built.
The cart -- nicknamed "Zzzoomer" -- has a single wheel in the back and two wheels for turning in the front, brakes and can hold a lot of weight. During the day, Turner will run inside the middle of the cart, pulling it and all his gear -- roughly 70 pounds. At night, Turner will sleep inside "Zzzoomer."
What is perhaps most remarkable about Turner's planned run is that it's a training run for a proposed run around the world. Turner, 48, would start that journey in July and finish 2½ years later. That run is part of the World Run Project.
"I need to know I really can do it (the world run)," Turner said , "and I need to know I really want to do it. Two-and-a-half years is a long time to be away from family, friends and work."
Turner knows he wants to run across the United States. He has been meticulous in his planning for this running adventure. He will have local kids following along online in community running teams at http://www.grtrunning.com/. One goal is to inspire children to run.
Turner is a pleasant, outgoing fellow, as seen by the many friends he visited with while drinking a beer at a Boulder Trail Runner's symposium last week at Sherpa's restaurant. That gathering was one of Turner's few nights out recently. He has been living an ascetic lifestyle, renting out his house and living in a renovated garage.
Turner sold most of his masonry tools to raise money, although last week he was still working. He was building stone pillars at Folsom Field, generating some last-minute funds. Turner has spent much of his savings building the latest incarnation of "Zzzoomer," and is looking for sponsors for his run.
"I totally scaled down," he said. "I am ready to go. I am in incredible shape right now."
Turner, who excels in six- and 10-day races, is coming off a third-place finish in the three-day Race Across the Years in Phoenix, Ariz. As is the case in many of his runs, Turner got stronger as the race went on, clocking 83 miles on the third day. Only the world and U.S. 48-hour record holders beat him.
Turner is comfortable running incredibly long distances for days on end. Last summer, he spent three weeks in Denmark running 35 miles a day. That, too, was a test to see if he has the "right stuff" for a world run. Turner has shown many times he does indeed have the "right stuff" for a transcontinental and even a world run.
The key, Turner said, is "emptying" his mind.
"I listen to music and get into the feeling of what I need to do now. I don't think about the rest of the world," he said. "I am into my own form, my own breathing."
There will be a bit of fun on his run across the country. Turner said the best part of running with the cart comes when he reaches the crest of a hill. Then, he sometimes hops on for a fast ride down.
"It's a blast," he said. "A real fun thing. I have been debating whether to do it on the (transcontinental) run. It is just too much fun not to."
Monday, February 11, 2008
RED HOT RACE WEEK
Ok, it is now race week. We leave on Friday morning for Moab for the Red Hot 50K. I don't know if I am excited or if I am dreading it. I have mixed feelings right now. Since this is my first real year playing in the world of ultra marathons every race is going to scare me I think. I will get more into my thoughts about this race in a second, first lets look below at what I did last week for training.
Monday: Off, I was wiped from the weekend
Tuesday: Run 6.5 miles; Stairmaster 20mins
Wednesday: Run 7 miles; Swim 45 mins; Weights 30 mins
Thursday: Run 8 miles
Friday: Run 2 miles; Stairmaster 30 mins
Saturday: Run 9 miles in the am; Snowshoe 3 hours in the afternoon at Mount Evans
Sunday: Run 6 miles at 8am; Run 6 miles at noon; Run 6 miles at 5pm. Run 18 total.
Total miles ran this week 50.75
Now how am I going to run this race, the Red Hot 50K this coming weekend? I have mauled this over and over in my head. I think because of the fact that I need to keep training after the race, the next day, and that I will not be tapering that this will be like a super long run. I will run/walk it at an easy pace until I cross the finish line. I really do not care what my time is like I did at my first 50K (4:31) last Sept. I just want to keep moving forward and have a good time, I may even carry a camera with me and take pictures along the way. I think my goal should be to finish between 6 and 7 hours. Based on last years results that should put me right in the middle of the pack which is fine by me. I would like to get up the next morning and do another trail run while we are out there in Moab, even if it is only 3 miles long.
In case anyone out there is running this race but has not gotten the e-mail from the race director I have copied it below. Have a great week and I will post a race report next week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Red Hot Runners,
First, I would like to thank you for participating in this year’s event. I also would like to go over on what to expect at this year’s race. First, due to the numbers, we will be having a pre race day packet pick-up on Friday the 15Th starting at 5:00 pm continuing to 7:00 pm. You can pick your packet up at the Moab Music Festival Office located at 58 East 300 South, located in the same building as the Advertiser.
Parking is limited at the start line and the finish line, we highly recommend carpooling. Some overflow parking is available in the campground right before the poison spider trailhead at the finish.
There will still be packet pick up on Saturday starting at 6:30 am at the start line. Drop bags (50K only) will be collected on Saturday morning at the start line. Write your bib#, aid station number, and name on each of your drop bags. We recommend you get to the start line by 6:45. My aid station crews will be leaving at 7:15 to their locations. Other than that, I still recommend 7:15 at the latest. The 50k will start at 8:00 am SHARP and the 33k will be off at 8:30 sharp! There also will be no day of the race switching, from the 50k to 33k or visa versa. If you do switch during the race, you will not be officially recorded.
This year’s flagging will be bright pink indicating where to follow and red indicating the wrong way. The course will be well flagged just like last year. This year it has been very cold and wet, so there may be ice and light snow in some sections, so please be careful.
Our aid station vehicles are limited on space, so try to limit on what you put in your drop bags. Aid stations will be stocked with CytoMax, water, salt, candy bars, PB and J, limited HammerGel, potato chips, peanuts, Heed, etc... There is a 10 hour time limit for both races but there is not an official cut off time at any of the stations. But if one of our aid stations does not think you will make it, to the Poison Spider trail head, by 6:00 pm, they can pull you from the course. If you insist to go on, you will need to remove your bib and give it to the aid station attendant. From that point you will be responsible for yourself. I do not recommend going on in the dark on Golden Spike! Please check the website for mileage and the correct station number to put on your drop bag. Aid station 1 will be used as station 3 just to make that clear too.
The finish line will be at Poison Spider trail head which is mile 34 for the 50k and mile 21 for the 33k. There will be an official timing company recording your finishes and they will be posted throughout the day. Awards will be given to the top three in each category: overall male, overall female, master male, master female.
We do have two shuttle vans that will be taking people back to the finish line to pick up your vehicles. The shuttles will start about 11:30 am and will run until not needed. We will be providing water and other drinks at the finish. We also will provide a small lunch to each of the runners. That will be a potato soup served in a fresh bread bowl. Please be considerate because there is just enough for all runners to have one meal.
At 7:30 pm Eddie McStiffs has donated a space in his restaurant for a private Red Hot party. We will provide the keg of beer but to show our appreciation to Eddie, lets have dinner in the Mcstiffs restaurant. Also, If you go in the night before to eat dinner and show your bib to your server, you will receive a 15% discount on your meal.
Thank you again and I hope you enjoy this course as much as we do.
Chris Martinez, Greg Poettgen-Race Directors
Monday: Off, I was wiped from the weekend
Tuesday: Run 6.5 miles; Stairmaster 20mins
Wednesday: Run 7 miles; Swim 45 mins; Weights 30 mins
Thursday: Run 8 miles
Friday: Run 2 miles; Stairmaster 30 mins
Saturday: Run 9 miles in the am; Snowshoe 3 hours in the afternoon at Mount Evans
Sunday: Run 6 miles at 8am; Run 6 miles at noon; Run 6 miles at 5pm. Run 18 total.
Total miles ran this week 50.75
Now how am I going to run this race, the Red Hot 50K this coming weekend? I have mauled this over and over in my head. I think because of the fact that I need to keep training after the race, the next day, and that I will not be tapering that this will be like a super long run. I will run/walk it at an easy pace until I cross the finish line. I really do not care what my time is like I did at my first 50K (4:31) last Sept. I just want to keep moving forward and have a good time, I may even carry a camera with me and take pictures along the way. I think my goal should be to finish between 6 and 7 hours. Based on last years results that should put me right in the middle of the pack which is fine by me. I would like to get up the next morning and do another trail run while we are out there in Moab, even if it is only 3 miles long.
In case anyone out there is running this race but has not gotten the e-mail from the race director I have copied it below. Have a great week and I will post a race report next week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Red Hot Runners,
First, I would like to thank you for participating in this year’s event. I also would like to go over on what to expect at this year’s race. First, due to the numbers, we will be having a pre race day packet pick-up on Friday the 15Th starting at 5:00 pm continuing to 7:00 pm. You can pick your packet up at the Moab Music Festival Office located at 58 East 300 South, located in the same building as the Advertiser.
Parking is limited at the start line and the finish line, we highly recommend carpooling. Some overflow parking is available in the campground right before the poison spider trailhead at the finish.
There will still be packet pick up on Saturday starting at 6:30 am at the start line. Drop bags (50K only) will be collected on Saturday morning at the start line. Write your bib#, aid station number, and name on each of your drop bags. We recommend you get to the start line by 6:45. My aid station crews will be leaving at 7:15 to their locations. Other than that, I still recommend 7:15 at the latest. The 50k will start at 8:00 am SHARP and the 33k will be off at 8:30 sharp! There also will be no day of the race switching, from the 50k to 33k or visa versa. If you do switch during the race, you will not be officially recorded.
This year’s flagging will be bright pink indicating where to follow and red indicating the wrong way. The course will be well flagged just like last year. This year it has been very cold and wet, so there may be ice and light snow in some sections, so please be careful.
Our aid station vehicles are limited on space, so try to limit on what you put in your drop bags. Aid stations will be stocked with CytoMax, water, salt, candy bars, PB and J, limited HammerGel, potato chips, peanuts, Heed, etc... There is a 10 hour time limit for both races but there is not an official cut off time at any of the stations. But if one of our aid stations does not think you will make it, to the Poison Spider trail head, by 6:00 pm, they can pull you from the course. If you insist to go on, you will need to remove your bib and give it to the aid station attendant. From that point you will be responsible for yourself. I do not recommend going on in the dark on Golden Spike! Please check the website for mileage and the correct station number to put on your drop bag. Aid station 1 will be used as station 3 just to make that clear too.
The finish line will be at Poison Spider trail head which is mile 34 for the 50k and mile 21 for the 33k. There will be an official timing company recording your finishes and they will be posted throughout the day. Awards will be given to the top three in each category: overall male, overall female, master male, master female.
We do have two shuttle vans that will be taking people back to the finish line to pick up your vehicles. The shuttles will start about 11:30 am and will run until not needed. We will be providing water and other drinks at the finish. We also will provide a small lunch to each of the runners. That will be a potato soup served in a fresh bread bowl. Please be considerate because there is just enough for all runners to have one meal.
At 7:30 pm Eddie McStiffs has donated a space in his restaurant for a private Red Hot party. We will provide the keg of beer but to show our appreciation to Eddie, lets have dinner in the Mcstiffs restaurant. Also, If you go in the night before to eat dinner and show your bib to your server, you will receive a 15% discount on your meal.
Thank you again and I hope you enjoy this course as much as we do.
Chris Martinez, Greg Poettgen-Race Directors
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
This Week's Training
I thought with the Red Hot 50K coming up in two weeks or so on Feb 16th that I would start posting my weekly workout logs. Maybe that will hold me more accountable to my training. Last week was a good week of training. It is the first time that I have broken 50 miles in a week since last summer. I just need to keep building on that. Anyway here is last weeks log.
Monday1/28: Run 6 miles; Weights 30 mins
Tuesday 1/29: Run 6.25 miles
Weds 1/30: Run 7.25 miles (30mins at 7:30 pace); Swim 30 mins; Weights 30 mins
Thurs 1/31: Run 8 miles; Yoga 1 hour
Fri 2/1: OFF
Sat 2/2: Trailrun 8.5 miles
Sun 2/3: Trailrun 19 miles; Swim 30 mins.
TOTAL MILES FOR THE WEEK: 55
This was a very hard week both mentaliy and physically for me. I even took yesterday (Monday) off to recover. I am really under trained for the 50K that is coming up. I guess I will just go out there and run/walk it if I have to and just have a good time in Moab.
Train hard and have a great week.
Shad
Monday1/28: Run 6 miles; Weights 30 mins
Tuesday 1/29: Run 6.25 miles
Weds 1/30: Run 7.25 miles (30mins at 7:30 pace); Swim 30 mins; Weights 30 mins
Thurs 1/31: Run 8 miles; Yoga 1 hour
Fri 2/1: OFF
Sat 2/2: Trailrun 8.5 miles
Sun 2/3: Trailrun 19 miles; Swim 30 mins.
TOTAL MILES FOR THE WEEK: 55
This was a very hard week both mentaliy and physically for me. I even took yesterday (Monday) off to recover. I am really under trained for the 50K that is coming up. I guess I will just go out there and run/walk it if I have to and just have a good time in Moab.
Train hard and have a great week.
Shad
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Inspiring Words from a US champ
I hope that everyone is doing well. I have been trying to get back into a normal training mode but keep getting side tracked by colds. Oh well the 50K in Moab in 4 weeks is going to kill me but it will be worth it.
Anyway my buddy Neal sent me this which was copied from a Blog written by Ryan Hall. In case you don't know who Ryan Hall is, he will be running the Marathon for the US in the 2008 Olympics. He was good friends with Ryan Shay who died at the US Olympic Trails last Nov.
--------------------------------
Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Ryan Hall as he begins his quest for Olympic gold! Check back every other Friday for Ryan’s latest entry.
These past three weeks I have been shown what it means to persevere in the face of hard times. Sara and I arrived in Flagstaff on December 30th to stay with our friend, Alicia Shay, with the goal of helping her in whatever way we could through the recent loss of her husband. However, as is the case so often when we try and help others, we are the ones who get blessed from the experience. I guess this is why Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Alicia showed me what it means to get up every day and face her troubles with courage and strength. I am sure a lot of people are proud of how Alicia has endured this hard time. I am certainly very proud and inspired by her ability to just plain get up everyday and choose to live a life of joy, even though she certainly has the right to be bitter, angry and frustrated.
Perseverance is a trait that I have had to learn a lot about during my running career.
The other day I was reflecting on how, when I was little, I always built up Olympians as these super-strong people who were just good all the time. Now that I am going to be one, it feels ironic that I thought of Olympians in this way. When I look at my strengths I realize that one of the most important characteristics I have is simply the ability to get back up. One of my favorite verses in the bible comes from Proverbs and says, “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again…” (24.16). This verse resonates with my soul because I had so many hard times in college.
I can’t tell you how many 800’s I jogged in over 2 minutes, even though I was going all out, or how many races I was doing everything I could do to just cover the distance. I remember racing in the London Super Grand Prix 5,000M two years ago getting the applause from the crowd for the last place runner who is struggling in far behind the rest of the field. After all these hard times, I, like Alicia, had a choice to make: was I going to get up or give in? I think some of the most celebrated moments in human achievement should be those times when everything is going against a person and they are down in the dumps but they simply choose to get up. That’s real greatness!
Currently, I am beginning to get ready for my next big event, the London Marathon. I know that the next three months are going to be full of challenging workouts. I know that I will hit some of them and feel great, but I also know that there will be days when I might be a little tired and may not run as well as I would like, but I know that no matter what the training and racing holds I will be thankful for the good days and I will get back up on the days when I falter.
When I was getting ready for the Olympic trials I had to put my perseverance to the test. About three months out I got a cold and started really struggling for a couple of weeks. I was pretty down about it all and even told Sara that I didn’t think I would make the team. I was blessed to have her encouragement through those rough weeks. I stayed down for a couple of days, but then I gradually lifted myself out of the dirt and got back to work. I am amazed by how much that one decision to get back up changed my life. I want to encourage you that if you are going through a tough time, get up; you have no idea what is waiting for you on the other side. Even if things don’t turn out how you hope, you still will have developed the characteristic of perseverance, which will benefit you for the rest of your life.
Anyway my buddy Neal sent me this which was copied from a Blog written by Ryan Hall. In case you don't know who Ryan Hall is, he will be running the Marathon for the US in the 2008 Olympics. He was good friends with Ryan Shay who died at the US Olympic Trails last Nov.
--------------------------------
Welcome to the official blog of top U.S. distance runner Ryan Hall as he begins his quest for Olympic gold! Check back every other Friday for Ryan’s latest entry.
These past three weeks I have been shown what it means to persevere in the face of hard times. Sara and I arrived in Flagstaff on December 30th to stay with our friend, Alicia Shay, with the goal of helping her in whatever way we could through the recent loss of her husband. However, as is the case so often when we try and help others, we are the ones who get blessed from the experience. I guess this is why Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Alicia showed me what it means to get up every day and face her troubles with courage and strength. I am sure a lot of people are proud of how Alicia has endured this hard time. I am certainly very proud and inspired by her ability to just plain get up everyday and choose to live a life of joy, even though she certainly has the right to be bitter, angry and frustrated.
Perseverance is a trait that I have had to learn a lot about during my running career.
The other day I was reflecting on how, when I was little, I always built up Olympians as these super-strong people who were just good all the time. Now that I am going to be one, it feels ironic that I thought of Olympians in this way. When I look at my strengths I realize that one of the most important characteristics I have is simply the ability to get back up. One of my favorite verses in the bible comes from Proverbs and says, “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again…” (24.16). This verse resonates with my soul because I had so many hard times in college.
I can’t tell you how many 800’s I jogged in over 2 minutes, even though I was going all out, or how many races I was doing everything I could do to just cover the distance. I remember racing in the London Super Grand Prix 5,000M two years ago getting the applause from the crowd for the last place runner who is struggling in far behind the rest of the field. After all these hard times, I, like Alicia, had a choice to make: was I going to get up or give in? I think some of the most celebrated moments in human achievement should be those times when everything is going against a person and they are down in the dumps but they simply choose to get up. That’s real greatness!
Currently, I am beginning to get ready for my next big event, the London Marathon. I know that the next three months are going to be full of challenging workouts. I know that I will hit some of them and feel great, but I also know that there will be days when I might be a little tired and may not run as well as I would like, but I know that no matter what the training and racing holds I will be thankful for the good days and I will get back up on the days when I falter.
When I was getting ready for the Olympic trials I had to put my perseverance to the test. About three months out I got a cold and started really struggling for a couple of weeks. I was pretty down about it all and even told Sara that I didn’t think I would make the team. I was blessed to have her encouragement through those rough weeks. I stayed down for a couple of days, but then I gradually lifted myself out of the dirt and got back to work. I am amazed by how much that one decision to get back up changed my life. I want to encourage you that if you are going through a tough time, get up; you have no idea what is waiting for you on the other side. Even if things don’t turn out how you hope, you still will have developed the characteristic of perseverance, which will benefit you for the rest of your life.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Goals for 2008
Hope every one is having a great New Year. I thought I would put out there my goals and races to share with everyone. There is a link for each one if you click on it. Have a great January and the next time I check it will most likely be next month with a race report from the Red Hot 50K, unless I get up into the mountains climbing before then.
2008 RACES
Moab Red Hot 50K 2/16
Moab 24 hour 3/29
Greenland 50K 4/19
Collegiate Peaks 50miler 5/3
Squaw Peak 50miler 6/7
Estes Park Marathon 6/15
Mount Evan Ascent 6/21
Leadville Marathon 7/5
Leadville 50miler 7/20
Leadville 10K 8/10
Leadville 100miler 8/16
Other Goals for 2008
1) Finish Sawatch\Front\ Elk Ranges 14ers
2) Start on the San Juan Range 14ers
3) Do the Maroon Bells 4 pass loop again in 1 day
4) John Muir Trail (211 miles) in 7 days or less
5) Start working on doing the Colorado Trail in sections (got the book for Christmas)
All and all it is going to be a very busy and exciting year!! Hopefully my body and mind will hold up to the challenge!
2008 RACES
Moab Red Hot 50K 2/16
Moab 24 hour 3/29
Greenland 50K 4/19
Collegiate Peaks 50miler 5/3
Squaw Peak 50miler 6/7
Estes Park Marathon 6/15
Mount Evan Ascent 6/21
Leadville Marathon 7/5
Leadville 50miler 7/20
Leadville 10K 8/10
Leadville 100miler 8/16
Other Goals for 2008
1) Finish Sawatch\Front\ Elk Ranges 14ers
2) Start on the San Juan Range 14ers
3) Do the Maroon Bells 4 pass loop again in 1 day
4) John Muir Trail (211 miles) in 7 days or less
5) Start working on doing the Colorado Trail in sections (got the book for Christmas)
All and all it is going to be a very busy and exciting year!! Hopefully my body and mind will hold up to the challenge!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Year in Review
As I sit here at work with another snowy Colorado blizzard going on outside with nothing to work on I started reflecting on the past year of racing and climbing. I guess it is that time of year to reflect on the past year and start planning the upcoming year.
2007 has been my greatest year yet and I did not even plan on it. Everything just kind of fell into place. I basically went from a back of the packer at races to finishing in the top 20 in my age group on every race I entered. I also got a lot of the 14ers here in Colorado completed this year, over half of 58 that there are in this great state. Here is a list of what I was able to do this year as far as racing.
Mount Evans Ascent(14.5 miles): 2:30:00 for 4th in my age group (4500 ft of climbing)
Wild West Relay (195 mile relay): No Whiners team got 4th in divison
Georgetown Half Marathon: 1:27 for 16th in my age group
Leadville 10K: 42:50 for 3rd overall and age group, race at 10,000 feet
Bohemian Alps 50K (33.8 miles): 4:31:00 for 5th overall
Denver Marathon: 3:13:45 for 16th in age group
Not a bad year of racing considering my goals these year was just to finish a marathon in under 4 hours. I have not been able to do that until this year. What a change considering that last year I finished the Estes Park Marathon in over 5 hours.
Also this past year I had the chance to climb many mountains both in the winter and summer. I have completed 29 of the 58 14ers in the state and even repeated 8 of them for 37 total 14ers for the year. Not bad considering that I was not planning on climbing that much. I went on a trip last Feb to Quandary and got hooked. This total does not include the 20 or so other mountains under 14,000 feet that I have climbed this year or the 35 mile 4 pass Maroon Bells backpacking loop. It has been a great year in the mountains.
Here is the link to all of my pictures for the past year, enjoy!
Shad's Pictures
For this upcoming year I have decided to redirect my energy into mostly just running and attempting my first 50 and 100 mile runs. Here is a picture of my upcoming training plan. Of course this is still a work in progress. If you click on the spreadsheet below it will enlarge.
2007 has been my greatest year yet and I did not even plan on it. Everything just kind of fell into place. I basically went from a back of the packer at races to finishing in the top 20 in my age group on every race I entered. I also got a lot of the 14ers here in Colorado completed this year, over half of 58 that there are in this great state. Here is a list of what I was able to do this year as far as racing.
Mount Evans Ascent(14.5 miles): 2:30:00 for 4th in my age group (4500 ft of climbing)
Wild West Relay (195 mile relay): No Whiners team got 4th in divison
Georgetown Half Marathon: 1:27 for 16th in my age group
Leadville 10K: 42:50 for 3rd overall and age group, race at 10,000 feet
Bohemian Alps 50K (33.8 miles): 4:31:00 for 5th overall
Denver Marathon: 3:13:45 for 16th in age group
Not a bad year of racing considering my goals these year was just to finish a marathon in under 4 hours. I have not been able to do that until this year. What a change considering that last year I finished the Estes Park Marathon in over 5 hours.
Also this past year I had the chance to climb many mountains both in the winter and summer. I have completed 29 of the 58 14ers in the state and even repeated 8 of them for 37 total 14ers for the year. Not bad considering that I was not planning on climbing that much. I went on a trip last Feb to Quandary and got hooked. This total does not include the 20 or so other mountains under 14,000 feet that I have climbed this year or the 35 mile 4 pass Maroon Bells backpacking loop. It has been a great year in the mountains.
Here is the link to all of my pictures for the past year, enjoy!
Shad's Pictures
For this upcoming year I have decided to redirect my energy into mostly just running and attempting my first 50 and 100 mile runs. Here is a picture of my upcoming training plan. Of course this is still a work in progress. If you click on the spreadsheet below it will enlarge.
It may be hard to read the photo, sorry about that but basically there is 2-3 short races, 2 marathons, 2 50Ks, 3 50 milers, and then the grand daddy of 2008, Leadville 100 mile trail run. There is also an attempt on the John Muir trail in California which is over 200 miles long. This would basically be averaging 31 miles a day for 7 days. I thought this would be good slow endurance training for Leadville 100 which is the overall goal in 2008.
We will see if I can hold up to all of this. I am sure some of the races and training will change based on how I am feeling as I work throughout the year. I will have to back off on the speed and just attempt to just finish each race. I need to make sure that I can recover from race to race and not grind myself into the ground until the Leadville 100 at which time I will give it my all.
As far as finishing my climbing of all the 14ers, I will fit them in here and there. I plan on doing at least Snowmass when Kirk is ready to do his last 14er sometime this year. These mountains are not going anywhere and I will get them all done, just not this year. I want my last 14er to be Handies as I finish Hardrock 100 mile trail run. I need to work my way up to that, maybe in 2009. Hardrock is the hardest 100 miler out there. What a cool way to finish all the 14ers huh?
I want to thank everyone for their support and help this year. Everyone from my girlfriend Ashley for running with me and putting up with my long climbing trips and my crazy training schedule. I also want to thank my main training partners Rebecca, Neal and Rachel for the motivation this year, it sucks to do long runs solo. I am looking forward to the adventures on the trail that we have planned for 2008! I also want to thank climbing partners Kirk, Dan, Scott, Chris, and Prakash along with Rebecca again for getting after the 14ers with me this year, hopefully my training will allow me to get in a few climbs in 2008 with you. I am also thankful for all the people I got to meet/train with/climb with from meetup.com and 14ers.com websites. I also want to thank Clyde for introducing me to ultras. We will see where this leads to this year buddy. I am looking forward to all the ultras that we have planned together in 2008.
I hope that everyone has a great 2008 and see you on the trails!
Shad
Friday, November 9, 2007
BACK AT IT.........
I have been slacking the last few weeks and have ran a total of 30 miles or so. I think it is good that I took the time off. I have been going at since last fall without any kind of a break. This week the slow rebuilding process will be starting. Every run will be at an easy to moderate pace, it will be all about base building from here on out. I am not saying that I will not be running hills just that I will not be going full bore up them. I did sign up for my next major race this week, The Red Hot 50K in Moab, here is the Link:
Red Hot 50K
Also this past weekend I reclimbed Longs Peak again. This a 16 mile round trip hike that can be very challaging this time of year. The wind beat the crap out of us. In Aug I did this climb in 7 hours and 50 mins, last week it took us 13 hours. Snow and ice really slow you down. Anyway below are some pictures of the climb and KirkT should be posting a trip report on 14ers.com in the next couple of days.
Here is the link to Kirk's trip report:
Long's peak trip report
Red Hot 50K
Also this past weekend I reclimbed Longs Peak again. This a 16 mile round trip hike that can be very challaging this time of year. The wind beat the crap out of us. In Aug I did this climb in 7 hours and 50 mins, last week it took us 13 hours. Snow and ice really slow you down. Anyway below are some pictures of the climb and KirkT should be posting a trip report on 14ers.com in the next couple of days.
Here is the link to Kirk's trip report:
Long's peak trip report
Sunday, October 14, 2007
DENVER MARATHON 10-14-07
It finially arrived, race day. My uncle Steve and I signed up for this marathon almost 10 months ago when they were running a special of when you signed up you got a free entry. I never thought it would get here and at the same time I was hoping that it wouldn't. I have had nothing but bad experences with marathons the last 2 years and have not been able to figure them out. I always seem to crash around mile 22 but at least I finished every one. This year on my third attempt it is different, I have been running a lot more and even got a 33 mile run under my belt to prove to myself that it was not the distance but a mental block that I put on myself. All week I have been ready until I saw the weather forecast, rain, rain, and more rain. I hate running in the rain. Don't really know why but I do. Maybe it is because I can not get warm or that I can not hear since I can't wear my hearing aid. Either way I just plain hate the rain.
So Sunday morning everyone gets up around 6am, we get all the kids loaded up into the van and on the way to the race downtown around 6:45 for the 8am start. Having already gotten our chips and race number all we had to do was show up and run. It was a cold and wet morning when we got there, I am guessing around 40 degrees and a constant drizzle of rain. I do not think it got above 50 all day long and it never stopped raining.
As the 8am start got closer Steve and I got into the chute for the mass start. They had different sections marked off based on what pace you were expecting to run. We lined up between the 7 and 8 mins per mile signs. Knowing that people always line up in a faster group than they usually run we worked our way up closer to the 7 min sign. Shortly after 8am we were off to a quick start. About 1-2 miles into the run Steve and I caught up with the 3:20 pace group. I told Steve at this point that my goal was to try and stay in front of this pacer. At that point Steve must have decided to back off a bit because I looked to my side and he was not there, that was the last time I saw him until the race was over. I passed the 3 mile mark at 21 mins, right on pace and feeling good. From mile 3-13 I do not really remember anything. I just went on auto pilot and chugged along. I pasted the 10K mark in 43 mins and the 13 mile mark in 1:31.
At the halfway point I realized that maybe I can qualify for Boston, I had 1:39 to get the finish. The qualifing time for my age group is 3:10. It is possible. From mile 13-22 the course has you running through houses south of downtown and through Wash park which I hate. Since I could not really hear anything or see anything due to not wearing my hearing aid and glasses I basically just looked at the 6 feet of pavement in front of me and tried to hang on as much as possible. Around mile 16 I think it was I did finally see Ashley and my uncle's family though!!! That was a huge mental boost for me. I knew that they were on the course cheering me on but I could not pick them out due to not being able to hear or see well. I was very relieved when I saw Ashley and picked up my pace.
As we were heading back downtown for the finish I pasted mile 21 at 2:30. That gave me 40 mins to run 5.2 miles, just under 8 min miles. I tried with everything that I had but the cramping in my legs hurt to bad and I was so cold from being wet. I finished in 3:13, 3 mins off from qualifing for Boston. Crap, so close! I ran the second 13 miles in 1:42. As I crossed the finish line I almost fell, my joints hurt so bad and one of the volunteers caught me. Finally I saw Ashley again, she was so happy for me and that is what I needed to hear. I was bummed about falling 3 mins short but like she said, I took off 1:15 from my best marathon time in only 1 year, not bad. If I keep this kind of improvement up I will be under 3 hours before to long. I am so lucky to have her to help me keep things in persective.
After the race we all went back to the condo to warm up. Steve and family took off back to Nebraska. Ashley and I on the other had some friends over for food and drinks to celebrate an end to a great summer and to cheer on the Rockies as they beat the Diamond Backs. What a great day!!!
My results.
Overall Rank Class Rank Pace Sex Rank Age Final
61 of 1563 16 of 159 00:07:23 53 31 03:13:45
Steve's Results
Overall Rank Class Rank Pace Sex Rank Age Final
542 of 1563 65 of 125 00:09:17 405 43 04:03:37
So Sunday morning everyone gets up around 6am, we get all the kids loaded up into the van and on the way to the race downtown around 6:45 for the 8am start. Having already gotten our chips and race number all we had to do was show up and run. It was a cold and wet morning when we got there, I am guessing around 40 degrees and a constant drizzle of rain. I do not think it got above 50 all day long and it never stopped raining.
As the 8am start got closer Steve and I got into the chute for the mass start. They had different sections marked off based on what pace you were expecting to run. We lined up between the 7 and 8 mins per mile signs. Knowing that people always line up in a faster group than they usually run we worked our way up closer to the 7 min sign. Shortly after 8am we were off to a quick start. About 1-2 miles into the run Steve and I caught up with the 3:20 pace group. I told Steve at this point that my goal was to try and stay in front of this pacer. At that point Steve must have decided to back off a bit because I looked to my side and he was not there, that was the last time I saw him until the race was over. I passed the 3 mile mark at 21 mins, right on pace and feeling good. From mile 3-13 I do not really remember anything. I just went on auto pilot and chugged along. I pasted the 10K mark in 43 mins and the 13 mile mark in 1:31.
At the halfway point I realized that maybe I can qualify for Boston, I had 1:39 to get the finish. The qualifing time for my age group is 3:10. It is possible. From mile 13-22 the course has you running through houses south of downtown and through Wash park which I hate. Since I could not really hear anything or see anything due to not wearing my hearing aid and glasses I basically just looked at the 6 feet of pavement in front of me and tried to hang on as much as possible. Around mile 16 I think it was I did finally see Ashley and my uncle's family though!!! That was a huge mental boost for me. I knew that they were on the course cheering me on but I could not pick them out due to not being able to hear or see well. I was very relieved when I saw Ashley and picked up my pace.
As we were heading back downtown for the finish I pasted mile 21 at 2:30. That gave me 40 mins to run 5.2 miles, just under 8 min miles. I tried with everything that I had but the cramping in my legs hurt to bad and I was so cold from being wet. I finished in 3:13, 3 mins off from qualifing for Boston. Crap, so close! I ran the second 13 miles in 1:42. As I crossed the finish line I almost fell, my joints hurt so bad and one of the volunteers caught me. Finally I saw Ashley again, she was so happy for me and that is what I needed to hear. I was bummed about falling 3 mins short but like she said, I took off 1:15 from my best marathon time in only 1 year, not bad. If I keep this kind of improvement up I will be under 3 hours before to long. I am so lucky to have her to help me keep things in persective.
After the race we all went back to the condo to warm up. Steve and family took off back to Nebraska. Ashley and I on the other had some friends over for food and drinks to celebrate an end to a great summer and to cheer on the Rockies as they beat the Diamond Backs. What a great day!!!
My results.
Overall Rank Class Rank Pace Sex Rank Age Final
61 of 1563 16 of 159 00:07:23 53 31 03:13:45
Steve's Results
Overall Rank Class Rank Pace Sex Rank Age Final
542 of 1563 65 of 125 00:09:17 405 43 04:03:37
Thursday, October 4, 2007
You know you're a 14er nut when...
This is from many people on 14ers.com.... I can relate to most of these if not all of them.
Train hard.......Shad
You know you're a 14er nut when...
You visit REI more often than your local grocery store.
Noticing the mountains can stop you mid-sentence in a conversation.
Your work schedule revolves around your climbing schedule.
You hear about a "summit on world poverty" and wonder how climbing could improve the world economy.
You walk into your room to go to bed, realize that you washed your sheets today but didn't put them back on the mattress, and just nab your sleeping bag and collapse anyway.
You rate a potentially compatible member of the opposite sex on a difficulty level of 1 to 5.
Your friends consider you a "mountain geek."
You look at a pebble and notice that it resembles a 14er on a very small scale.
You wear hiking boots or shoes on a regular basis (if you wear them to a formal event, extra points.)
You don't need to have any kind of entertainment when you're on a long car ride in Colorado... the view is sufficient.
You can recognize all of the 14ers by name just by seeing a picture of them.
Your ideal vacation is in the mountains climbing for days on end.
You know who Albert Ellingwood was.
You consider naming pets and children after 14ers.
You consider naming pets and children after people or screennames you discovered on 14ers.com.
You examine a stone building and wonder what it's difficulty rating is.
You hear someone in the middle of a conversation say "I like it on top" and don't take it in a derogatory way.
You know the name and screenname of a man who climbed Mt. Elbert in a purple pimp suit and demoted Sunshine Peak to a centennial 13er.
You log onto 14ers.com more than your e-mail account.
you go to take your clothes out of the washer and they are already dry
You see a painting with a mountain in it and start to try and figure out what the best route would be to climb it (same goes for movies)
You name your fantasy football team the Colorado 14'ers
Train hard.......Shad
You know you're a 14er nut when...
You visit REI more often than your local grocery store.
Noticing the mountains can stop you mid-sentence in a conversation.
Your work schedule revolves around your climbing schedule.
You hear about a "summit on world poverty" and wonder how climbing could improve the world economy.
You walk into your room to go to bed, realize that you washed your sheets today but didn't put them back on the mattress, and just nab your sleeping bag and collapse anyway.
You rate a potentially compatible member of the opposite sex on a difficulty level of 1 to 5.
Your friends consider you a "mountain geek."
You look at a pebble and notice that it resembles a 14er on a very small scale.
You wear hiking boots or shoes on a regular basis (if you wear them to a formal event, extra points.)
You don't need to have any kind of entertainment when you're on a long car ride in Colorado... the view is sufficient.
You can recognize all of the 14ers by name just by seeing a picture of them.
Your ideal vacation is in the mountains climbing for days on end.
You know who Albert Ellingwood was.
You consider naming pets and children after 14ers.
You consider naming pets and children after people or screennames you discovered on 14ers.com.
You examine a stone building and wonder what it's difficulty rating is.
You hear someone in the middle of a conversation say "I like it on top" and don't take it in a derogatory way.
You know the name and screenname of a man who climbed Mt. Elbert in a purple pimp suit and demoted Sunshine Peak to a centennial 13er.
You log onto 14ers.com more than your e-mail account.
you go to take your clothes out of the washer and they are already dry
You see a painting with a mountain in it and start to try and figure out what the best route would be to climb it (same goes for movies)
You name your fantasy football team the Colorado 14'ers
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Endurance Athlete's Personal Ad Translation Guide
I came across this somewhere a while back and loved it. I wish I knew who wrote it but I don't.
Endurance Athlete's Personal Ad Translation Guide
"I am an outdoors type of person." Really means: I train in any type of weather. If its raining, snowing, 90 degrees w/100% humidity, or winds gusting at 30 mph. I don't want to hear any complaints cause I will still train in it and your just a big wuss for complaining about it.
"I enjoy riding my bike." Really means: with or w/o aero bars, alone or in a peleton, I don't care. If you can't do a spur of the moment 30 miler then your not my type. I will let you draft, but if you can't hang and I drop you I will see ya later. I am a capable mechanic, but don't expect me to change your flats or tune your
bike. You need to learn that on your own.
"I enjoy jogging." Really means: Lets run hills until we puke. I have just as many shoes as you only mine are better because they are functional and all look the same.
"I enjoy dining out." Really means: I enjoy eating out, in or anywhere else I can find food. Don't be shy cause with the amount of food I eat you can have that main entree instead of a salad and you will still look as though you eat like a rabbit in comparison. Don't get your limbs too close though as I may take a bite out of ya. Most importantly don't expect any taste off my plate unless you can bring something to the party like more food. Eventually though if your not burning 4000+ calories a day your going to plump up and have a terrible complex due to watching me eat deserts and not gain any weight. Friends and family will eventually decide not to dine with us anymore due to my horrid table manners. Ohh, and don't ask me any questions during breakfast, Mid Morning Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon lunch, Dinner or Recovery Dinner as it does not lend to efficient food intake.
"I enjoy quiet walks on the beach." Really means: Walks on the beach warming up into a 8 mile run and then plunging myself in the ocean for a 2 miler. If you get in my way you're going to find out what mass start is and let me assure you that you don't want to find out.
"I find fullfillment in charitable work." Really means: If I am not racing I am volunteering and I expect you to be there along side me as I stand out in 90 degree weather for 8 hours handing out sports drink to cyclist going 20 mph. Just stick the ol' arm out there and hope it doesn't get taken off.
"I enjoy sharing quiet moments together." Really means: It's taper time. Just back off cause I am strategizing and in a pissy mood cause I am worried about my "A" race and can't workout.
"I am an active person." Really means: Aside from my 40 hour job, and the 8 mandatory hours of sleep a night. 10 hours a week are devoted to myself during the offseason and 20 during race season leaving us 4 hours. 2 of which are spent inhaling food and you not talking to me, so lets make the best of the 2 hours we will spend together on average each day. If you are a licensed message therapist or doctor this would make the most optimal use of our time together. Nutritionist is also acceptable, but I probably already know just as much as you.
"I enjoy road trips and leisurely drives." Really means: You have your choice of Wisconsin, Idaho, Florida, California, Arizona, and New York, but don't expect to do much site seeing. If I get enough support from you we might be able to include Hawaii in there.
"I enjoy site seeing." Really means: Lets grab a moutain bike and get our HR's up to 90%. There's plenty of time to look around on the descent as trees and bushes whiz by you at 40 mph.
"I like stimulating conversation." Really means: while we are running, we can talk about food. Then we can talk about how we decided what to wear on this run based on the temperature at start time versus the temperature at the time we expect to finish, how horribly out of shape we are, how many miles we did last week, and how many we will do this week and next week. Then we can talk about food.
"I enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub." Really Means: I'm going to stop on the way home and buy two bags of ice, throw them in the tub with some water, and sit in this torture chamber for 30 minutes.
"I'm interested in photography" Really Means: My a camera is permanently perched a tripod in front of my trainer. I obsess over taking photos of my bike position and analyzing them to get the perfect setup.
"I'm into in technology" Really Means: My HRM and bike computer are my best friends. Until you can give me some hard data that can improve my training, don't bother trying to buddy up to me. You could one day break into the top three if I find you as entertaining on long runs and rides as my mp3 player.
Endurance Athlete's Personal Ad Translation Guide
"I am an outdoors type of person." Really means: I train in any type of weather. If its raining, snowing, 90 degrees w/100% humidity, or winds gusting at 30 mph. I don't want to hear any complaints cause I will still train in it and your just a big wuss for complaining about it.
"I enjoy riding my bike." Really means: with or w/o aero bars, alone or in a peleton, I don't care. If you can't do a spur of the moment 30 miler then your not my type. I will let you draft, but if you can't hang and I drop you I will see ya later. I am a capable mechanic, but don't expect me to change your flats or tune your
bike. You need to learn that on your own.
"I enjoy jogging." Really means: Lets run hills until we puke. I have just as many shoes as you only mine are better because they are functional and all look the same.
"I enjoy dining out." Really means: I enjoy eating out, in or anywhere else I can find food. Don't be shy cause with the amount of food I eat you can have that main entree instead of a salad and you will still look as though you eat like a rabbit in comparison. Don't get your limbs too close though as I may take a bite out of ya. Most importantly don't expect any taste off my plate unless you can bring something to the party like more food. Eventually though if your not burning 4000+ calories a day your going to plump up and have a terrible complex due to watching me eat deserts and not gain any weight. Friends and family will eventually decide not to dine with us anymore due to my horrid table manners. Ohh, and don't ask me any questions during breakfast, Mid Morning Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon lunch, Dinner or Recovery Dinner as it does not lend to efficient food intake.
"I enjoy quiet walks on the beach." Really means: Walks on the beach warming up into a 8 mile run and then plunging myself in the ocean for a 2 miler. If you get in my way you're going to find out what mass start is and let me assure you that you don't want to find out.
"I find fullfillment in charitable work." Really means: If I am not racing I am volunteering and I expect you to be there along side me as I stand out in 90 degree weather for 8 hours handing out sports drink to cyclist going 20 mph. Just stick the ol' arm out there and hope it doesn't get taken off.
"I enjoy sharing quiet moments together." Really means: It's taper time. Just back off cause I am strategizing and in a pissy mood cause I am worried about my "A" race and can't workout.
"I am an active person." Really means: Aside from my 40 hour job, and the 8 mandatory hours of sleep a night. 10 hours a week are devoted to myself during the offseason and 20 during race season leaving us 4 hours. 2 of which are spent inhaling food and you not talking to me, so lets make the best of the 2 hours we will spend together on average each day. If you are a licensed message therapist or doctor this would make the most optimal use of our time together. Nutritionist is also acceptable, but I probably already know just as much as you.
"I enjoy road trips and leisurely drives." Really means: You have your choice of Wisconsin, Idaho, Florida, California, Arizona, and New York, but don't expect to do much site seeing. If I get enough support from you we might be able to include Hawaii in there.
"I enjoy site seeing." Really means: Lets grab a moutain bike and get our HR's up to 90%. There's plenty of time to look around on the descent as trees and bushes whiz by you at 40 mph.
"I like stimulating conversation." Really means: while we are running, we can talk about food. Then we can talk about how we decided what to wear on this run based on the temperature at start time versus the temperature at the time we expect to finish, how horribly out of shape we are, how many miles we did last week, and how many we will do this week and next week. Then we can talk about food.
"I enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub." Really Means: I'm going to stop on the way home and buy two bags of ice, throw them in the tub with some water, and sit in this torture chamber for 30 minutes.
"I'm interested in photography" Really Means: My a camera is permanently perched a tripod in front of my trainer. I obsess over taking photos of my bike position and analyzing them to get the perfect setup.
"I'm into in technology" Really Means: My HRM and bike computer are my best friends. Until you can give me some hard data that can improve my training, don't bother trying to buddy up to me. You could one day break into the top three if I find you as entertaining on long runs and rides as my mp3 player.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Bohemian Alps 50K 9-15-07
I thought I would share my photos and a short race report from my first Ultra Marathon this past Saturday. The link to all my Photos is at the end of this e-mail, just click on the Bohemian Alps Ultra Marathon Album to view them.
This past Saturday Sept. 15th, I attempted my first of hopefully many Ultras with the great support of my girlfriend Ashley, her son Braden, and my uncle Steve. This race was called the Bohemian Alps Ultra Marathon 50K and was located in the central part of Nebraska not to far from Lincoln. The race was actually a little longer than 50K, it was a 32 mile run. I chose this race because it gave me a chance to drop down in elevation to 1000 feet above sea level and visit family on the way back to Colorado. One would think that since it was located in Nebraska that it would be a flat course but boy was I wrong. It was 32 miles of pure steep rolling hills. The hills were short but steep. You would run up a hill that was only 400-500 yards long and gain 200-300 feet only to look over the top to see miles and miles more of the same. Hills as far as the eye could see, FUN!!!!!
After a night of no sleep due to the rooster crowing from 3:30 am on, we lined up to start at 7:30 am. The first 2 miles I stayed in a pack of about 5 people as I warmed up. The 3 leaders took off like bandits and we lost site of the leader after 2 miles but could always see the other 2. At about the 2 mile mark after a good warm up a guy that I meet in the pack I was running with named Jason from Wahoo (I believe) Nebraska (was a cross country runner at Kansas State) and I decided to push a little since we both felt good. We took turns leading and breaking the wind for each other. It did not take us long to catch and pass the 3rd place guy. About 10 mins later we passed the second place guy around mile 10 and could see the first place guy ahead of us about 1/2 mile. I was starting to hurt as Jason and I pulled into mile 13-14 or so. I looked down at my watch to see that we covered the first 13-14 miles in 1:11ish or so. I just ran the fastest 13 miles that I ever have, there is no way I could keep this pace for 32 miles. At this point I told Jason that I was not going to be able to keep that pace and needed to back off and that I would see him at the end. I needed to run my race. Jason asked me if I was sure about that and I said yes. At this point I set myself into a 8 min mile pace and just chugged along. Ashley even rode her bike with me for a bit, that was great. At mile 16 my uncle Steve decided that he would join me and run for a while to keep me company.
Over the course of the next 10 miles from mile 16 to 26 was pretty uneventful. I did stop once to go to the bathroom but outside of that I just plotted along at my pace. Most of this section was long a tree lined bike path so my crew only had access to me every 2-3 miles or so. This was the most boring section of the race. After breaking off the bike path and getting back on the dirt roads we hit the 26 mile mark fairly quickly at 3:18. Not bad!!! I still felt good too, I was feeling good with only 6 miles left and starting to get cocky when I crashed and hit the bottom of the valley.
At mile 27-28 or so we had to head off into the local cross country course called Timber Point or as the locals called it Timber Hell. This is where I started having stomach and leg issues. I started to feel like I was going to puke and my legs were starting to cramp a bit in the calves. Usually I start feeling this way at mile 22 so not feeling this way until 28 is an improvement I guess. Timber Point was a 2 mile run around a lake on path that was mowed threw the weeds. I slowed greatly because of my problems and out of the fear of rolling an ankle or something. After power walking/ jogging through Timber Hell, it was a great relief to see my crew at mile 30 and get some Cyomax (drink). I ran out while going around the lake only had water which will not do the job. I need calories which is why I was not feeling good.
At this point I only had 2 miles left of jogging/power walking to the finish. These were the longest 2 miles I have experienced so far. I had to break down and put my I-pod on so that I could go away mentally. I did not want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to go away and keep moving forward. The whole time I was cussing at myself for slowing so much and for starting out so fast. Needless to say I finally crossed the finish line at 4:31 in 5th place and it was over........ I could not believe that the last 6 miles took me over an hour to complete. Wow that was a shock.
This was a very humbling experience for me and I am think that I am ready for the Denver Marathon in 3 weeks. I was worried because I seem to crash and burn at mile 22 or so the past couple of races. This seems to no longer be the case. We will see.
I really want to thank Ashley, Braden, and Steve for going with me and crewing for me. This would have been a nightmare without them! Thanks guys!!!
Here is the link to some pictures. Just click on Bohemian Alps Ultra Marathon album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/shadmika
This past Saturday Sept. 15th, I attempted my first of hopefully many Ultras with the great support of my girlfriend Ashley, her son Braden, and my uncle Steve. This race was called the Bohemian Alps Ultra Marathon 50K and was located in the central part of Nebraska not to far from Lincoln. The race was actually a little longer than 50K, it was a 32 mile run. I chose this race because it gave me a chance to drop down in elevation to 1000 feet above sea level and visit family on the way back to Colorado. One would think that since it was located in Nebraska that it would be a flat course but boy was I wrong. It was 32 miles of pure steep rolling hills. The hills were short but steep. You would run up a hill that was only 400-500 yards long and gain 200-300 feet only to look over the top to see miles and miles more of the same. Hills as far as the eye could see, FUN!!!!!
After a night of no sleep due to the rooster crowing from 3:30 am on, we lined up to start at 7:30 am. The first 2 miles I stayed in a pack of about 5 people as I warmed up. The 3 leaders took off like bandits and we lost site of the leader after 2 miles but could always see the other 2. At about the 2 mile mark after a good warm up a guy that I meet in the pack I was running with named Jason from Wahoo (I believe) Nebraska (was a cross country runner at Kansas State) and I decided to push a little since we both felt good. We took turns leading and breaking the wind for each other. It did not take us long to catch and pass the 3rd place guy. About 10 mins later we passed the second place guy around mile 10 and could see the first place guy ahead of us about 1/2 mile. I was starting to hurt as Jason and I pulled into mile 13-14 or so. I looked down at my watch to see that we covered the first 13-14 miles in 1:11ish or so. I just ran the fastest 13 miles that I ever have, there is no way I could keep this pace for 32 miles. At this point I told Jason that I was not going to be able to keep that pace and needed to back off and that I would see him at the end. I needed to run my race. Jason asked me if I was sure about that and I said yes. At this point I set myself into a 8 min mile pace and just chugged along. Ashley even rode her bike with me for a bit, that was great. At mile 16 my uncle Steve decided that he would join me and run for a while to keep me company.
Over the course of the next 10 miles from mile 16 to 26 was pretty uneventful. I did stop once to go to the bathroom but outside of that I just plotted along at my pace. Most of this section was long a tree lined bike path so my crew only had access to me every 2-3 miles or so. This was the most boring section of the race. After breaking off the bike path and getting back on the dirt roads we hit the 26 mile mark fairly quickly at 3:18. Not bad!!! I still felt good too, I was feeling good with only 6 miles left and starting to get cocky when I crashed and hit the bottom of the valley.
At mile 27-28 or so we had to head off into the local cross country course called Timber Point or as the locals called it Timber Hell. This is where I started having stomach and leg issues. I started to feel like I was going to puke and my legs were starting to cramp a bit in the calves. Usually I start feeling this way at mile 22 so not feeling this way until 28 is an improvement I guess. Timber Point was a 2 mile run around a lake on path that was mowed threw the weeds. I slowed greatly because of my problems and out of the fear of rolling an ankle or something. After power walking/ jogging through Timber Hell, it was a great relief to see my crew at mile 30 and get some Cyomax (drink). I ran out while going around the lake only had water which will not do the job. I need calories which is why I was not feeling good.
At this point I only had 2 miles left of jogging/power walking to the finish. These were the longest 2 miles I have experienced so far. I had to break down and put my I-pod on so that I could go away mentally. I did not want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to go away and keep moving forward. The whole time I was cussing at myself for slowing so much and for starting out so fast. Needless to say I finally crossed the finish line at 4:31 in 5th place and it was over........ I could not believe that the last 6 miles took me over an hour to complete. Wow that was a shock.
This was a very humbling experience for me and I am think that I am ready for the Denver Marathon in 3 weeks. I was worried because I seem to crash and burn at mile 22 or so the past couple of races. This seems to no longer be the case. We will see.
I really want to thank Ashley, Braden, and Steve for going with me and crewing for me. This would have been a nightmare without them! Thanks guys!!!
Here is the link to some pictures. Just click on Bohemian Alps Ultra Marathon album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/shadmika
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