WHAT!? Did you just say you saw BIGFOOT!

Well it is official. On December 4 at 7:30 in the morning I will embark on a goal finishing quest and become an ultra-runner.  As of right now myself and 44 others will be braving the cool winter weather to race, meet new people, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Salt Fork State Park in Lore City.

I have been planning to run an Ultra since late last year, and this is one of the races I found while doing some research on Ultra races in Ohio.  There really aren't that many, and there are definitely none less than a 45 minute drive away. I ultimately ended up choosing this one because there is on site lodging, the race has been around while, and I enjoy running in the winter. Besides there will be finisher medals, and a few other niceties that I thought would make for a better first time experience.

Until race day I won't have much more to write about, but this is a good introduction.

The new longest run to date.

A few days ago I set out to complete my long training that I scrapped on Sunday in favor of a shorter 7 mile run due to my legs still being ran out from the brick the day before. As luck would have it I got another chance to go for my long miles two days later on Tuesday. I have been wanting to try a loop style run to simulate the water stops that I will be taking during the marathon. On the start, I felt pretty good and the morning was cool my legs were feeling good too.

My plan for the run was to loop back a 2 miles and then after miles 6 or 8. After the stop at 2 my legs felt funny and it took a couple miles to get my rhythm back. I didn't make the 6 or 8 mile break. I decided to see how far I could make it and pushed on until I got to around 12 miles. This time starting back on the run to finish the mile or so to make my 13+ that I was wanting and, my legs didn't need any time to adjust. By now I had a pretty good idea of how my body was going to react to being pushed farther than I have before. I know that I must figure out a way to get some bodyglide somewhere around the halfway mark. I also know that I will need to change my  plan for staying hydrated, and am going to need to rely on my Injinji's to keep my toes comfortable for the distance.

Now that I have had a few days to reflect on the run and my body has stopped griping at me for not exercising as much as I should have in the days following. It was a good litmus test to see exactly where I am in my training and reassure myself that I can do this. Can't wait to push it to 16 next week.

My first Triathlon sprint distance brick

Today I set out to do something I have never done before.  The challenge I laid out before myself was to do a true brick workout, complete with realistic triathlon distances.  I chose to use the sprint distance.  For those of you who don't know, a sprint distance triathlon consists of a 750M swim, 20K bike, and 5K run. That converts to approximately a .5MI swim, 12.4MI bike, and 3.1MI run. Those all seem like pretty reasonable distances to strive for as a beginner.

Today's workout was to consist of a 12 mile bike ride followed directly by a 3.1 mile run. It was also to include a shoe change before embarking on the run portion. I have done workouts in the past that were opposite of this, but never have done one in the correct order. The goal was to complete 2/3 of a triathlon to see if I would be able to do it. I had no doubts about my fitness or endurance, but was concerned about how my body would handle the stress of going directly from one activity to the other.  As it turns out it did very well.  Here is a brief recap.

It was a dark and stormy morning, no, really, it was. We had a huge storm system run through this morning and I had to wait till it passed. I checked the weather one last time, it looked as thought the storm was going to skirt around us and I would be good to go.  As I start out the sky lightens and a cool breeze helps distract from the dampness from the rain that had ended a short while earlier.  Everything was going well until the return trip.  I had just passed the 8 mile mark when I noticed random lightning in the distance. I still thought that I would be okay and that the storm was just going to pass by. I was wrong, the lightning got closer, and the sky opened and dropped rain in torrent making the roads into mini white water rivers. I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me. Rain hurts when you are going pretty fast and have minimal protection.  I am glad that the storm was a quick and violent one because I really wanted to get my run in too. By the time that I had covered the last 2 miles home the storm had cleared and the sun was trying to do its thing.  Getting off my bike I hurried through the door to put it away and get ready to for my transition.

After round tripping a flight of steps for dry socks I was out of my wet foot gear and into the dry.  I think that it went pretty good considering that I have never done it before. I will need some practice to make it smooth, and to quickly get my legs adjusted to walking and ultimately running.  So, out the door I went and off for my run. I felt strange running so quickly after riding and was having a little trouble adjusting to the muscle fatigue. All of that adjustment to a new activity went away by the time I finished the first mile, and the rest just seemed to cruise on by. I even had enough left for a pretty decent kick to finish it off. 

Overall I would have to say that this has given me the answers I was looking for as to weather or not I would like doing tri's or not. I feel that as long as I can get some pool time I will have no issue with rocking some next year or maybe this year if I can find a reasonable one at the end of the season.

Workout totals:

Cycle stats:
11.87mi \ 48:36 \ 14.66 avg speed (the GPS lied, told me I had done 12.04mi before I adjusted to match my route.)

Transition stats:
3:00min.\ includes putting bike away, resetting app to record run, changing sock and shoes.

Run stats:
3.42mi \ 29:32 \ 8:37 avg pace.

HOLY HELL, I only have 69 days till 26.2

Yep, that is right, there are only 69 more days until I become a marathoner. Owner of the right to wear the 26.2 badge of pride. I can't believe that this is all I have left, I don't feel ready. I know that I am capable, but feel very up against a wall.  I have been dealing with a slew of injuries the past two months and have just gotten them turned around and am starting to feel stronger with each run.  As I have been reading those that I follow race reports from their own marathons and the great success that they have had. It is all making me a little bit nervous. Especially since I have not put in the miles that I should have been putting in.   I am getting back on track and I have had a few things go my way as far a training is concerned. The first thing that I did was I went to see a sports Dr., and he helped me diagnose what the causes of my injury cycle were. I have been working to correct and strengthen the weak muscles causing the issues. Second, I started to cross-train by riding my bike to and from work at least three times a week and trying to get out for a long ride on the weekends. This had greatly improved my running in both time and endurance. The third thing that I have been doing is pushing myself beyond what is comfortable, and taking a slower more comfortable approach to my long runs at the same time.  I had been neglecting my nutrition and doing other detrimental things to my body. I did have a few confidence boosters along the way, like PR'ing the most recent 5k and then busting out an 8 miler the day after.  Followed the next weekend with a 3.5 mi. run and 15 mi. of biking Saturday and a 10.5 mi. run on Sunday. Both of these were great confidence boosters, and now I feel I am on the right track. However, I  feel a little bit under the wire to get to where I need to be for race day.   Race day may be coming up fast, but I will be ready.

I love going LONG!!!

Sun and fog rising off the lake.

Oh how I have missed you! The sweet feeling of the burn as I push myself to the limit. The smell of the fresh morning air as I run past farmland and along foliage covered bike paths. How I have missed the serenity of the world just waking.

Sure, I run most mornings before the world is awake, but it is nothing like my long runs on Sunday. For some reason everything feels different and new when I head out for my long training run. Today's run was no different, and as I was running through the fog covered valleys and watched as the fog hovered just above my head as to make clear path for me on the trail I was running. I felt lucky to be alive and thankful for the ability to be able to enjoy my world in this manner. A year ago I would have scoffed at anyone who was doing what I am doing now, but now I can't imagine my Sunday starting any other way.

In fact, I look forward to my long runs every week, and am sad when they are over. Often I am a little jealous of those who get to run in wonderfully wooded and scenic areas of the world. Thinking to myself that it would be awesome to run someplace like that, but then I go for my long run and realize that the things I see on my run are equally beautiful as those seen in others pictures. I don't know what it is about long runs that make them so enjoyable, but I am glad that they are.

Run Stats:
10.54 miles
1:35:35 / 9:04 avg pace

Ashland Balloonfest 5K race report.

What can I say, today seemed like a good day for a race. Good thing since I was racing today. I know it seems like I race every weekend, but this is the last one until the marathon in September.  At least I think that it will be, unless a race comes along that I can't refuse.  Maybe something like a 10K or something a little bit different.  I digress though, this is my race report for the Ashland Balloonfest 5K, which went down this morning.  To start off the morning there was a pretty robust thunderstorm, which was finished by 7:00 AM. It was nice since it cooled the heat off a little and brought some nice cooling winds with it.  By 8:00 I was picking up my packet and getting everything pinned and secured in its place.

Then it was off to meet up with an old friend that I had not seen in years, he was the reason that I signed up to run this race.  We stood around and chatted while waiting for the race to start, and soon enough we were making our way to the starting area.  Where we were required to listen to the basic pre race instructions followed by some words of encouragement from miss Ohio.  Then the race starts with a bang, and I mean a really BIG bang.  They started the race with a freakin' cannon. A full fledged old school cannon, complete with massive amounts of smoke and everything. 

Kind of like this one.

What a blast!  Over the start pad and down the street we go. At the first turn some nice people were misting a garden hose for us to run through which was a refreshing treat. As I came up to the mile counter clock I was surprised to see that I had just done a 6:30 mile. Immediately I was both elated and scared. I felt strong, and didn't feel any signs of slowing.  However, the sun had come out and it was warming up. By mile two I had slowed to a 7:30 pace, and by mile 2.5 I was having doubts about finishing as a runner. The mist from the garden hose gave me hope for the finish, but that soon was replaced with doubt again. Then I passed on to the track for my lap to the finish, and I knew that I would finish. Entering the first turn on to the main part of the track we had to run past the finish.  That is all kinds of cruel, but I trudged on as what seem as an ever diminishing pace. I thought for sure that there was no way I was going to do anything better than my usual 5K time. Disappointed I was, but not defeated. Out of nowhere my body kicked into overdrive as I entered the third and final turn. I dusted those people that just passed me like they were standing still.  What happened? Where did this effortless kick come from? I don't know for sure, but I am not gonna complain.  Once I caught sight of the finish line ticker I realized that I was going to rock this race after all. I passed over the finish with a new PR.  When all was said and done I would have PR'd the race by 29 seconds.  Before I left for this race I told my wife that I was going to run this race till I puked, and that statement almost came true in between getting a couple cup of water and getting a slice of watermelon.

Post race!

 It was a good race, but the heat left me feeling a bit wonky the rest of the day.  I am happy with my performance. I knew going in that there was little chance of getting any kind of award as the top ten placers were all under 20 minutes and have been for at least the past 4 years.  Look forward to running this one again next year.

Official time -- 23:34/7:33 avg. pace

Overall -- 111/426

Age group -- 8/27