30 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Endurance Training, Marathon Training, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
29 October 2011
A very cool and appropriate tech shirt! |
Posted by Ultra Kraut in 2010 Spooktacular 5K, 2011 Spooktacular 5K, Endurance Running, Race Reports, Racing, Road Races, Road Running, Running, Ultra Running
27 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Endurance Training, Marathon Training, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
26 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Marathon Training, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
25 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Marathon Training, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
24 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Marathon Training, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
22 October 2011
A cool tech shirt, an even cooler beer glass and a nice 3rd place medal. |
I signed up for this one on a whim, just earlier in the week. I had never participated in the XTERRA Trail Race Series and figured this 15K would be a great replacement for the half marathon my marathon training schedule called for today. I met up with Jason in the parking lot of the Monte Sano State Park main picnic area and we lined up to pick up our race packet and bib with disposable timing chip at 7:45AM, 45 minutes before the race would start.
There were many of the usual local suspects around, as well as a lot of non-locals that were here to garner points for the Alabama Trail Series (one of a series of trail races in Alabama, Georgia and possibly other states culminating in a "Championship Race" in Hawaii), so I very quickly decided that there was no need to worry about finishing in the top three of my age group as it wasn't going to happen...or was it?
Race start: I'm moving too fast (bottom left corner) for the photographer. |
The race was started at exactly at 8:30AM and we were off. I had checked the course online and realized that we would enter single track trail very quickly and with a major descent in the first 2 miles. I figured I'd
do my utmost to get out front with the faster runners, so I wouldn't get stuck in a Congo line going down the single track trail. My plan worked like a charm, but I was clearly going way too fast to be able to maintain this pace for the entirety of this race. So when I hit the first climb to the "Stone Cuts" after running the first mile at 7:14 pace, I decided to slow it down to a more manageable pace.
We were still bunched up during the first mile. |
The field spread out very quickly and I continued to try to figure out my game plan for the race and while the course was marked very well, it appeared a couple of folks ended up doing some bushwhacking rather than run through the Stone Cuts. I'm still not sure if they missed a marker or if that was an alternative bypass of the Cuts and I think they still don't know either;-)
After about three miles, I did something I had never done before. I made the decision to forget about my pace and to forget about elevation changes as race tactic indicators. Instead, I would monitor only my heart rate. I decided to try to keep it steady and to keep it at 175 bpm, roughly 20 bpm below my maximum heart rate. I figured if I could maintain that heart rate, I should be able to continue to move at a decent pace without blowing up while also allowing me to save some energy for a final push on the final stretch of the race (including the final climb).
I continued with this new plan while passing a couple of guys in the process, just before the only aid station on the course at 5.5 miles. Prior to arriving at this aid station, I had to climb up Warpath trail, which is extremely steep. This was the only section that forced me to walk for just a moment just to make sure I kept my heart rate in check.
Once I reached the top of Warpath and the aid station, I did squeeze down a chocolate Gu that I washed down with a small cup of Powerade and a cup of water before continuing on my run. That very short break gave me new energy, just in time to pick up the pace as we headed down a section of the Mountain Mist trail. I knew there was one last climb to go and I wanted to make sure I had time to spare when I got there.
The final climb was very familiar to me. After all, my running buddies and I run this section as part of our favorite hill trail workout (Pratt Ave Ranger Station Out & Back, look it up on Garmin Connect and you know what I mean) almost weekly. As I climbed up this final hill, I spotted a photographer on the side of the trail. Obviously, I couldn't walk with this guy snapping my picture, so I continued to shuffle up the hill.
The final climb to the finish and I'm still too fast for the photographer;-) |
21 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
20 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Running, Training Logs, Treadmill Running, Ultra Running
18 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Endurance Training, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
17 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Road Running, Running, Speedwork, Training Logs, Ultra Running
16 October 2011
Cool tech shirt provided by my employer. |
A great race for a great cause. The eighth edition of the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run 5K set a new participation record, with over 5500 registered runners. For the first time, event organizers actually had to turn away runners due to public safety reasons once the maximum capacity was reached. I believe this was actually the largest organized race ever in the city of Huntsville. Hopefully, organizers can find a way to allow for larger participation next year, as it would be a shame if the event could not grow any further, thereby limiting the effort to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.
A coworker of mine had once again stepped up to solicit runners to create a corporate team of runners for this race. And Again, our employer Emerson Network Power had stepped up and paid the registration fees for employees and their family members along with providing free tech shirts with a nice logo designed by another coworker for all participants (see picture above). It was nice to see every one step up again for a great cause. In addition, a lot of the runners got together at the office the week prior to the race, raising almost $1,800.00 USD with a bake sale.
Just before the race, I met up with my coworkers for a quick team picture before heading to the starting line with Jason Shattuck in time to get a spot towards the front of the field.Once again,I planned to break the 20 minute barrier and I figured I'd try to stick with Jason as long as possible to make it happen. I had never before attended this race and I wasn't familiar with the course at all. I only hoped it wouldn't have a lot of hills.
Race organizers had separated the race by gender with men starting at 8AM and women following with a 9AM start. After an intro by Liz Hurley, a local TV anchor and namesake for the cause and the race, the race started at 8AM. I stayed just behind Jason as we made our way through a slightly congested field of runners early on. I was feeling pretty good early on. I normally slowed down during the second mile only to pick up the pace again on the last mile. To try something new, I decided to push through the second mile and to try to hold the pace of the first mile. Overall, I was able to maintain the average pace I had targeted through mile 2.
Unfortunately, I ended up paying the price very soon after. There were a couple of hills between mile 2 and 2.5 and while I did slow down just a bit to save my energy during the climbs for the last .5 mile downhill section, I was exhausted when I hit 2.5 miles. At this point James pulled away and I was struggling to keep my heart rate in check. I had already maxed out at 192 with another half mile to go, which was not a good sign. I opted to back off and to settle for whatever I would end up with. What I ended up with was another finish just above 20 minutes, oh well.
Some of my fellow co-workers and I just before the start. |
Final Comments
Starting next week, I plan to focus on marathon training with lots of speed work and cross training. There are plenty of local 5K races and I will continue to go for it. Hopefully, the speed work will help. I ended up 5th in my age group and 36th overall in the men's race with upwards of 700 runners participating.
Posted by Ultra Kraut in 2011 Liz Hurley Ribbon Run 5K, Endurance Running, Race Reports, Road Races, Road Running, Running, Ultra Running
11 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Running, San Francisco Bay Trail, San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail, Santa Clara Running, Trail Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
08 October 2011
Lots of cool swag at this race, but runners had to finish first. |
I registered for the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Miler on a whim. I had just completed the Georgia Jewel 100 Mile race two weeks prior and I must have been riding the runners high still when I signed up. They also offered a point to point trail marathon on the same course and on the same day, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to run an ultra on the West coast while on business.
Race Day
I had set my alarm for 4:15AM on Saturday morning to make the drive from my hotel in Fremont, California to the race start and finish location at Lake Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley, California just Southeast of San Francisco and Oakland. The race course was an out and back run that started at the Lake Chabot Regional Park to Anthony Chabot Regional Park to Redwood Regional Park to Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve to Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve to Tilden Regional Park and back. It is mostly run on the Macdonald Trail, Stream Trail and Bay Area Ridge Trail. The race started and finished at the beautiful Lake Chabot.
I arrived at the registration area at 5:30AM to pick up my race bib. This race was a little more unusual than others in that racers would not receive their swag bag until they crossed the finish line. I thought that was a nice touch, just in case anyone was lacking motivation to finish;-) Even though the race would start in the dark, race organizers did point out on their website that while runner could opt to use headlamps or flashlights, they were barely required as the first section of the course was run on an asphalt trail section. By the time runners would hit the actual fire trails, the sun would be up. I chose to follow their advice and went without a headlamp and had no problems.
After runners were led to the actual starting line in somewhat complete darkness (aside from some bobbing headlamps and handhelds), race organizers kicked off the race at 6:30AM sharp. After stopping at the local running shop "Zombie Runner" in downtown Palo Alto, California the day before the race and getting some advice from one of the shop owners, an experienced ultra runner and previous participant at the race, I decided to line up in the back of the pack. After all, this was a "recovery run" for the Georgia Jewel 100 and I needed to be sure to start very very conservatively.
As we ran alongside Lake Chabot and the sun started to rise, we all got to enjoy absolutely amazing views of the lake and the surrounding areas. I continued to be in awe as we climbed one ridge after another. The views from some of these spots along the course were absolutely astonishing. Even the course itself was absolutely beautiful, with pine needle covered fire trails and single track trails that were just fantastic. For most of the first quarter of the race, I kept my overall average at 12:30 minute per mile pace. After about ten miles, I experienced another first. At this point, I was still part of a train of runners traversing another hill on some beautiful single track trail, when I felt a severe sting in my right calf. I had just been stung by a wasp and 4 out of the 5 runners with me received the same treatment, one of us being stung 4 times. Thankfully, there was a good Samaritan with us, a local runner, who had experienced this many times before and who readily handed out Benadryl pills to everyone to minimize the pain and swelling and to prevent any allergic reactions.
What a great day for a run! |
There was about 5 runners at the aid station, all rushing to get in and out. I refilled my two bottles and took off. I decided that I would try to push over the next 10 miles (next cut-off) to make up some time by the time I'd get to the 37 mile aid station. I basically flew through the next two aid stations, running most of the course including much of the uphills, before arriving at the 37 mile aid station. By this time, I had made up an hour on the cut-off. I felt much better than I did at the turnaround and I had actually been experiencing a second wind for the first time ever in an ultra. I felt much better during the second half of the course and my pace reflected it.
I continued to push, passing at least two to three runners between every aid station starting with the 26 mile turn around point. I was hurting and started to develop blisters on both feet once again, but I felt good mentally allowing me to continue to push. I also didn't want to risk finishing after dark. After all, I didn't have a headlamp with me. I really picked up my pace for the final two miles and when I finally crossed the finish line in 12 hours and 4 minutes, I had accomplished a new PR (by barely 5 minutes). It wasn't pretty, but I'll take it. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I was directed to a couple of tables to pick up my finisher's awards and race swag. They handed out some great stuff (see picture on top). This was an amazingly beautiful course with plenty of aid stations and great race organization.
Final Comments
First, I'd like to thank all of the race volunteers and park staff for putting on an amazing ultra event. I will be happy to recommend this event to my fellow ultra runners in the Southeast. Second, I'd like to thank all my running buddies and friends for their encouraging comments. Finally, I need to figure out the blister problem. The Hoka One One Mafate trail shoes worked great for me (proper personal product review will follow), but I still blistered in the usual spots. I even wore two pairs of socks (Injinji liner socks with Drymax trail socks) and I used BlisterShield foot powder. At my next race over 50K, I will need to pre-tape my feet to see if that will fix my problem. That's gonna require practice, practice, practice as it seems nearly impossible for me right now to tape the bottom of my feet by myself. Next, it is time to really rest, letting my feet heal and muscles recover. I plan to really refocus my training and to set some serious goals. You can find the latest results here.
Posted by Ultra Kraut in 2011 Dick Collins Firetrails 50, Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile, Endurance Running, Race Reports, Running, Trail Running, Ultra Running
05 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Road Running, Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
03 October 2011
Posted by Ultra Kraut in Endurance Running, Running, Trail Running, Training Logs, Ultra Running
01 October 2011
Unfortunately, my performance did not match my bib number. |
Posted by Ultra Kraut in 2011 Schoolhouse 5K, Endurance Running, Race Reports, Road Races, Road Running, Running