Zumbro training 1/22-1/28 Reecap

FINALLY got a week of "warm" weather

Monday: REST

Tuesday:  Hill day!  Tuesday's assignment was 20 minute warm up, then 6x2:30 hill repeats with recovery just being what it took to go back down at easy effort, and a 10 minute cool down.  Workout felt good,  Pretty tired on the run, averaged 7:28 pace on the climbs.  Run felt good and I probably could have done a few more repeats, but it pushed me just right.  n a side note, if my hill repeat duration gets any longer, I'm going to have to find a new hill.  Nice problem to have

Wednesday: Plain vanilla, Wednesday was an easy pace road run.  Ran a bit too hard, despite tired/heavy legs and got in 6.6 miles during the assigned hour.  Too fast, but it felt pretty good, despite tired legs from Tuesday's run.

Thursday:  REST

Friday: Friday speed assignment was a Pace Run 3 miles at 7:45 pace, with 4 minute recovery.  Ran my 10 minute warm up, and got down to business.  First rep was great, got it done in 23:07.  Turns out this was definitely the faster 3-mile set.  I walked about half of the 4 minute recovery, feeling pretty tired and set out to run the second 3-mile set. Got it done in 23:27, a bit slow, but not TOO bad, but not quite what I wanted.  Good enough, I guess.  With my 10 minute Cool Down tacked on, I ended up with 8.3 miles for the run.

Saturday: Hit the cross country ski trails at Giant's Ridge.  Run felt good, even if I was a little slow. Got in 14 miles in 3:01:34.  Legs definitely felt the week's workouts, but I still feel OK with the run.

Sunday:  Another run at Giant's Ridge again. Assignment was 1:30:00 and I ended up running for 1:30:10 and 7.3 miles.  Temp was pretty nice, and my tired legs didn't protest too much.

Training is really starting to feel "real" now.  Really loving it!

Total Distance: 43.55 miles
Total Time on Feet: 7:52:12

Zumbro training 1/15-1/21 Recap

This week was a tough one, not the mileage, duration or the runs, but the fact that it was a mandatory down week!  There wre only 4 days of running.  As it turns out, my body needed it.  I caught a somewhat nasty head cold and it lasted half the week.  Coach Jake must be able to see the uture or something....

Monday: REST

Tuesday:  Trail Fartlek.  This one actually went fairly well.  I hit a flatter.easier section of trail, as instructed, and managed decent paces during the fast parts of the run.  Running through snow meant there was quite a bit of walking during the recovery portions, but I'm OK with that!

Wednesday: Another Easy Pace Road Run for 1:00:00.  Pace ended up being "a bit" faster than easy, as I got in 6.8 miles and averaged 8:49 pace....oops....

Thursday: REST

Friday: Assignment was 1:15:00 easy pace trail run.  I went to Giant's ridge and hit up the trails, running ahead of the groomer, so my tracks would get erased, so as to not be in the way for the skiers.  Got in a solid 6.2 miles

Saturday: Long Run.  Was down in WI visiting mom and going to a baby shower so, of course, I hit up Whitetail Ridge.  I was hoping for 15-16 miles in the 3:00:00 assigned.  The mashed potato consistency snow made that a no go for me.  Got in 14 miles and I'm OK with that.

Sunday:  What??? Huh??? Another rest day??? Well, I guess it is a down week! And, after a fub weekend with family and friends, bookmarked by 240 mile drives, rest is ok.

Total Distance: 32 miles
Total Time on Feet: 6:16:02

Side note:  Got my confirmation for Superior on Friday!  2018 race calendar is complete!

Zumbro training 1/8-1/14 Recap

Monday: REST

Tuesday:  Hill day!  Tuesday's assignment was 20 minute warm up, then 10x2 minute hill repeats with recovery just being what it took to go back down at easy effort, and a 10 minute cool down.  Workout felt good,  Pretty tired on the run, averaged 7:40 pace on the climbs.  Run felt good and I probably could have done a few more repeats, but it pushed me just right.

Wednesday: As is becoming normal, Wednesday was an easy pace road run.  Ran a bit too hard and got in 6.7 miles during the assigned hour.  Too fast, but it felt pretty good.

Thursday:  REST

Friday: Friday speed assignment was 3x2mile Cruise Intervals at 7:30 pace, with 3 minute recovery.  Ran my 20 minute warm up, and got down to business.  First rep was great, got it done in 14:57.  Turns out this was the best rep of the morning.  Fresh snow is killer!  Rep 2 was 15:03, and the plow came along during this one.  I was hoping the plow would help.  Nope, the plow just uncovered the ice under the snow.  Rep was slow, clocking in at 15:13.  Despite the going being slow, it was a good run.  Temp started at -17 and went down to -20 while I was running.  Nice crisp morning.

Saturday: Hit the cross country ski trails at Giant's Ridge.  Run felt good, even if I was a little slow. Got in 10 milea in 2:24:00 and called it good.  Assignment was 2:30:00, but my left hand was freezing and I figure permanent damage would have been a bad thing.

Sunday:  Another run at Giant's Ridge again for day 2 or my b2b longish runs.  Assignment was 1:30:00 and I ended up running for 1:30:04 and 6.69 miles.  Temp was somewhere like -15, it was a good day.

Next week is a "mandatory down week," so we'll see what that brings!

Total Distance: 41.21 miles
Total Time on Feet: 7:35:23

2018: A Year in Preview

It's only eight days into 2018 and my race calendar is already filled up for the year.  2017 was an amazing for me as a runner.  I ran my first marathon (and second and third) and I entered the world of trail and ultra running. 

What else could a relatively new runner want? 

That's an easy answer, a set of goals for the year so I'm not just signing up for every race that catches my fancy. With that in mind I have two major goals for 2018, one of them is a non-objective goal and the other is multi-part and is a racing/objective goal

Non-Objective goal: Master Hill Climbing:

Hills have long been my nemesis so, when coach Jake suggested that I have a non-objective goal, to go along with my objective race goals, and recommended mastering hill climbing, I knew that's what I wanted to do.  This will be a love/hate goal for me.  I love the feeling of conquering hills, but I hate the trudging I do to get to the top.  Throughout 2018, my goal is to increase the amount of running I do on uphills and to learn and master techniques for getting me to the top faster and in better shape.

Racing goal: Run FOUR ultra length races:

• END-SURE 50k: As much as an ultramarathon can be, this race is something of a side goal.  I added it at the suggestion of my friend Andy.  It fits well in my training schedule for Zumbro, so it will end up being more of a training run, than a race for me.  That said, the Sandhills Ultra looks like a great and fun race.  Running on the North Country Trail in Eastern North Dakota, I'll be racing through open prarie with pockets of prairie and "enough rolling 'sandhills' to keep the race interesting." It's a flat course, with something like 400 feet of total elevation over the course, so this should provide for some fast and fun trail running!
• Zumbro Endurance Race 100 Mile: This is a BIG one for me, Zumbro is one of my two "A" races for 2018.  Going for 100 miles is a big jump.  Wild Duluth was "only" 62 miles.  Going for 100 ensures that I will be running/racing for more than a day through the bluff country of the Zumbro River Bottoms.  As with Curnow, Wild Duluth 100k and END-SURE, My friend Andy suggested Zumbro to me or, rather, encouraged me when I told him I was thinking of going for the 100.  I'm really looking forward to testing myself against nature and my own limits, when I face Zumbro 100! Goals for Zumbro: A) Finish Sub-30 B) Finish Sub-32 C) Just finish the darn thing and not want to quit running
• Minnesota Voyageur 50 Mile:  Curnow was Hell on Earth for me, so how do I top that?  Run that course twice, back to back!  Curnow was literally the Voyageur course one way, plus 1.2 miles.  I've run the second half of this course and it kicked my butt.  It wasn't really even on my radar, but coach Jake recommended it as number four for my goal of running 4 ultras, so I decided to put aside my hate of heat and those dang powerline hills and just go for it.  Goal for Voyageur:  Finish the race under the 14 hour cut off and still be in good enough condition to keep training for Superior
• Super Fall 50 Mile:* Superior is my second "A" race for 2018.  I LOVE the Minnesota North Shore, so there was no way that I was NOT going to run one of the fall races.  Since the 100 mile starts on the first Friday of the school year, that race was not an option (at least for 2018...) .  The 50, however, running on the Saturday only, made for a more appealing option.  There's just something amazing about the Superior hiking Trail, and the thought of running and racing on it spoke to my soul, and my summers as a kid camping on the North Shore.  I HAD to run it.  Goals for Superior: A) Finish Sub-14 B) Finish Sub-15 C) Just finish the thing and be happy I could do such a thing.

So, there they are, my audacious goals for 2018.  As the months progress, I look forward to seeing my progress toward meeting these goals.  2017 was a fun year, but I had better hold on, because 2018 looks like it will be a wild ride!

*As of now, my name is in the entry list for the Superior lottery,which closes on 1/15/18.  Hopefully I'll be updating this post with the happy news that I got in.

Why get into trail? Why Ultra?

WARNING:  All the following thoughts are my personal reasons for doing what I do, they are not intended as an insult to anyone.  They are just my personal feelings for ME and who I want to be and what I want to do.

Finishing Grandma's

So, now that that's over, Why do I "run marathons through the woods," as my wife puts it?  My journey started a little under 2 years ago, when I got into running because I needed a way to get in shape for my Little Man.  In 2016 I ran a 5k, a 10k and two half marathons.  Both of the half marathons were hard, but still wanted more, to push harder and farther, so I signed up for the 2017 Grandma's Marathon. Training from January through June gave a focus to my running, and I enjoyed it, pushing harder, running longer and even setting a time goal for the race.

In the mean time, I also signed up for a trail race, the Wild Duluth 50k.  I figured that a 31 mile race with a 16 hour time limit, coming 4 months after my marathon would be fine.

Anyway, back to Grandma's.  I ran the race on June 17, 2017, which was also my 10th wedding anniversary.  The race was fun, and I felt like I had given it my all, despite bonking and missing my time goal by 24 minutes.

With a clear calendar through September (I had talked my mom and brother into running the Ely marathon with me) I looked forward to some rest.  Yeah... Not so much.  About 2 weeks before Grandma's my "friend" Andy had told me, "as long as you are in shape, you should run Curnow"  The Eugene Curnow trail marathon is a nasty little gem of a race, running from Duluth to Carlton, MN.  Being me, I said I wasn't sure, then promptly signed up for the race

Now, I had just run my first road marathon, and Curnow is trail.  Trail running is, in many ways, like road, it's all one foot in front of the other, keep moving and get your miles in.  That's where the similarity ends for me.  After my first trail run, four days after Grandma's, I was sure, I had run slower than on road, and I was hooked.

For me, running trail is about getting out in the woods and enjoying nature.  Sure, at races, I'm still going to push my limits and see how far/fast I can go, but in the woods it's different.  I reconnect with the part of my childhood where I spent summers on the North Shore of Lake Superior.  It's about de-stressing and recentering myself.  Sounds all zen and New Age, right?  It isn't.  Running through the woods brings out the best in me.  I can just switch off for a while and enjoy natures beauty..... Then I ran Curnow.

As Scott Jurek put it “Nature's arena has a way of humbling and energizing us.” Curnow was quite possibly the worst seven HOURS and 23 minutes in my life.  It was hot, I bonked, I got severe calf cramps, got delirious for a little because I was dehydrated and hot.

Not long after Finishing Curnow, I switched my entry at Wild Duluth, from the 50k to the 100k.  Why, after suffering so bad at Curnow, would I want to run a distance that is more than 2 marathons back to back? Runners, especially long distance runners love to embrace the suck, and I embraced it hard that day.  I also knew that I wanted more.  I wanted to push beyond the normal comfort zone we all live in and go to the "what the heck are you doing?" place, where the impossible becomes the possible and you learn about what you can really do.

When you get past 26.2 miles, the distance that puts the "ultra" in ultramarathon, you are pushing yourself to, and sometimes beyond, your physical limits.  You are testing yourself and answering the question "can I do it?"  That is, for me, the essence of ultra running.  It's about surpassing what you "think you can do" and finding out for sure what you can do.  And, for that matter, "winning" in an ultra, isn't always just being the first person to cross the Finish line.  Kilian Jornet, an amazing runner and multiple time winner of the Hardrock 100 put it this way:

“Winning isn't about finishing in first place. It isn't about beating the others. It is about overcoming yourself. Overcoming your body, your limitations, and your fears. Winning means surpassing yourself and turning your dreams into reality.” 

To me this is the essence of ultramarathon running.  Win, lose, first across the finish line, or last, it's about testing yourself, finding your limits and saying that you won't let them stop you.

As for why I do it?  Theodore Roosevelt answered that question in 1910:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 

Zumbro training 1/1-1/7 Recap

This was a mixed up, crazy, hard week!

Monday: REST  This normal rest day really helped me recharge.

Tuesday:  Well, Coach Jake threw me for a loop with this one.  Speed day was switched to Tuesday!  Assignment wa 20min Warm Up, then 5 miles at 7:45-7:50 pace, followed by 10min Cool Down.  When he told me a few weeks ago that I'd look at some workouts and go "ugh" I didn't realize it was going to come so soon!  I DREADED this workout.  As it turns out, I shouldn't have.  I averaged 7:47 for the 5 miles and felt fine.  I actually really LIKED this workout.

Wednesday: Wednesday was an easy pace road run, nothing special, other than my legs being a bit tired from Tuesday's run.  Ran a bit too hard and got in 6.6 miles during the assigned hour.  Too fast, but it felt pretty good.

Thursday:  REST

After the Ridge

Friday: This was a trail run day this week.  I had to drop Little Man at daycare in the morning, so my run didn't happen until 8:15 in the evening.  it was -20 when I was running.  Went to the Giant's Ridge and got in 4.85 miles.  New distance record for a 1:00:00 run at the Ridge.

Saturday: This run was a total suffer fest and I can't really call it a run.  After not enough sleep, I only got in 8.1 miles in 2:27:09.  Plan had called for 2:30:00 and I had hoped to get 10 miles or more.  However, after a late Friday, and my left foot starting to freeze, I ended up going VERY slow and cutting it short.

Sunday:  Went to the Ridge for for my 1:15:00 run.  Was very tired, so took it easy. I got in 5.4 miles, which was good enough I guess.

Total Distance: 33.2 miles
Total Time on Feet: 6:51:25

Zumbro training 12/25-12/31 Recap

Week 8 down!
Monday: REST  This normal rest day really helped me recharge.  I used to begrudge rest days, but the Friday/Saturday/Sunday combination of  Speed Work/Long Trail/Mid-distance Trail, really kicks my rear, so I'm happy with the recovery.

Tuesday:  This was my final trail run at White Tail Ridge.  The run felt good.  I got in 6.6 miles in the 1:15:00 I was assigned.  The lower elevation made for faster running but, as usual, running on single track kept things honest.

Wednesday: As is becoming normal, Wednesday was an easy pace Road run.  Ran a bit too hard and got in 6.7 miles during the assigned hour.  Too fast, (again!) but it felt pretty good.

Thursday:  REST

Friday:  Speed work day!  My speed day got switched from Saturday to Friday.  Assignment was 5x800m at 3:20 per split.  I got the first two intervals in, under 3:20.  Intervals 3-5 were all in the 3:21-3:22 range.  it was like -20F for a temp though, and that probably slowed me down some, so I was pretty happy, despite the workout kicking my rear.

Saturday: Assignment was 2:30:00.  I went to the Laurentian divide for my run.  Temp was only -17F, but the Windchill was -35F.  I only made it 1:47:00 and 6.9 miles.  My left glove came off at one point, and I couldn't get it fully back on.  I cut the run short when my left hand really started to hurt from the cold.

Sunday:  NYE group run! Went to a friend's house where he has a half mile single track loop marked out in the snow.  After like 17-18 laps, I had gotten in my 1:3:00 (1:35:36 actually) and a total of 9 miles.  It was -20, but proper layering and some heated gloves meant I was never cold!

Total Distance: 36.47 miles
Total Time on Feet: 6:44:49