New Blog...

Hello all! Starting next week, I'll be posting on a new blog. I've decided to make a fundraising effort in the name of the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. It's a truly amazing cause, and my effort in the Fall 50 on October 22 will be going to that cause. I won't be posting updates on this site until after that event, so please update your reader and blogger accounts.

Also, please, please, please, link to the new blog and encourage your (much more popular) readers to visit the new site (and donate to the cause!).

I'm still working out a couple details regarding the new site and the fundraising effort, but check back there for details and please look up "Honor Flight Fifty" on Facebook as well.

My Grandfathers (and my namesakes) were WWII veterans, and that generation deserves all the praise and honor that we can provide.

Looking Ahead

I had an interesting conversation with Bruce at the IAT50k this last weekend. He and I both ran Glacial Trail last year, where I finished 3rd and he 4th. After that event, he mentioned that it was a training run for the Fall 50. Sidenote--the 3rd, 4th, and 5th place runners at Glacial trail finished, in the same order, 4th, 5th, and 6th at Ice Age.
My plan for the fall is to run the North Face (either 26.2 or 50k), then run Glacial Trail 50k, and then the Fall 50. I'm already signed up for the Fall 50 and have wanted to go back to that race since it really kicked my behind a couple years ago.
So anyway, I asked Bruce how the Glacial Trail/Fall50 worked last year, and he said that he was not recovered enough from Glacial. He said his legs were tired at around mile 20 of the Fall 50--much more tired than they should have been--and he attributed it to not enough taper. Uh Oh.
I have had mixed results with both the 3-week taper and the 2-week taper. I'm not sure what works better for me, but I guess I'd lean towards three weeks when the main goal is 50 miles. Still...I really love the Glacial event and really, really want to run it! And run it fast.
I consider myself an early riser. I'm up by 5:21 every morning. Still, if I'm planning a trail run, I'll get up at 4:30 to be at the trail (about 20 minutes away) before the sun rises. If I'm planning a road run, I find myself hitting the snooze over and over again.
I guess I'm rationalizing a heavier trail running summer in preparation for the Glacial Trail 50k. Hey, more miles on my feet can only help with the 50 mile training. I should really consider running the Glacial Trail 50 miler...but considering I've already registered for the Fall 50, it's tough to turn away on it.
Plus, the Fall 50 is, in it's own way, a TON OF FUN. And in addition to that, I've got a pretty neat fundraising effort planned around the Fall 50. More on that in a couple weeks.
In the meantime, I haven't run a step this week. I've increased my biking a bit, making my trips to and from work on the bike. This weekend Ellie and I are getting away for a couple days of biking in Door County...coincidentally, the home of the Fall 50.
After that, though, it's time to start building for the fall. I'm still accepting coaches too, so let me know if you're interested SteveQ!

Ice Age Trail 50k Race Report

Going in to this race, I had a couple numbers in my head. I thought I could finish in the top 5. I would be disappointed if I wasn't in the top 10. I wanted to put myself in a position to break 4 hours, as well. After yesterday's run, it looks as though I was spot on.
A couple days ago I posted a race preview that never made it online after Steve broke Blogger. In the preview, I mentioned that the RD thought there were at least 10 guys in the 50k that could break 4 hours. My first thought was "does he think I'm one of them?" and the second thought was "this is a competitive field!"
As it turns out, only 4 guys broke 4 hours, and I finished 5th, in 4:05:03. The winner's time of 3:18 is simply remarkable!
The course can be broken down in to two parts--and out and back on the Ice Age Trail, and then two loops of a 9 mile and VERY HILLY ski trail. I was hoping to split the first out and back in 1:40, and then run 70 minute loops and finish right at 4 hours. My splits via Garmin Data:
Start to Horseriders (turnaround): 50:56
Horseriders to Start/Finish: 51:28
Loop 1: 1:08:40
Loop 2: 1:13:56

The Ice Age Trail out/back portion of the course is tough. It's not nearly as technical as the Glacial Trail portion of the IAT that I train on, but it's constantly going up and down. There are several bigger climbs as well that will zap your legs and not allow you to run the downhill with any speed. On the way out to Horseriders, I ran with Bruce after he said he was hoping for 4 hours as well. We settled in to a nice tempo and took turns leading eachother, in about 7th or 8th place. We knew several of the runners ahead of us were long gone, but there may be a few who we could reel in. Still, we both agreed not to worry about anything but ourselves until the second loop of the ski trail. I made it out to Horseriders and got a new bottle from Tony, a good friend who had agreed to help me out today. My first bottle had 300 calories of CarboPro in it. That, along with one SCap was done in the first 50 minutes.
Nutrition-wise, I had planned to get calories in early and often, knowing that as the race went on I might not feel like getting them in as much. I decided I'd rather feel full and a bit sluggish at the beginning than feel dead flat at the end.
Running with Bruce back to the Start/Finish area was a bit more work. I could feel my stomach working to empty and was happy to let Bruce pull me along through this section. My second water bottle only had 100 calories of CarboPro in it, but I took in two gels during the 51 minutes to get back to the Start/Finish. We were maybe a minute or two off of my anticipated splits, but I didn't mind much because I felt like my nutrition had been solid and I was still moving fine.
Next was the first of two loops of the ski trail. 2 weeks ago I ran 19 miles of trails on Saturday, then ran this very same loop twice the following day to see what it felt like. I'm glad I did that, as the course familiarity showed me that I could power hike the relentless uphills and then run the downs and the flats and turn 70 minute loops. So, that was the goal, 70 minutes each loop.
For the entire first loop, Bruce and I were together, hiking the uphills (and joking that "the next time around, we'll run this one") and running the flats and downhills. With about 2 miles to go in the first loop, I had finished my bottle (and 300 calories of CarboPro) but wasn't feeling great. Thinking that perhaps I was low on salt, I popped an SCap and started to feel better. After completing the loop in 68, it was on to the FINAL lap...
At the start finish line I took a sip of Coke and some water, got a new bottle (straight water) from Tony, got an update on where the competition was (we were in 7th) and started out of the aid station. Bruce had taken off like mad and was out of sight quickly. Less than 100 yards from the aid station, I dry heaved. Then I puked. Three times. What had to be 30 ounces of fluid, including a whole lot of calories and electrolytes, was no longer in my body. Uh Oh.
I immediately felt great and a lot lighter and faster. So, I started running. Knowing that I now was looking at dehydration, low electrolytes, AND low sugar, I decided I had to take action now and not wait for the wheels to fall off later. Just the previous day I had read this post from Tim and remembered it at this point in the race. I needed to address those issues---not ignore them. Weary of my stomach, I began to very slowly sip on a gel and sip on some water. I was running very well but wanted to make sure I took care of the future issues.
About 3 miles in to the loop, I had caught Bruce, who was really feeling his hamstrings. We ran together for about a mile before I started to move on. For the remaining 6 miles I was looking around every corner for the next runner up in the standings, but never saw him. With about 2.5 miles to go a sideache really took hold of my diaphragm. Luckily, I had one single SCap left, and that did the trick, allowing me to finish relatively strong. I really ran hard in the last half mile, hoping to get in under 4:05...but missed by 4 seconds. Still, I was very happy with the run and continue to learn about nutrition. Last year at Glacial I didn't think I took in enough water and calories...and that may be true, but it was 25 degrees warmer at that race than today. At Ice Age, I obviously took in too much. My body, err, "corrected" that problem via day glow liquid expulsion, and I ran better after that.
The entire event is a great time. The volunteers are great, the spectators are great, the course is definitely a challenge. If I could change one thing, it would be to have more single track and avoid the double loop of the ski trail. Oh yeah, and get rid of the 'vegetable lasagna' at the post-race festivities!
I'll definitely be back to this event. In all honesty, I could see myself running Ice Age Trail and Glacial Trail every year for years to come and not regretting one step on those courses. I only wish I could have stuck around longer at the finish to talk to other runners and rehydrate with some beer. Unfortunately, Tony had plans to attend the Brewers game that afternoon, so we were out of there a bit sooner than expected. I still didn't get home until about 4:30, so I'd call it a long day nonetheless considering I was out of bed at 4:21 AM to get breakfast in and hit the road for the race. To get home and see Ellie and Edwin was a real treat. Eddy especially liked my New Keychain. That's right, no medal for the 50k runners. Just a measely keychain. I don't have a problem with that--it's a good way to motivate those of us running the JV event to move up to the 50 miler and get a belt buckle!
Congrats to all who ran, especially the Brewmaster, Tim, Chris P., Bruce, and Joel. The trail running community is simply fantastic!
Now, it's time to take a couple weeks off before turning my attention to the fall, and more specifically the Glacial Trail 50k and the Fall 50.

Last Big Weekend

With the Ice Age 50k two weeks away, this past weekend was my last-ditch effort to get fit for the run. It just so happened that a seminar was going to have me near Milwaukee for the weekend, so I scheduled a camping trip and some miles on the actual course.
Before leaving for Milwaukee, though, I ran 16 miles of hill repeats on the Ice Age Trail near home. I was really hoping for 20 miles but couldn't close the deal. In order to fit the run in to my home/work schedule, I was running by 5 AM, and I simply ran out of calories and water and...well...the fortitude to stick out the run.

Friday night was a seminar on the nutritional benefits of L-arginine (interesting stuff, I swear). I spent the night in a tent at Ottawa Lake Campground in the Southern Kettles and loved it. Despite the fact the temperatures dipped into the 30's, I was warm all night. After another 6 hours of class on Saturday morning, it was time to hit the trails of the Ice Age 50K course. I ran the first part of the 50k course, which is an out and back on the Ice Age Trail to Horseriders Camp. Instead, though, of turning around at Horseriders, I kept going...all the way to the Emma Carlin trails. Emma Carlin is where the 50 milers turn around, so that added 6.2 miles on to my run. I finished up around 19 miles, with no idea how long it took (Close to 3 hours, I think) due to my Garmin Watch battery dying.

After the run, I checked out the La Grange General Store which is a landmark in the area. I grabbed a great sandwich and a bottle of Two Hearted Ale, and made my way back to the campsite. I was fast asleep by 10 pm, and only woke up to some rain about midnight.

Sunday morning I was definitely feeling some ache in my legs but wanted to get in 2 loops on the Nordic Trails. The "blue loop" makes up the last 18 miles of the course. That trail never stops going up and down, and I managed about 70 minute loops, with the second loop actually a couple seconds faster than the first loop.

So, the last big weekend is in the books. I'm going to do my best to taper and get the lead out of my legs by May 14, and then it'll be time to get after it!