Happy New Year 2015!

I have decided to start blogging again.  A new year's resolution of sorts.  Too much of my creative energy has gone into small posts at Facebook and elsewhere.  Those posts seem meaningful at the time, but fall into meaninglessness and are forgotten.  Too much of my creative energy has gone into online courses working towards my Associate School Library Media Specialist certification.  One can spend more time on discussion boards for online classes than it takes to attend physical classes.  All the reading response and writing for those classes, and all the things learned that need to be applied, are easily lost.  I am hoping that organizing, aggregating, and curating my many areas of thinking and living can be centralized on this old blog.  I suppose some of it will be copied and pasted from other virtual places I put down text and pictures in the Internets.  I suppose some of my writing here will remain original.  I suppose some of it (or most of it?) will be this stream-of-consciousness sort of stuff that I was taught and practiced in high school.

Three 2nd Places in Three Weekends

11/1 - Mendon Trail Run 30K: 2nd place Age Group 50-59
11/9 - Giralda Farms 10K: 2nd place Age Group 55-59
11/15 - Colonial Park 5K: 2nd place Age Group 50-59
11/23 - Philadelphia Marathon: 2nd place Age Group 55-59??????
(Unlikely, but perhaps the patterns of the universe will shine on me?)

Photo below from the Colonial Park Turkey Trot 5K today -

Post by Race the State-NJ.

What's Up With That?

I have been complaining about feeling bad this week, that I picked up something last weekend that made my insides feel sick. Also, my legs have felt heavy and dead on short runs. Last night with RVRR was a little better, and the insides have settled. I have also complained about doing nothing but tapering and recovering from long efforts. Looking at my last 6 weeks of training, it looks nothing like that, save for the week before The Boston Marathon @ 21 miles. With a 50 miles slated to get done on Sunday, this week is going to total more than 60. Maybe that kind of explains some of the lingering fatigue.

Really, this isn't mega-mileage.  In my younger days, 50 mile weeks were shorter than my norm.  But, the graph from DailyMile.com of my mileage clearly reminds me that fatigue is cumulative, so even though weekday mileage may be short, those long weekends and long races add up over time to create lingering stress on this aging, yet hot, bod.  ;)

113 Days

On January 29, 2014, I started a running streak.  I have not missed a day yet.  I was inspired by a conversation with 25 year streaker, Mark Washburn.

584 miles = 5.26 miles/day average.

My State of Running Address

2013 was a fantastic year for me, full of running accomplishments, and I thought I really messed it up at the end. On the first ski day of my vacation, Sunday December 22, I wiped out at a fairly high speed. Since I ski fairly fast and aggressively, I had my bindings release set at "7", even though binding release calculators put me at a "6". I can replay that split second in my head when I heard and felt something rip in my right knee just before the binding finally released. I took the next day off from skiing to ice and elevate the entire day. It didn't swell much. The pain was on the inner side of my knee, which, according to the Internet, indicated that I had an MCL tear (Medial Collateral Ligament) or "sprained knee", caused by the sudden extreme twisting force. Much better than the dreaded ACL tear. I got myself the best neoprene knee brace I could locate in upstate Margaretville, NY, and hoped both my ski vacation and running future were not ruined. I actually skied easily on it for the next few days, wearing the brace, release setting backed down to 5.5, not pushing it on the hill, being very careful - even though I had to hop down steps and limp around a little when I walked. I continued to ice, and massage of the area seemed to feel like it was helping. As the week progressed, I skied increasingly longer and harder. By last weekend, skiing felt 100%. BUT I HAD NOT GONE OUT FOR A RUN. I wanted to start training for Boston, but I have been putting it off because I still have some pain when I bend my leg up under the power of my hamstring alone, and when I squat, and it feels a little generally unstable. This week I ran a twice to try things out. I am hoping to get 4 days in next week.

My Top 10 Running Shoes of All Time

Saucony Kilkenny

Reebok Circa Waffle

1. Saucony Kilkenny XC Flat 2007 (Now updated and not as good)
2. Nike Sting 1973 (Long gone)
3. Onitsuka Tiger Racing Flat 1973 (Long gone)
4. Nike Terra TC (Long gone)
5. Nike Waffle Racer 1977 (Long gone)
6. Reebok Circa Waffle 2007 (Gone)
7. Merrell Trail Glove (original) (Now updated, and the upper is not as durable)
8. Merrell Sonic Glove (Gone)
9. Merrell Mix Master 2 (Still available)
10. New Balance MT110 (Still available, but probably on its way out)

IN Boston!

I was whiny last week about not seeing acceptance to Boston.  But I received the email the next day:

This is to notify you that your entry into the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21, 2014 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.

So I'm in with the other 36,000.  This scene at the Hopkniton High School is going to be epic.  How can they fit so many people into that space?  I learned last time I ran it in 2009 that the place to go is directly to the starting line area.  There are port-o-johns there.  There are enough of my running club friends coming for us to almost have our own bus to the starting line!  I now hope to get enough marathon training in during the ski season to make this a decent race.  In it for Boston Strong.  That theme should be quite prevalent this coming April.

Waiting for Boston

I am kinda pissed that a lot of my friends who put in their entry for the 2014 Boston Marathon on Friday are now coming up in a search for entrants, but my name is not.  After filling out all the entry info, the Boston people (B.A.A.) send you a nice email that says:

"Thank you for submitting an entry to the 118th B.A.A. Boston Marathon. It is important to note that your Reference ID does NOT constitute entry into the race, but confirms that your application for entry has been received by the B.A.A....  You will be notified of your acceptance by email and US Postal Service in October. Your notification of acceptance will be sent as soon as we verify your official results from your qualifying marathon. When you are accepted, your name will be posted on the Boston Marathon Entrants page."

So what is taking them so long to check the Philly Marathon database?

Registration still seems to be open, so I guess all will be well.

Wildcat Ridge Romp 50K

The Wildcat Ridge Romp 50K yesterday was tough. Perhaps the heat and humidity? Perhaps just the rocks.  Here is a great photo set by Otto Lam!

Though this course had everything from pavement and million dollar homes to garbage dumps, this is a typical rocky section of course. The course was at least 50% technical single track trails. (photo by Heather Simon)

The last lap hurt a lot on-and-off. I was constantly gauging whether I needed another electrolyte cap, gel, or just water. It was hard to start the last lap of this 3 lap course. I was thinking of DNF, but felt OK after pounding handfuls of blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and half a banana. Miles 18-23 felt the worst, but were not the slowest. As usual, once past marathon distance, my legs started to hurt less, but the pace was slow.

I was glad to have many friends there. Peter was 3rd in his first 50K; Molly was 2nd woman; Heather was happy and comfortable, and Elaine got through it with varied levels of pain and success. Lauren, unfortunately pulled out after 2 laps with stomach and dehydration issues. 10 milers Angela, Sally, Gail had fun and it was cool to see them on the start line when I finished my first lap - I ran right through them!

Post-race group. L to R: Peter, Molly, Me, Gail, Heather, Angela, Sally. (Photo by Heather Simon)

This was a great training run for Mountain Madness (Sep.) and Grand Canyon R2R2R (Nov.)
Here are pics of me, "stolen from HillcrestPhoto.com".

Here is the partial Garmin data through about mile 27.5.

The first and second laps (10.x miles each) were fairly consistent: 1:47 & 1:58. The last was bad, with a couple of 17 minute miles @ 2:18. [results with splits]

I wore a new pair of Merrell Men's Mix Master 2's, that I had to stop and re-tie/tighten after turning both ankles. That is one of the dangers of wearing new shoes in a trail race. I used Puma Men's TB Running Short Tights thinking they might help with hamstring pain. I only carried a simple Nathan Triangle bottle belt, with gels and Endurolyte salt tabs. I consumed 9 or 10 salt tablets and about 8 gels.

Here are a few more photos, by Otto Lam.  Notice how in the first tree from the first lap I am noticeably happier than the second three from lap 2....

My Rather Ambitious 2013 Event Schedule

2013 Date | Event Title | [Time, Place Age Group or Over All, Age Grading]

3/10 Miles for Music 20K [1:30:46, 17/42 AG, 71.6%]
3/23 HAT 50K [DNF @21 miles]
3/30 Chimney Rock 5 Mile [48:23, 2nd AG]
4/6 Gunks Springletrack Marathon ("Fat Ass") [6:42]
4/27 Clinton Country Run 15K [1:04:34, 8/38, 74.29%]
4/28 Inspire 5K [20:49, 1/9, 5th overall, 72.6%]
5/4 North Face Endurance Challenge 50K [6:10:31, 1st 50+M, 5/44 in their goofy 46-55 age group]
5/27 Ridgewood 10K [41:48, 20/88, 75.25%] (Did the 5K as a Barefoot Bandit!)
6/1 Towpath "Train"ing Run 25 miles (was aiming for 34) [4:08]
6/11 RVRR Summer Series 5K XC
6/17 President's Cup 5K
6/23 Lager Run 5K on my birthday!
7/9 RVRR Summer Series 5K XC
7/23 RVRR Summer Series 5K XC
8/10 Wildcat Ridge Romp 50K [6:08:36, 1st 50+M]
9/22 Liberty Waterfront Half-Marathon [1:30:27, 11/112, 75.9%]
9/28 Mountain Madness 50K
10/20 USATF National/USATF-NJ 5K XC Championships
10/27 USATF-NJ 8K XC Championships
11/4 Grand Canyon Rim-To-Rim-To-Rim!
11/10 Giralda Farms 10K
11/17 Philadelphia Marathon
11/28 Ashenfelter 8K

My New Job & Running

Same place, different position.  I will not be an English teacher during the 2013-2014 school year.  I am a teacher on special assignment.  My position is a combination, they got 2-for-1 on this one.  The postings were for a technology specialist and a media specialist.  The tech specialist was a new position, and our previous media specialist retired.  I was talking with the principal towards the end of the year about our media specialist, whom I had known for at least 15 years of my tenure at school.  I threw out there, on a lark, "can I have her job?"  He stopped for a second and said something like, "Maybe - why not. Send an email to the superintendent, and copy me on it, saying that you are interested."  Done and done in mid-June.  With the end of school crush and the beginning of camp preparation I totally forgot about it.  On the second day of camp I got a phone call from the board offices, to come down for an interview with the assistant superintendent, but I was not sure what it was for, exactly.  I got a call from the principal about it, and had a quick discussion, that it was about that email request.  I set up the appointment, went down to the offices, and he already had the new contract ready to sign.

What this means to me in relationship to running is this: I can return to superior fitness that I had when I was doing a similar position at school, before the last couple of years of full-schedule English teaching.  I can ride my bike to work or run to work, not needing to carry around a backpack full of papers to grade.  It was always the papers, and the accompanying weight of responsibility for them, that somehow mentally blocked me from using the commute to school as a workout opportunity.

Another thing it means is that I can eat my lunch during any lunch period I choose!

Springletrack fat ass "marathon" in the Shawangunk Mountains.

Shawangunk Mountains 25.71 mi 05:59 13:57 pace.

Daily Mile map and data here.

Garmin ran out of juice, so I had to finish this course using endomondo on the cell phone. Total for the day is 25.71 miles. Total time for the day for me was is 6:42. Total running time 5:59. Total elevation gain 3785, elevation loss 3819. 

Final 6.44 miles on endomondo is here.

Dixon, Kolb, and Ivan ran faster. It was the first time in 40 years of running that I "ran" a course through a cave! The views were spectacular, almost all rocky technical single track, some snow and ice, and a stream crossing using a rope for balance help. My legs don't feel too bad, but my head is sunburned. Getting ready for North Face Endurance Challenge 50K on May 4! Merrell Mix Master felt great, but took a lot of wear out of the sole.

Sub 6 Minute Pace

The last time I ran a race that averaged below 6 minutes per mile pace was on June 15, 2009, at The President's Cup Night Run 5K.  I was 49 years old.

That's kind of depressing.

I have been through injuries, and I have been building up longer trail racing, finishing my first two 50K's last year.  And I love that.  But I think I need to get a race into the sub-6 minute zone again this year.

My fastest race last year averaged 6:13/mile, at the Lager Run 5K on June 24.  I had just turned 53.  This year, the Lager Run is on my birthday, so I think I need to give myself the present of running sub-6.  To get there I need to do track workouts.  I have a pretty full schedule, so I think this is all I can fit in.  I am going to keep it simple:

April 4 = 8X400@90
April 11 = 10X400@90
April 18 = 12X400@85
April 23 = 14X400@85
May 14 = 10X400@80
May 21 = 12X400@80
May 28 = 14X400@80

4/18/13 UPDATE: So far I have done NONE of these planned workouts!  But my distance is long and getting faster.  That won't get me under 6/mile for a 5K, but at least North Face won't hurt as much, and maybe I could go faster than last year.

Merrell Trail Glove 2.0

I will just lay it out right now: I love the Merrell Trail Gloves.  They are my preferred shoe both on trails and on the road.


I am happy to report that my advance media sample pair of Merrell Trail Glove 2.0 shoes  have not let me down.  On the contrary they are amazingly better than the original Merrell Trail Glove.

My first run with them was with my RVRR peeps at Round Valley on February 17, 2013. It was cold and windy and there was a little snow covering parts of the trail. Here is what I wrote after that run, "First run with Merrell Trail Glove 2.0's: WOW - they are actually BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL Merrell Trail Glove!"

My second run was February 22nd at Watchung Reservation.  I wrote, "Second run in the Merrell Trail Glove 2.0 and they are great. Traction is good on old snow and the rock plate is much more protective than the original Trail Glove - which I don't even think had one - yet the flexibility is maybe even better."

Therein lies the most major advance in the 2.0 version.  I wrote to Merrell about the original Trail Glove, that I felt it didn't have enough protection for long runs on eastern rocky trails.  I suggested that they make a Trail Glove West and a Trail Glove East - the East version with a zero lift, but a little more sole.  They have answered the problem, as far as I can tell, by improving their rock-plate protection, yet keeping the overall shoe as flexible as ever.

After the Watchung Reservation Run

There is a slight change in the lacing system, reducing the OmniFit closures from 4 to 2.  That adds a little less feeling of shoe on top of the foot.

I continue to use my older Trail Glove and Sonic Gloves on trails and on the road.  I have New Balance minimal road shoes and trail shoes, but their last is a little too curved for the shape of my foot.  The Trail Glove's last sticks to my foot as if it was a part of it, and protects my arch area better than the New Balance MT-110.

I will be running the HAT 50K in this shoe on March 23.  I will give a report on its performance over that distance sometime shortly after that.

In the interest of full disclosure, they do send them to me for free.  I am not happy that they retail for $100, which is much more than I think running shoes should ever cost - but that is because I am not only cheap, but now I am spoiled by the hand that has fed me.

My Rather Ambitious 2012 Event Schedule

2012 Date | Event Title | [Time, Place Age Group or Over All, Age Grading]

4/22 Stomp The Monster 5K [20:09, 11/49AG50-54, 74.2%]

4/28 Clinton Country Run 15K [63:47, 17/49AG50-54, 74.57%]

5/5 North Face Endurance Challenge 50K [5:54:49, 2/33AG46-54, 34/252OA]

5/12 Newport 10K [42:02, 8/41AG50-54, 74.2%]

6/2 Towpath "Train"ing Run 34 mi. [5:36]

6/12 RVRR Summer Series XC 5K [22:24, 5/14AG50-54, 66.9%]
6/18 President's Cup 5K [19:36, 12/102AG50-54, 76.45%]

6/24 Lager Run 5K [19:19, 15/94AG50-54, 78.16%]

6/26 RVRR Summer Series XC 5K [20:21, 2/12AG50-54, 73.61%]

7/21 Running With the Devil 3 Hour [14.4 mi., 7/69OA]

7/24 RVRR Summer Series XC 5K [20:23, 2/12AG50-54, 73.53%]

7/29 Escarpment Trail 30K [4:32:35, 67/208OA]

9/8 USATF-NJ XC 5K [19:53, 11/27AG50-54, 75.98%]

9/23 Waterfront Half-Marathon [1:32:04, 11/121AG50-54, 74.58%]

9/29 Mountain Madness 50K [6:13:02, 22/71OA]

10/28 USATF-NJ XC 8K [33:14, 12/28AG50-54, 74.73%]

11/11 Giralda Farms 10K [40:53, 8/64AG50-54, 76.91%]

11/18 Phildelphia Marathon [3:20:10, 46/524AG50-54, 71.6%]

11/25 Westfield 5 Miler [32:28, 1/49AG50-54, 77%]
12/8 Big Chill 5K [20:58, 3/95AG50-59, 72.03%]

12/9 USATF-NJ 10 Miler [1:07:34, 6/30AG50-54, 76.5%]

The Philadelphia Marathon

Last weekend I ran the Philadelphia Marathon.  The past two years I ran the half marathon instead of the full marathon.  The last time I had run the full marathon was 2009.  In 2009 I ran 3:21:31.  I was 50 years old.  Last weekend I ran 3:20:10.  I am 53 years old.  I can't complain.

Me, at about mile 25 (Photo by Sally Hur)

I probably ran a little too fast for the first 15 miles of the Philly Marathon. Averaged sub 7:30 for those 15. I knew at the half -marathon, by the way my quads were aching, that I was going to have difficulty maintaining 7:30ish miles. At 18 things went downhill for me. I got through the final 7 miles with PowerBar Gel, Gatorade, and two unauthorized beer stations out in Manayunk.

The run was, of course, followed by RVRR hijinks.

The  history of my times on this course are 2008=3:18:22, 2009=3:21:31.  That does not include the times I ran when I was young and the course was different.  This is a scan of my hand written running diary from November 27, 1986:

I ran my marathon PR at Philly @ 2:41:06. I was 27 years old. Negative splits and defizzed Coke; that was the ticket. 26 years later, I ran about 40 minutes slower. My math says that is a loss of about one and a half minutes per year.

On race day 2012, it was a 4 AM wake up for the drive down to Philly. Rode my single speed Dawes SST bike from parking on 3rd & Cherry to race, and to the pub.

Do Runners Still Wear These?

On Facebook, a local running store posted this:

This is what I call the New Balance Super Sole.  I really wanted to post comments, such as, "Do people still wear shoes with 3 inches of cushioning under the heel?  How in hell could they have "a lighter feel"?

But I like the guys - they do try to help local runners and support my running club - so I didn't post there to avoid the mess.

So who wears these monstrous things?  They are purplish - perhaps Barney wears them.  We shall never know, since obviously he is usually barefoot.

The Highlands Trail

I had a really great run today on The Columbia Trail and the Highlands Trail.  The run was an indicator of recovery from Mountain Madness 50K last week.  It was also the exploration of a trail that I didn't know existed until a few days ago.

The Highlands Trail is a work in progress, and it seems to have many reroutes, and temporary problems that they are working through.  If ever completed, the trail will be a great suburban resource as well as a great rural wilderness route.

The section I ran was off of the Columbia Trail.  I parked in High Bridge intent on running with my running club friends, but I had the start time wrong.  A half hour late left me alone for my run.  The Columbia Trail is a rail trail, and is relatively flat and easy.  For my tastes, it is more conducive to a fast single speed bike ride than running.  As a ploy to get some of my trail running friends to come to the run, I looked for some more challenging trails off the Columbia Trail.  I found the Highland Trail.  Since none of my trail running friends came to the run, I detoured onto the Highland Trail for solo exploration.

The Highlands Trail section I ran - from the Columbia Trail, through Voorhees State Park, and into Spruce Run Recreation Area - was an unexpected pleasure.  The terrain turned steeply up hill, and the single-track was similar to Round Valley.  There was some road running to link the wilderness sections.  When in the woods, I passed only two people just after my turning-back point.  They were hunters scouting for a good deer-stand location.  That last part was marked with warning signs only in the return direction that deer hunting was allowed there, and that non-hunters should wear blaze orange or restrict their visits to Sundays.  Even though I was wearing a day-glow yellow Boston Marathon shirt, I am glad it was Sunday.

The Highlands Trail runs from the Hudson River to the Delaware River.  I am definitely going to explore some more of this trail.  I think I can start right where I left off today, or go a little northeast to Schooley's Mountain Park and end (or turn back) where I started today.

My last 2.5 miles were my fastest today, when I was back on the Columbia Trail headed for the parking lot in High Bridge.  My quads were starting to feel tight at that point, but it was aerobically easy.  It is evident that I have a great base, tons of endurance, but I need to get my road racing pace back for my upcoming final races of the year, as well as for a good Philly Marathon.  I guess I must do my due diligence and get my ass onto a track, as well as doing more shorter uptempo road runs.

Fastest miles at the end of today.

Holy altitude corrections, BATMAN!

Mountain Madness MPF Video

That is me at 1:42-1:45, heading into Aid Station 4.  Dixon, Dave, Jay, Bill are all over the place.

2012 Mountain Madness 50k from MountainPeakFitness.com on Vimeo.

Today I realized...

That running an ultra distance event is like a secret that you take into work with you on Monday morning.  Nobody else really cares.  You carry it around with you all day, going about your business.  Anybody that you mention your run to doesn't really have a clue about what it is all about.  All they know is that they "don't even like to drive that far."