A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 5; 13th Edition
356 miles raced in 2010
Race: Go! St. Louis Marathon
Place: St. Louis, MO Miles from home: 1319 miles
Weather: 50-70s; sunshine
I have never seen so many redheads in my life.
We often use hyperbole when we describe things but I am so glad my friend Alli with me to back this up. Over and over again at the Go! St. Louis Marathon expo I saw redhead after redhead. They say you easily see things you are trying to notice but unless Ireland was actually located outside of the Billikens Arena in St. Louis it was impossible to miss all the fiery goodness this weekend at the expo.
In the days before the race, I knew I was going to do my best to run rather slow and use this as my last training run before my 202 miler. As such, I got to do all the things I usually do not get to do because I am too concerned with saving my energy for the race. Being in St. Louis, my timing was right to not only see my first hockey game ever but to also witness Keith Tkachuk's final game as a player in St. Louis.
The next day prior to the expo, on an absolutely gorgeous day, I was able to head to the top of the Gateway Arch with Alli and check out the view from there. Pretty fantastic.
But there was a 26.2 miler to be run, regardless of how easy I wanted to do it. So after almost laughing myself silly at the 16,000 redheads I saw (and countless other wonderful people including many friends I was meeting in person for the first time), it was time to head to bed.
After a 50 mile DNF, a 50 mile win and course record and 100 mile dropped down a to a 50 mile (where I just found out yesterday I took 9th place overall in - not bad considering I debated the fourth lap for 35 minutes!) it is time for me to run another marathon.
So off to the Go!St. Louis Marathon I go to take part in the 115th marathon of my life. I will also be the featured speaker at this race weekend and be signing books from 11 AM to 7 PM on Friday and from 10 AM to 7 PM on Saturday at the race expo.
I am also happy to announce that this will be the first expo where I will also have my new collectible posters available for signing as well. Capturing the final strides of my current Marathon personal best, the poster encapsulates everything I love about this sport: camaraderie, happy crowds, runners of all speeds, and beautiful scenery.
This race will also survive as the final tune-up for my solo running of the American Odyssey Relay. I have my crew set, a mascot joining me, a camera crew on board and just 202 miles of road in the way between me and officially retiring from running another step again for the rest of my ever-loving life. OK, I am kidding about the last part. But with two weeks left until I am on my way on this epic journey you can imagine I am a mixture of anxiousness, nerves and a desire to get this baby going.
But first up, the Go! St. Louis Marathon. Hope to see you there!
The running world lost someone special a few days ago.
James A. Fortner, Jr., known as "Jim2" to many, passed away due to cancer. I just found out yesterday.
I had never met Jim. Neither did many whom he provided a great deal of information to. That nonetheless does not mean these people won't miss it. Heck, half of the comments on his obituary page start with something akin to "I've never met Jim..." and end with "but he helped me so much."
By the time I virtually met Jim, I was dozens and dozens of marathons into my running career. He was still able to provide me with a great deal of sage advice, endless data, and helpful tidbits. I once asked him (off the cuff), if he had any way of figuring out how many people ran faster than my current PR of 2:49:36 in the year I ran it (2009). Before I knew it, I received an email with an attached spreadsheet that had 110 of the fastest marathons run in 2009 with total number of finishers and total number of runners under my PR, cross-sectioned not columns with a "with Boston" and "without Boston" total. First of all, I have no idea how much time he spent on that. Second of all, it went above and beyond the call of duty. He could have just said: "about 1,000" and I would have been happy. But that was not Jim's way. (FYI, it was 1295 including Boston; 885 without.)
As is evidenced by Jim's running page, he had a lot of info to share with a lot of studies and stats to back it up. if you have not had a chance to look at his page, and you run, I would highly suggest you do so. A no-frills cornucopia of info, there is something there for every runner.
Please also take time to sign Jim's obituary guestbook. Obviously it does nothing for Jim, but I am sure his loved ones enjoy hearing how many people he helped.
You will be missed, Jim. Hope you are setting new PRs wherever you are.
A former co-worker (friend, and ironically, as we found out later, cousin) of mine, read my article "I'm Not Crazy" and sent me this response. I told him that so much time was put into it that it had to be shared as my eyes only seeing it would not do it justice.
His reply? "Glad you liked it. Of course, you do know I can argue the other side too! ; - )"
The email is below:
I read your recent article and was intrigued about why people often refer to you as being "crazy". I've always found you to be a fairly rational person, but then again I'm not a professional psychologist or psychiatrist. However, as you know, I have received formal legal training and, as such, really enjoy working with the definitions of terms and phrases and applying them to factual circumstances. To that end, I attempted to apply the definition of the term "crazy" to you and your running endeavors.
The Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary defines "crazy" as follows: Main Entry: 1cra·zy Pronunciation: \ˈkrā-zē\
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): cra·zi·er; cra·zi·est
Date: 1566
1 a : full of cracks or flaws : unsound b : crooked, askew
2 a : mad, insane b (1) : impractical (a crazy plan) (2) : erratic c : being out of the ordinary : unusual (a taste for crazy hats)
3 a : distracted with desire or excitement (a thrill-crazy mob) b : absurdly fond : infatuated c : passionately preoccupied : obsessed (crazy about boats)
Using this definition, I do not believe running 202 miles in 2 days is "crazy" for you. It is not "full of cracks or flaws" because you have adequately researched, trained & prepared for this specific race.
Many people may think it is "not healthy" (e.g. unsound) for you. However, based upon your past experience, running this distance should not be unhealthy for you, especially in light of your aforementioned training & preparation for this race.
Based upon my experience, you have always been "straight" with me and have not been "dishonest" (e.g. crooked) or "out of line" (e.g. askew).
The fact you were capable of successfully conceiving, planning and executing "Fiddy2" & preparing for this race indicate you do not appear to be "completely unrestrained by reason and judgment", or "furious", or your actions are "incapable of being explained and accounted for" (e.g. mad), or you have a "disordered mind" (e.g. insane).
Many people may think the race is "not wise for you to put into effect" (e.g. impractical). However, since your life's vocation is running & motivational speaking, it would be "unwise" for you not to attempt to run races that are capable of inspiring people, and thus providing you with practical advice & insights on achieving goals to share with others.
Again, successfully conceiving, planning and executing "Fiddy2" indicates you are not "characterized by lack of consistency, regularity or uniformity" (e.g. erratic).
Running this race as a solo effort is "out of the ordinary" and "unusual". However, in order to be an effective motivational speaker you need to be able to inspire people, and successfully completing things that are "ordinary" and "usual" does not inspire others.
Lastly, you are not "distracted with desire or excitement", or "absurdly fond" of, or "infatuated" with, or passionately preoccupied" with, or "obsessed" with running. Again, this is your chosen vocation and you call attention to it in order to be successful at it.
I know I'd be "crazy" to attempt to do what you're doing since I haven't planned, trained or tested myself. I think the same is true for those who refer to you as being "crazy".
As with most people, I am quite wary of any product which tells me it can help me do something better without very little effort. In September of last year I was introduced to a product called ASEA at a marathon expo. I listened to a gentleman describe the product to me and I was intrigued. I learned how antioxidants, by themselves, are incapable of fighting free radicals without the help of certain reactive molecules. The reactive molecules contained in ASEA are the fundamental components of cellular communication and greatly influence the operation of the immune system. Why am I giving you a science lesson?
Well, without going into too much detail (as I probably do not fully comprehend all the science anyway), ASEA supposedly is the only product which can increase the effectiveness of the body’s most important natural antioxidants by over 500%. Was I skeptical? Is the Pope Catholic? (Yes, he is.)
Unfortunately for my health and fortunately for the purpose of experimentation, I was just a few weeks removed from getting hit by a car and severely separating my shoulder. I was in the perfect place to see if any product could help me heal faster and get me exercising as soon as possible. When I saw that the product was made up of Distilled Water and Sodium Chloride, I was even more skeptical that this “salt water” could do much for me.
Well, the American Odyssey Relay Race Director, Bob Fleshner, heard my pleas about how this was WAY too hard of a race and something needed to be done to make it easier for me because there was just NO possibility I could run 204 miles. So he made it 202.
Obviously I am kidding about pleading with Bob but I found today that after some course modifications were done and the re-measuring was finished, that the course is two miles shorter than I originally thought it would be. Now I only have to average two 101 mile days back-to-back! Cakewalk.
So, three weeks from now I will already be a day into this race, hopefully somewhere around the Boonsboro High school or further. I am happy to have Proctor Trivette and his film crew onboard to make a documentary of this excursion and am expecting many highs and lows along the way that will make for wonderful filming.
I am always looking for volunteers who would like to help my adventure along the way as I travel from Gettysburg to Washington DC. We have a great core crew but if you would like to run along with me at any point, help in the RV or just experience history in the making, please do not hesitate to contact me at
danerunsalot@yahoo.com
In addition, I am delighted the folks at ASEA will be helping power this adventure. If you haven't heard of ASEA yet, I will be blogging about them real soon. Stay tuned!
I have been trying in the past few years to integrate swimming back into my exercise regimen. In 2008, I swam a little bit on my way to doing surprisingly well at the Deer Creek Tri in Utah.
Last year I ramped it up a little more and even though my swim leg was not what I wanted it to be at the US National Aquathlon Championship, It was nice to be cutting through the water again.
Then I got hit by a car. So with a messed up shoulder, I wasn't swimming much. Then I got uber busy with running and swimming slipped further down the to-do list.
However, with my legs needing a little break and me actually being home for more than 3 consecutive days for the first time since, yep, 2009, I decided to grab a monthly membership to the local pool and make some waves.
A Runner's Ramblings: Volume 5; 12th Edition
329.8 miles raced in 2010
Race: Umstead 100 mile
Place: Raleigh, NC Miles from home: 2143 miles
Weather: 30-50s; sunshine
The best laid plans...
The Umstead 100 mile race was one which was supposed to serve a two-fold purpose for me. First, I was going to get my first 100 mile finish, in hopefully a fast time. Second, it would be a training run for my 204 miler which is now just 26 days away. In hindsight, it could not be both, at least not at the speed I was hoping to run it.
It was, however, a good lesson in a few things. One can never discount the affect that the unknown will have on a body in a long-distance race. Even if you are unaware of what causes those affects, they are just as strong. Last month I got sick before the Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race. As such, I did not have the energy to continue after 33 miles. One week later, I crushed my personal best in a 50 mile race by over 100 minutes. I knew the sickness had weakened me for one race and hoped the next week would be a different story. It was and I did well. But oftentimes things happen and we have no explanation. We can look back and think of something which may have been the cause but we have no idea.
I was sent an email recently from a person asking a question about if I have ever been discouraged in a marathon. After the laughter subsided in my head, I told her that yes, in the 114 marathons I have done, I have quite often faced down discouragement and moved forward. I preach to others that failure helps us learn, even if the lesson is not cut and dry. As I sat in a chair, done at 50 miles of the race yesterday (and yes, 50 miles is indeed a lot of mile but dear friends who offered encouragement to me, it was only half of the race I wanted to run that day), I hoped I could draw fruitful lessons from my experience. Here is hoping you can from my recounting of my day.
The Umstead 100 mile race is a convenient 8-loop course (12.5 miles per) on extremely easy on the legs runnable dirt surfaces. As I wished to run 16 hours for this race, that means an average of 2 hours per lap was needed. Allowing me to do the math for you, that is a 9:30 minute mile. I felt it was doable.
The course is not easy but it is not hard, per se. The back end miles of the loop are definitely a little challenging but I figured this would be where I would utilize some walk breaks on those 7th and 8th laps.
From the Umstead 100 website, a fairly accurate representation of the course elevation profile.
But I am getting a little ahead of myself (and a mite bit optimistic as well.)
Lap 1: 1:50:33 (followed by 2:07 break)
Fortunately, ANY plans I had of wanting to win the race were more or less thrown out the window when I saw some of the runners there. Sure, anything can happen during a 100 miler, but when you are outclassed, you are just simply outclassed. The cream of the crop was 30 year old Zach Gingerich, who I stood right behind in the bathroom line a mere 5 minutes before the race started. Wearing what can only be described as racing flats, I looked at him and thought: "I am going to get crushed today." With too many fast times to list, I knew about Zach's pedigree. Also, no less than two other runners who were definitely just phenomenal runners were milling around.
This knowledge actually made it easier to run my own race at my own pace. Nothing to win here, folks, move along. When the race started I found myself near the front which is where I should be given the pace I wanted to run. In the darkness of the 6 AM start I soon was next to a rather tall runner. Taking a chance I asked if he was guy named Nathan. Sure enough my headlight illuminated the face of a runner who I had met at a race or two and who I had seen on the roster, Nathan Echols. Nathan went out very fast, and after faltering a little bit in a few points ran a stellar 17:54:56. Excellent work, Nathan!
During this first loop I was just trying to find a rhythm. Even though I was not running much faster than my goal of 9:30 per mile (and I knew I would have to run a little faster than that average at first as there was no way I was going to be running that fast at the end), nothing felt quite right. Finally, after about 6 miles, I felt good. At the backside aid station, I could see on a straightaway, last year's women's winner Jill Perry who ran a 16:02. Since that was what I was hoping to run I knew keeping her in sight would be wise. But I also knew we were going a little faster than I wanted so "in sight" was fine. "Next to" or "right behind" was too quick.
At the end the first loop, my friend Dean Shuster (and jokingly race saboteur - he was at the Kentucky Derby Marathon last April which derailed 22 straight Boston Qualifying marathons for me. The weather did. Dean didn't.) was onhand to spread some joy. Returning from an injury, Dean was here to crew more than a few runners from his Columbia, South Carolina home - namely Rick and Matt who I had joined for dinner the previous evening. Rick would finish in 21:10 and Matt in 23:05, both getting a belt buckle in their first 100 miler!
Lap 2: 1:54:48 (followed by 3:31 break)
After a short break following the first loop, I started out again. I was in much better spirits and felt just fine and dandy. My mind had been playing with me a little bit but I was quelling doubts and realized this would be the lap were I began walk breaks on the uphill sections of the back half of the course as well as some steeper ones on the front half.
I had moved up conservatively and at the 7 mile aid station was in 15th place, exactly where I wanted to be. I was keeping ahead of those I passed and moving along efficiently. I began doing math in my head of what I could run even if I slowed exponentially, which on this loop I did not feel was necessary.
Nearing the end of the second loop, now I was beginning to see more and more runners. The nature of the course, wherein runners ran back and forth by each other for a 2 mile leg, allowed many greetings to be shared by all. Another one mile section later on did the same thing. And, of course if you got passed by someone, they could always say hello to you. Not that you want that to happen!
Heading out, I saw my friend Andy Kumeda was not far behind me at all. I knew he was running well faster than he had ever run before and I was right. Setting a personal best in the 50 mile, 100k and 100 mile distances all in the same day is one hell of a way to spend a Saturday (and 45 minutes of Sunday, technically!) Awesome work, Andy!
Lap 3: 2:07:05 (followed by 35:10 break)
This third lap felt fine to start with but by 2 miles in, I was experiencing some problems. My leg had been hurting from the beginning. However it had never hurt very bad and was definitely not hurting as bad as it could be here. No, for whatever reason, my energy was simply not there. At 28 miles, I could tell something was just not up. Near 30 miles, Andy passed me and kept motoring on. A few other runners passed me as well and I fell in behind them. For two more miles until the back end aid station, I stayed on their tails. Having just filled my water bottle at mile 5, I did not need to stop. When they did, I kept right on. Soon I saw Andy in front of me again and I was feeling pretty fine. I chalked this up to the highs and lows of running an ultra, even while my energy continued to ebb.
I walked much more than I really wanted to over the next few miles but knew this was an all day event. When I rolled into the end of the third loop, I was still under 6 hours (and my desired pace for the day) but knew something was amiss. I could not understand what. Here at 37.5 miles, running 1:30 slower per mile than I had in my 50 mile race at Iron Horse, and taking in many more calories, I was spent. I decided to sit down in the dreaded chair and try to take in real food.
Lap 4: 2:30:33
Sitting is never a good idea in an ultra unless you really need it, or so they say. But I felt I really needed it. As my Powerbar shipment had not arrived before I left for north Carolina, I was relying on Vanilla bean GU to get me through the race. GU is fine but I can only stomach so many of them. To this I think the greatest feat Lance Armstrong ever did was not surviving cancer or winning 7 straight Tour De Frances but rather taking in a reported 13 GUs during his first marathon ever.
Eating food and trying to get real calories in me, I could feel my left calf tightening a bit. Again, not as bad I thought it would be but still there. I could also tell that unless my energy level changed, then inevitably my stride would change and following that would be potentially injuring the leg further with a bad stride. So I sat. And I sat. And then I saw Zach come in having completed 50 miles. In 6:18. Are you freaking kidding me?! Only twice had 15 hours been broken at Umstead (course record was 14:38) and he did the first half in the low 6 hour mark? I predicted to Dean that he was going to run 13:30. I was wrong. Zach ended up destroying the course record in 13:23. Kneel before Zod!
Meanwhile, nothing was happening with my motor. Dean, to his credit was trying to get me moving. I found that if you dropped to the 50 mile option, there was no DNF, just a 50 miler completed. Even as I goofed around with some crew members about how nice my butt was (which was why I was sitting on it) and then fake mooned them afterward, I know this option crept into my mind.
A few miles into this fourth loop and I knew the day was done. I was finding it harder and harder to run on the flats and downhill portions, let alone contemplating doing so on an uphill. There may be nothing more difficult than completing a portion of a course that you know is going to have you finishing before you wished to. When it happened to me at Rocky Raccoon, I at least tried to enjoy the day and sat on a park bench and looked at nature. But here, today, there was no enjoyment. I wasn't getting a DNF but I wasn't getting what I wanted either. That is, however, how life can be.
Final time: 9:03:49
While lingering doubts remain about how much this is going to help me for the 204 miler in less than a month, I know I made the right decision. I could have fairly easily ran four more loops at the same pace as I had done this last one (mostly because I wasn't running much and was simply walking every uphill) I would have finished in the 20-21 hour rage, give or take and would have my belt buckle. But this is not what I came to do and the risk of injury was too great. So, I got a hard 50 miler in, ran 22 miles after I realized I was probably done for the day and wisely stepped off the trail. I did get to meet many running friends in person for the very first time which was a special treat. I also got to close a chapter on a part of my life that needed to be closed. And one of my best friends in the world, Christine, got engaged while out on a run back in DC! So, all and all, in a day that was indeed filled with unfulfilled promise, lessons were learned and progress was made.
Now begins the all hands on deck preparing for the American Odyssey 204 mile Relay which I will be running solo. I am continuing to look to fill a full crew with backups to go with those I already have, so if you are looking for an adventure and wanted to spend two days (or less - your call) in an RV traveling from Gettysburg to DC while cheering me on as I run 204 miles, do not hesitate to get in touch with me. Should be a blast out there making history!
I recently mentioned on my Facebook page that I was anxious about the Umstead 100 mile race this Saturday.
Some offered words of encouragement and others stated I needn't worry because of past accomplishments. All kind words but I guess what I was really meaning to say was how I was anxious about how my leg is going to perform this weekend. I have been resting it an unprecedented amount of time (for me at least) recently, in hopes of healing it as quickly as possible. Then I thought about it more and I guess I was worrying a little about more than just my leg.
Any race you enter, you want to do well. If you have put in the effort and time and know you have a little bit of talent, you also hope you can win. But before I even cared about how high I placed, my thoughts would go back to one of only two DNFs in my life, one being the Old Dominion 100 Mile race nearly three years ago.
Last week, I found out I had been accepted to be a member of PowerBar's Team Elite™. To quote from PowerBar's own website, the Team Elite™ program is "our grassroots athletic ambassador program that supports athletes, coaches and other athletic influencers."
I remember back when I got my braces during the middle of my 52 Marathons in 52 weeks, one of my biggest laments was that I could no longer eat my pre-race PowerBar (found that out the morning of the Delaware Marathon when my tender teeth almost made me cry when I mistakenly try to tear away at the Powerbar yumminess.) So now to be able to not only enjoy a product I found wonderful to start my races off with, but to be included as one of the "influencers" out there on the racing circuit is indeed a combination of many good things.
In fact, it was my eating of PowerBar Gel Blasts energy chews (the strawberry banana ones) which helped me power on to my course-record setting performance at the Iron Horse 50 miler.
As such, it goes without saying (but I am saying it nonetheless!) this is both an honor and a privilege and I am extremely happy to be amongst other athletes like Josh Cox, Lauren Fleshman, and the unbelievably inspirational Brian Boyle.
Just like these superb athletes, I look forward to continuing to do all I can to making a difference in people's lives by being a positive, athletic role model.
