Whaaaa!

Well we are off to Ashland this afternoon to run the SOB 50K tomorrow at Mt. Ashland. Gail is going to do the 15K as she doesn't feel ready for the 50K quite yet. We were going to fly down for free but the flights look pretty full so I think we will just take the 4.5 hour drive, that way we can come back whenever we want this weekend.

I am pretty nervous for this race. I have been having some pretty bad left knee pain on any hills or going up stairs. Very sharp pain not my usual tendonitis pain I get. But then I got the IT band thing going on near my right hip, started to get pretty bad near the end of Sauvie marathon. Plus I have the unknown pain still in my right foot. But the worse is my throat, that is from all the severe whining that I have been doing!!! Jeez what a complainer! My fear is always that one of these gets so bad out on the trail I have to basically crawl to get back to an aid station. Or worse yet, DNF. With all this going on I should be smart and take the early start, but I like pressure so I think I will do the regular start and just try and beat all the cutoff times. I do deserve all these injuries. I never cross train anymore. No bike, no weights, no aerobics, no stretching, no nothing. I just run. And as I get older I know I will need to do more to prevent this from happening but I am basically a lazy athlete.

Well I will post the results early next week of this weekends challenge. Two weeks later it will be my first 50 miler. Maybe I will start getting nervous for that one now.

I hate warm weather!

Ran the Sauvie HOT Marathon on July 4th. This is the first time I have ran the full marathon as I really like running the half. And of course this year it's all sunny and warm. I am truly a wuss when it comes to running in the heat. I never felt really hot but just tired and that is what usually happens to me when it gets warm.

The pre-race was fun seeing fellow Maniac friends, Hippo, Sean, Leslie, and Steve. Many other Maniac's were there too that I have not met. We got a group picture and I hope someone posts it in the future. The race started a few minutes late and there were 175 runners or so. It was a double loop course on flat pavement. I ran with Rick for the first 3 miles or so then decided to push it up a bit and see how I could do. I felt pretty good the first 13 and hit my goal of sub 2 hours. Then about mile 14 I started to wear down pretty fast and new I wasn't going to get sub 4 today. I struggled the rest of the race and walked a few times even before 20 miles. I carried just one bottle of water but was refilling it on the second loop almost every aid station. I took just water this race and no sports drink. I consumed 4 gels and 9 E-caps to balance out the salts. If any one thinks this is not enough let me know as I am just experimenting. By mile 20 I was walking almost every mile for 90 seconds or so.

Around mile 21 Gail drove by in her car. She had run the half then jumped in her car to check on Rick and I. When she got to me she forced me to take a water bottle and I dumped most of it on my head as I still had fluids in my own bottle. 10 minutes or so she was on the road running with me. This was pretty cool as her longest run since April 30th was only 8 miles. So she ran 13 in the race then ran the last 3 miles or so with me to the finish. She could run forever I think!

My IT band near my hip flexor started acting up again and is really worrying me for SOB. Need to get on the roller this week and see if I can stretch it out. Hills will really kill it.

Didn't have too much fun on this run for some reason. Not sure why probably just the heat. After the races I consumed the strawberry shortcake, talked to Sean for a bit (he came in 4th) and then started to get my usual post race nauseousness and heading to the car to turn on the air conditioning to cool down. I watched till Rick finished, then Gail and I headed home.

Now comes the amazing part. I felt like crap still on the drive home. But I stopped at Starbuck's and Gail ran in and got me a small Mocha Frappacino and a small coffee. Two drinks of the Mocha and I felt great! It was like I had gotten an I-V. I couldn't believe it. The new miracle cure! When we got home we ordered our usual post race pizza and just took it easy all afternoon.

I ended up running a 4:21 which is pretty much the average for me. A good race is sub 4:10 and a bad one is over 4:30, so I guess with the heat I will take this time and move on. I have wanted to get some more heat training so I guess I got what I wanted. Most the folks after the race said the heat had slowed them down too. I have gotten heat exhaustion a few times and never really know that it is coming on till I am flat on my back.

SOB at Mt. Ashland in 10 days. Looking forward to it but just hope my IT band gets better or I am doomed.

PS Those of you that are embarrassed to stand by me at the marathons with my yellow shorts, yellow maniac top and yellow and green Pre shoes? Well I have good news, my yellow shorts sort of wore out in this race. So they will now be retired. Yep, I no longer will look like a yellow neon sign out there! I have run probably 20 races in those shorts....but no more. Please keep the applause down!

Big Month a comin'

Well I have not posted much to the Blog as I haven't done much. No races for weeks (Green River) and I am missing the fun. But that is all to end very soon. One week from today is the Sauvie Island Marathon and that will start a very busy month of July. Ten days after Sauvie comes the SOB 50K at Mt. Ashland, then two weeks after that is the PCT 50. I was planning on doing only the 50K but with all these folks doing longer races I figured it's time I step up the plate and be a real ultra runner, so I think I will try and do the 50 (gulp) miler. The most I have ever run was the 38 miles at Sean's romp in Sisters, so whats another 12 miles and a little hike up Mt. Hood to Timberline lodge (gulp-gulp)? I know my first 50 miler should be flat like I had planned on doing at Autumn leaves in November but what the heck. I can always DNF and say I was attacked by Bigfoot on the trail.

So at Sauvie I was planning on trying for a marathon PR. My half PR is on that course and I always do real well there. The problem is that with all the longer runs I have not done any speed work and it really shows. I don't train fast and I don't race fast. Plus I have found I get a lot less injuries if I don't try and push the speed but just go for the endurance. The pace to run a sub 4 marathon seems so fast when I try it in training now. I guess I will just push it a bit and see what happens. I told Gail that I think I will try something different in this race. I know this goes against what everyone says you should do. I am going to go out pretty fast after I warm up in the first 3 or 4 miles in the race. I am going to push pretty hard and see how long I can last. I will probably bonk at 20 or so but maybe not, so I am just going to experiment and see what happens. If any of you wise and experienced folks out there got an opinion on this please post what you think. My plan is to really hit the Gells (Gu) and water early and more frequent than I usually do. I have become much more tolerant of Gu's lately and have switched almost entirely away from any sports drink to just plane old H2O. I will Gu every 40 minutes or so and carry a bottle so I don't have to stop at the aid stations except to refill. I will use the Endurolytes to give me the salts that I will not be getting from the sports drinks. Please, everyone...give me your advice.

I think I have a good progression for this month. After the 26 miles I have the 50K at SOB which should prepare me for the 50 miler at PCT two weeks later. I am trying to get warm weather running in but it has been so mild of late. So I got 3 races in July, nothing really scheduled in August except I am thinking of doing the Haulin' Aspen marathon in Bend (did the 1/2 last year) and even thinking maybe I should do Crater Lake the day before and try for a double. Never done that either.

So far this year is turning into a very crazy year for me. I will hit my goal of 12 marathons this year even before the summer is out. And Gail, if you read this? I am sorry all I talk about is running lately, I know I am a little (er...lot) over zealous with this. Thanks for putting up with it. You are the best!

Put it in a bottle and save it

Put off running all day on Monday. Finally went out around 7 pm. I ran the hills around LO and some trails I've found in the last few months. Started off a bit rough (Don't eat two hand fulls of Almonds before a run!) but ended up feeling great. I just kept adding more miles and didn't really want to quit. I just felt like Forest Gump and wanted to keep running. I love this feeling and wish running would always be like this. I ended up running over 12 miles and figured it was time to head home as Gail would think I might have turned into Road Pizza. (Famous Patty quote from Portland Marathon Training Clinic) Enjoy those runs folks, they don't happen very often.

What? No race report?

Yeah I know, I'm a loser. No race this weekend. I was thinking of doing the Young's Lake Ultra but didn't want to leave Portland so early to drive up to Seattle. I even thought of doing the marathon out in Port Angeles, but figured traffic would be a nightmare coming back on Sunday. So I just wussed out and went for a great run in Forest Park with Rick and Eric. We did about 17 miles on Wildwood, Saltzman and then back. We got pretty wet as the rain started but it wasn't cold till we stopped. I felt good most of the run with just some minor fatigue in the legs.

I've done 8 marathon/ultras this year which is huge for me. My goal was to do 12, so with Sauvie, SOB, PCT and McKenzie already lined up it looks like I should hit the target without any problems. (Please no broken ankle this year!) I do worry about running in the heat of the summer as I don't do very well when it gets real warm. I have no clue how anyone could run with the temperature over 100 degrees. I die over 80. I will try and train more in the middle of the day this year and hope it helps.

This upcoming weekend is my last weekend off for quite a while. I guess no racing till July 4th. I wish I was like Hippo and was retired. But I guess I gotta pay for all these entry fees somehow.

"I Think I'm Done Now"

As Forrest said, I think its time for a break. I ran the Green River Marathon yesterday in Seattle. It is a free, low key race that is amazing. I suggest everyone try this race. We had only 35 runners or so at the start so it was a very laid back event but also well organized. They had 9 well stocked aid stations. The course is a bit complicated if you have never run it before and I had to stop a few times and read my directions, but I never did take a wrong turn.

The race starts on the Green River in Kent. As the RD yells out "Go!" off head northbound. We are running most of the first 13 miles or so on the bike path that follows the Green River towards Elliot Bay and the Puget Sound. Once again this 220 pound boy is in last place. By the 1/2 mile mark I am a good 200 yards behind everyone and in last place. Guess I am like one of those old steam train engines you see in the westerns. I start off super slow but once I get going I do pretty good. It is a bit depressing to see everyone way ahead of you in the beginning and you feel a bit left out of the excitement of the first few miles. An interesting tidbit is that if I am doing a 1/2 marathon or less I go out and run at least a 1/2 mile before the race. That really improves my pace in the beginning of a race, but in a marathon or longer I don't want to waste the energy.



Top notch aid station volunteers!

Well I pass my first runner by about mile 2 1/2. Thereafter I pass a few that stop at aid stations and other runners every few miles. I only got passed by 1 other marathoner who I passed earlier so I guess I do finish pretty strong even though I sure don't feel that way. Ha funny....just thought about my last comment. When you are in last place at the start I guess not too many other runners do pass you! "I'm not a bright man but I know what running is" (FG sort of quote.)
It was a beautiful day in Seattle. Clear skies and warm at the start. I wore my Maniac singlet with no other shirt. I never do that as I like running with a t shirt dri-fit type of top. But today was going to be warm so I thought I would try a marathon with just the singlet. Guess what? This old white boy got a tad sun burned! Yeah all that old white meat that never sees the light of day got toasted! I really look like I should be living in a double-wide now with this tacky tan line! I can't remember the last time I got burned. I just thought it was Seattle plus I would be done by 1pm and all would be ok. Wrong! Oh well guess I will do the sun block next time.

The course continues where I run much of my time spent in Seattle. I love this path along the Green River. In the winter its a great place to run when its wet or even in the dark. It winds through the farm land of the Kent Valley as you go through Kent, Tukwilla, Renton then into west Seattle. My legs felt great. I kept expecting them to tire as I have done 2 50K's in the last two weeks. But this course is very flat so it was little or no stress on them. I was actually wanting some hills so I could stretch them out a bit.

By about mile 8 I started chatting with a woman from Seattle who had run this the previous year. She filled in the few holes of the course I hadn't run before. She has had an interesting life as a photo journalist. Living over 14 years in Africa and being the main photo person for CNN. Her husband and her two cute little red headed, three year old children would meet her every few miles. We ran for 5 or 6 miles together then I gently pulled away.


As we headed past Boeing Field Airport the course starts to get a city feeling to it. This is the area where I could have gotten lost. Plus lots of traffic as you run next to some 4 lane Highways. We then get into some residential areas then industrial parks at around mile 15 or so. My legs started to ache just like last week so I took a couple Advil which again seem to really help. (yes I know, I am becoming a drug addict.) I also tried to drink as much as I could. I knew the heat which was in the upper 70's by now would hurt me if I didn't. I eat only 3 gu's on the run but felt ok with that. I also took about 12 ecaps today.

By mile 22 we hit the area near Alki. Had amazing views across Elliot Bay to downtown Seattle. The wind had been blowing 10 mph or so in our faces most of the run. This kept me cool but also slowed me down for sure. This is where I started to have to walk a bit. I would walk about .15 of a mile then run 3/4's to one mile if I could. I did this pretty much to the finish. I think the heat was what was getting me as I really had very few complaints from my legs. Usually my quads go out but this time the only discomfort was the hamstrings on both legs right near the top. Wasn't really bad just annoying.

As we headed into the busy area of Alki point every things got really busy. This area is full of tourists and locals alike, all enjoying the great weather on the beach. I didn't really know where the finish was but just kept plugging along. We had no race bibs so we kind of just blended in to the other joggers. Well....some folks did. I wore my yellow Maniac shirt, my yellow running shorts and my Nike Pre shoes that are white, yellow and green. (Eugene Marathon/Oregon Ducks) So being a 6'4" Fat-Boyee I think I kind of stand out! "Hey Martha, look at the that old guy wobbling down the road in that crazy outfit. I bet he is only running a mile or so. Boy he is out of shape and sure looks stupid!"

Well the finish was finally in sight. With Lenore as the official time keeper, I crossed the line(?) area and was getting "high fives" from the other Maniacs. Lenore asked me "if my time of 4:19:12 works for me? Or did I need to change it?" I said I would like 3:59:59 but if not that is what I show too. I felt good breaking 4:20 today after last weeks races. I probably could have done sub 4:10 but just didn't have the mental push for that today. This was a fun race, you all should do it sometime, plus free is nice compared to these mega marathons that charge $125 or so. I like the small races much better. No hassles, just run.

On the drive back to Portland I started to have the light headiness and nauseousness that I often get after a marathon. So instead of looking like a drunk driver on I-5 I pulled over half way between Tacoma and Olympia. I got a couple plain cheeseburgers and took a little 20 min nap in my car. I woke up feeling much better. Was it the food or the nap? I don't know. But I walked over to Starbucks and got my Grande Latte for the rest of the trip home. I felt good the rest of the night except for
my stupid sunburn!



Well whats up next? I don't have a marathon planned till the Foot Traffic Flat on July 4th. Other wise known as the race with free strawberry shortcake at the finish! Next weekend is the Helvatia half marathon which I really enjoy. Maybe I will go do that. See how it is to try and run fast again. Been quite a while since I have done a half.

10K's and Good Friends

So Gail decided to run the "Up the Lazy River" 10K in West Linn on Sunday so I went along for fun. It was a great ORRC run for mainly Master's runners. Others were welcome but the Ol' Folks got the glory today.

We got to Mary Young Park around 8 am. My dad who is 72 is a big walker so he drove up from Salem to do the 10K judged walk. Our other friends Fenny Roberts, who has done a ka-gillion marathons, ultras, 24 hour runs etc and Jim Scheer who has done over 250 marathons showed up too. Fenny was doing the race walk today and Jim decided to sit it out with me as he did the Cour'de'lane Marathon the day before. We also ran into Maniac Steve Walters again who just did the Forest Park 50K with us the day before, who by the way got 4th place with a time under 5 hours. Go Steve! Also pulled up next to Sean who was with Sascha and decided not to run but was going out for a couple hour easy run on the trails. So saw lots of fun folks.

The walkers started first and then the runners 1/2 hour later. My dad usually wins his age group as there are not many 72 year old men walkers. He finished in 1:28 which he was pretty happy with. Fenny did 1:14 walking. Gail did awesome at :56 minutes in her 10K run. I just stood around and took pictures which hopefully I will post tomorrow.

I enjoy being at the races as a fan almost as much as I like to run. Well.....maybe I shouldn't go that far. But it was a great social event and everyone was pretty happy with how they did. Good job all!

Whats up next? I'm still thinking Green River Marathon next weekend.