First things first....Wear a mask! (Or Buff. Or Neck Gaiter. Or any face covering!)
Who would have thought my first entry here since October would come just before August? Nobody that's who. I admit, I'm shocked it has been so long. However, I personally am finding time a really weird construct these days.
It's been since the first Saturday in December since I ran an actual in person race. 2020 has been full of treadmill mileage. You could say so much that I basically have crushed the unit. As I type this, I am awaiting a new Console unit to my NordicTrack Commerical 1750 that I got in Jan 2019.
From a pure running perspective, really only have two things to report. First, I'm back down near my racing weight give or take two pounds which is saying a lot since stress and work had me up higher than you might ever notice. (I did.) Second, the only running event I have participated in this year has been the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee. During that event, I did my highest mileage weeks ever! However, it got really hard to put in sizable mileage (because my competitive/goal mechanism kicked in) so after I completed the Back Across Tennessee portion (basically a second round) I stopped. Doing 10-15 miles a day is much easier while maintaining my work. (I'm not complaining about having work, I understand I am much luckier than most.)
A little under three weeks from now, I am scheduled to run a 50K race. It would be my first in person race of the year. It was the race I was signed up for before everything shut down. Originally, scheduled for March, it was pushed back twice. To be honest, I'm not sure if I will participate. As of this typing, the event has not released it's COVID-19 Mitigation plan. Personally, I find this troubling. Hopefully, my worries will be smoothed over once I see how the Race Director plans how to handle social distancing, check in, aid stations, etc. So, yes, if I feel the mitigation plan is not cautious enough, I will not run in a race I've been looking forward to.
Of course, what is probably more worriesome is that we are still trying to get spread under control. As I am based in the United States, I blame the lack of leadership from the presidential administration not mandating masks (or face coverings). A global health pandemic has turned into some political football game with people's lives. Do I want to go the amusement park to get on some roller coasters? Heck yeah! Do I want to have gatherings with friends? Most definitely! Do I want to go see the latest over the top action film filled with car chases and explosions? YEP! However, since this nation operations under the delusion of 'American Exceptionalism', we're not even close to really being able to enjoy those things. I'm willing to shut down the whole country for months and have the government do what governments should do and that is take the financial hit. Give people stipends to pay their rent/mortgage/bills. Tell health insurance companies (and providers) that all treatments will be government reimbursed in this troubling time. Our system is putting lots of people at risk because we fail as a nation to have a social state that helps people.
Probably what gets me more, are people who regardless of what the government should or should not do, lack some sense. Unless you are inside your residence, take some sort of face covering with you. Listen, I'll concede if nobody is around that you can have it not fully in use. (Personally, I find Buffs/Neck Gaiters easier for this. You have it with you and you don't even need to carry it in your hand!) If you see someone a block away, make sure you have it over your mouth and nose. Don't act oblivious to the world around you. Pay attention. If you find yourself without the covering and you see someone, socially distance to the extreme!
Can I even do better myself? Sure, because we are not done with this first wave yet.
This might not sit right with some folks but cyclists and runners, if you are out doing your thing, make sure to have your coverings too! Way too often, do I see photos of people (including my own friends) in clusters without adhering to CDC guidelines. In fact, this disregard, is why nearly all of my miles are done indoors on a treadmill. In the few times I have tried to venture forth, I have encountered too many people without masks/coverings in places where distancing meant rolling down a ravine.
Also, if organizations are advising to avoid places, avoid them. I mention this is in part due to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy asking people to avoid thru-hikes because the AT is a place that just screams spreading. (Do some Google searching and you'll find stories). So to hear that a person has had the audacity to attempt a speed record this year is egregious. Furthermore, this person will be traveling from states with spikes into states that have quarantines if you are entering from any number of states.
Sure, all of the above sounds harsh and angry. It's the reality of how I feel. But I want to move in a different direction.....
Lately, I've begun to approach this all as needing to pitch in together. And I see the only way to really be able to do this is to set the example. Encourage others to do that same. Do it not for you but for others.
#settheexample
#wearthemask
Monday, July 27, 2020
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Trying to find the path...
2019 continues to be a rough year on the running front, overall. I did manage to have some recent enjoyment with a few smaller 5Ks since my last entry and a fun 60 minute trail race. Those were experiences that felt filling. Not a ton of time on the day. Few logistics to worry about. Plus, day of sign up. That sort of segways into the following post I made on my personal FB page:
"So what I really didn't mention about Scotland was I got and still have a cough along with torquing my ankle a second time last Saturday. That cough really is the stickler because I hack some while running. (Also evident riding the bike.) Point being...No Batona today. Fine but not fine with it. However, it got me thinking walking Falcon this morning, I likely will only do one race a year that I have to register far in advance. I have never been much of a fan of registering for races in advance because other things may come along. In thinking, that flexibility made running mine. Want to get back to that."
Over the past years, as the sport of ultrarunning has really boomed, it seems just about every race under the sun you have to register months in advance. Now, I am fine with the occasional need to do this but life does not necessarily lead itself to doing this for the number of races I tend to want to run. Being locked in when work gets crazy is not conductive to positive experiences. I say that because running almost becomes like a burden. For many years, when I ran predominately road races, I would show up and sign up day of. Sure it cost a few more bucks but I found I was not as wound up about a whole bunch of things. Embracing a sort of FOMO, increasingly has set me up for 'failure'. Each time I do that and something comes along where I cannot do something (be it sickness, injury, or just stress) it erodes me just a little bit.
I just need to go out and run....what I have been doing feels forces and as a byproduct not fun. Ultimately, when I look at the results from the past two years, I think it shows.
We'll see if I can get back there but it requires a bit of going back in time....
"So what I really didn't mention about Scotland was I got and still have a cough along with torquing my ankle a second time last Saturday. That cough really is the stickler because I hack some while running. (Also evident riding the bike.) Point being...No Batona today. Fine but not fine with it. However, it got me thinking walking Falcon this morning, I likely will only do one race a year that I have to register far in advance. I have never been much of a fan of registering for races in advance because other things may come along. In thinking, that flexibility made running mine. Want to get back to that."
Over the past years, as the sport of ultrarunning has really boomed, it seems just about every race under the sun you have to register months in advance. Now, I am fine with the occasional need to do this but life does not necessarily lead itself to doing this for the number of races I tend to want to run. Being locked in when work gets crazy is not conductive to positive experiences. I say that because running almost becomes like a burden. For many years, when I ran predominately road races, I would show up and sign up day of. Sure it cost a few more bucks but I found I was not as wound up about a whole bunch of things. Embracing a sort of FOMO, increasingly has set me up for 'failure'. Each time I do that and something comes along where I cannot do something (be it sickness, injury, or just stress) it erodes me just a little bit.
I just need to go out and run....what I have been doing feels forces and as a byproduct not fun. Ultimately, when I look at the results from the past two years, I think it shows.
We'll see if I can get back there but it requires a bit of going back in time....
Monday, September 9, 2019
You know it's a rough go....
...when this is only the second blog entry for 2019 in September.
Back at my last entry I was coming off a DNF at Traprock due to a stupid toe injury. Between mid-April and the end of June, I was able to get some sense of momentum winning some races including the Lost Turkey Trail 50K. In fact, that was my last decent race. I have had two races since 6/29. One was the Race Street Run in Jim Thorpe that I was 5th and ran 12 minutes slower (in a 15K) than my winning time two years ago. Yesterday was even rougher...a DNF in a marathon.
We can say that last result sums up the year well. I was honored to toe the starting line for Chasing the Unicorn to attempt a Boston Qualifier before the cutoff. Going into the year, one of my goals was to run a BQ time so I could run it in my first year as a masters. In the past, I would be able to get in BQ times during training runs. Nothing close to it here. I started off okay but the back of my knees felt tight. It was not something I was able to shake off and I had no real turnover. My splits were going in the wrong direction. At the half marathon mark, I shut it down as I was behind pace. Does it sting? Absolutely.
However, I cannot say it is surprising given the past twelve months.
In that time, I...
Had my bike stolen
Got in a car accident driving a rental in California
Went from administrating one IT system to three
Fell off a ladder in the woods
Went on a second medication for anxiety
I'm sure there are other things in there but I'm trying to take it all in stride. Even doing that I know things are a little off balance.
And all of it breeds a feeling of being worn down and tired. I'm almost 40 and have been running for 25 years so at some point change is coming. Right now, it is not on my terms.
One might even say, I'm not as excited running wise. Historically, I have always had a number of races lined up as a 'schedule' of sorts that I could look at as helping to have goals. Over time many of the events I have loved have ended. It has become harder to find events to replace the lost ones. I'd say this has led to a level of erosion of enjoyment when it comes to my running. You could probably sum everything up in this paragraph. The more I have thought about it this is what has changed the most with my running. Those events have been what makes it easier to get out in the morning to do runs in a place that I have run hundreds if not thousands of times now. Couple that with not having been able to get away for a little mini vacation to mix up my running to give me a little boost further anchors me in place.
As my friend Mary said, I am "more than just a runner" so it is not like my life is over. I am still currently running some. Been reading lots of books which I would say my highlight thus far might just be Firestorm by Edward Struzik.
Right now, I will re-adjust and find what works best. If that is less mileage but enjoyment so be it. I don't see the goal being less mileage. I do need some recharge and jump start but the ground is shifting at the moment.
Back at my last entry I was coming off a DNF at Traprock due to a stupid toe injury. Between mid-April and the end of June, I was able to get some sense of momentum winning some races including the Lost Turkey Trail 50K. In fact, that was my last decent race. I have had two races since 6/29. One was the Race Street Run in Jim Thorpe that I was 5th and ran 12 minutes slower (in a 15K) than my winning time two years ago. Yesterday was even rougher...a DNF in a marathon.
We can say that last result sums up the year well. I was honored to toe the starting line for Chasing the Unicorn to attempt a Boston Qualifier before the cutoff. Going into the year, one of my goals was to run a BQ time so I could run it in my first year as a masters. In the past, I would be able to get in BQ times during training runs. Nothing close to it here. I started off okay but the back of my knees felt tight. It was not something I was able to shake off and I had no real turnover. My splits were going in the wrong direction. At the half marathon mark, I shut it down as I was behind pace. Does it sting? Absolutely.
However, I cannot say it is surprising given the past twelve months.
In that time, I...
Had my bike stolen
Got in a car accident driving a rental in California
Went from administrating one IT system to three
Fell off a ladder in the woods
Went on a second medication for anxiety
I'm sure there are other things in there but I'm trying to take it all in stride. Even doing that I know things are a little off balance.
And all of it breeds a feeling of being worn down and tired. I'm almost 40 and have been running for 25 years so at some point change is coming. Right now, it is not on my terms.
One might even say, I'm not as excited running wise. Historically, I have always had a number of races lined up as a 'schedule' of sorts that I could look at as helping to have goals. Over time many of the events I have loved have ended. It has become harder to find events to replace the lost ones. I'd say this has led to a level of erosion of enjoyment when it comes to my running. You could probably sum everything up in this paragraph. The more I have thought about it this is what has changed the most with my running. Those events have been what makes it easier to get out in the morning to do runs in a place that I have run hundreds if not thousands of times now. Couple that with not having been able to get away for a little mini vacation to mix up my running to give me a little boost further anchors me in place.
As my friend Mary said, I am "more than just a runner" so it is not like my life is over. I am still currently running some. Been reading lots of books which I would say my highlight thus far might just be Firestorm by Edward Struzik.
Right now, I will re-adjust and find what works best. If that is less mileage but enjoyment so be it. I don't see the goal being less mileage. I do need some recharge and jump start but the ground is shifting at the moment.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
April finally brings a post!
Wish I could say things have been all sunshine and rainbows but it is not that type of year on the running front.
As a result this is going to be as quick and dirty as inadvertently jumping into toxic sludge. (Think of it as the Cuyahoga River.)
To polish off 2018, Santa (meaning our savings) brought the home a nice new shiny NordicTrack treadmill. Commercial style of course. Primarily, this was to help with a bit of motivation on days I wasn't motivated to run outside or due to time constraints. I started off 2019 good using the treadmill and some outdoor runs to get ready for a 50K down in Delaware in January. HOWEVER, I got hit with another bout of Bronchitis. So unwanted rest there. I was bummed because I was looking to it as part of a tune up to Lone Star 100K.
Complicating matters around Lone Star, I had to go out to Irvine, California for a week. So I had to fly into El Paso, Texas from Philly, then go to Irvine. While flying was all smooth, the timing of it all stressed me out to where I was not ready to tackle hours racing in Franklin Mountains. On the bright side, I did manage to run a 5K in Las Cruces, NM. Sadly, I did not have road racers with me and my time was ugly at 18:05 for 2nd. Having done a 5K did allow me to time to go hiking so I did enjoy that. (Plus, I went to the movies and saw Cold Pursuit. Not the best of Liam Neeson films. You want the best go watch The Grey.)
Being in California, I was excited for some new trails. In fact, I picked my lodging based on the proximity to trails. Yet, with my luck, nearly all were closed due to recent weather. I did manage to get on some but not with the extent I want. It also impacted a 5 mile trail race I had considered running. It changed into a road race so I opted for other activities. (Like visit the Nixon Library and the Fullerton Arboretum.)
Not much between that span in February until late March when I had the Phillies 5K. It was great to do with my neighbors. Not being at the top of my game was evident here as I ran 17:34 for 6th. Last time I did the race I was a minute faster for 2nd. Positively, I was faster than back in Las Cruces.
Just a few weeks ago, I ran an okay 17:15 for a 1st in a 5K over at Rutgers-Camden. I was happy with it because the course was changed from the past and it was long and had tighter turns. (The kind that required a throttle up and down of pace.) Coming off this, I felt fairly good going into last weekend's race in Connecticut, Traprock 50K. I'd done the race previously so I knew to expect some real challenging terrain. Also, I opted to drive up after the business day on Thursday and work remote on Friday. A 4 hour drive can be stressful for me in a case like this. So by driving up and staying an extra night, I was working to keep anxiety and stress down. In this regard, I think I did the job as I got up and made the race start fine.
HOWEVER!
The evening before Traprock, I was walking across the hotel room and injured myself in one of the most absurd manners. What happened was I was lifting my right foot but my big toe decided to 'velcro' itself to the floor so as the foot moved, the toe bent and jammed back into the rest of the foot. It hurt, A LOT! It felt worse then stubbing my toe. Guess, I would compare it with the initial ouch of a bad ankle sprain. Stupid toe region hurt even in my sleep. Still, I stepped to the line doing my best to not think about it.
Immediately as the race started, I did my best to run like usual but was constantly thinking about my foot. Doing mental system checks. I was managing for a good while on the first of three loops until I no longer wasn't. Basically, I had to stop running and walk due to the pounding. When I reached that point, I knew my day was done. I tried to initially switch into a different pair of shoes before throwing in the towel but they would not have done the trick. Sad, to be honest, as I thought my foot placement in the rocky sections was spot on. Still my main worry was a stress fracture or worse. And I had a 4 hour drive home with the same foot as my driving foot!
Anyways, that brings me to the past few days....
Been wearing shoes where the sole doesn't mend so I'm not bending my right foot much. Been able to walk. Have opted to not run right now and admit, it is making me a tad stir crazy. Considering, the top of my foot still hurts with pressure, it is not without the realm of reason that I didn't do something to my first metatarsal. Just hoping a week or two of down time in conjunction with footwear that won't aggravate things is the proper remedy.
As a result this is going to be as quick and dirty as inadvertently jumping into toxic sludge. (Think of it as the Cuyahoga River.)
To polish off 2018, Santa (meaning our savings) brought the home a nice new shiny NordicTrack treadmill. Commercial style of course. Primarily, this was to help with a bit of motivation on days I wasn't motivated to run outside or due to time constraints. I started off 2019 good using the treadmill and some outdoor runs to get ready for a 50K down in Delaware in January. HOWEVER, I got hit with another bout of Bronchitis. So unwanted rest there. I was bummed because I was looking to it as part of a tune up to Lone Star 100K.
Complicating matters around Lone Star, I had to go out to Irvine, California for a week. So I had to fly into El Paso, Texas from Philly, then go to Irvine. While flying was all smooth, the timing of it all stressed me out to where I was not ready to tackle hours racing in Franklin Mountains. On the bright side, I did manage to run a 5K in Las Cruces, NM. Sadly, I did not have road racers with me and my time was ugly at 18:05 for 2nd. Having done a 5K did allow me to time to go hiking so I did enjoy that. (Plus, I went to the movies and saw Cold Pursuit. Not the best of Liam Neeson films. You want the best go watch The Grey.)
Being in California, I was excited for some new trails. In fact, I picked my lodging based on the proximity to trails. Yet, with my luck, nearly all were closed due to recent weather. I did manage to get on some but not with the extent I want. It also impacted a 5 mile trail race I had considered running. It changed into a road race so I opted for other activities. (Like visit the Nixon Library and the Fullerton Arboretum.)
Not much between that span in February until late March when I had the Phillies 5K. It was great to do with my neighbors. Not being at the top of my game was evident here as I ran 17:34 for 6th. Last time I did the race I was a minute faster for 2nd. Positively, I was faster than back in Las Cruces.
Just a few weeks ago, I ran an okay 17:15 for a 1st in a 5K over at Rutgers-Camden. I was happy with it because the course was changed from the past and it was long and had tighter turns. (The kind that required a throttle up and down of pace.) Coming off this, I felt fairly good going into last weekend's race in Connecticut, Traprock 50K. I'd done the race previously so I knew to expect some real challenging terrain. Also, I opted to drive up after the business day on Thursday and work remote on Friday. A 4 hour drive can be stressful for me in a case like this. So by driving up and staying an extra night, I was working to keep anxiety and stress down. In this regard, I think I did the job as I got up and made the race start fine.
HOWEVER!
The evening before Traprock, I was walking across the hotel room and injured myself in one of the most absurd manners. What happened was I was lifting my right foot but my big toe decided to 'velcro' itself to the floor so as the foot moved, the toe bent and jammed back into the rest of the foot. It hurt, A LOT! It felt worse then stubbing my toe. Guess, I would compare it with the initial ouch of a bad ankle sprain. Stupid toe region hurt even in my sleep. Still, I stepped to the line doing my best to not think about it.
Immediately as the race started, I did my best to run like usual but was constantly thinking about my foot. Doing mental system checks. I was managing for a good while on the first of three loops until I no longer wasn't. Basically, I had to stop running and walk due to the pounding. When I reached that point, I knew my day was done. I tried to initially switch into a different pair of shoes before throwing in the towel but they would not have done the trick. Sad, to be honest, as I thought my foot placement in the rocky sections was spot on. Still my main worry was a stress fracture or worse. And I had a 4 hour drive home with the same foot as my driving foot!
Anyways, that brings me to the past few days....
Been wearing shoes where the sole doesn't mend so I'm not bending my right foot much. Been able to walk. Have opted to not run right now and admit, it is making me a tad stir crazy. Considering, the top of my foot still hurts with pressure, it is not without the realm of reason that I didn't do something to my first metatarsal. Just hoping a week or two of down time in conjunction with footwear that won't aggravate things is the proper remedy.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Talk about a drop off.....
Ok, so I have been REALLY bad this year blogging. Maybe I should do transcription of my thoughts via plug in (If it was only possible.)
Certainly thought I would have written something in August or September following by European race debut. However, work muscled its was in to dominate everything since the time I got back from my Scottish vacation in mid-August. In fact, things got so bad that I took 3 whole weeks off in the middle of September. Yes, right in the middle of prime fall training and racing, I lacked the mental and physical bandwidth to run.
Consider also this, as I have anxiety and am on medication to manage it, yet, it looks like my dosage will need to be adjusted up. (Went on it finally. Probably should have addressed it YEARS ago.) Job duties are increasing and that is all fine and good but the logistical aspects and time demands are multiplying. I've worked some weekend time and in September I was putting in over 10 hours of overtime a week on average. So yes, the impacts to my running have been quite substantive in 2018. To end the year, I wound up staying really close to home doing 5ks. Not nearly as quick as I hoped but still fairly decent performances. The lack of stress doing that distance versus a marathon or ultra probably helped me manage to do them. In fact, work and/or anxiety knocked out 4 races I had been signed up for....Breakneck, Georgia Jewel, Bucks County Marathon (where I would have been attempting to win 5 in a row) and just this past weekend, Ancient Oaks (which worked out well because I went to Disney a day earlier and learned running Ancient Oaks would not have made Disney fun at all the day after).
Not all was bad. I managed to do the 50K distance at Batona (that Econolodge was certainly overpriced). And even more amazingly, I did an ultra in Ohio (Bigfoot) while out there for a week of work training (which itself brought on a lot of stress.)
I did also manage to run a nighttime 3 hour in Georgia on a quick getaway where I did a 5K in the morning. That trip also had lots of Waffle House. (One sitting was between finishing the 5K and the awards) Yum!
Probably would say the highlight of the year was racing on the West Highland Way in the Devil o the Highlands race. Sure, I took 2nd place but at one point I was in 7th. I moved up 5 places in the last 15 miles. I cut a 16 mile lead down to 8 in that span with 7 of that in the last 7 miles. Plus, it was the most beautiful landscape.
We'll see what 2019 holds but I'm going to take it as it comes. There are races I want to do but clearly with my changing landscape, I need to be a little fluid. If that means smaller events where I can show up day of....so be it. May the new year bring all the readers here great success in what they wise to achieve in whatever avenue of life.
Certainly thought I would have written something in August or September following by European race debut. However, work muscled its was in to dominate everything since the time I got back from my Scottish vacation in mid-August. In fact, things got so bad that I took 3 whole weeks off in the middle of September. Yes, right in the middle of prime fall training and racing, I lacked the mental and physical bandwidth to run.
Consider also this, as I have anxiety and am on medication to manage it, yet, it looks like my dosage will need to be adjusted up. (Went on it finally. Probably should have addressed it YEARS ago.) Job duties are increasing and that is all fine and good but the logistical aspects and time demands are multiplying. I've worked some weekend time and in September I was putting in over 10 hours of overtime a week on average. So yes, the impacts to my running have been quite substantive in 2018. To end the year, I wound up staying really close to home doing 5ks. Not nearly as quick as I hoped but still fairly decent performances. The lack of stress doing that distance versus a marathon or ultra probably helped me manage to do them. In fact, work and/or anxiety knocked out 4 races I had been signed up for....Breakneck, Georgia Jewel, Bucks County Marathon (where I would have been attempting to win 5 in a row) and just this past weekend, Ancient Oaks (which worked out well because I went to Disney a day earlier and learned running Ancient Oaks would not have made Disney fun at all the day after).
Not all was bad. I managed to do the 50K distance at Batona (that Econolodge was certainly overpriced). And even more amazingly, I did an ultra in Ohio (Bigfoot) while out there for a week of work training (which itself brought on a lot of stress.)
I did also manage to run a nighttime 3 hour in Georgia on a quick getaway where I did a 5K in the morning. That trip also had lots of Waffle House. (One sitting was between finishing the 5K and the awards) Yum!
Probably would say the highlight of the year was racing on the West Highland Way in the Devil o the Highlands race. Sure, I took 2nd place but at one point I was in 7th. I moved up 5 places in the last 15 miles. I cut a 16 mile lead down to 8 in that span with 7 of that in the last 7 miles. Plus, it was the most beautiful landscape.
We'll see what 2019 holds but I'm going to take it as it comes. There are races I want to do but clearly with my changing landscape, I need to be a little fluid. If that means smaller events where I can show up day of....so be it. May the new year bring all the readers here great success in what they wise to achieve in whatever avenue of life.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Oh look...it's the first post of 2018
In May. Nearly 5 months since my last entry. I've consciously made a decision to not blog so much. A number of factors played into this including but not limited to:
Not having a ton of notable races.
Getting sick with Bronchitis in January that added a number of unexpected weeks off.
Working on my anxiety.
Honestly, while I will continue to post entries to here, the intended frequency of the past will not be the same. Part of this is that one of my main drivers in creating this blog was in hopes of building some following or having it as a vehicle to getting and maintaining sponsors. For a few years I'd say there was a minor level of success with a shoe partnership (which ended in Dec 2016). However, I feel trying to produce results and content to entice sponsorship created a burden subconsciously that took away from my running. I really felt like I wanted/needed sponsorship to garner some justification for the hard work and effort in my ultrarunning. In working on my anxiety, I've made some determinations that I was no longer going to worry about contacting companies that might be good for a partnership of runner and brand. Also, I've adjusted to embrace a lighter travel schedule. Meaning my short races are REALLY close to home and try to minimize driving to other longer events. In turn this can help with recovery and having more beyond running.
Part of this could be seen as slowing life down a little. I find myself watching less TV and reading a lot more. Last year, I had a list of 27 books that I read. This year I've finished 20. Even had a couple of novels in there. (Most of the content is non-fiction.) Now, if I could find a way to feel comfy reading in bed. For some reason that is not as conducive.
Oddly, as part the shift, I've been listening to a lot more synthwave acts like Le Cassette, LeBrock and The Rain Within. Maybe it is because the metal that has come out this year is a whole lot of meh. But we did get a new Andrew WK rock album that has two of my favorite inspiring songs of the year in Ever Again and Music is Worth Living For.
While you're here, I reckon I should mention some running material.
On April 29th, after years of chasing, I broke 8 hours in a 100K. A 31 minute PR at Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug 100K in 7:30:51. I'm really proud of that time. Certainly, will tell you that 62 miles on the road is tough. I ached in ways I hadn't before. I took a couple of days off and will ease back into things for the next few days before my next challenges. If the mood hits, I might blog about 'em. I can say I look forward to more running and racing on trails in the year.
Don't take this as I don't like talking about running because I most certainly do but talking up what I have done is actually not the most natural thing for me. (I'd like to this those who have met me know this a little. I'm just another person.) But since I'm not going to chase sponsorship anymore (that is not to say I wouldn't love to be sponsored) I can cut out some of that stress.
More likely, I'll post notable results on my athlete FB page (which you might have gotten the link to this piece from.)
Well folks....that's all for now. See you at the races....
Not having a ton of notable races.
Getting sick with Bronchitis in January that added a number of unexpected weeks off.
Working on my anxiety.
Honestly, while I will continue to post entries to here, the intended frequency of the past will not be the same. Part of this is that one of my main drivers in creating this blog was in hopes of building some following or having it as a vehicle to getting and maintaining sponsors. For a few years I'd say there was a minor level of success with a shoe partnership (which ended in Dec 2016). However, I feel trying to produce results and content to entice sponsorship created a burden subconsciously that took away from my running. I really felt like I wanted/needed sponsorship to garner some justification for the hard work and effort in my ultrarunning. In working on my anxiety, I've made some determinations that I was no longer going to worry about contacting companies that might be good for a partnership of runner and brand. Also, I've adjusted to embrace a lighter travel schedule. Meaning my short races are REALLY close to home and try to minimize driving to other longer events. In turn this can help with recovery and having more beyond running.
Part of this could be seen as slowing life down a little. I find myself watching less TV and reading a lot more. Last year, I had a list of 27 books that I read. This year I've finished 20. Even had a couple of novels in there. (Most of the content is non-fiction.) Now, if I could find a way to feel comfy reading in bed. For some reason that is not as conducive.
Oddly, as part the shift, I've been listening to a lot more synthwave acts like Le Cassette, LeBrock and The Rain Within. Maybe it is because the metal that has come out this year is a whole lot of meh. But we did get a new Andrew WK rock album that has two of my favorite inspiring songs of the year in Ever Again and Music is Worth Living For.
While you're here, I reckon I should mention some running material.
On April 29th, after years of chasing, I broke 8 hours in a 100K. A 31 minute PR at Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug 100K in 7:30:51. I'm really proud of that time. Certainly, will tell you that 62 miles on the road is tough. I ached in ways I hadn't before. I took a couple of days off and will ease back into things for the next few days before my next challenges. If the mood hits, I might blog about 'em. I can say I look forward to more running and racing on trails in the year.
Don't take this as I don't like talking about running because I most certainly do but talking up what I have done is actually not the most natural thing for me. (I'd like to this those who have met me know this a little. I'm just another person.) But since I'm not going to chase sponsorship anymore (that is not to say I wouldn't love to be sponsored) I can cut out some of that stress.
More likely, I'll post notable results on my athlete FB page (which you might have gotten the link to this piece from.)
Well folks....that's all for now. See you at the races....
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Gorge Gambler & 2017 Wrap-up
As 2017 is coming to a close, it would appear that my blogging has suffered. For the 1st half of the year, I managed 8 posts and this will make only my 4th in the past 6 months. And in fact, only my second in the past 4. In looking at those numbers and timing, I see life events having a substantial impact on how I see myself and feel motivation-ally. As someone who values stability, the company I work for having been acquired in July really has set off a chain of uncertainty in usually very grounded area of my life. And while I have some other personal matters that fall into the same category, it all has gotten to be a bit much to handle at times. To hear Peg comment that I didn't seem like I was enjoying running should tell you enough.
Still, many times, I managed to win the hard battle to get out of bed in the morning in order to go into the office or even out the door for miles. And when I say battle, I mean it. You've heard me talk of anxiety and stress in my postings before so it really should not come as a surprise. Let me say, mental health really makes a big deal in our lives as well as the events during our developmental years that shape the environment of that mental health.
While all of that is important, that is not my intended focus on this 'year-closing' entry, so allow me to change gears....
Going into 2017, one of my goals was to hit a sub 8 hour 100K. For a number of years, I have managed to hit at least one PR a year. Last year was an incredible 50 mile PR at Brazos Bend. So it seemed fair to target the 100K distance for 2018. Early in the year, I tried to go for it at Iron Horse in Florida where I DNF'd due to knee issues. I opted to hit the roads in CT at Lake Waramaug (only to have a series of events derail even getting to the race). (Twisted Branch happened but that was never a part of the 100K PR chase. Not on that course.) Next came plans for Bear Chase in Colorado in late September that due to financial circumstances, I opted to not do. This lead to a narrowing number of options really, one of which was flying to Houston on what would be this upcoming weekend to do 31 laps on a 2 mile paved course. In a cost analysis, I decided to not do the Houston race. So, in leiu of options, I decided to create my own race where the 100K was an available distance.
From this in mid-October, the Gorge Gambler was born.
The Gorge Gamble was to be an old-school event. No fancy shirts. No medals. No big red timing clock. You would get a start/finish time and a course. You'd record your own times. Since, my goal of the event was to be able to run a 100K myself, I wanted a time limit that would enable people to possibly run a 100K themselves. So I decided on 12 hours. But knowing my intention was about goals, I wanted to give people options to get 50K and 50M goals. This led to the format of the race being that everyone starts off running the 50K and once they reach the 50K distance, they can either stop or continue. At the point, 50M is reached, they are no longer in the 50K results. Same goes for up to 100K.
Because travel cost was a motivating factor of me creating the event, I decided to hold it in the Wissahickon Valley Park. Basically, this is my training ground. Now the park is a gorge. It has a gravel fire road (at one point in time an actual road of the times) called Forbidden Drive that cuts through along the length of the park with other trails in the upper reaches of the gorge. For a quicker course, I opted to create a 10K loop (ended up being 6.3 mile) utilizing much of the drive. However, I added a loop on the far end to mix up course allowing participants up onto one of the less technical (but still technical comparatively speaking) upper trails.
Once all this was set, including the date of December 9th, I opened registration where interested parties had to request invites for sign up. This was done to simple prevent a mass rush of entrants as I capped the field size to 40 people. My reason for the cap was to keep the event low-key and minimize our impact on the park's upper trails. In the end, 20 people signed up over the course of registration. With some withdrawls and no-shows, we ended up with 15 starters.
In the weeks leading up to the event, I still had my own training and racing. Between my last entry on October 11th and the Gorge Gambler, I had 5 runs, 4 of which were of the 5K distance. The other was the Bucks County Marathon, notable for mention here for winning it for the 4th straight year and in my second fastest time on that course. (Which is still 7 minutes slower than my CR.) Also, I had my yearly trek to Maine. Didn't get the usual dose of mountains but I expanding my routes and got to enjoy lots of sites. So DESPITE all the instability I was feeling on the whole, my sense of ability for my 100K was going well.
For the last week of lead-up, I spent it sending emails to registrants and getting together what I felt we should have as a basis for our single aid station. Namely, a folding table and digital clock for time recording. There was a little nervousness about the table as it arrived late but thankfully the bulk of the work was already set. Aside from race day, the biggest thing I needed to do was mark the loop section that used the technical trail. Since, we could be out after dark, I had some reflective strips as part of the markings. I kept the markings limited. Now, when I marked the section is the interesting part. My goal was to do it Friday morning on the 8th after 6am. Well, I ended up doing it at 3:30 am. Our TV decided to meet its death at 1am with a sparkling pop that tripped our main breaker. It made me unsettled to where I wasn't sleeping. So, I said might as well go marking. And I have to say, the moonlight was so strong, I didn't even need my headlamp. It was a gorgeous stroll in the woods at a time I really should not have been there.
Anyways, come race morning, I woke up briefly 4 hours early worried about the snow forecast. I hadn't considered an alternate course for safety. I decided worse case, I could take care of it last minute as pure out and backs on Forbidden Drive. Thankfully, at 6am, the snow had not started. Whew. I arrived at our starting location, 30 minutes before our 7am start. My timing here was not the greatest and it resulted in a delayed start by 15 minutes. Out of everything, I'd say this was the only error of the day as the RD. Eventually, at 7:15, I gave the official commands, started the official digital kitchen timer and off people went, myself included.
For the first loop, I ended up running with Josh Finger. Having him present really was good for me to run a balanced first 50K to possibly be under 4 hours but not insanely under to blow up. I'm not going to go into the details of every loop but I will say my biggest concern on the first loop was making sure the markings were still present. They were! Loop two was hoping nobody got off course. Seems like a win here as well! After 4 laps, I was on target for a sub 6 hour 50 mile! Yet, on lap 3, the snow started to fall. It was not an issue so much for my first 50K but my 6th lap began to slow enough to take me off of that sub 6. Still, lap 7 became the point where I was on par with a close to 8 hour 100K split. It was doable. Physically and mentally I was having up and downs. All to be expected. What I really did not expect was the slowness of the pace while maintaining consistent effort. My miles thanks to the snow where 45 seconds to 1 minute slower. I knew I would have to have a quick 8th lap knowing I would need to finish 50 miles in around 6:24 to be at 8 hour pace. Turns out I was off that mark at the end of lap 7, I just hadn't done the math well. It was just a little too slow of a split. With the continued snow slowing, I split 50 miles (50.4 actually) in 6:37:10 and called it a day.
The day was taking it's toll on others as well. Five people called it a day before 50K. And by the time I finished, only 3 other runners were still out there. One of them finished there day in the 50K only 7 minutes behind me. This left two people out there. One was Trishul Cherns and the other Jameson Kloeckner. Trishul was working on his 50K. Jameson decided he was having a blast and opted to do 50 miles. He would be the only other person to finish a distance greater than 50K at the Gorge Gambler.
At this point, the park was rather quite and empty. Rather magical because it is so beautiful in the snow. To stay away from the cold, changed out of my running clothes and spent some time in the truck. I was now getting to enjoy RD duties. I had to shoo some teens away from the results/aid table when one of them picked up the timer. (Which was adhered to the table by a magnet. While the table was not metal, I tapped a metal scraper to the table to the timer had something to stick to.)
Now, this is where I should say, I knew about half of the people participating in the Gorge Gambler. So, I believe that allows me to say this, it is only fitting that the two final people out there were those two whose spirits just radiate positivity.
Eventually, it all came to an end as Trishul finished his 50K and Jameson closed out the event with his 50 mile finish. For one of these two fine people, it was their first time in the Wissahickon. For the other, it is like home (maybe not the section of the park we used but still some familiarity.) To me this is part of what this event was about, sharing a place I love to those who may not have experienced it before and for those who have, provide something new.
Sure from a personal standpoint, not hitting 100K was a bit of a disappointment but I was either going to be near the time goal or not. Once I wasn't there was no need to go beyond 50 Mile. But in reality, the biggest victory, I personally had from the Gorge Gambler was the success of hosting an event.
Results have been posted to Ultrasignup.
However, let me take a moment to congratulate the male and female 50K champs: Nathan Spencer and Kristen Rosser.
Now, will the Gorge Gambler happen again in the future? Right now, yes. It is possible, I change the date but it will be back. Aside from the possible date change, everything else will stay the same. Well, maybe next time, I'll start it on time. Hopefully, a few more people will be able to come out.
With this, we seem to have reached the end of my year. My personal goals are taking a few weeks off. It's been some time since I have taken a large swath of time to recover. And the remaining time to the end of 2017 will be the largest non-injury rest in some time. Goal wise, I didn't hit any PR's but had some notable achievements. I managed to set an FKT. I ran 3000 miles in the year. Won the Bucks County Marathon for the 4th year in a row. Persevered through a horrible day at Twisted Branch. Went back to World's End. Won TGNY 100. I'll take it.
2018, I've already some plans to expand my horizons. Right now, racing in Scotland is going to be huge. And there is a certain ax I need to add to my collection. (No, it is not Eastern States. It's World's End 100K.) I'll aim for similar mileage. Tackle another 100M. The rest of it will fall in place.
I'd like to close this year out by thanking some really important people who made a dent one way or another.
Peg - For putting up with everything! Running, work, well....everything.
Pat McCloskey - You may not realize it but you're encouragement for me to run some races gives me that occasional push I need.
David Walker - You're just a no-name (he's in on the joke) who puts on bad-ass races. You also stepped up to offer emotional support. For that I will forever be grateful.
Rob Goyen - Honestly, you are one of the most inspiring people in my life. It may be silly but when I set up the Gorge Gambler, I thought about you encouraging people to achieve their goals.
Kat Bermudez - Just thank you. Everyone should have a friend like you.
And everyone else that has been a part of my life, I thank you all as well. Onwards and upwards.
(Shameless self-promotion: if anyone knows of any companies that you think would make a good sponsor fit, let me know. I might even be using their products already but never thought of approaching them.)
Still, many times, I managed to win the hard battle to get out of bed in the morning in order to go into the office or even out the door for miles. And when I say battle, I mean it. You've heard me talk of anxiety and stress in my postings before so it really should not come as a surprise. Let me say, mental health really makes a big deal in our lives as well as the events during our developmental years that shape the environment of that mental health.
While all of that is important, that is not my intended focus on this 'year-closing' entry, so allow me to change gears....
Going into 2017, one of my goals was to hit a sub 8 hour 100K. For a number of years, I have managed to hit at least one PR a year. Last year was an incredible 50 mile PR at Brazos Bend. So it seemed fair to target the 100K distance for 2018. Early in the year, I tried to go for it at Iron Horse in Florida where I DNF'd due to knee issues. I opted to hit the roads in CT at Lake Waramaug (only to have a series of events derail even getting to the race). (Twisted Branch happened but that was never a part of the 100K PR chase. Not on that course.) Next came plans for Bear Chase in Colorado in late September that due to financial circumstances, I opted to not do. This lead to a narrowing number of options really, one of which was flying to Houston on what would be this upcoming weekend to do 31 laps on a 2 mile paved course. In a cost analysis, I decided to not do the Houston race. So, in leiu of options, I decided to create my own race where the 100K was an available distance.
From this in mid-October, the Gorge Gambler was born.
The Gorge Gamble was to be an old-school event. No fancy shirts. No medals. No big red timing clock. You would get a start/finish time and a course. You'd record your own times. Since, my goal of the event was to be able to run a 100K myself, I wanted a time limit that would enable people to possibly run a 100K themselves. So I decided on 12 hours. But knowing my intention was about goals, I wanted to give people options to get 50K and 50M goals. This led to the format of the race being that everyone starts off running the 50K and once they reach the 50K distance, they can either stop or continue. At the point, 50M is reached, they are no longer in the 50K results. Same goes for up to 100K.
Because travel cost was a motivating factor of me creating the event, I decided to hold it in the Wissahickon Valley Park. Basically, this is my training ground. Now the park is a gorge. It has a gravel fire road (at one point in time an actual road of the times) called Forbidden Drive that cuts through along the length of the park with other trails in the upper reaches of the gorge. For a quicker course, I opted to create a 10K loop (ended up being 6.3 mile) utilizing much of the drive. However, I added a loop on the far end to mix up course allowing participants up onto one of the less technical (but still technical comparatively speaking) upper trails.
Once all this was set, including the date of December 9th, I opened registration where interested parties had to request invites for sign up. This was done to simple prevent a mass rush of entrants as I capped the field size to 40 people. My reason for the cap was to keep the event low-key and minimize our impact on the park's upper trails. In the end, 20 people signed up over the course of registration. With some withdrawls and no-shows, we ended up with 15 starters.
In the weeks leading up to the event, I still had my own training and racing. Between my last entry on October 11th and the Gorge Gambler, I had 5 runs, 4 of which were of the 5K distance. The other was the Bucks County Marathon, notable for mention here for winning it for the 4th straight year and in my second fastest time on that course. (Which is still 7 minutes slower than my CR.) Also, I had my yearly trek to Maine. Didn't get the usual dose of mountains but I expanding my routes and got to enjoy lots of sites. So DESPITE all the instability I was feeling on the whole, my sense of ability for my 100K was going well.
For the last week of lead-up, I spent it sending emails to registrants and getting together what I felt we should have as a basis for our single aid station. Namely, a folding table and digital clock for time recording. There was a little nervousness about the table as it arrived late but thankfully the bulk of the work was already set. Aside from race day, the biggest thing I needed to do was mark the loop section that used the technical trail. Since, we could be out after dark, I had some reflective strips as part of the markings. I kept the markings limited. Now, when I marked the section is the interesting part. My goal was to do it Friday morning on the 8th after 6am. Well, I ended up doing it at 3:30 am. Our TV decided to meet its death at 1am with a sparkling pop that tripped our main breaker. It made me unsettled to where I wasn't sleeping. So, I said might as well go marking. And I have to say, the moonlight was so strong, I didn't even need my headlamp. It was a gorgeous stroll in the woods at a time I really should not have been there.
Anyways, come race morning, I woke up briefly 4 hours early worried about the snow forecast. I hadn't considered an alternate course for safety. I decided worse case, I could take care of it last minute as pure out and backs on Forbidden Drive. Thankfully, at 6am, the snow had not started. Whew. I arrived at our starting location, 30 minutes before our 7am start. My timing here was not the greatest and it resulted in a delayed start by 15 minutes. Out of everything, I'd say this was the only error of the day as the RD. Eventually, at 7:15, I gave the official commands, started the official digital kitchen timer and off people went, myself included.
For the first loop, I ended up running with Josh Finger. Having him present really was good for me to run a balanced first 50K to possibly be under 4 hours but not insanely under to blow up. I'm not going to go into the details of every loop but I will say my biggest concern on the first loop was making sure the markings were still present. They were! Loop two was hoping nobody got off course. Seems like a win here as well! After 4 laps, I was on target for a sub 6 hour 50 mile! Yet, on lap 3, the snow started to fall. It was not an issue so much for my first 50K but my 6th lap began to slow enough to take me off of that sub 6. Still, lap 7 became the point where I was on par with a close to 8 hour 100K split. It was doable. Physically and mentally I was having up and downs. All to be expected. What I really did not expect was the slowness of the pace while maintaining consistent effort. My miles thanks to the snow where 45 seconds to 1 minute slower. I knew I would have to have a quick 8th lap knowing I would need to finish 50 miles in around 6:24 to be at 8 hour pace. Turns out I was off that mark at the end of lap 7, I just hadn't done the math well. It was just a little too slow of a split. With the continued snow slowing, I split 50 miles (50.4 actually) in 6:37:10 and called it a day.
The day was taking it's toll on others as well. Five people called it a day before 50K. And by the time I finished, only 3 other runners were still out there. One of them finished there day in the 50K only 7 minutes behind me. This left two people out there. One was Trishul Cherns and the other Jameson Kloeckner. Trishul was working on his 50K. Jameson decided he was having a blast and opted to do 50 miles. He would be the only other person to finish a distance greater than 50K at the Gorge Gambler.
At this point, the park was rather quite and empty. Rather magical because it is so beautiful in the snow. To stay away from the cold, changed out of my running clothes and spent some time in the truck. I was now getting to enjoy RD duties. I had to shoo some teens away from the results/aid table when one of them picked up the timer. (Which was adhered to the table by a magnet. While the table was not metal, I tapped a metal scraper to the table to the timer had something to stick to.)
Now, this is where I should say, I knew about half of the people participating in the Gorge Gambler. So, I believe that allows me to say this, it is only fitting that the two final people out there were those two whose spirits just radiate positivity.
Eventually, it all came to an end as Trishul finished his 50K and Jameson closed out the event with his 50 mile finish. For one of these two fine people, it was their first time in the Wissahickon. For the other, it is like home (maybe not the section of the park we used but still some familiarity.) To me this is part of what this event was about, sharing a place I love to those who may not have experienced it before and for those who have, provide something new.
Sure from a personal standpoint, not hitting 100K was a bit of a disappointment but I was either going to be near the time goal or not. Once I wasn't there was no need to go beyond 50 Mile. But in reality, the biggest victory, I personally had from the Gorge Gambler was the success of hosting an event.
Results have been posted to Ultrasignup.
However, let me take a moment to congratulate the male and female 50K champs: Nathan Spencer and Kristen Rosser.
Now, will the Gorge Gambler happen again in the future? Right now, yes. It is possible, I change the date but it will be back. Aside from the possible date change, everything else will stay the same. Well, maybe next time, I'll start it on time. Hopefully, a few more people will be able to come out.
With this, we seem to have reached the end of my year. My personal goals are taking a few weeks off. It's been some time since I have taken a large swath of time to recover. And the remaining time to the end of 2017 will be the largest non-injury rest in some time. Goal wise, I didn't hit any PR's but had some notable achievements. I managed to set an FKT. I ran 3000 miles in the year. Won the Bucks County Marathon for the 4th year in a row. Persevered through a horrible day at Twisted Branch. Went back to World's End. Won TGNY 100. I'll take it.
2018, I've already some plans to expand my horizons. Right now, racing in Scotland is going to be huge. And there is a certain ax I need to add to my collection. (No, it is not Eastern States. It's World's End 100K.) I'll aim for similar mileage. Tackle another 100M. The rest of it will fall in place.
I'd like to close this year out by thanking some really important people who made a dent one way or another.
Peg - For putting up with everything! Running, work, well....everything.
Pat McCloskey - You may not realize it but you're encouragement for me to run some races gives me that occasional push I need.
David Walker - You're just a no-name (he's in on the joke) who puts on bad-ass races. You also stepped up to offer emotional support. For that I will forever be grateful.
Rob Goyen - Honestly, you are one of the most inspiring people in my life. It may be silly but when I set up the Gorge Gambler, I thought about you encouraging people to achieve their goals.
Kat Bermudez - Just thank you. Everyone should have a friend like you.
And everyone else that has been a part of my life, I thank you all as well. Onwards and upwards.
(Shameless self-promotion: if anyone knows of any companies that you think would make a good sponsor fit, let me know. I might even be using their products already but never thought of approaching them.)
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