A Balance, Redefined

Ragnar Del Sol Relay

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Location:

Vestavia,AL,USA

Member Since:

May 31, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon Top 10 Finishes: 7 Bridges ('15), Utah Valley ('13), Salt Lake City ('08), Top of Utah ('07), and St. Louis ('04). Ran around the equator (24901.55) in 4,388 days.

Personal Records
Marathon 2:39 (SLC '08)
1/2 Marathon 1:12.30 (Provo River, aided '08)
10K 34:16 (Track, sea level '00)
10K 33:15 (Des 10K, aided '08)
8K 25:32 (Crack of Dawn, aided '13)
5K 16:44 (Track, sea level '00)
5K 16:07 (Running of the Leopards, aided '12)
 

Short-Term Running Goals:

NYC Marathon November 3, 2019 done 

London Marathon October 3, 2021 done

Tokyo Marathon March 3, 2024!!!

And my largest challenge to date, raise $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of my cancer survivorship and in memory of those lost to blood cancer...
DONE! $26,403.70

https://pages.lls.org/tnt/al/london2021/awende

Long-Term Running Goals:

Enjoy being a Masters Runner.

Get under 3 hours one more time...

Personal:

Grew up outside Chicago and joined the blog while I lived in Salt Lake City. Now living outside Birmingham. I am married with two daughters. Wife thinks I'm crazy for doing marathons. And yes I am crazy I'm a scientist for a living...

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 331.25
RM 090416 Lifetime Miles: 136.06
Saucony Type A Lifetime Miles: 200.18
Nike Vaporfly Pink Lifetime Miles: 122.22
Saucony Ride #37 - Black Lifetime Miles: 56.50
Saucony Ride #38 - Neon Lifetime Miles: 53.50
Saucony Ride #39 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 59.50
Brooks Launch #38 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 65.25
Brooks Launch #39 - White Lifetime Miles: 57.50
Brooks Launch #40 - Blue Lifetime Miles: 54.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
60.302.0014.700.000.000.000.0077.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
14.000.000.000.000.000.000.0014.00

AM: 1pm medium run. Typical Sunday routine, church, family time, a little in lab and then a run. I wanted to split it up as the weather was very windy and I wanted more afternoon family time. However I would compare this run to cheating death. I got to the park and my car temp said 57°F outside. I was wearing shorts and a long-sleeve as it was VERY windy. By about mile 2 the wind had become very chilly. By mile 3 it was drizzling. By mile 4 it was hail/sleeting on me. My extremities were going numb. Mile 5 was just numb pain. The last two miles were mercifully with the wind. When I got back to the car it read 37°F a 20° drop!!! Ran the Memory Grove/Capital loop. I ran it much harder than I would have for a recovery run but I was just in survival mode. Mi: 7.2-NB Avg: 6:51 HR: 150

PM: 6:45pm easy run. Much much better experience than earlier in the day. After spending a nice and relaxing afternoon with my family I headed out to the park after dinner. Exact same run as earlier but I parked outside the park to “even out the mileage”. I was dressed for the temp this time and not being wet or blown around by the wind really helped. The creek was full with the rain water and very relaxing to listen to. I was lucky enough to run into Chad. It was great getting to chat with him even if it was only for about 1.5 miles. I really have to get my schedule together so that I can plan runs with others again. The last two days were a great escape from my work/accident week of stress. Things really came together and between the nice relaxing family time today, getting to cook dinner both Sat and Sun (VERY relaxing to me), and getting to run with people though only briefly tonight., it allowed me to clear my mind and I look forward to this next week. Especially Del Sol. I almost forgot to mention that counting the week Mon-Sun this week (92-miles) ties my second highest mileage week ever!!! Mi: 6.8-R2 Avg: 8:07 HR: 145

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 43 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 7 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 0 / / NB825: 485

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.000.000.000.0012.00

Single: 11:30am easy-med run. About the same weather as last night. However, it felt much better in the light. Ran up City Creek and back from lab. There were a lot of runners out but for the most part I just enjoyed the sound of the stream and focused on my thoughts. My main goal this week is to catch up on sleep for the relay. Last night I only ended up with 5hrs… Mi: 12-D2 Avg: 7:40 HR: 135

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 43 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 7 / / NB825: 485

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
12.000.000.000.000.000.000.0012.00

Single: 7:00am easy run. Got about 7hrs sleep last night, into work by 6am and after setting up a few things out the door. A little chilly this morning but not too bad. I took it very easy today. I did the Memory Grove/Capital loop with a City Creek extension. Mi: 12-R2 Avg: 8:24 HR: 136

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 43 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 19 / / NB825: 485

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.002.000.000.000.000.000.008.00

Single: 2:30pm med/hard run w/ 2 @ MP. Got about 7hrs sleep again last night, into work by 6am. I had one of my busiest but most productive days in awhile, finally able to squeeze out the door in the afternoon. I cut the mileage a little shorter than planned but bumped up the intensity to “air out” the legs. Did two in the middle at goal MP (5:55) actually hit 5:56 and 5:50. Overall it was just such a perfect running day, light breeze, mostly sunny, and 49F when I went out the door. Getting excited/nervous about the race Friday. My third leg has the largest climb of any of the legs so I should get my climbing gear packed. I still have one thing to take care of in work tomorrow and one thing at home and then out the door when Logan comes by… I did the Memory Grove out and back. Mi: 8-NB Avg: 6:53 HR: 161

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 43 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 19 / / NB825: 493

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.000.000.000.007.00

Single: 1pm med run. Got about 8hrs sleep. Then finished packing after some morning family time. I did end up having to go into work for a couple of hours. Then ran the capital loop from Popperton. With the lower mileage this week I picked it up again. I’m nervous for this weekend. After looking at my third leg this is going to be a challenge. Logan picked me up around 4pm and we headed to get James. It was a great drive to St. George, the entire way we talked about running, racing, and training. After getting to St. George I met some of the other team members, Steve H., Clyde, Nick, and Dave. We headed to Las Vegas and slept at the Sahara. Mi: 7-NB Avg: 7:08 HR: ?

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 43 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 19 / / NB825: 500

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
7.300.006.700.000.000.000.0014.00

See post for Saturday.

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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Race: Ragnar Del Sol Relay (14.67 Miles) 01:24:32, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
2.000.008.000.000.000.000.0010.00

Total Relay Distance 182 mi in 17 hrs and 4 min (my legs totaled 14.67 in 1 hr 24 min) 

Friday

AM: 8am easy run. Got about 6hrs sleep. Easy run with the team on the streets of Vegas. Then back into the van and to the start. Once we got there my nerves were really kicked into full gear. The racers had been starting since 9am that morning. When I watched the 4pm group take off I started getting antsy. I still had about 5 hrs to wait though so I was going to have to learn to cool my jets. Mi: 5-DS1 Avg: ~7:45 HR: ~140

PM: 9pm Leg 7 my first leg. I ran around the parking lot in the dark for about 2-miles. I was very ready to go. We had gotten updates over the last few hours and there was a team a lot closer than I would have guessed anyone would be. To make things worse I spoke to the guy from that team that I was going to be going up against. He asked what I was shooting for and I of course told him. Ted had me down for 5:52 pace. The guy said he was shooting for 5:30 pace. So it was on. James came flying in and passed the bracelet to me and I was off. My first mile had a 183 ft climb but I still managed a 5:38. I was a little nervous about burning out as this was my longest leg (meant to be 6.4 mi) but I didn’t want to let the team down. It was very dark and my first time running with a head lamp. Next mile had a good descent and I flew down it 5:14. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was in the zone! It was the closest to a “running spiritual” moment I have ever had. I would look down at the Garmin it would read #.4 or #.5 and then beep next mile! The third mile was about equal up 174 ft and down 157 ft but I kept a good pace 5:36. The fourth mile was more down 126 ft but still had 70 ft of up 5:30. The sixth mile I was finally feeling it and it had more climb 121 ft to 101 ft down 5:47 however I was almost there and knew I just had to maintain for the last 0.67 (little long) was in 3:52 (5:46 pace). When I handed off to Ted I was ecstatic I was jumping all over the place I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I beat my goal time by almost 2 min. I immediately got into the van and to the next exchange I cooled down for about 0.5 mi and then into the van 2 bananas 2 slices of bread a granola bar a Gatorade and tried to rest. Avg: ~5:31 HR: ~185

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 48 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 19 / / NB825: 500

Saturday

AM: 4am Leg 19 my second leg. Not as much warm-up this time. We had gotten some great updates and looked like we were in a solid lead. Also this was my shortest leg. The great news was the times the other van was throwing down but you’ll have to read their blogs… Logan and Nick are studs, is all I have to say. After trying to get some sleep but only resting my head I got up and “paced” around for about a mile. I got to the start and was anxious for James. However, he had a big climb (540 ft) and a long leg to get to the exchange. He handed off and I was cruising again. Nowhere near the type of experience I had during the first leg but still great. The camaraderie was great. It was so much fun cheering and being cheered on by the other FRBers. My first mile had a 241 ft climb with 158 ft of descent. I managed a 5:46. The next mile was about the same split but more level 172 ft up with 85 ft down in 5:41, the last 0.87 was mostly down and I tried to make up time and get the bracelet to Ted as fast as I could 134 ft down 67 ft up 4:34 (5:14 pace). I did a 0.5 mi cool down at the next exchange and the same refueling. I managed to drop another 1:30 from my predicted pace! Avg: 5:35 HR: ~192

PM: 9am Leg 31 final leg “the dreaded hill”. After some more great performances by the rest of the van I tried to get some sleep again put still only managed to rest my head for about an hour. Then off to the exchange. By this point we had passed all ~150 other teams so I was the first person at the exchange for the day. I chatted it up with the volunteers all nice people and then just waited for James. No real warm-up. The sunlight was out in full force and it was already warming up to about 70F. James came tearing into the exchange and I was off. I knew the first two miles were the “easy” ones and then the hill so I decided to hammer them and hang on for dear life to the end. First mile 89 ft up 81 ft down 5:32, next mile 182 ft up 156 ft down 5:41. Now the climb 156 ft up, 6:10 not too bad. The vans went by at this point and that helped motivate me. Next mile was 300 ft UP! 6:55. Final mile was still another 213 ft up but I managed to drop a few seconds for 6:32. The last 0.13 still up 66 more ft in 0:47 (5:54 pace). Handed off to James and jumped into the van. This was another ~1:20 off my goal pace. From this point to the finish every chance I got I was out of the van running around cheering in the last 5 legs. Avg: 6:09 HR: 180

Overall, I’m so happy I did this race. As you all know by now we won overall in 17 hrs 4 min beating the next team by 42 min and setting a ~2 hr course record! I was very happy with my times and effort. Ted had me down to run 14.66 miles at 6:05 pace which was a GREAT tactic by him to give us a few second fatigue leeway, it helped me mentally. By my Garmin I ran 14.67 miles (amazingly close Paul!!!) at 5:46 pace with a total of 2194 ft ascent and 1652 ft descent net up of 542 ft. I managed to give the team an additional 4 min and 40 seconds. Out of curiosity I plugged in my sea level college 10K PR into Paul’s magic spreadsheet and that would have predicted 5:57 pace so right now I’m running “better” than I did as a college senior!!! I’m so stoked about my training, thanks FRB!

Besides the running the relay was just a great experience. I met so many of the bloggers and had a great time. I had a good chance to get to know James B and Logan better on the way to and from St. George. Also, a good chance to meet Steve H, Dave, Clyde, and Nick to and from Phoenix. The race with Sasha, Steve A, Jeff, Kory, Ted and James W just rounded out the whole experience. James W, it was great of you to drive us. You kept the team moving and really helped a lot. Lybi the post race pasta and salad were great. The homemade bread by you and Sarah really hit the spot! I’m bummed I didn’t get a good chance to talk with Walter but there is always next year… There is so much I want to type here about the non-running portion but I’ll spare you all. I do want to put down a few things for my own memoirs.

The drive to and from everything was amazing! We truly live in a beautiful and diverse country. The change of scenery from hour to hour is just amazing! The condors we saw were just breath taking and to think there are so few of them left in the world. A few of the insiders’ comments I have to put down. Clyde’s story of which side are you on before his Subway came back to visit had me laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. IHOP was a blast. Last things-We started at 6pm, Poopy phone, and ZZ Top…

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 48 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 12 / / Saucony Rides #1: 48 / / Saucony Rides #2: 19 / / NB825: 500

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(11)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
60.302.0014.700.000.000.000.0077.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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