Craig Hudman - Simply Live

5.25 AM Hll route. 4 easy then pushed last mile down to MP.

8.15/60 Easy run. HR around 130 entire timee. Legs feeling decent considering I haven't run this much i a long time.

11.5 with Jeff. Glad we ran together, good conversation the whole time. 6 solo up to Hitt and back around 6:45 average for the last 6. Now for a day of wood cutting followed by Guardians of the Galaxy and dinner tonight with the boys.

12/80 easy run. Legs a bit tired a the end. 1 mile warm up then 11 @ 6:35 pace.

3/22:18 warm up

7.5/46:40  6x1milex400 mile repeats @ HMP 5:45 felt pretty good throughout. Debated on doing 1 extra but decided to stop at what was called for.

3/22:18 cool down

Started getting sick Tuesday, no run today wasn't real good. Started feeling better by night time rode a bike for a couple of miles and just had no energy.

AM 5.25 hill loop. Feeling better than yesterday, energy so so.

PM 7 Started to do my tempo run and got 4 miles into it before I decided it wasn't going to happen. I'm still reeling from being sick and I thought it would go better. After I stopped I started to feel horrible for pretty much the rest of the night.

2/14:54 warm up

8/48:50 Tempo. A bit slower than I wanted but was close. Still felt like I was on the edge of vomitting pretty much the entire run. Don't think I'm fully recovered from being sick yet.

2/14:53 Cool down.

No friends to run with this morning so it was up to  me to get it done without help. Ended up doing my hill route loop twice which ended up giving me a total of 8 good climbs. I've never done that before and am not sure I'll do it again probably the hardest 20 route I've put together. Anyways it's done. I'm not too smoked but at the end I couldn't handle even the slightest of uphill without slowing to a snail's pace.

11/72 Easy run legs feeling great after Saturday.

3/22:19 warm up

8.75/53:21  7X1Mx400 did my mile repeats again at HMP (5:45) first few were a bit difficult to get used to just the speed and maintaining it settled in after that. Had stomache issues before and after the speed work. Attributed directly to my poor choice in food today. Chocolate milk and cake dought for breakfast and an entire bag of sour twizzlers and a fat boy ice cream for lunch.

3/22:18 cool down. Hopefully I'll eat better tonight......

10/74 basic 10 mile recovery run. Easy pace. Shoulders real tight. I was a bit tense but kept trying to relax my arms and shoulders but ended up with pain lower neck between my shoulders. Not much of a desire to run today so I'm glad I got this done when I could.

AM 5.25 Hill loop. Easy on the uphills but pushed the pace pretty decent on the downhills.

Grand Teton Relay we ran as a 6 man Ultra team. Jeff, Matt, Dave, me, Rex and Dean. Kind of hectic getting team together because we had two guys who due to some unfortunate circumstances couldn't run. Luckily for us we were able to get Rex, and then Dean switched off of the 12 team at the last minute to run with us.

Met up and loaded and headed up to Ashton for the start. I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd never done a relay before. Jeff started us off and got us out in front. I just had to watch for 3 legs before it was my turn. A bit nerve racking and it turned out this way almost the entire race as it seemed like it was generally my duty to "catch back up" to the other ultra team we ended up going back and forth with.

1st leg 3.9 miles 26:14

We were now behind 3 teams. I went out as fast as I dared. It was a big climb all 3.9 miles. I passed 1 team within the first mile and slowly start to gain on the others, just ran out of distance and handed off to Rex. Happy with keeping this at a somewhat respectable pace going uphill. 376' climb not near as others.

2nd leg 8.2 miles 51:47

Started having serious stomach problems right before this leg and they would stay with me throughout the entire run. Started out a short down the uphill section before bailing off into the trees along the roadside to take care of stomach issues. Ran pretty good after that and started to catch some teams. Pushed it pretty good but still not sure what to do because of inexperience with these types of races and not knowing how my body would react. Passed 6 teams on this portion.

3rd leg 6.4 miles 40:52

I started the rails to trails legs. No vehicle support just a dark dirt trail in the middle of the night. Started somewhere between 11-12. Our run had been passed by the other ultra team and it was my job to track down "Muscles" as we nick named him. I got him around 2 and when I passed him I laid on the gas trying to break any effort by him to stay with me. It worked and it started off a long line of kills on this leg. It real was a perfect storm as I would pass someone only to have 2 or 3 more runner tail lights ahead of me to go catch. The last guy I drew even with and stumbled right as I was crossing a road about 1/4 mile from the switch off. It gave him some more motivation as he had been struggling not to let me catch him for the last mile or so and he held me off to the line. He said thanks for keeping him at an honest pace and was I running with "that ultra team" which I found out we were getting quickly nicknamed. I ended up passing a total of 15 teams on this leg. It was fun and kept my mind off of most of the crap it can do to you on a dark night in bear country along a small path with thick bushes taller than you on both sides. I needed some sleep now.

Day 2 Grand Teton Relay

Leg 4 3.6 miles 23:24

A little bit of sleep before this because I was turning into a "very grumpy" driver during Jeff's leg so they told me to go back and get some sleep. Ended up with maybe a 1/2 hour of rest. I was relieved that I knew this road as I drive a section all the time in the winter to go skiing with the family at Targhee. I was not, however, prepared for the rollers in pitch black. I decided because this was my shortest route it wouldn't be my rest run. So I hit it pretty good. One roller was stepper than I thought and just about got me at the bottom. It had a slight jog in the bottom and the only way I stayed on the road was a starlight reflection in the water beside it. Passed another 6 teams. We were now all easily passing teams that had started way before us. I was also really starting to stink but my effort in trying to keep it at bay with baby wipes was quickly dwindling. Just too tired. Caught another 20 minutes of sleep at the base of Dean's climb before picking him up and dropping Jeff off.

Leg 5 5.1miles 35:25

I was now not eating anything and hitting about every POP we had along the course. I warned everyone that this was going to be my rest leg as I had Teton Pass looming. Right before this leg I had to do my business out in a field because the POP was tipped over and I stepped right into a creek. I had to hurry and change my shoes and socks before the hand off. I was happy that I had brought 2 pairs of shoes and a boat load of socks so the mishap didn't affect me. Hit cruise and listened to some easy music on my iPod. A couple hundred feet of soft climbing in this legs it seemed more flat than that but I was starting to really feel it in my legs.

Leg 6 6.5 miles 36:20 (5.8 miles 30ish)

Last leg looking down a 2200' drop wondering how my legs would hold. At the start of the race I kept saying 30 minutes or less or I was a bum. Now looking down and feeling the fatigue I was doubting it would be anything close. The team was real positive and Rex gave me a quick pick me up talk as he would do to Dean during my leg. We knew we were neck and neck with the other Ultra team at this point. Matt had maintained the lead Jeff had given us but it was quickly getting cut. By the time I got the hand off they had passed Dave and had about a 3/4 mile lead on us. I thought "no chance I'm just too blown up to do this again. Started down with what I had left. 1st mile 5:13, I was catching him. 2nd mile 5:17, I was thinking "yep went out too fast, you better relax there's a lot left". 3rd mile 5:05, relaxed and was now right on top of my target hit the gas, stepped out into the on coming lane and gave it everything I had. He was a quality runner and I did not want him on my coat tails. 4th mile 4:56 passed a few more teams and was really trying to go easy but I was hurting real bad,I was hoping the other guy was just as bad. One more mile or so of drop. 5th mile 5:39 a slight uphill or flat for a 1/4 to 1/2 mile I don't know but I was officially jello now. I thought .8 left I pictured the change area and ran......right past the poorly marked turn into the exchange area. Luckily the other guy missed it too. My watch hit 6 I was pissed look back to see the other guy turn back ran back to him had to slow up with him showing me the way to the exchange he beat me in by a few second as I was just upset, throwing things I could pull off my body. It was a pretty childish fit in the moment. No sleep, taking my body right to the edge and losing the lead I had given everything for made me lose it for about 5 minutes. After that I settled down and just trusted Rex to get Dean the lead he needed for us to take first. They both showed up like they had been the whole race and brought it home.

Did think this would be quite so fun. I only knew Jeff going into it but loved every minute ( except the extra mile and 5 minutes preceding it). Jeff and Rex were true horses and Dean, Matt and Dave worked their hearts out to make it happen. 2nd team overall 1st Ultra team just over 23 hours for 174 miles

6.42 on a TM in Chicago. I had plans to make a run out along a preserve but ended up with business meeting too late to dare roll outside. More humidity than I've ever run in, I was soaked head to toe. Planned on more but Nikki called in the middle of the run and by the time I was done talking I had cooled down so much I didn't want to start back up plus lng day of flights had me a bit tired.

Got up to run and went outside to popping lighting and hard rain. I couldn't force myself back on the hotel TM so I went back to bed for another 2 hours. Bummer because this was my only chance at a run due to constant business meeting today and a flight back home late. Meetings went good. Now I just need to make up some miles. Legs were a bit sore going into yesterdays run but afterwards felt much better. A slight ache in my quads are all that's left of the race fatigue. Not sure if I'll attempt any harder runs this week but do need to get in another long one on Saturday.

8.25 paced out around 6:35 legs feeling good but I'm pretty tired and maybe should've taken a nap. Forgot socks so I went as long as I dared with hot spots on my feet. Planning on running the Journey's End Saucony course tonight with my daughter. The middle school is having practice out there so it ought to be fun. Maybe she'll listen.Maybe.

3.8 warm ups and time trialing the Journey's End course with my daughter. She did pretty good running 16:27 for the 3000M course. I could see a lot of encouragement in her. She needs to run more and her 1st half was around a 8:40 pace but she dropped down the last half mile under a 7:00 pace. I got her to feel some pain and we talked some strategy for the race and set a goal of under 16:00 for the race. We will see how she does.

AM - 8/54 easy run. Still feel like I'm missing sleep.

PM - 9.22/60 1 mile warm up then 6 at slow MP then progressed 2.22 to finish around HMP. Was pretty tired during this whole run. Seems to be the theme of the week.

15 miles 3 warm up and then headed to IF to meet up with Jeff for a 10 mile tempo run. Pace ended up being around 6:10-6:15 range and the last mile or so was closer to 6:00 pace. Felt pretty good and the weather held for us. Great to have friends to do these types of runs with. Especially on a boderline miserable day weather wise.

2 mile warm up

6 miles at slow tempo then moved into  fast MP to HMP for the remaining 3.5 miles. Felt pretty good. I just felt a little better than expected late in the run so I decided to do a bit of turn over work.

13 @ 6:39 easy run. Legs felt heavy for most of the run, never really loosened up. Tight between my shoulder blades. Big changes appear to be right on the horizon. Stuff soon to be wrapped up.

13.3 Easier paced run. I was really just enjoying being outside and running today. What a beautiful morning. Just me and my thoughts. A guy passed me and his little boy, probably 2 or 3, and dog were hanging out the window barking. I was laughing it was pretty cute.

2/14:55 warm up

10.1/60/5:56 MP Tempo run. First 5 weren't too great then I loosened up and last 5 became pretty easy.

2/14:54 cool down

8/56 I felt really off today and getting through this was a bit of a struggle. I was planning on doing more and cut this short. I think it is probably a hydration problem. I was super thirsty all night last night and have been all day today. I just need to drink more, I think.

12 with Curt around 7:30 pace then I finished up 8 more right at 6:30 pace. Last few miles felt tough but my pace continued to drop and around 19 I started feeling much better probably because I knew I was almost done. Overall 7:08 pace for entire run. This run also go me to my goal of 300 miles for the month. With weak mileage last week I was in doubt. Highest mileage week in a really long time.