Old Man Still running

Same treadmill routine.  7x8:00x4%   Legs feel good.  Weight a little lower than last year.  Mileage base higher than last year.  But I'm a year closer to the grave this year.  Only worry is the tooth socket.  Seems to be getting a little bit better, but still starts aching bad when I run.  Oh well, will keep my mind off the other aches and pains.

The goal is to go sub-20 hours for the first time in a 100-mile race.

More of the same.  Treadmill  8x7:30x3.5%

I wrote a somewhat controversial, opinionated piece on my blog to make myself quit thinking about this race director stuff.  Spit out my thoughts, we shall see if anyone notices it.

http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=608

No running, just sleeping.  Only a few miles so far this week, but I'm still confident that I will end up on top of the mileage board this week...ha, ha.

The stress today is the Houston weather, and storms across the country.  Many runners won't being coming.  Their flights have been cancelled.  Continental and Southwest cancelled nearly every flight into Houston this evening and tomorrow morning.  Looks like I'll be OK, my flight is in the afternoon.  It looks like we have a very good chance having at least an inch of snow on the course at the start.  I'm very phyched about that.  So many runners will slow down.  I plan to cruise fast.  The starting temperature will be close to 20 degrees!  Wind chill close to 10. It will warm up to 51 in the afternoon and then probably be near freezing when I finish.  Very good.   Far away from the hot temps a few years ago there when the heat melted me.

Made it to Texas just fine.  Roads were dry all the way to Huntsville. Good to see friends.  No snow on course.  Wood bridges will be icy.  Online tracking ultralive.net.  5am MST.

Detailed report at:

I wrote up my detailed report for Rocky Raccoon 100.  http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=612

Here's the short version, still only had some cat namps.  This was my 4th time running Rocky.  I hoped to break 20 hours, but didn't make it because of some issues, but still had a great run and my best placement ever there.

The temperature in the morning was 21 degrees, very fridged, so I wore long tights and long sleeves.   I goofed at the start, was still preparing when I heard the count-down, so I had to pass more than a 100 runners until I caught up with those running fast.   My first 20-mile loop was 3:00:30, a little faster than scheduled.

It was so fun to see ultrarunning heros on the out and backs running, Karl Melzer, Scott Jerek, Anton Krupicka, Hal Koerner, and Mike Wolfe.

On Loop 2, I had terrible pain in the gut that cost me about 15 minutes.   I completed that loop in 3:41.  After that loop, I took a very long stop, including a 15 minute bathroom break and I changed out of my warm clothes.   Now I was running with a slower crowd but was able to pass a bunch.

Loop 3 was thrilling.   At mile 56.5, Karl Melzer lapped me and I was able to hang with him.   I wondered how long I could.   I had been running lazy so had some good energy.  In fact I ran ahead of him for a couple miles.  We ran together into the start/finish area at mile 60.  I thanked him for waking me up and he complimented me on my pace.  We had run between 7:30 and 9:15 miles for 3.5 miles.   Including my very long break, my loop was 4:05.  Thanks to that crazy frantic run at the end of the loop I was only about 15 minutes behind my schedule.

Karl was much quicker than me at his drop bag, so I couldn't keep running with him.  I needed to gather my jacket and gloves for the night.  I needed to hustle, because I needed to run the next six miles before sunset to get my flashlight.  I succeded and was ahead of last year's pace by 15 minutes or so.

It got cold pretty fast, but if I pushed the pace, I became pretty warm.  I finished loop 4 at 9:25 p.m.   Karl was in the tent, his race finished. He asked how I was doing.  My problem now was that I was bonking, low in calories.   My stomach just wasn't very happy and wouldn't let me run very fast.   The 4th Loop was 4:40.   I knew that my quest for a sub-20 was now gone.  I could PR if I recovered.   I was lapping tons of runners.  Some realized it and said they wished they were on loop 5 too.

Loop 5, was very, very tough.  I just couldn't intake enough food and when I slowed, I started to get pretty cold.  I was still wearing shorts, but had two longsleeves on and a fleece over my face to help with the cold wind.   I tried very hard to at least keep at 15:00 pace going.  The final loop was a slow 5:56. I even had to sit down at a couple aid stations to recover and get warm.  I lost my motivation to care about my finish time, I just wanted to get it done and get in a warm bed.

For the last 8 miles, I just made sure that no one passed me.  One guy caught up with a mile to go, but he was power walking, so I ran on ahead and his light disappeard.

I finished at 3:22 a.m. for a 21:22, and by 4:30 a.m. was showered and resting in my motel room.  Amazingly I felt great, better than usual, probably because of that slow finish and cool weather.   After a few cat naps, at 8:30 a.m. I was back at the park to watch some friends finish.  Next I went to the awards at 11:00 a.m. and was shocked that I won an award for 3rd place Masters (age 50+)  That had been one of my goals for the race, to place in masters.   My time was slower than last year, but my placement much higher, probably because of the tough cold weather.  There were about 316 starters and I finished 34th.  Not bad for a very, very competitive field, with some of the best ultrarunners in the world.

I flew home and arrived before halftime of the Super Bowl.

OK, the after affects of running 100 miles.   No injuries! It is always a huge victory if you come out without an injury.  Very minor blisters, in the usual spots, hardly noticed them.  The Hokas held up very well.  Zero foot-bottom soreness.  That really is amazing.  The people in Texas hadn't seen them before so I was asked lots of questions about them along the way.  My remaining problem with them are the backs of the heels.  They are too high and after 100 miles leaves my achilies a little swolen.  I guess I will have to alter the shoes again.  I now have 450 miles on those shoes and they feel like they still have plenty more in them.

It is funny how recovering from 100-milers is always a little different.  For most of them, I feel drained, physically ill for a couple days, and don't have an appetite.  But this time in that area, I feel great.  But this time my quads are really sore, especially the left one.  I think how well I feel generally is due to two things, the cool temperature during the race, and my laziness for that last six hours or so.  I can tell that I was lazy and had more I could have given if the crazy stomach would have cooperated.  Oh well.   My left quad is more sore than the right because I think I lead with that leg and sub-consciencely protect my bad right knee.  I'll have to work on that.

Legs still quite sore, but I passed the "jog downstairs without grabbing the handrail" test.   Not bad to pass that test after just two days. The official RR100 standings are being worked on and it looks like I fell to 34th place with 316 starters.  116 runners dropped out along the way.  That is a pretty huge dropout rate, the biggest in years there.  I guess the cold weather really took its toll.

This was my 67th ultra finish.  Taking a look at my performance trend chart in ultras, I finished this race about right on target in the top 11% of starters.  The chart below shows my history.  10% means that I finished in the top 10%, so I want my number to be low.  Last year at Rocky I was in the top 13%.  So even for this race I improved.  Not bad because the top of the leader board was really stacked this year.

It feels like I've bounced back pretty well.   I'll start running again when I'm interested.  I may take a rare break just for kicks.

I wrote up my detailed report for Rocky Raccoon 100.  http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=612

It is fun to be lazy and not feel guilty.

My big decision right now is, Should I really try to run three 100s, each within two weeks of each other this year?  Three is six weeks? Cascade Crest 100 registrations opens and sells out Saturday.  I would really like to run that race, but Wasatch is two weeks after that, and I would really like to ran another race two weeks after that.   If I do this, I would race CC100 and shoot for sub-24, but I would take it easy and have fun at Wasatch.  Then I would try to race Virgil Crest.   Decisions, decisions.  

I didn't get into Hardrock, or even on the wait list, so I did the right thing there and entered Tahoe Rim 100 before it filled up.

Big mileage week, 5 miles.  Did easy treadmill.  The left quad is still tight and sore, unusual, but should be fine in a few more days.  I'll start using it and it should heal faster.

I signed up for Cascade Crest 100 in August.  I've wanted to do that race for several years, it is located in the mountains where I grew up skiing and camping in Washington.  Should be fun to go home.  But, it looks like I'm targeting nine 100-milers this year.

Treadmill 7x8:15x4%.   Nice to be in training mode again.  The left quad still a little sore, but is manegable.  Should be OK in a few days.  Noticed that Javalina Jundred is in mid-November this year.  That is very tempting, would be recovered from Pony Express and the later date would bring a better chance for cooler weather.

Tough hill workout on the TM.  7x8:30x10% (average)  Half of that I was at 15% incline.

I thought I had been gaining weight with my lazy last ten days, but surprise, I'm still at race weight.

Looking forward to getting outside again, but now another storm is coming.   Best wishes to those going to Moab Redhot on Saturday.  I decided to skip it this year.  Hopefully there is a lot less snow that last year.  That was crazy.  One of these years, I'll really try to race that one hard.  Each year it has always been a recreation run for me.

Treadmill 8x7:30x3%

Knee complaining for some reason.  Quad almost healed.

Easy treadmill, weights and core.  Noticed my right achilles is creaking.  Hadn't noticed that because it isn't sore.    Looks like Moab Redhot could have some interesting weather tomorrow, wind and storm toward the end.  Jealous, looks like fun.

As the sun was setting went out and did a run south of Lake Mountain.  Ran up the Soldier Pass road, very pleasant as the sun was setting, had a good pace going.  But down the other side, the roads were muddy and slower.  Down in Cedar Valley, I turned south on the Power Line road which was very slick and muddy.  At times I had to jump up on the desert floor to make better time, dodging the bushes.  I kept telling myself that I was building character.  But after 1.5 miles of slipping and slogging along with heavy shoes, I had had enough and turned east a mile early.  Once I made it to the top of the ridge, the trail was much better.  On the Utah valley side the soil isn't as much clay, more sandy.  Running down was fun again.  It became dark and then the full moon rose on the other side of the lake over Hobble Creek Canyon.  It was spectacular and huge, reflecting off Utah Lake.  What a sight!  I hadn't planned for that, but I was at the perfect location to view this.  Finishing up was discouraging, I felt slow and old and my left quad hurt and my right achilles too.  I had orginally hoped to do two loops, but one was enough.  This area just needs to thaw out to be more fun.   Drove to get some pizza and then went home.

Map of run: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/28472844

I guess it is going to take longer than usual to recover from this last 100, probably another two weeks this time.  Oh well, I'll just enjoy the rest.

The tendon wasn't creaking this morning, so went and did 6 boring TM miles.  Afterwards it creaked bad.  Still have a lump on it from the high back heel from the Hokas.  With 450 miles on the shoe, I'll try cutting the back heel down for Buffalo Run.  I think I can get 100 more miles out of them.  But I need to heal this tendon, they heal really slow.  Good sign that it doesn't creak after a night's rest.

Well, now I understand why I have felt slow the last three days.  Low blood pressure for some reason (99/56).  Usually I'm on the high side, so this is different.  My brother has spells of low pressure too during exercise. I think I've had this before and it just goes away.   I noticed it when running on the treadmill hard, then stopping, and a short spell of almost fainting each time I would stop.  We have a blood pressure checker, so that confirmed.  I'll just take in more fluids, avoid dehydration.   If it doesn't get better, I'll run with a sign like my brother when he passes out on the trail.  "This is normal, just leave food."

On the South side of Lake Mountain are three different access roads to the top.  I've gone up and down the one furthest to the west several times, that being the main road.  I thought I would try the route in the middle, perhaps going almost to the towers and then take the main road back south.  Well, it didn't turn out that way, but I had a great time in the early morning in the snow on the mountain.

I started at 4 a.m. at Redwood Road and ran up Soldier Pass road, almost to the pass.  The temperature was about 30 in the lowlands, so all the mud was frozen.  The road I wanted turns right, just before the switch back to the top of the pass.  The middle route stays down in a canyon, so I was successful in easily staying on the right route.  But as I approached 6,000 feet, the snow started to get deeper.  I stopped to put on my microspikes and then could make better progress.  But as I reached 6,400, the snow drifts in the small canyon really made things slow and soon I was just doing post-hole hiking.  That was OK, it looked like I was almost to the top of the ridge.    But then my canyon narrowed and looked like it was ending.  I guessed I had missed a turn (I believe I did).  Since I was going so slowly, I turned back and tried to find my missed turn, but never noticed it in the dark.

So, when I reached the junction for the eastern route up, I decided to go take that one.  I knew it would be much steeper and it was.  This route quickly climbed up the slopes and they were bare of trees and thus free of snow for longer.  Dawn was arriving as I reached the top of the ridge and had amazing views to Cedar Valley to the west, the Tintics to the south, and Utah Lake to the west.  But once again, as I reached 6,400 feet, the snow slowed me down.  I continued on because the view were spectacular as the sun started to rise.  Fog blanketed Provo across the lake and it was heading my way.  Once I reached 6,600 feet, I believe I made it to the junction where my first route should have climbed to the top of the ridge too.  At that point my toes were really getting cold going through foot-deep snow, and I just had a little slush left in my bottle (it had frozen, probably about 20 degrees up there).  So, I turned around.   I was glad that I found a nice new training route.  Doing a loop of those two routes would be nice because the first one is down in the trees and the second has wonderful vista views.  This will be fun once the snow melts.  The route on top continues along the length of the top of Lake Mountain to the towers on the north side.

With all my exploring, I traveled about 20 miles in 4.5 hours.  Not speedy, about 4,000 feet of climbing with lots of snow.

Well, no Bear 100 for me this year.  I booked travel to NY for Virgil Crest.  The RD gave me a nice race director's discount and I'll help promote their race.  Should be fun.  Grabbed airline tickets before oil prices keep shooting up.

Out at 3:50 a.m.  Ran seven on the pavement since it was above freezing.  The knee complained a bunch.  Went into the treadmill and it calmed down.  Did some hill work.  Long stretches at 15%+.  Averaged 9 miles x7:30 pace x 7% incline. 

Ten fairly easy treadmill miles.  10x8:00x6%

Watched a guy who came in to lift weights.  I have a hard time understanding those guys.  He does some simple reps, and then walks around slowly for five minutes, takes a drink, looks at himself in the mirror, watches TV, looks at the weights and slowly sets up the next easy exercise.   He was there for 40 minutes and I think was actually working about 5-7 of those minutes.  To me that is a waste of good time. No sweat on his shirt when he left.  

Another guy who is trying to lose weight is similar.  He actually stands and stares at the weights and machines for long minutes.  I think he thinks he is doing good by just being there and looking at the weights.  Oh well at least they are doing something. 

I love runnin in freshly fallen snow.  So I was out the door at 4 a.m. in the snow storm.  Ran five miles.  One inch fell as I ran.   Then I went indoors and ran the treadmill, averaged a 10x7:40x4%.   The guys doing weights today were tough, worked hard the entire time.  They are led by a former BYU running back.   They guy next to me on the treadmill was a treadmill pounder.  Slamming feet and body flying all over the place.  Now that is tough.  I think he did three miles.

Utah county got slammed this morning with snow.  We had six inches by the time I left for work.  But in Salt Lake County, hardly anything.

p.m. More treadmill, dreaming of the trails.  Need to blow up those machines.

20 miles on the treadmill. Stopped before permanent insanity set in.  Watched the various people coming in to work out.  One lady, I couldn't understand.  She got on the treadmill next to me, turned on the huge fan to blow us like crazy, ties her sweatshirt around her waist like she is going for a hike, just in case she needs it later.  She stays on for about ten minutes and doesn't even go a mile.   Then she spends the next 20 minutes doing odd stretchs, and various exercises that she could have done at home in front of her TV.  Then she was gone, left the fan blasting.  I don't get why people don't want to sweat while they exercise.  A couple other guys came in, didn't lift weights, just did some sit-ups and stretches, one of the guys read a book most the time.   They left after 40 minutes.   Then the guy from earlier in the week came in who does short reps and then slowly walks around the weight machines.  Oh, the thrilling things to watch while on the treadmill.  I can see the stuff from the reflections on the window.

My 20 treadmill miles involved some pretty good work.  Incline averaged about 6% and the machine thinks I climbed 5,000 feet along the way.

For the rest of the time, I ran outside on the Jordan River trail.  It was a bit chilly in shorts with the stiff northerly wind, but I really enjoyed it after that mind-numbing experience in the workout room.

I'm at the top of the mileage board for the week.  If I stay there, that will be my third week this year at the top.

I posted this picture on my facebook page.   All my buckles (or most).  I think I lost one or two.

Top row: Bear(6), Across the Years (2)
Row 2: Tahoe Rim (4), Leadville, Wasatch (3)
Row 3: HURT, Rocky Raccoon (4), Bighorn (3)
Row 4: Old Pueblo (3), Javalina, Zane Grey (3), Pony Express Trail

p.m. 5 miles with the dog.  Had to get my daily miles up to 50K. 97 miles with just five days of running.  Not bad.

p.m. five miles with the dog and three without.  Nice evening.   Let's see if I can get another high mileage week.