Training week 8/11-8/17

This was not one of my better training weeks as I battled a pretty wicked cold and a worsening lower-back injury that was really bothering me into Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately, I still managed to get in 70 miles despite the cold, my back problem and travel plans over the weekend that limited my time.

Monday
PM: 5.25 miles on the treadmill with Noah

Tuesday
AM: 9 miles at 7:46 pace

Wednesday
AM: 9-mile track workout/intervals
5x1600 at the track at 5:58, 5:59, 5:53, 5:53 and 5:57 with 400-meter recoveries. This was a new track workout that was suggested to me by Tim C. Rather than do 3x1600 at near-maximum intensity, I pulled back a bit and did five one-mile repeats at just under 6 minutes each--right at what my 5K pace would be (though I haven't run a 5K in many years). I loved this workout. I think these five intervals were more valuable and beneficial than 3x1600s. For one thing, 3x1600s are 17 minutes of hard running. These 5x1600s gave me 29 minutes of hard running and I wasn't that far off my 3x1600 pace of about 5:40. By pulling back only about 13-15 seconds per mile, I was able to get in two extra mile repeats and, in the process, more quality mileage. This workout will now be a part of my speedwork regiment, as will 3x1600s and another new component I'm implementing--2x2 miles.

Thursday
AM: 9.1 miles easy
PM: 5 miles on the treadmill
Total miles for day: 14.1

Friday
AM: 8-mile tempo run
I didn't have much time to work with, which meant shorter warm-up and cool-down times. This run was on a pretty hilly course. My splits were: 1) 7:37 (warm-up), 2) 6:12, 3) 6:12, 4) 6:17, 5) 6:14, 6) 6:20, 7) 6:29, 8) 3:11 (.5 miles at tempo pace) and 4:06 (cool-down) for the last half mile. My back was really bothering me by the end.
PM: 6.1 miles in South Chagrin Reservation
Ran pretty hard on the trails, covering these 6.1 miles in 46:31. By the time I was done, my back was pretty well shot and I realized I was injured.
Total miles for day: 14.1

Saturday
AM: 8.16 miles in Wheeling, WV
This run was on a very hilly course that included a lap around my old high school. I felt horrible, partly from yesterday's tempo run but mostly because my back was really hurting.

Sunday
AM: 11.05 miles in Wheeling, WV
My back was still hurting but my legs felt much better. Once again I looped around my high school and also ran the entire cross-country trail. By the time I was done, I realized it would be a long car ride home with my ailing lower back.

Total miles for week: 70.66

My goals this week are to get my back in good shape (ice and ibuprofen) and get in about 75 miles with quality track and tempo workouts. At the track, I will go for 2x2 miles at 12 minutes each.

Only if I'm bleeding from my eyes....

Last night my mom (who only wants what's best for me) advised me to take a few days off from running as I battle this wicked cold. I told her that I'd have to be bleeding from my eyes to take a day off from running. This dismayed her, as it would any loving mother. OK, so bleeding from my eyes is hyperbole. Only very occasionally, such as last Monday when I was whacked from going 31 miles the previous Saturday and 12 miles the next day, will I take a day off--and even then I hated doing it. A cold isn't going to stop me.


Would a cold have made Pre take a day off? I don't think so. We can all learn from his toughness.

As I've written on this blog before, runners run not because it's a choice, but because it's what we're programmed to do. It's simply in our DNA. Every runner I know feels the need to run every day and endures a hellish experience when they're injured and have to shut down. Shutting down is the last resort for a runner. Most runners run through sickness, pain and injuries.

When I put on my running shoes, my world becomes very simple and the taste of life sweetens. In an increasingly complex, nonsensical and distressing world, I long for the simplicity running provides every day. To not run is to deprive myself of an altogether therapeutic experience.

So it doesn't matter how stuffed up my nose is, how sore my throat may be or how congested my head may feel--I'm running! Just maybe not as fast and long as I'd like.....

***

Lately I've been feeling the desire to do some unorthodox things with my running. I'm not sure why.... Here's a list of running endeavors I'm considering after my fall marathon (more on that below):

--Going on an all-night run
--Running for 24 hours straight around the University Hospitals Case Medical Center campus (where I work) to raise money for Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
--Running across Ohio (west to east) to raise money for Rainbow
--Running from Cleveland to Wheeling, WV, where my wife's folks live, for the hell of it

I was seriously considering a trans-Ohio run this November, but the more I think of it the more I realize I'm pretty over-extended right now with the responsibilities of work and home and so I may have to postpone those plans until next year. We'll see.... Running from Cleveland to Wheeling (150 miles), though, would be much easier. I know the route I'd follow. It would probably take me two full days with one overnight stay.

***

Yesterday I registered for the Columbus Marathon. For me, Columbus is a very special race. It was my first marathon and I've run it every year since. Last year's Columbus marked my first serious attempt at a time of sub-3 and I failed in that attempt. On the heels of my 2:58 at this year's Cleveland Marathon, I will go into the Columbus Marathon looking to set a new PR in the range of 2:55 with consistent 6:40 miles to get me there.

To get there, my training is now pretty much entirely marathon-focused. I am on the track every Wednesday, completing a tempo run every Friday, and going long on Saturday (12+) and especially Sunday (18+). I wish I had more time to train--it's tough with a baby and all. But I'm finding that if I'm wise with my time, can endure a little less sleep, and am lucky, I can get in 70-80 miles per week. That should be enough to run a 2:55 at Columbus.

Columbus is kind of my nemesis. Except for the difference between my first- and second-year times, I haven't really seen much improvement there over the four years I've run Columbus. Here's how I've fared over the years:

2004--3:22 (first-ever marathon)
2005--3:08
2006--3:09
2007--3:05

Last year I ran a 1:28 in the first half, and then died the last 4 miles. Looking back on it, I still hadn't fully recovered from the Burning River 100. Hell, it wasn't until early October that I was finally able to get my mile repeat times back under 6 minutes--which has always been pretty easy for me.

This year I will look to run a 1:28 first half and 1:27 second half. This will not be easy. But I did run a negative split at Cleveland, so I think it's entirely doable if I'm feeling good that day and the weather cooperates. Those are big if's.

Onward and upward!

Training week 8/4-8/10

I had another strong week with 80 miles and high-quality track and tempo workouts. While my knee still isn't 100%, it's giving me more than enough to put in my miles and focus on my fall marathon. I'm leaning toward the Columbus Marathon--which would be my 5th Columbus--where I'm going to go for sub-2:55. I think with continued hard work on the track and with my tempo runs I can do it.

Monday
Off/rest

Tuesday
AM: 8.1 miles easy


My training partner (Noah) and me putting in some evening treadmill miles together. He always helps pass the time on the very boring treadmill by giving me smiles.

Wednesday
AM: 8.5-mile track workout
3x1600s at 5:53 (ran first lap too slow at 1:31), 5:44 and 5:43 with 800-meter recoveries. I wasn't thrilled with my times, especially my first mile repeat, but I know they'll continue to get better as my leg turnover post-Mohican improves.
PM: 4 miles on the treadmill with Noah
Total miles for day: 12.5

Thursday
AM: 8.25 miles easy

Friday
AM: 9-mile tempo run (6 total miles at tempo pace)
My miles were: 1) 8:53; 2) 6:21; 3) 6:20; 4) 6:28; 5) 6:12; 6) 6:18; 7) 6:25; 8) 7:44; 9) 7:56. I would have liked some faster tempo splits but this was still a quality workout.
PM: 5 miles easy on treadmill with Noah
Total miles for day: 14


When I see Noah smiling, nothing else matters.

Saturday
AM: 15.05 miles in South Chagrin Reservation
Ran the first 9 miles with Tim C. and Jeff T. This was a very good trail run for me. A few times I picked up the pace and hammered it. Tim showed me a hilly, rocky 2/3-miles loop he used to do 20-30 times aggressively "back in my heyday," as he said (Heyday? He just won the Burning River 100!), and I ran it a few times hard. I'm going to revisit the loop in a few weeks and may go at it hard then about 10-15 times. I intended to run later in the day but I got stung by a bee and my lower right leg swelled severely.

Sunday
AM: 18 miles in Solon with the Southeast Running Club
My ankle and foot were still quite swollen from the sting but I managed to get in a quality long run. Averaged 7:24/mile for the entire 18 miles. I felt a little heavy--maybe due to the meatloaf from the night before. Mostly ran with Paul R. and Jeff U. I had a great time both during the run and at breakfast afterward.
PM: 4 miles easy on the treadmill
Total miles for day: 22

Total miles for week: 80

My goal this week is 60+ quality miles. We have weekend plans that will keep me from making the SERC group runs and will limit my time severely. I plan to get on the track on Wednesday for 4-5x1600s at about 5:55 pace and then do a 9-mile tempo run (7 miles at tempo pace) on Friday. The following week I'll dial up the mileage again.

Kyle Skaggs destroying the Hardrock 100 record

In what was probably the most impressive ultrarunning performance of the year, 23 year-old Kyle Skaggs (who apparently trains with Anton Krupicka) ran a 23:20 at the Hardrock 100-Mile Endurance Run, considered by many to be the hardest 100-mile race in the US. Kyle bested the previous Hardrock course record set by the great Scott Jurek by 2 hours and 45 minutes. Unbelievable when you consider that Hardrock brings 34,000 feet of vertical and 34,000 feet of descent with an average elevation of 11,000 feet. See the video of Kyle's finish below. His record will stand for years.

Training week 7/28-8/3

My weekly mileage (85) was the highest it's been since the Mohican 100 Mile Endurance Run (19:22/4th overall) in June--a race that rendered my left knee pretty badly (but not irreparably) injured and me out for a few weeks. So, it was great to get in some high mileage and quality workouts this week.

Monday
PM: 5 miles on the treadmill with Noah next to me

Tuesday
AM: 8.5 miles
Finished strong with a 6:38 for mile 8 and a 3:20 for the last half mile

Wednesday
AM: 9-mile track workout
I intended to do my normal 3x1600 repeats but--I guess due to the severe humidity of the morning-- began dry-heaving just prior to hitting 800 meters of my last repeat and had to stop for a few seconds to regroup. Even so, this was a pretty solid track workout. I did 2x1600s at 5:43 and 5:40, and then 2x800s at 2:50 and 2:55. I was still feeling queasy during that last 800.
PM: 4 miles on the treadmill
Total miles for day: 13

Thursday
AM: 8.05 miles in South Chagrin Reservation
Checked the BR100 course markings. Once again very humid. Struggled in the end.

Friday
AM: 8.25-mile tempo run
My miles were: 1) 8:33; 2) 6:20; 3) 6:18; 4) 6:21; 5) 6:19; 6) 6:23; 7) 7:17; 8: 7:33; 8.25) 1:54
I ordinarily would have extended the length of my tempo pace to 7 miles but I wanted to be sure I had enough in the tank for Saturday, when I would pace Tim for 31 miles at the Burning River 100.

Saturday
PM: 31 miles at the BR100 as a pacer
Paced Tim Clement for the last 31 miles. Tim finished 1st overall. This was a great experience--one I will always remember. Not only did I learn a lot from an experienced, accomplished ultrarunner, but I also got in a quality long run that will benefit me should I do a possible 50-miler in a few weeks.

Sunday
AM: 11.35 miles in Solon with the Southeast Running Club
Despite only getting about 5 hours of sleep due to the previous night's pacing, I decided to venture into Solon and run the big loop with the club. Not many were there. Overall, I felt decent--not much soreness.

Total miles for week: 85.15

This week I'm shooting for between 65-75 miles with quality track and tempo runs.

Tim Clement wins the Burning River 100; Connie Garden 1st woman, 2nd overall

Last night at 10:40 p.m., friend and fellow SERC member Tim Clement won the 2nd annual Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run with a time of 17:40.

I had the honor and privilege of pacing Tim the last 31 miles of the race. He is a former 50K, 50-mile, 100K, and 100-mile national champion. At 47 years old, he is now back on top of his game.

Without giving any too much info, there was a stretch from 81-85 when things for Tim got dicey, but he battled through it all like a champion, regrouped and won the BR100 by 41 minutes. Watching him run with so much mental and physical strength amid the challenge of 100 miles was astonishing.

Connie Garder, also one of the top ultra runners in the nation, finished second overall with an awesome time of 18:21. We knew Connie would do everything she could to chase us down--she's as tough as they come. But Tim never let up. The last 10 miles he kept going and going and going when most of us would have been at a jog/walk pace.

For me, this was an extraordinary opportunity to see and experience how a successful 100 is run. I've run two pretty good 100s, but watching Tim the last 31 miles of the BR100 I learned a few things that I plan to put into practice at my next 100. Most of what I learned isn't physical; it's mental.

Congratulations to other club members and/or running friends who finished the BR100:

• Dawn Malone (last year’s top woman) – 22:18
• Kim Martin – 23:04
• Roy Heger – 23:10
• Steve Hawthorne – 25:41 (first 100 finished – congrats, Steve!)
• Dave Peterman – 26:57 (3rd 100-miler this summer – Massanutten, then Mohican, and now the BR100 – Dave, you are the man!)
• Fred Davis III – 27:14
• Rich Henderson – 28:18

Results can be viewed by clicking here.

How will today's Burning River 100 shake out? That is the question!

12:22 p.m.: As of the second Station Road bridge aid station (39.7), Tim Clement has extended his lead to eight minutes. Going into the second Station Road bridge aid station, runners have just endured a tough stretch as they climbed the Carriage Loop trail and then made their way back to the bridge via the towpath, which was a hot and humid stretch last year. Now they enter the Buckeye Trail 50K course, which is a challenging stretch.

The current top 5 now looks like this:

1) Tim Clement--5:58
2) Randy Miller--6:06
3) Bob Pokorny--6:09
4) Russ Goodman--6:10
5) Darris Blackford--6:11

Connie Gardner is running 6th at 6:12, and Chris Petit, who placed 2nd at the Laurel Highlands 70 in June, is at 6:19.

Tim has some tough competition behind him, but the good news for him is that he knows how to win races and stay strong. Randy Miller won the Laurel Highlands 70 and Pokorny is tough and experienced and now appears to be getting stronger with the race. I will be leaving soon to meet Tim at the Happy Days aid station (70), where I run him in.

10:27 a.m.: Big news--last year's BR100 winner, Mark Godale, has dropped from the race, likely due to the injury he's been courageously battling for some time. I feel terrible for Mark. He's a champion who fights through pain and I know this is tough for him. For him to drop means the pain he was feeling was off the charts.

Amid the bad news of Mark's status, there is some good news! Our fellow SERC member Tim Clement, who I'm pacing today from 70 to the finish, has moved into the lead as of the first Station Road bridge aid station. The top 5 is now:

1) Tim Clement--4:59
2) Russ Goodman--5:00
3) Randy Miller--5:02
4) Darris Blackford--5:05
5t) Connie Garder--5:09
5t) Bob Pokorny--5:09
5t) Scott N. Draper--5:09

I can't see Tim relenting. The level of toughness and natural endurance he brings give him a huge advantage. But there are 67 miles to go and a lot can happen in a 100....

9:14 a.m.: According to my thermometer, it's 67 degree. There's been some movement in the top 5 as of the Shadow Lake aid station (18.6):

1) Darris Blackford (2:33)
2) Benjamin Bowman (?)
3) Mark Godale (2:39)
4) Tim Clement (2:42)
5) Randy Miller (2:42)

Not sure what's going on with Dougherty, who was running second as of my last post.

Last year I think Mark G. was 2nd or 3rd and eventually moved into first sometime around the second Station Road bridge aid station.

At this point, runners are now on trails/towpath for most of the rest of the way. Some of them might be feeling some minor leg ache from the 9-mile road section to start the race.

Just now I see that Blackford and Bowman entered the Egbert Picnic Shelter aid station (23.4) at 3:19 and 3:24, respectively.

8:26 a.m.: Going into the Harper Ridge aid station (15.4), runners have just completed a long but steady climb up the Bridal Trail. I would imagine the front-runners ran, not walked, it. The top-5 are:

1) Darris Blackford--2:04
2) Benjamin Dougherty--2:09
3) Mark Godale--2:09
4) Benjamin Bowman--2:11
5) Tim Clement--2:12

Bob Pokorny, Connie Gardner and Russ Goodman all came in at 2:13.

Not surprisingly, Connie leads the women!

A whopping 5 minutes separate Blackford from his nearest competitor, and 8 minutes separate him from the #5 guy. But in 100s, 8 minutes isn't much. Sometimes the tortoise will beat the hare (though no one in the top 5 could be construed as a tortoise--they all have speed). It will be interesting to see if Blackford can hang on.

The weather is perfect--not even 70 degrees.

7:15 a.m.: The Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run started a little over 2 hours ago. I wish I were there, but that's not the point of this post!

Thanks to the organizing committee and our friends at Vertical Runner, you can track runners' times via webcast by clicking here.

Interestingly, only 120 runners started this morning. Last year, 144 started. I wonder if the less-than-50% finishers rate last year kept some folks away.

Needless to say, who crosses first will be interesting to see. I think it's going to be a battle between returning champ Mark Godale (16:07 at last year's race; 24-hour American record holder with 162.4 miles) and Tim Clement (2003 100 mile and 2004 100K national champion) who are both SERC members!

I also think Rich Wisneski, a very fast marathoner who is making his 100-mile debut, the ever-tough Connie Gardner and of course Bob Pokorny will be in the hunt.

I am pacing Tim from mile 71 to the finish and look forward to it. Mark has a great pacing team, with Jeff U. going from 60-75 with him, and Kam L. bringing him home.

I will try to check in again later this morning, but at 2 p.m. I'm outta here to go meet Tim!