My Marathon & Beyond story is now out!

At last, my story on my experience at the 2007 Burning River 100 has appeared in the July/August, 2008 issue of Marathon & Beyond--just out. Plus, I got some nice cover ink with "Redemption at the Burning River 100" (the great Ryan Hall, who I predict will medal in Beijing, is pictured on the cover) and they ran my bio with a URL to this blog. Not bad for a day's work. In truth, this was far more than a day's work...far more.

As I previously wrote on this blog, I am extremely excited about the story running for many reasons, not the least of which is that it'll be good for the Burning River 100, which is entering its second year and is looking at drawing close to 200-plus entrants. My hope is that my story may inspire some to try the Burning River 100 or another 100-miler. For me, the BR100 was truly a life-changing event. I realized as I was making my way down Front Street in downtown Cuyahoga Falls, with the finish line in sight, that I'd never look at the world the same again. I just wish Mohican had been a little more enriching, as opposed to an epic struggle with my ailing knee and stomach the last 20 miles. That's 100s for you!

Also, I'm eager to have more of a writer's presence in the running world. This story, like this blog, is a step in that direction. Marathon & Beyond is a prestigious running publication. Every year it publishes a special Boston Marathon issue that the Boston Athletic Association distributes to runners and interested groups.

***

In other news, my knee is definitely improving. It's still not great--far from it--but it's better. The pain has diminished markedly, but my leg now feels like of "weak," which means I'm still a few days from going on a test run of about a mile or so. I'm sticking with my doctor's appointment unless I wake up on Monday morning and feel like a million bucks.

Once my knee is 100%, I'm going to go back to my Cleveland Marathon training formula minus the two-a-days every day as I don't have time for that right now with Noah and all. I need to start preparing now for my fall marathon. My planned formula will be:

Monday: Easy/off (I always give myself the option of taking Monday off)
Tuesday: Mile repeats at the track
Wednesday: Easy
Thursday: Tempo run
Friday: Easy
Saturday: Long trail run
Sunday: Long road run

Previously, I was doing my intervals and tempo runs on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, since on Tuesdays I was still really tired from long mileage from the weekend and needed an extra day of recovery. I'm going to try to go to a Tuesday/Thursday quality workout schedule as I think it's nice to have Friday as an easy day. I'm going to try to hit at least 70 miles per week and then, when Noah's settled in and this colic is behind us, up the mileage to 80-100+.

Onward and upward!

My knee / Western States 100 cancelation

My knee might be slightly better, but maybe not.... It could just be the Aleve. I've taken ice baths the last three nights, am applying ice directly to my knee and have made the transition from Advil to Aleve. I think the Aleve has definitely helped manage the pain. It is humbling walking with a limp when you're a runner who can do 100-mile races. People at work have really reacted to my limping about; they can't believe a guy like me is hobbling all around. One person said, "How can you be injured? You're superman!" Their reaction is kind of flattering in a way, but I'm no superman--far from it.

(On a side note, I think almost everyone in the Southeast Running Club, and certainly every ultrarunner, is considered a superman/superwoman by their non-running friends and acquaintances. What we do is way beyond the pale.)

Anyway, I made an appointment with an orthopaedic specialist at my workplace, University Hospitals. Unfortunately, to be seen ASAP I'll have to drive all the way to Mentor on Monday afternoon. My hope is that my knee will feel much better by Sunday so I can cancel my Monday appointment. I just hope the doctor doesn't lecture me on what I do. Just tell me what I have and help me fix the problem so I can get back on the road for more miles--that's what I want from my doctor. Convincing me that running 100 miles is crazy is an exercise in futility. I know it's crazy but I love it.

I am planning to swim on Saturday and Sunday. This will require buying a day pass at Bally's. I love swimming and am actually a very good swimmer. When I do an Ironman in the next few years, swimming, not running, will be my strongsuit. My mom says that when I was a baby I took to the water like a fish. I've always loved swimming and wish I had ready access to an indoor, Olympic-sized pool where we live. Unfortunately, we do not. I'll have to drive to Beachwood to the Bally's to get in my laps this weekend. I am looking into buying a membership at the Veale Center at Case Western Reserve University, where I can swim during my lunch hour with the option of running if I wanted.

***

I cannot believe the Western States 100 has been canceled! Actually, I can. Basically every wooded area in NoCal is on fire! Of course they'd cancel the race! Our environment is so messed up. I don't know what the root cause of all these fires in California is, but this is crazy...and depressing.

I feel terrible for Mark G. and others who have worked so hard and focused so much time and energy on training for the Western States 100. Not only will they not get to run the race--the first time in its 35-year history it won't be run--but they're out thousands of dollars and vacation time to boot. What a bummer. My suspicion is that Mark will lay down some serious wood at the upcoming Buckeye Trail 50K and Burning River 100. If my knee is up to it, I may do both. I hope I don't choke on his dust. I predict Mark goes low 15 at Burning River.

I am guessing everyone who got into this year's WS100 will get into next year's race, which means I won't be running WS100 next year. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait until 2010 to apply and will maybe do Vermont next summer.

I will keep you updated on my knee.

Mohican reflections & my knee

Before I start reflecting on Mohican/complaining about my knee, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to my Cleveland Southeast Running Club friends who finished Mohican:

• Connie Gardner: 19:22, 5th overall, 1st woman
• Vince Rucci: 20:46, 6th overall
• Dawn Malone: 22:20, 2nd woman
• Steve Godale: 25:50ish (former outright Mohican 100 winner)
• Dave Peterman: 26:20ish (finished Masanutten only a few weeks prior)
• Fred Davis III: 10th Mohican finish; it was probably just a middle-distance run for Fred, who knocks down the 100s like they're 5Ks.

I will update those time as soon as the results are posted on the Mohican Web site--if they ever are posted....

Now for the reflections/complaining....

I am extremely concerned about my left knee. Walking hurts, going down stairs is very painful and extending my knee is agonizing. Running is out of the question. This is most frustrating because right now everything else on my body feels very good. My recovery from Mohican is progressing save my blasted knee.

As I wrote in my previous post, I was hit by bad pain in my knee the last 20 miles of Mohican and simply could not run the down hills or else I was crashing. I actually felt some discomfort as early as 20 miles, but the discomfort didn't turn into pain until about 80 miles were behind me. I don't know what the problem is. It could be a case of "runner's knee," which should clear up with the RICE method (rest, ice, compression and elevation). The problem is that I've been doing basically all of the above since Sunday and my knee hasn't improved one iota. My fear is that I have a serious knee injury. I will give it a few more days and then seek evaluation by an orthopaedist. Fortunately, I work for a hospital system with some phenomenal orthopaedic specialists.

I am proud to have finished 4th overall at Mohican with a time of 19:21--almost two hours faster than my Burning River 100 time (21:08). But it's frustrating that my knee and stomach went south on me late in the game. Had they both held up, I know I could have finished in under 19 hours and potentially in under 18 hours. When I was passed with less than 5 miles to go by the Irish guy, who came out of no where, I was so frustrated because my knee simply wouldn't allow me to fight him off. I know in my heart that if my knee hadn't gone out on me, I would have finished at least third.

"Would haves" don't count for a thing, though. The Irish guy passed me and was a champ for finishing strong. Likewise, Jeff Atwell is a champ for coming back from looking rough at mile 52.2 (Rock Point) and finishing a strong second. Jay Smithberger earned his first-place finish in a big way and should be proud. I admire Jay for running a smart, aggressive and gutsy race. And I admire Jeff for coming back strong.

In marathons, sub-3-hour times are achieved in the final 10K. Most any well-conditioned runner can set themselves up for a sub-3 in the first 20 miles, only to falter in the last 10K. It took me a while to learn that. At the Cleveland Marathon this year, I held pace the last 10K and clocked a 2:58 and negative split. Likewise, a sub-19-hour time in a 100 miler comes down to a strong final 20 miles. If you're reduced to mostly walking that final 20 miles, as I was with my knee problem (though I was able to jog the few flat sections we encountered), you're not going to finish in under 19 hours and you're going to get passed. Right now the "what could have been" scenarios keep flooding my mind. It's a waste of time, I know.

With two 100s under my belt, I now know I love going the distance. I've learned some hard lessons and I feel like I've now established a decent baseline from which to work. If my knee miraculously heals in the next week or so, I'll look at lining up at the Burning River 100 on August 2. I doubt I'll "race" the BR100--that would not be smart as I don't think racing two 100s in a period of 6 weeks is a good idea unless your name is Karl Meltzer, Michael Wardian, Scott Jurek et al. I'd like to run the BR100, try to enjoy it and finish strong. If that means a time of 22, 23 or 24 hours, fine. I just have to get my knee in good, working order.

I'll look at next summer as my next 100-mile race--maybe the Western States, Vermont, Masanutten, or even Mohican and/or Burning River 100s. We'll see. Hundred milers are now a part of my life. They hurt like hell, but they're good for the soul and the community feeling of it all is so very therapeutic, invigorating and addictive.

As much as I want to run right now, the objective has to be getting my knee in good shape again. Hopefully that'll require some RICE, not a surgical knife. I'll keep you updated on what hopefully will be my progress in returning to running.

19:21 / 4th overall at Mohican

The Mohican 100 Mile Endurance Run was without question the hardest race I have ever run. Whereas at the 2007 Burning River 100 I was full of excitement when I crossed the finish line, when I finished at Mohican I was so spent physically and mentally that I couldn't even really feel happiness. I couldn't feel anything but total exhaustion and severe pain in my left knee (more on that below). As I write this post I'm happy, but last night when I crossed at 12:21 a.m. I didn't even know what happiness was....

Here's a run-down of how Mohican went:
Miles 1-52 (Rock Point) : I went out hard and felt incredibly strong. In fact, I went out too hard. About 5 miles into the race, Bob Pokorny, who was running the 50-mile race, caught up with me and told me to slow down. He and I ran together for the next 15 or so miles before he had to make the 50-mile race turn. I held on strong and got up to second place, trailing behind a guy from California who went out hard at last year's Mohican and was leading before blowing up and eventually clocking 27 hours. When I came up to Rock Point at 52.2, there he sat totally wasted. I thought for sure he was done. When I left Rock Point I was in the lead.



Being a native southerner, I found the watermellon at Grist Mill quite enjoyable--much better than PB&J's.

Miles 52-65 (Fire Tower): Sometime after Rock Point things began to fall apart for me. Right as I was entering the Fire Tower aid station at 60.8, the eventual winner, Jay Smithberger, who ran a 17:17 and last year a time of over 21 hours, caught up with me. We left the Fire Tower together with our pacers--I had Ted F. with me--only for Jay to overtake us going down to the mile 63.3 Covered Bridge aid station. I figured we'd be seeing him again soon. I was wrong on that one.



Ted and I entering the Grist Mill aid station at mile 75.

Miles 65-80 (Covered Bridge): Even with the company of my very good friends, Ted, who joined me at mile 60, and Kenny M., who joined in at mile 75, I began to feel a lot of doubt during this grueling stretch. As Ted and I (Kenny hadn't yet joined us) were going down to the mile 75 Grist Mill aid station, we were hit with a severe thunderstorm and were caught in the woods with tree branches and hail coming down everywhere. It got very dark and I couldn't help but feel a little dispirited. I was pissed at myself for going out too hard and letting Jay overtake us. To top it off, the California guy, Jeff Atwell, had caught back up to us and overtook me not long after leaving the Covered Bridge aid station at mile 80.5. Even worse, my left knee cap had begun to hurt badly--a likely case of tendinitis that I will need to rehab over the next few weeks.

Miles 80-90 (Rock Point): With Ted and Kenny coaching me along, I managed to endure the stretch from the Covered Bridge to Rock Point, but not without some serious discomfort. Our goal was to get out of the red loop by night fall, allowing us to cover the last 10 miles on the gravel roads through Landoll's Castle and the finish in the dark. We were able to accomplish that goal save about 10 minutes. I had begun to have some gastrointestinal issues (TMI, sorry) around mile 85--likely the result of two slices of pizza eaten on the run after the Covered Bridge aid station at 80.5--but wasn't too concerned just yet. I figured the GI problems would clear up. We covered some decent ground over this 10-mile stretch, but I came into Rock Point pretty hobbled by my ailing knee and reeling from my now-horrendous GI problems.



Kenny (left), Ted (right), and I entering the Bridle Staging area aid station at mile 83.2.

Miles 90-100 (finish): Two words describe this stretch perfectly: Pure hell. The double-whammy of my knee injury and GI issues reduced me to a near-incoherent shell of a man. I was having to "stop" for pit stops every 20-30 minutes and could barely talk with Kenny and Ted, and I know my wife, Anne, and her dad didn't like what they saw when I came into the Rock Point and Landoll's Castle aid stations looking like I was half-dead (and I did feel half-dead). By the time we left Landoll's Castle, having taken some Pepto Bismol, I was running a little but the downhills were killing my knee so much that I tried to fight off an Irish runner who was coming up behind us but couldn't. So he passed us, putting me in fourth place overall. I ran-walked a little more and then we entered the truly horrendous Big Hill stretch. The uphill wasn't that bad, but the downhill combined with my knee injury made the hike down the hill torture. Finally, when were down the hill we began running down the home stretch. My GI problems were now behind us (pun intended).



Ted (left), Kenny (right) and I after finishing the Mohican.

About a quarter of a mile from the finish, I looked back and saw a runner. I knew immediately who it was--Connie Gardner, the elite women's ultrarunner who last November ran 145 miles in 24 hours at UltraCentric, nearly setting the new women's record. I knew holding Connie off would be difficult--she's one of the two or three toughest runners I know and will hammer it despite the pain and discomfort. She was gaining on us fast. Fortunately, I still had a little left in the tank and somehow dropped the hammer and sprinted to the finish line, beating a surging Connie by less than 100 feet to finish the Mohican 100 fourth overall with a time of 19:21. I wasn't even really happy when I finished--I was just alive but barely. Connie and I embraced after finishing and then I went into the shelter to sit down and decompress. I honestly don't remember much about the post-race activities, other than that Anne and I, along with Ted and his wife Tami, and my father-in-law, Doug, drove back to the hotel for some shut-eye only to wake up about 6 hours later to return to the finish to collect my belt buckle and drop bags and talk with some friends who'd run the race, like Steve G., Dave P. and a few others.

Now that I've done Mohican, I can say with certainly that Mohican is WAY harder than Burning River. Burning River has its share of hills, but nothing like Mohican. At Burning River, you can basically shuffle along on the towpath and into Downtown Cuyahoga Falls the last 15 miles. At Mohican, you can't shuffle really anywhere because you're constantly confronted with hills of both the uphill and downhill variety. The last ten miles is, as my pacer Ted said, "almost sadistic" in that you're confronted by a serious near-crippling hills your body is ill-equipped to endure that late in the race. Mohican's difficulty is considerably greater than that of Burning River.

I will write more about my Mohican adventure. For now, I just wanted to get this quick report up.

Mohican mindset

The much-anticipated Mohican Trail 100 Mile Run is only two days away. Over the past few days I've been busy trying to find the time to prepare my drop bags, print off Mapquest directions and finalize all the plans with Ted and Kenny while working 8-5 and, oh by the way, caring for our little Noah with Anne. I'm pretty tired emotionally and physically from a long week--we've had a baby with severe reflux and colic to care for--but hopefully I have enough gas in the tank for 100 miles. My strength will be there for me. It always is.

There will be many strong, tough runners lining up at the start on Saturday morning at 5 a.m. Each will have an excellent shot at an outright win, especially with very favorable weather. The forecast is a high of 79 and a low of 59. I imagine I'll have to change into a long-sleeve tech tee on Saturday night.

My goal for Mohican is to run a smart race and do my absolute best. I finish where I finish. Am I nervous? A little. Most of my nerves are from knowing I haven't had enough sleep and that I'll be out of mobile phone range during the race, which means I won't be able to communicate with Ted, Kenny and, most important of all, Anne. It'll be tough not knowing for nearly a day how things are with Anne and Noah. I'll be able to call her the night before from the hotel in Wooster and will see her around mile 75 and at the finish, but the time when I won't be able to communicate with her might be difficult. I know focusing on the race will make it easier.

I've trained hard and focused intently on Mohican. I've put in several 100-mile weeks and, insofar as my training is concerned, have shown this race and the sport of ultrarunning the respect each deserves. I will bring a great deal of intensity and focus to the starting line. But I'll also bring patience. A lot happens over 100 miles. A friend of mine says nothing good happens after 50 miles. I'm going to be in control, run a smart race and trust Ted and Kenny, my strength and my resolve.

I am ready.

Taper week 6/9 - 6/15 - 1 week to Mohican

It's hard to believe the Mohican Trail 100 Mile Run is now only a week away. On Monday the 9th I began my tapering with a goal of 50-65 miles for the week. I ended up with 52.3, concluding the week on a pretty rough note but such is life.

I am fortunate to have an excellent Mohican crew/pacing team in Ted and Kenny. We have been in close contact all week and have the logistics lined up. We have a few time goals we're after and hopefully we'll achieve those goals.

In view of the fact that right now I'm running on fumes and am nearly spent physically and mentally (although I may be feeling better by the end of the week), I have revised my approach to Mohican. I'm just going to run my own race, try to me meet or exceed my aid station goal times, do my absolute best and let the chips fall where they may. If I finish top-10, great. If I finish top-5, that's even more great. If I finish in 24 hours, that's OK, too. I'm very run-down right now and, honestly, it's pretty much impossible to imagine myself racing a 100 miler only six days from now...but I know I'll be ready!

Here's how the week went:

Monday
AM: Off
PM: Off

Tuesday
AM: 8.1 miles
PM: Off
Total miles for day: 8.1

Wednesday
AM: 8.4 miles
PM: Off
Total miles for day: 8.4

Thursday
AM: 8.1 miles
PM: Off
Total miles for day: 8.1

Friday
AM: 8.5 miles
Really struggled through the high humidity.
PM: Off
Total miles for day: 8.5

Saturday
AM: 12.1 miles in Cuyahoga Valley National Park with the Lock 29 crew.
Ran a little too hard with Mohican only seven days away. Very humid. Finished the run up with Connie G., who is also doing Mohican and will finish very, very strong. She ran 145 miles at last November's UltraCentric, nearly setting the American women's 24-hour record. Connie is most certainly a leading contender for an outright victory at Mohican, especially if the conditions/weather are bad. She's the type of runner who thrives when the going gets tough.
PM: Off
Total miles for day: 12.1

Sunday
AM: 7 miles at the West Woods, Geauga Park District
Saturday night was a very tough night, as Noah was not feeling well and basically screamed and fussed for 8 hours straight (had to call the pediatrician for advice....). I was too tired to go to Solon so I stayed home, helped out with the baby and then at 10 a.m. went to West Woods for a short run. I'd never been to West Woods and really liked it. Bill W. was right--it's a great place for a run. I will most certainly go back. Jeff U. called later in the day to see if I was OK since I'd missed the Solon run. I appreciated his concern. I heard the Solon crew ran hard. Although I really missed their company, maybe it's best I wasn't there with Mohican so close.
PM: Off
Total miles for day: 7

Total miles for week: 52.3

This week I won't do much more than run maybe 10 miles and walk, taking Thursday and Friday off to get ready for the action on Saturday. I also plan to try to get at least 8 hours of sleep on Wednesday and Thursday nights, carbo load big time Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and get my drop bags in order.

Ode to Tim Russert

I realize this is a running blog and that the late, great Tim Russert doesn't have anything to do with running...but on this incredibly sad day I have a story to tell. No, not a story. I have memories to recall in a way that might be construed as a confession and that do tie into running.



Few know that, before I took up distance running, I was an overweight, 219 lbs., more-than-occasional smoking (Marlboro Lite) political operative and then a government PR guy, working as communications director/deputy campaign manager for a U.S. congressional campaign in Indiana, a communications/writing aide to the governor of Indiana, a communications director for a few mayors and, through it all, a consultant to some state and local campaigns--all Democrats.

With dreams (more delusions) of one day rising to the level of a Washington, DC big shot (maybe a White House aide, preferably press secretary to the president or I would have settled for chief media aide to the VP), I imagined myself going on "Meet the Press" and battling it out with the great one, Tim Russert, who I watched and studied every Sunday morning and always thought was entirely fair, but tough, and always a gentleman. And I held on tightly to my dreams of Washington stardom for a few years, probably intoxicated by the powerful people I worked for and met. If I got where I wanted to be, I figured, I'd eventually sit down with Russert and have my Big Moment.

But then, in a twist of events I never could have predicted only months before the fact, I got out of the very mean business of politics and my wife and I moved to Cleveland, Ohio to start a new life...a life far-removed from campaigns, political manuevering and spin-doctoring. I'm now a communications guy for a hospital system who loves his job but, unlike me in my previous life, isn't defined by my job. And it's been a much better life, let me tell you.... (Trivia: Speaking of Cleveland, Russert went to undergrad at John Carroll).

By the time of our move from the Hoosier State to the Buckeye State, I'd begun distance running, had completed my first marathon (2004 Columbus Marathon, 3:22) and had fallen in love with life in my running shoes. My Sunday runs had become such a key part of my existence that "Meet the Press" fell by the wayside, and my dreams had gone from wanting to be a DC power broker and MTP regular to wanting to qualify for Boston. However, to this day I still continue to catch re-runs of MTP, tune into "The Tim Russert Show," and pay close attention to Russert's election analysis. When seeing the great one, I would often be reminded of those crazy dreams I used to have of going 10 rounds with him on his show.

Not that my dreams ever would have come true, but today that dream of going on "Meet the Press"--a dream I had long ago when I lived a different life--is officially dead. And, with it, we now remember a news icon and a man so many looked up to, admired, emulated and genuinely liked. Rest in peace, Mr. Russert. I will run some miles this weekend for you and your family and be sure to think of you this Sunday morning.