Pond Side Trail Pluse 2 Weeks of Rain Equals No More Trail

Well, I was off this morning to get one more run in before the NY Marathon and decided to go after the Lums Pond- Swamp Forest Trail.  It would be a nice soft run to take my mind of the shuffle-jog-shuffle of 42000 runners on Sunday.  Plus, I have run next to nothing this week.  So off I went.  Nothing big.  I have run this 7.5 mile trail plenty of times.  It is technical but not to bad.  Well, the first thing I noticed was that it was now fall and I had not memorized every turn and root.  No matter that is what trail shoes are for.  I was running along a good clip really enjoying myself when about a mile out I turned and saw that there was no longer any trail.   The pond was now in my way.  I was baffled.  I realized that it had rained 3 days every week for the past two weeks.  And I mean heavy rains.  I wasn’t sure about going through at that point because it was pretty deep so I just found a new way around.  Well, I figured I would see a little more of this but it shouldn’t be that bad.  Check out a map of the trails at Lums Pond.  Swamp Forest is the Yellow one.

Well, at one point I made a turn and 100m into it I could not find the trail, it was so flooded.  I had an alternative trail and turned to that.  Eventually, got to some higher ground and things were good for about a mile then I had no choice and just went through it.  Now I can say I ran through Lums Pond.

A Farewell to Slug: RBC 50k Race Report

So I know it has been a long time since I have graced these hallow pages with my furious prose but life is a little busy and I have other excuses.  Want to hear them.  No?  Oh, that is a “Hell, no”  Okay so I am a lazy writer.  actually, I am a tenacious thinker and it takes some real amazing or crappy runs for me to compose the best that only you deserve.  Well, this was one of those most amazing runs.

Okay, it is not typo that is a 50k or 31 miles.  You may think that I am just a marathoner.  Like being a marathoner is something to “just” be.  It takes a whole hell of a lot to run a marathon and to run a 10k or just to get off you hind quarters and get to moving and to everybody who as decide to tackle even a jog or walk to the end of the block deserves my respect and well wishes.  Now go out there and stomp one out.  Well, to be honest I turned Ultra-marathoner earlier this year at the Booty Rumble 50k in June. 

What?  “Where is that race report?”  you ask.  Well, see above I got some excuse and it will come.  But it is because of the Booty Rumble that I knew about the RBC 50k.  Back in June I knew the date was 3 october and that would be 4 weeks before the NY marathon.  I wouldn’t dare risk that so close such and important race.  Well, I was wrong and I was proven wrong by the only person that can perform such a task.  ME!  So there I was with 3 October coming up quick and in June I was thinking of going back down to help out.  Well, in September I knew better.  I knew I had it in me and I needed a long run.  If you look at all of those training plans you might see that it has long runs about 3-4 weeks prior to the big marathon of about 20-22 miles.

I was thinking, “Duff, if you are going to run 21 miles why not make it 31?”

Thinking back (more than likely I was talking to myself), “Duff you may be right.” 

“Of course I am.”

So there I was on 3 October 2009, heading down Route 1 toward Dover, DE.  I love this state, I can make it half way down the state in less than an hour and across it in about 20 minutes.  Eitherway, I had some coffee in hand made my way to what would be my second Team Slug event at Killens Pond State Park.  I got there and met up with John “The Hitman” Harper the race director and fellow Slug sophomore Steve Tursi.  I was already running late and it looked like Steve and I would be the only participants. Cool enough for me.  I love this.  A few minutes later James “All Nighter” Moore came rolling in.  It was about that time.  So we toed the line for our 3.1 mile trek, 10 times.  Now I will get more into this but probably when I finally post the Booty Rumble 50k race report.  Trust me it will be worth the wait.  Here is a tidbit.   Killen Pond State park is around Killens Pond there is a nice flat trail that as long as you avoid the 3×3 stairs, ankle twisting roots, the mysterious sand and keep the pond to your left you should be okay.  Oh yeah there is that pesky .25 mile long asphalt that can destroy your soul every time around.  Then there is the end of the loop where the self aid station was.  Check out Steve’s video of the course.  It is awesome. 

So as I was heading out on the first loop i realized that maybe the others behind me may not remember the course or at least in the first loop we should all get lost together so I stepped back and the All Nighter and I managed to find our way back to the start/finish without incident in 29 minutes.  A good start.  So the goal was to finish and this was to be my easy long run. Right?  No this became a race and at the first stop we were informed that more competitors showed up about 20 minutes after we started.  Well, I fueled and hydrated and was off.  The next loop was uneventful and I made it through in sub 9 pace.  I felt great and the next 4 loops went by with very little effort.  I started thinking maybe I could win this thing and maybe even break 5 hours. 

I was still going strong when at the 30k mark I got distracted and forgot to fuel with an e-gel.  Oh no.  No that is not right, oh well.  I will just grit it out and catch the gel at 35k.  I am not sure if this is the cause but at about 40k when I saw second place come by I was starting to get a few cramps.  Plus the glide was failing and that sucked .  I was starting to chafe in a bad way.  Any who, I was slowing down real bad.   Slow good, stop bad.  I was slow.

At 40k I was getting ready to break over that marathon barrier when I was passed.  Kudos to Ryan he is an amazingly strong runner.  I eked out the next 10k with a much slower pace.  On the last lap I got a first time ever cramp across my quads that extended over my knees.  It had me really worried.  I had cramps where I had to slow or change my pace but never ones that made me stop.  These had me stopping.  The good part was I was able to recover and get back to running.  I was really imbalanced but the last of 10 laps what could you do.  There was a point where I was saying “2 more miles to go”  then “1.5 miles to go”, then as I ran more I realized that I had not sense of distance on this course.   It seemed like the entire course was getting longer because every time I thought how long to go I would have I knew my last estimate was bad and that this is probably the 1.5 to go mark.  Then I would think the same thing about a half mile later.

Either way, I got to the, lets say, .25 mile to go mark which would the home stretch and I needed to kick it out so I look impressive to anybody near the finish line.  Then the cramp came back and begged me stop. I was having none of it so I tried to keep up the running but was forced to stop to avoid being stopped by a face full of dirt.  After about 50 meters of walking I was ready to resume my kick.  And there I was another PR at 5:32 and second place in the RBC 50k. 

I loved this race and running 50k was amazing.  But the best part was hanging out afterwards and encouraging the other runners.  The beer helped.  We got our finisher picture before people dispersed.  As the day grew long we Slugs learned of the death of TSI.  I am distraught over this event but 20 years is a long haul.  20 years ago I was just contemplating my first days in high school cross country now I am here to say I am a slug and I was there.  Steve and I celebrated our race at Waffle House and parted ways knowing that we will once again be sharing the same course in NY and again at the Fattest Butt 50 on 2 January 2010.

Where in the World is Ceasar Rodney: Race Report

So just the week before we found our Champion finishing the CAL and successfully defending his title in the near freezing rain.  And yet another PR.  Well, after returning to Delaware an itch came over me and that was to finally break the 2 hour barrier on the Half Marathon.  If you remember I have come very close in the the Disney Half but was side tracked and missed the mark by 2 minutes.  I also missed by only 36 seconds in at Akron in 2007.  This is half of my only time goal these days and that is a sub 4 hour marathon.  I can’t get to that without breaking 2 for 13.1.   I had such an awesome run at the CAL I knew I was primed to take the Caesar Rodney by storm. 

This is where the brain got in my way again.  What have we detemined in prior posts here, here, and here that brain bad.  I had to get a long run this weekend and 13.1 is not quite a long run.  It is funny how stuff has been redefined.  Just a few years ago 13.1 was way more than a long run.  10 miles was a supreme effort.  Now 13.1 at race pace is not even considered a long run.  A long recovery run?  Maybe but not a long training run.  So I come up with the ultimate plan. 

I had been reading the 50/50 by Dean Karnezes and he mentioned that he does not run because he just enjoys it and that the goal is not just running but something else.  Well, I may have gotten that mixed up but it struck me, because, that is why I run.  Not for races which are awesome but for running.  Well, another thing that Karno has been known to do is run to and from races or park at the start of a point-2-point and run back after finishing.  What an awesome concept.  So here was my plan.

The Half had a 5k that started about an hour before it and the registration was open about an hour before that so I would drive down to Wilmington to register and get my chip and bib and drive back home to rest, gear up, and fuel up.  What a great plan, right.  Step B:  Once geared up, warm up.  So I ran the 3.5 miles to the start of the race from home with the full intentions to run back as a cool down.  It was a nice easy run nothing hard and a little down hill.  No issue.  Part 3:  Rock the race with PR.  How could I go wrong. 

Well, the first hiccup was that it was a little chilly and rainy and that would make things a little tougher when it came to that time between warm up and race.  The second is last week I pulled my quad a little and was not quite at 100%.  No matter.  I stepped out the door and took off down the road.  It was real funny as I got closer to Downtown Wilmington and started seeing other runners.  As I got to the start line there were some drinks (water and gatorade) from the 5k so I re-hydrated before the race started.  With the rain I was already getting wet and it was warming up so I was starting to over heat a little.  Not a big deal though. 

A little shaking and moving kept me warmed up and I gathered at the start line and waited for the “Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  I mean it could wake the dead in death valley the start cannon was so damn loud.  I was warned and I still jumped and took off like a greyhound.  Okay more like a Basset Hound but still it made me jump.   As with all races with defined start lines with chip mats there start line shuffle/walk/shuffle started.  So I hit the start line and I was at least at a run.  Then came the down hill weaving to the river front.  I had once again placed myself in a slower section.  The issue was that with a small field I that was only about 10 feet difference.  Either way I was on the hunt for a PR.  I remember hitting the first mile mark in the low 8s and things couldn’t feel better.  At this point is where the course started to double back and I saw the gazelles.  Those guys are fast. 

For the most part the most eventful part of the first 6 miles was not much.  The part that irked a little was after the time split at mile 1, that was it till mile 6.  All I knew at that point was that there were some hills to contend with and I needed to conserve a little before hitting them.  The other issue was that rain had stopped and it was warming up. 

When I hit the 6 mile mark I realized that try as I might, I was still not holding back.  At the same time I was primed and in time to PR and break the 2 hour mark.  I could not believe it then.  So many times have I actually broken the 2 hour mark in longer races.  Actually, if there were a split in the CAL 30k I would have shattered my PR and been hard pressed to better it.  But now, less than half way to the finish line I was on pace. 

Then it hit.  The first real hill.  It was was up to toward Tower Hill School.  It was not steep but it was long.  I mean real long.  It went up about a mile and turned level before heading up another hill for about half a mile before the worst of it, heading back down.  On top of it all most of the hill was a double back on the course so I got to see others coming back at me.  At this point I realized that running back home after the finish may not be a good idea.  The real good news is the turn around at the top of the hill is only a mile from home and Space and Rae were there.  I threw my now soaked over-shirt to them and informed Space that I need to be picked up at the finish. 

You could say that after all that up hill it would have been all down hill from there but, you could be wrong.  You are wrong.  Why?  Because the down hill ends below the finish line.  It was like the race directors took classes at Evil School (UVa or OSU) because there came a near wall that lasted for two blocks before the finish.  The finish was actually about 100 meters of flat but after running a hilly course for 13 miles the up hills can kill, the down hills show some relief but the flats just feel like up hills. It can mess with your head.  I think I need to bring a level to make sure whether I am going up, down, or straight. 

In any case I got to the top and saw just what I wanted to see.  I had approximately 7 minutes to cover the final 100meters to break 2 hours.  I gave it one last heave and there it was.  1:53:24.  Awesome.  According to my splits, I actually sped up on the last half of the race which was even better.  I was spent and needed liquid bad.  What a fantastic day just about the running and the medal and PR were just icing on the already great cake. 

I don’t know hos Caesar Rodney is but he put on a nice half marathon and on top of that it was a great primer for the Delaware Marathon.  If only I could learn from the course I had run.  Either way, PR baby!!!!!!!

Catch a Leprechaun 2009: The Defense (Race Report)

Well it has been a long time and I owe some reports.  First off I must apologize for the delay.  I have been real busy and somethings have gotten pushed to the side.  Well, it is time to update my race reports. 

There are things that I have missed since I moved from the Cleveland area to Delaware.  The first being an actual winter.  The second being the races that I left behind.  Well one that I will never leave behind is the Catch A Leprechaun 30k I love this race.  It is a fantastic tune up for marathon race pacing and very well put on. 

So after a long a grueling drive on a Friday evening from Wilmington I made it to the Red Roof Inn in Avon Lake.  This gave me a day to rest up, get a hair cut and the best fried rice ever made at Tay Do.  Yes I am willing to drive all the way to Cleveland (Berea) to get my hair cut.  Well, the gas prices have gone down and she know how I like my hair done. 

It turns out that in Congresses infinite wisdom the clocks now spring forward on the same day as the CAL ‘09.  I mean of all the things to mess with: the economy, taxes, mortgage regulation, tobacco, personal freedoms, socialism are all okay but screwing with a runners schedule is unacceptable.  That being said the race was postponed by about a half an hour.  No big deal.  It was still very dark when we left the hotel and drove the 2 miles to the packet pick up. 

Two years ago I ran (and won) this race in sub freezing weather with a biting head wind coming off of the frozen Lake Erie surface.  It was so bad that I “let” an older gentleman pass me for the sole purpose of drafting behind him.  It was awesome.  Last year we had a nice rain with cool weather that turned into a warm weather steam sauna.  Tough finish but still awesome.  This year had a new torturetwist.  Cold and Raining.  It was right at freezing but not enough to make snow or freezing rain and it was coming down.  When I looked out the window and at the weather channel I thought about putting on my warm running pants but decided that it was not that cold and the thinner ones were good enough.  To be honest, I would have been better off with just shorts or the warm pants.  The thin ones just soaked and stuck to my legs and I never really warmed through out the race.

Any way, I got the packet pickup and got everything order.  It was across the street from the start but it was warm and dry.  Eventually my buddy Dave got there and the Leprechaun himself Frank Zgrabik.  It was real nice seeing familiar faces at a race.  I feel like an outsider sometimes in the Delaware Valley.  Well the time was come for the start and we all reluctantly made our way to the line.  Rick has some instructions for us and we kind of paid attention but you could tell the majority of those running today were CAL Alumni.  We just kind of huddled under something till we had to start.

It starts and the gazelles, David and Frank take off and I get right into a comfortable pace.  It is cold and wet but all is good.  I have started one of my favorite races and it rocks.  This is where I can get into some real trouble.  The 15k and the 30k runners start at the same time and if I start pacing off of a 15k runner I could be going out way too fast.  The real bitch of it is that I started to think about the race with regards to the 15k.  The race is two 15k loops and being a NCN race has no split times except at the end of the loop.  Well, as the miles tick off Iam actually thinking stuff like “6 down, 3.3 to go.”  The problem is it was 12.6 to go.  The best part about this strategy is that segmenting my race into smaller races is how I got through my first half marathon and in a way how I get through my marathons.  

The good news is I hit the end of the first loop at 1:17.  The bad news is that I was totally soaked and real cold.  David sent me data on the day later it averaged at 38F.  The good news is that there is overlap of the loops at the beginning and end.  At that point I look for other “O’s”  An “O” on the racing bib means that you are in the Male Overweight Category (Clydesdale).  The “O” is just a coincidence.  This way I know if there are any competition that I may have to real in.  The really good news is that I say none.  I was in the lead.

Well, I switched caps and went on.  As I headed back out and hit the 5k turn around point (did I mention there is also a 5k), a fire was called in on a restaurant that just happens to be on the route.  Now I know that Fire bad.  For the love of all that is edible we want our food cooked on purpose.  Well, you might think that the fire being on the route as the bad thing.  The actual rough part is that the Police that were directing traffic around the runners were called off.  This left all of us with no road support.  I think there are drivers out there that are in wait for an opportunity like this because they seemed to be crawling out of the Northeast Ohio Pot Holes.  Cars started buzzing me and a few runners ahead of me were getting the same treatment.  I don’t blame the police because they were doing a fantastic job before and they had an emergency to tend to.  For the love of Prefontaine there were frying burgers that were about to be flame broiled. 

I eventually got of the main drag and into the neighborhoods and got settled down.  I was starting to get fatigued and because of the previous situation I had sped up to get off the main road quicker.  The funniest thing happened as some point on the second loop where I realized I had no idea what was playing on my MP3 player.  The music was there but I had tuned it out and my internal playlist was creeping in. It was disconcerting because I had never had my brain override my ears like that before.  No matter it was okay.  The rain was coming again and I need fuel.  Well, I had an e-gel ready.

I got the home stretch and speaking of my MP3 player, there are some songs that just get me going like The Distance by Cake, U-mass by the Pixies,   High Octane Salvation by The Dirtbombs, Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger, and The Distance by Cake.  Well, it was that song with just a mile and a half to go that came on.  It just propelled me on to the the finish line in 2:38 for another PR and to three time defending Champion.  That’s right I was once again I was the winner of the Fat Ass Division at the CAL ‘09.  I cannot wait till next year to see the next torture. 

On a side note, as I was trying to cool down I totally pulled my thigh.  It sucked but did not deter me from running the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon the next week.  Just wait for that report.

Been a long time

Hey, I been out of it for a while. Been real busy and all those excuses. Still running and still thinking. Stay tuned for some race reports and other Running Thoughts.