Races and Runners World

During this time of year as my body recovers from months of running abuse, I marvel in those who are still training and competing. Over the weekend there were two huge performances by Bendites. I don't have details of either race, but was able to see that Dave Webster ran a 2:57:27 at CIM placing second in his 55-59 age group, and Max King repeated as Xterra World Champion. Nice job to both! Look forward to hearing how the races went down.

On a different note, a funny thing happened the other day. I sat down late in the evening and opened up my new copy of Runners World Jan 2010. I read the articles that interested me, then as per norm, flipped through and looked at all the pictures. I for no great reason viewed a picture on p.96 in a bit more detail. Low and behold, there was Sean Meissner wearing his traditional OUTLAWS singlet and red racing shorts. I thought to myself, that SOB just made it in Runners World. I showed my wife, who muttered something out of jealousy I can't repeat, and kept flipping through the magazine. I then came across this bizarre overhead, wide lens photo of a race start on p66-67. I recognized one of the racers as Michael Wardian and then tried to figure out what race it was. It then clicked that it was the start of the Twin Cities marathon. I knew where I was positioned at the race start and began my Where's Waldo search for myself. Well it just so happens that the lens was just wide enough to capture me, literally on the edge of the page wearing my Rebound singlet. I was then able to find the back of Andy Martin and Ryan Rein's face, who also just snuck in on the edge of the page. A RW debut none the less!

As for my running, I'm back! Sort of. I have been able to run 5 consecutive days with a max run of 6 miles. Still pretty sore but no worse than when I wasn't running. I'll be happy if I can run 30-40 mpw over the winter and then pick it up in February/March. Perhaps a spring marathon is in order... Eugene? Until then I'll let my kids do the racing. Here are a couple pics from the Jingle Bell Run.

Injuries-You spin me round

For those of you who suffered through 80's FM radio like me, I'm sure you recall Dead or Alive's hit, You Spin Me Round. If not, I have posted the somewhat disturbing video of the freakshow artist below for a refresher. Essentially that is what my life has come to. I have become that song (Note I didn't say singer). It is implanted in my head and I can't escape it. After limping home from a run 10 days ago, I was forced to set the running shoes aside and jump on a bike. Given the short daylight hours, most of my riding has been on a spin bike. I spin in the morning, I spin at night. I spin here, I spin there, I spin everywhere. The other day Katie asked me how my workout was. After some brief pondering, I realized it was just like every other spin workout. Sweaty and boring. Only the music changes. If nothing else, it has really made me appreciate what a gift it is to run. Heck, I even long for the treadmill, which sits right next to my spin bike. Nothing, I repeat NOTHING beats running. Andy and I have had a couple of great mt bike/cross rides the past week which I am thankful for, but it still doesn't compare. For now, the plan is to take a full three weeks off of running then reassess the damage. I'll keep working on my core and try to stay fit with the bike. Hopefully Chris Vergona can work a miracle with my Achilles and foot tendonitis. Never knew massage could be so painful.

On the positive side, Katie is doing much better and seems to be getting back into midseason form. Her plantar fasciitis is still there but currently managable. She is looking forward to kicking some Thanksgiving butt at the COCC Turkey Trott this weekend and then the Girls on the Run race Thanksgiving day. It's great to see her running again!

Me, think I'll just watch the kids and maybe go for a spin.

Looking forward to brighter days. Until then, You spin me round.




Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)
Uploaded by trashfan. - Explore more music videos.

Twin Cities Recap

Man, these blogs are hard to keep up on. Where does the time go? Can't believe it's already been 2 1/2 weeks since Twin Cities. Guess it has given me adequate time to reflect on the race.

In looking back, I'm really pleased with my training and quite happy with my race. My body hung on just long enough to accomplish the goal I set last year following the CIM (sub 2:33). It's funny looking back to that post, as Martin suggested I would need a coach to accomplish my goal. As much as I hate to admit it, I think he was right.

For those who haven't run Twin Cities, do it. Aside from New York and Boston, it's the next best road marathon I have run. I'd be surprised if there are too many other US road marathons out there that are as cool. I suppose Chicago ranks up there. Before the trip, I actually wasn't too stoked to go run it. In my mind there was nothing appealing about Minneapolis/St. Paul. After spending some time there, I realized it's a pretty cool place. Thanks to Ryan's Iphone (aka the Ry-phone) we were able to find our way around town and eat at some pretty good restaurants. Matter of fact, just about the best breakfast I have ever eaten was randomly found on the Ry-phone. Have to get me one of those. When is AT&T coming to Bend anyway?

Race day itself was just about perfect. Upper 40's-low 50's, slight overcast and fairly mild winds (except miles 16-19). Our hotel was a nice 0.5 mile jog to the start line, which served as a nice warm up. I then for the first time in my life, entered the elite corral. It was a little strange warming up with the elites, knowing I really shouldn't be there, but nothing I couldn't get used to. After a few strides, it was time to line up. I wasn't really that nervous, but more curious how my race would play out.

When the start gun went off, I tried to control my pace as there were so many fast runners around me. As with all races, it seems like you take off in a dead sprint, dodging people and potholes. After 1/4 mile I was able to lock into a steady pace, concentrate on my breathing, and get in a rhythm. That's just about the time a small gap opened up in front of me, and I realized I was right on Andy Martin's heels. Darn, so much for controlling my first mile. Either Andy was going too slow or I was going too fast. I decided to back off a bit and actually hit my first split right at 5:40, which I was fine with. It took another couple miles to really get into a groove, and I began clicking miles off around 5:40-5:50 fairly comfortably. By this time Andy was no longer in sight, which was also reassuring.

It was probably around mile 4 when another runner came upon me. I thought it would be a good idea to go with him for the next mile and catch the pack of runners 20 meters ahead of me. We hit the next split at 5:20 pace, which concerned me a bit. I figured I would pay for that mile down the road. I once again backed off, but not by much, and hit the next mile at 6:00 pace, which confused me. I then realized they mismarked those two miles, so I was still on pace. Around mile 6-7, I started feeling lousy. I began thinking of noble ways to drop out of the race. I had plenty of pre-race injuries I could fall back on if necessary. That's when I saw Katie, and by the look on her face, I knew I not only felt bad, but looked bad.

Nonetheless, I hung on to the pack of runners I was with. They were all chatting away, effortlessly running along, while I somewhat desperately clung to the back of the back. I figured it was a matter of time before I was dropped. I was right. By mile 9, the pack split up. I was still running with one or two guys and still on 5:40 pace. I hit my half marathon right around 1:14:20, which was a little fast, but not too far off of what I was hoping. I powered through a couple more miles, now starting to catch some of runners who took off a little too fast. I felt strong, continued on pace, but was working much harder than I usually do. The course then turned north along the Mississippi River and out of nowhere, a headwind kicked in. It probably wasn't more than 5 mph, but was just enough to put the hurt on me. I lost a little time miles 16-19, probably averaging around a 5:50 pace. I knew the course turned 180 degrees at mile 19, so I was just waiting for the tailwind to kick in. As I hit mile 19, the wind seemed a lot less forceful at my back, but at least it wasn't in my face anymore.

Miles 20-23 are the crux of this marathon. There is a series of hills, which on any ordinary run wouldn't seem like much, but at this point in the marathon, seemed like Pilot Butte. This is where I lost most of my time, averaging around a 6:00 pace. I encountered tons of carnage along this stretch. I recognized several of the slowing runners from the pack I ran with near the beginning of the race. Couldn't help but smile to myself as I passed every single one of them. Every so often I would get a little surge of energy which would only last a minute or so, but helped to keep me going. I was still worried with 3 miles to go I would end up bonking somewhere before the finish. I had a couple spells of lightheadedness here and there, but a Power Gel seemed to put them at rest. Over the last 2 miles I could hear the cheers from the fans behind me as the first place woman was kicking it in to the finish. I knew she wasn't far back and figured it was a matter of time before she came ripping past me. Admittedly this did help to motivate me, and I finished my last three miles close to a 5:40 pace, crossing the line at 2:31:12, edging out the first place woman by 35 seconds or so. Then I realized she just won over $25,000 and I didn't win jack. At least I kept my pride.

All in all, a great race. Had fun with the group who made the trip back. Look forward to running this race again next year.

Twin Cities Results

I'll blog more about this soon, but for now just wanted to post some official results from the TC Marathon and 10 mile. In summary, it was a good weekend for our group.

10 Mile

Max King 47:58 6th overall

Bree Ray 1:02:00- 9th overall female

Marathon

Andy Martin 2:25:46- 23rd overall

Jeff Caba 2:31:12- 28th overall

Ryan Rein 2:53:24- 173rd overall

Susannah Beck 2:43:15- 2nd master's female...olympic trials qualifier!

Kami Semick 2:47:10- 6th master's female

Great job to all!

Taper week defined

Taper week: (Tay-pur week) Noun

Def: The week leading up to a race where the runner develops illness, phantom pains and progressive injury. A week where his legs feel like tubes of concrete and lungs feel deprived of oxygen. Where heart rate escalates above anything he has experienced in training. Where appetite is maxed and work load decreased. Where a lock needs to be put on the fridge and pantry to avoid eating the entire household food supply. Where weight gain is inevitable. A week where the runner forgets about the hundreds of hours and miles he has put in and only focusses on how crummy he currently feels. Where the runner worries incessantly about the race forecast. Where sleep is reduced to mini naps throughout the night as the mind obsesses about the race.



At least that defines my taper week thus far.



Hopefully things will look up. For now, I am having trouble explaining why I feel so lousy. I

guess all I need is one good day, Sunday. The rest of the week doesn't matter. As many have told me, "the hay's in the barn." Time now to focus on the mental aspect, which is fooling myself into thinking I can run a sub 2:30:00. I actually have somewhat readjusted my goal and will be happy with a new PR (sub 2:36:00). The closer to 2:30:00 the better.

Man I'm hungry. Time to go eat something.

jc

Bigfoot/Littlefoot 2009

The last day or two have been a bit rough. I've had some nausea and dizziness and was not quite sure how I'd feel today. I rolled out of bed at 7 AM, put on a pot of coffee and hoped the caffeine would be enough to get me going. Andy Martin showed up at my house at 8AM to run to the start of the Bigfoot 10k, approximately 3.5 miles up the road. After struggling to run 8 minute pace on the way out, I checked my pulse and was concerned that it was already running in the low 150's. Typically I am closer to a 6 minute pace with that HR. I figured I was in a bit of trouble for the race. I nonetheless went through some prerace strides and stretches, then with little warning, SuperDave started the race and we were off. I quickly took my spot in second place behind Martin, running the first mile at 4:59. I wasn't certain who was with me, but I heard some footsteps close behind that I think belonged to Brian Gingerich. Mile 2, a gradual uphill, is where I thought for a moment about trying to close the gap with Martin. After picking it up for a few strides, I realized it was a poor decision. I settled back into my pace and crossed mile 2 at 10:29. The course flattens out for the next 2-3 miles and I was able to run fairly consistently in the 5:15-5:19 range. This kept me safely in second place. I wanted to run sub 33:00 for the race and by mile 5 I was pretty close to pace. I pushed the last 1.2 miles and was able to finish in 32:46, a new PR and good enough for second place. Martin was best in show today and was appropriately awarded the big blue ribbon. I got the little blue ribbon for age group winner.

The cool thing about finishing the race towards the top is that you get to watch the other racers finish. I'm always impressed by the grit that everyone has as they approach the finish line. Props to all Bigfoot finishers today. Also props to the Ray family, who traveled from Medford to race today. We had the pleasure of hosting them for a night. Bree, Mercy and Suzanne all rocked the course. Nice job.

As much fun as the Bigfoot was, the highlight of the day was the Littlefoot 1K. I love watching the kids run. Today there was a strong showing from the Martins, Cabas, Altmans, and Dennis family. Martin claimed a "family victory," although that claim is being hotly contested by the Cabas. Here's how the race(s) broke down. Andy and Miles defeated Jeff and Grant. Abe crushed Nate (as did Grant), and Charlie and Ben tied. It would appear the Martins would indeed be the winners if we went on head to head competition based on age. However if we spin the race a little and base it on total time, the Cabas could claim victory as Abe's gap on Nate easily put the Cabas out front. Plus Miles cheated and I have it on video.

Not that we're competitive families. After all it was just a fun run.

All night I have been attempting to publish a video of the event, but something on this website isn't connecting. In the meantime, here are a few of the still shots. The kids had a blast and ran hard. They all earned ribbons, which, like everything else they collect, wound up on the floor of the car.

After the events, I cooled down with Andy and Michael Dennis on a nice, relaxing 13 mile trail run. That gave me 23 miles for the day. That should be my last 20+ day before Twin Cities in two weeks. We'll see if I can get over my nagging injuries and get speed back into my legs. Still hoping for sub 2:30:00.

Caba Running Update

The four week countdown to Twin Cities marathon begins tomorrow. That means a couple more weeks of hard training followed by some recovery. The past few weeks of training have been challenging. Following a week of recovery after the Haulin Aspen marathon, my training picked back up. I was able to put in 91 miles two weeks ago but slipped a little last week putting in 71. We were on vacation in Hawaii however and I didn't want to spend the entire time running and recovering. The positive side is, I was able to run just about every day, most days twice. As a result, I drank fewer mai tai's and a lot less beer than I had anticipated. As the picture shows, I also didn't spend a lot of time sunbathing.
My legs have continued to feel really fatigued ever since the Haulin Aspen marathon, but I'm hopeful things are changing. I was finally able to hit a workout this week while feeling strong. Over the previous two weeks I have struggled with all of my speed work, laboring through each workout. This week I completed a 10 mile treadmill workout averaging a 5:38 pace. Now I just have to figure out how to run close to that pace for 26.2 miles. I'm optimistic my training will push me towards a new marathon PR, but at times I think it's crazy to shoot for a sub 2:30 (5:43 pace). I'm considering readjusting my goal to a sub 2:33:00.

More importantly however is the progress with Katie's foot! She has had miserable plantar fasciitis for months, progressing to the point where she has been unable to run. Over the past 24 hours, she has felt a dramatic improvement giving her new hope. In fact, she just completed a 6 mile run, which is her first in the past two weeks. She has been disciplined about cross training though, so hopefully her fitness will be there when she picks up the miles. If she can get a few more speed workouts and long runs in, I think her confidence will pick back up and we'll see her flying across the finish line sub 2:50.

Next up for Katie is the Xterra 21k national championships here in Bend. She should finish well if her foot behaves. Next up for me is the Bigfoot 10k. I would like to run sub 33:00. Most importantly though is I have to kick Meissner's butt as he has been dishing it out a bit. We'll see what happens.