"Catching up"

Sorry for the long delay, been meaning to post again but you know how the holidays go, busy busy busy... so if you haven’t heard by now, I qualified for the Boston Marathon last month!!  I had a great time running the Madison Marathon and finished with a time of 3:02:58.  I have a separate post about my BQ race which I started on weeks ago but still need to finish up and get posted so I swear I’ll get that done soon and fill you in more!  In the meantime I just want to follow up on what has been going on with me the last few weeks.

First of all I am currently just coming off a short running break (about 7 days) which I was using to let the legs heal up after a fairly heavy year of running (about 2,200 miles).  I have tried to make it a habit to take off the last two week of the year but haven’t been able to get more than a week so far haha.   I’m also on a short race break as my last race was November 30^th and I don’t have another until January 25^th…  I am missing the competition but in a way it is nice to get a break to focus on both my current training and the 2015 schedule.

I am also about 1 month into a 3 month national triathlon competition with my team from the Dubuque Area Triathlon Club.  The competition totals up the miles from running, swimming and biking and we compete both as individuals and as a team against the other triathlon teams and athletes across the nation, a great way to stay in shape in the off season.  I also plan on swimming again this year in the Iowa Games so it is perfect timing for me to get in the pool more.  So far things have been going great, I’m swimming about 2,000 yards a day(1.1 miles) and pretty much still base building but I’ll start working on speed this Friday and move on from there.   Almost all my biking has been at the YMCA on the spin bikes but I have been doing a bit on my home trainer which I’m going to force myself to use more to get used to being on my bike… as I’ve said many times biking is my weak link in triathlons so one of my main goals for 2015 is to bike much more than I ever have before, I’m really looking forward to the spring when I can get outside to practice though.

Last but not least I am very excited to have joined the MVRA Board (Mississippi Valley Running Association) as their new treasurer and I’m very amped up to work hard and make a positive impact!    I’ve seen first-hand the growth in the Dubuque running community over the couple years and look forward to working with the board members to make more positive changes… more great things to come, I can’t tell you how excited I am for 2015!... now if I could only get my race schedule complete! J

"MY FIRST 50K"

I’m back!  Sorry it has been a  while, been pretty busy with the wrap up of race season and just haven’t had the time to sit down and write.  So since we left off last I had just finished the Quad Cities Marathon just missing my BQ time of 3:05 by 47 seconds... man, seems like so long ago already… I’m already 4 races past that event and I’ll hit the big two over the next two posts, let’s get started…

THE RUNNING VILLAGE 50K – October 11^th -4:10:15

The 50K at the running village was my first introduction to ultramarathon trail running and I got to say I took to it like a fish to water.  I had more fun during this race than any other race I can remember to date, it was truly more of a mental relief from all the road racing I’d been doing it almost felt like a mini vacation run haha.   I went into this one with no plans, no specific training and no tapering whatsoever, I literally smashed this between two 60+ mile training weeks as I was just running it for fun.   All that being said the 31 mile total was not a big stretch for me as I’ve completed many runs of 26 mile distance this year… I’m looking forward to some longer ones in the future.

The course consisted of a ½ trail mile leading up to a 10 mile loop of dirt track that stretched through the woods at George Wyth park in Cedar Falls/Waterloo.   It was a cold day, temps hanging right around 30 degrees, getting up to around 50 by the end… I was very happy to run in the cold after that miserable finish at QC Marathon so I was not complaining one bit J   I started off running very conservatively and even backed off on my pace two or three times over the first lap as I just wasn’t feeling that hot, luckily about 7-8 miles in I started feeling like my old self and consistently dropped pace and pulled negative splits on each of the 10 mile loops.   

With the exception of those first few miles which I figure was just my body warming up, I felt just plain amazing the whole race and had an ear to ear smile right up to the finish.  After finishing the race I had a little trouble digesting water which has become pretty standard for some reason… normally the hour or two following a race I will immediately throw up any liquids I try to take down, this will be something I’ll research a little further in the off season.  But other than that felt great and immediately started plans on tackling a 50 mile race in 2015… any suggestions would be much appreciated!!   

Lastly, it was awesome to see a lot of runners from Dubuque make their way to Cedar Falls for this event.  There were runners from both the DRC and the Driftless Dirt groups and it was just a great time to hang out with everyone and swap stories on the trails… Dubuque over the last couple years has really developed a great running community with multiple running groups filled with good people/runners of all calibers that are a lot of fun to hang out with!!

"2014 QUAD CITIES MARATHON"

We got back to the course Sunday morning nice and early, temps were hovering just below 60 degrees already and I felt ready to rock.   I did some light foam rolling, hit the porta-potty about 5 times, drank a swig of water quick and headed to the line.  I nervously inched my way up to the front and watched as a team of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners that slowly and calmly walked right up to the line moments before the race start… I was very jealous of their calm demeanor right before they tore off.   A couple quick announcements by race director Joe were followed by the echoes of the national anthem sung by a local barber shop quartet… before we knew it the race gun cracked off!

Right away I settled into my race pace of around 6:45-6:50 and felt pretty dang great, the first few miles flew by pretty quick as I got in my rhythm and honestly was just so happy to be running again after what felt like an eternity of tapering.   I remember thinking around mile 6, I wonder if all the people around me are having as much fun as I am?  Race or no race I was really having the time of my life.  Miles 7,8,9,10 again just flew by and my pace was steady and even dropping a bit, mile 11 I was feeling so great I hit a 6:30 not realizing it but I quickly adjusted back.  I hit the 13.1 (1/2 marathon) mark about 1:29 feeling strong but also very much aware that the temperatures were rocketing up very fast and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.   The next 4-5 miles got a little tougher…  we turned onto Arsenal Island which did not have a lot of shade, it was also not open to the public so there was very little support, my pace was fine but my effort level was increasing a bit.   Luckily by mile 17 we rejoined the half runners for a while and left the island.  Here we were able to run through a couple shady spots and get some much needed water and ice water towels from the volunteers.  I instantly felt better and by the time I hit mile 20, I was rocking a 6:50 pace which would put my finish at a 2:59.  I smiled at the crowd with every bit of confidence that this race was mine… and  then I turned into the molten lava streets of downtown Moline for the final out and back 6 mile stretch of hell of earth that would send me into a pretty fantastic tailspin…

Turning off the bridge into the streets of downtown Moline I felt the effects nearly immediately… the sun was up in full force and there was no protection, only the surrounding concrete to aid the cooking of my already dehydrated organs.  I watched in horror as my pace slipped back to a 7:40, I tried desperately to do the math in my head and thought I would still be ok… 5, miles, 4 miles, each pending mile, kilometer, foot seemed like an eternity and was having flashbacks to Ironman - Racine where I also got severely overheated and stumbled through to a sick finish.   With 2 miles left I was holding pace at 7:40 but clearly was having issues, both arms had gone completely numb, my vision was getting blurry and I was starting to have a sort of out of body experience trying to figure out why I was staggering instead of running a straight line.  I somehow managed to struggle all the way through the end and collapsed pretty much at the finish line.  My official finish time was 3:05:47 which was 47 seconds of my Boston Qualifying time…  it was also a kicker I had been pacing off my Garmin which still had my finish pace under goal but also had the course measured at 26.5, amazing how a 26.2 mile race can come down to a matter of seconds at the end.

So after the finish Rob and Jake helped me to the DRC tent where I crashed for a bit before moving to my SUV to yack for a while.  It was a very strange feeling as I thought if I missed my BQ time I was going to be very upset but I really wasn’t, I pushed myself harder in that race than about any other to date and there really isn’t anything more I could have asked.  I actually came away more fired up to train harder for the next one as I know I will get that BQ before registration opens next year.   I also managed to get a first place finish in my age division and 18^th overall which I was very happy about considering the tougher competition at this race… I just wish I could have been on stage to receive my award when the legendary Bart Yasso called my name instead of hearing over the loud speaking with my head in a trash can in the parking lot, such is the life of a runner J  

So now I’m onto the next, I have my first 50K trail race on October 11^th and then back to the grind to train for the Madison Marathon in November…. I’ll keep you posted!

POTOSI 5K/10K

I sure had an awesome weekend of running this past weekend.  It started in Potosi, Wisconsin where Bill and I co-directed this year’s Potosi Brewery 5K/10K race.  It was a nice morning and everything went off just great.  This was the first race I’ve been involved in on this level and I really enjoyed it and hope to do more.  I was a little nervous going in as we were timing the race on a program I recently found online that I downloaded onto my laptop.  It went very well though and results were out fast and accurate.  We had also measured the course several times and it was nice to get feedback from the runners that they enjoyed the marks being right on target.   We are looking forward to working with the Potosi Foundation in the future and they are looking at possibly adding on a ½ marathon distance to their races next year; sure looks like good things on the horizon with them!

So I wasn’t able to hang in Potosi too long as I had to pack up the DRC tent and head to the Quad Cities to setup camp again for the marathon Sunday.   It just so happened we ran into the race director for the Quad Cities Marathon, Joe Moreno, at Steve’s Old Time Chaser 5K this spring and he generously offered the DRC a spot to setup our tent to hang out post-race in the party area.   On Joe’s instruction we setup in the afternoon on Saturday right after registration and got done just in time to eat dinner with Bart Yasso and his girlfriend who were speaking that night, it was a pretty cool evening!   

"Taper Time"

I’m back a little earlier than usual to follow up on my training.  The case being I’m on taper and have much more free time now that I’ve cut back on my miles.  I have very mixed feelings about tapering and to be quite honest I dislike it very much.  Unlike most of my running companions who look forward to cutting back their miles after months of training, I cannot comfortably operate in normal society when I’m not running crazy miles and forcing myself to rest is not a good thing.  I had a dream last night that I was running across the country on my way to Boston for a cup of clam chowder, a little “Smokey and the Bandit” influence there but I woke up in a real funk realizing that I won’t be able to do any runs longer than 10 miles for the next week.   I am going to suck it up and make the best of it though, I just keep thinking only 10 more days to taper and once I hit my goal in QC I can spend the rest of the year gobbling up the road until I’ve satisfied my hunger for mileage.

My taper will be consist of two weeks of cutting back on mileage and increasing speedwork.  I had built up to just shy of 100 miles a week, week 3 I cut back to 75, week 2 about 50 and the marathon week I’ll only have about 25 miles in.    The idea behind the plan is to allow my legs to recover with the cutback on miles but also work the speedwork during this recovery period to get the legs all ready to rock the faster pace.  So far it’s felt pretty good, my Tuesday track workouts I nailed all of my splits and finished off with 200 sets clocking in at 27 seconds or about a 3:40 pace.. I was very happy with the times and my quick recovery.   I’ve also been doing a little more cross training with some swimming and lifting just to keep my body active, I’ll cut out most of that towards the middle and end of next week for my final prep.

So with a little over a week away from the big day overall I’m feeling very well about everything, I normally feel like I could have done more but I’m already closing in on 2,000 miles for the year, over 20 races and consistent PRs in every distance I’ve raced in this year so I really feel like I’ve got this one down… it will all be up to my mental toughness the day of and that is something I cannot train for but I am pretty damn stubburn and I’ll play that card to my advantage all day long.

"Marathon Madness"

So when we last left off I was transitioning from Triathlon training into Marathon training, the last 3 weeks have gone just awesome… so well in fact that I have made the decision to add an additional marathon to my schedule about 8 weeks ahead of my original plan.  I had been ramping up my miles and training specifically for the Madison Marathon in November however after completing several 20+ mile runs feeling great and recently PR’ing my ½ marathon time with a 1:23 I feel like hitting a sub 3:05 to qualify for Boston is within my reach.    

So the first stop on the train to Boston will be the Quad Cities Marathon in Davenport, Iowa on September 28^th and I hope to hit a 3:02 time with a secondary goal of sub 3 hours.  The course at Quad Cities is pretty flat and fast, a contrast to the more hilly Madison course so I think it will be a good pick as my first attempt to BQ…  it is also a very well organized and fun race, I ran the relay there last year and had a great time with it.  My game plan right now is to start off around a 6:50 pace which would put me just below a 3:00 time and if I feel well I’ll try and push a bit at the end.  This is all new to me and I plan to make mistakes but hopefully none that will affect my time too much.

Looking ahead past Quad Cities I have a 50K trail race in Waterloo/Cedar Falls on October 11^th and then the Madison Marathon on November 9^th.   To conquer these two in a decent time I plan on doing a shorter 2 week taper for Quad Cities and plan on picking back up on my original plan following the QC race this month.  Depending on how everything goes in QC I may cut back the intensity and just enjoy the ride for the remainder of the year but knowing me that is very doubtful J.   I am very excited to test my legs these next couple months to see how I do in the longer races, I’m still a marathon newbie but I’m hoping after this autumn crash course I’ll feel much more comfortable moving into next year where I’ve already set some pretty large goals for myself.

"End of Tri Season and Back to Marathon Training"

Well the last month has had its ups and downs and while I’m sad to see triathlon season wrapping up, I am also pretty happy to shifting my focus back to the run.   Triathlons were great for training and the competitions were very challenging and a lot of fun but at the end of the day running is really what I enjoy most.  I will incorporate swimming and biking into my cross training and spend a good portion of time on the bike trainer during the winter months to get a good start of next season.

My focus from here through November is my first BQ attempt in the Madison Marathon in November.  I starting increasing my mileage again earlier August and am already back up over 60 miles per week so I’m feeling good about the base I have going in the next 8 weeks of training.  I will cut back on racing the next couple months and pretty much only incorporate longer races into my training (Quad Cities and Benefit Classic ½ marathons in Sept and a 50K in October).  I still need to finalize an actual plan but I’m loosely following my spring marathon plan just going to speed up the pace and slightly increase my long runs. 

Monticello Sprint Tri

This was a fun event but I definitely had a rough time in parts.  The water was very warm and I chose to swim without a wetsuit which backfired big time as we got hung up around one of the course cones and I was trampled by the more buoyant competitors.  I ended up finishing much slower on the swimming portion during the race compared to my normal training pace which was very disappointing.  I made up some time on the bike and did decently well but it was a hillier course than I had anticipated and I was not able to average over 20mph which was my goal time… overall I was pretty happy with the bike portion as I have a very little bike experience.   The run was my best event as it should have been, I finished 5^th overall with my time and passed a dozen competitors over the 3 mile stretch… I was a little surprised to find the course was all off road and very bumpy, it really took away from the pace I was shooting for but I was still very happy as I finished well compared to the competition.  I finished 16^th overall and 4^th in my division…  I was a little disappointed I missed 3^rd place by 12 seconds considering my rough swim but I am very driven to work hard during the winter to improve my times for next year.  I have setup my “running lab” with a bike training so I can continue to work on my biking throughout the offseason whenever possible.

Mines of Spain ½ Marathon (1:42:45)

This was probably one of the best times I’ve had in a race period!  13.1 miles in what has become my favorite place to run in the tristate area.  This is a fairly small event put on our local trail running group and some good running buddies of mine… they capped out at 200 people which was perfect for the trails and had a 5K, 10K and ½ marathon course.  You couldn’t have gotten a better day or group of people, it was just a blast.  Running the trails I’ve gone over hundreds of times before was even more fun as this time I was letting loose and really having a great time pushing myself.  The whole race flew by in what felt like a much shorter distance than what we covered… I finished at a 1:42:45 in 6^th place overall but wasn’t really concerned with place or time on this one.  The after party was great with a potluck with all sorts of goodies including beer and bacon.

Alzheimer’s 5K (18:05)

I had a fun time at Alzheimer’s this year and knocked off 52 seconds from last years’ time.  I was slightly disappointed that I did not break 18 minutes that that was all my own fault.  I had really pushed myself hard the week of this race and thought I could still overcome the fatigue by pushing myself, unfortunately I was not as mentally tough during this race as I could have been and I really did not drive myself as hard as I should have at the end.  I finished in 2^nd overall behind a very fast runner that I knew I could not keep up with, I was also about a minute ahead of 3^rd place, so I found myself in this void where it did matter very much place-wise whether I pushed hard or not so I eased up where I should have cracked down.   It was an important lesson and I think it was a sign that I needed a break from racing… it is hard to push yourself to the limit every week; when you never take a break from racing they can start to become just another speedwork session.  All that being said I was still OK with the time and happy to get 1^st in my division and 2^nd overall.

"I've got Race Fever!"

My races have really started piling up and I’m having a blast this summer!  Although I’m no stranger to running many summer races, this year I’m competing in a much larger variety of events.  Mixing the triathlons with the running is helping me become more well-rounded with my training and I find my run times continue to drop even as I increased the swimming and biking and had to drop back mileage on my running.   

I’ve got four more races to catch up on since my last post, three runs and a triathlon.  I actually only have one more tri firmly set in my schedule which is this upcoming weekend, after that time I will lace up my shoes and start cranking up the miles in anticipation of my fall marathon.  I’m going to make my first attempt at a Boston qualifying in November and I’m both nervous and excited for what is sure to be a challenging journey.  My training plan is still pretty rough but I’m going to base it off my plan for Grandma’s and make some small changes in pacing and elevation.

Race Summary of July…

Run 4 Troops – Dyersville to Dubuque, IA - Marathon Relay – June 28, 2014 (41:30, 6.6 miles)

We had an awesome time at the run for troops and our relay team pulled in a second place finish!   That being said, I learned a pretty big lesson on the old ego… not every race is going to be a PR.   Although I’m not too upset at my 6:17 average being I was only 6 days after Grandma’s Marathon, I was a little frustrated with myself for taking the first mile out at around a 5:40 pace.  I was only 2 miles into the race when I started to crash hard, the legs were still feeling the marathon miles and moreover my normally strong mental toughness was just not there that day.  Lucky for me the first place marathoner came up by my side and gave me some words of encouragement and pushed me to keep on.  I instantly felt better and my pace dropped about 30 seconds per mile as I ran with him through the end of my leg, it really goes to show how much of this sport is mental. 

After my leg I had a blast watching all the rest of the crew run, each of them did an amazing job.  On a relay you ride in a van with your team and drive point to point dropping off and picking up runners; you would think this would lead to a logistics nightmare but the race crew did a great job of leading everyone though.  We had 2 teams for the DRC and my brother and sister had a team as well so there was lots of fun cheering everybody in at the finish.  They had pizza at the finish which hit the spot and I got to chat with the winners who did amazing considering the heat of the day, it really was a ton of fun and a great cause.

Firecracker 5K – Earlville, Ia – (17:53, 3.1 miles)

This was a great race and I was thrilled to come away with the overall win...  you see, I have had a chip on my shoulder since I missed my first opportunity two years ago to possibly bring in a win… let me explain.   In 2012 I drove out to Earlville only to realize I had signed up for the “EarlHAM 5K” instead of “EarlVILLE”, a town about 200 miles away.  Unfortunately I did not have any money to register that day so I drove home disappointed, two days later I found out the winning time was over 20 minutes and I could have won the race… pretty devastating for me at the time as I had never even gotten close to winning a 5k… this bothered me for a long time…    

So fast forward two years and a lot of training later and I was hell-bent on taking my win back.  I normally am not very nervous for 5ks but the pressure I put on myself for this race had my nerves going pretty good.  The last 20 minutes before the race start I was feeling like I could lose my breakfast about any time… I always find the few minutes waiting to toe the line the most nerve racking of times.

So once the gun goes off it was pretty much me and last year’s winner battling it out from the start… he was a younger guy and took off very quick from the start.  I decided to use a strategy I had not planned on before the race and pushed the pace throughout the first mile down around the 5:30 mark to keep stride with him.  Lucky for me around mile 1 he dropped back and by the second mile I was all by myself.  These are very bittersweet moments as I am happy to be in first place but wishing I had someone to push the pace and help me drop more time.  I ended up well though with a 17:53, I got a nice medal and a new cooler filled with Gatorade… yet all the sports drinks in the world couldn’t taste as sweet as finally redeeming my win haha.

Ironman 70.3 – Racine, WI – (5:23:24, 70.3 mile triathlon)

So this was definitely the hardest physical challenge of my life so far, the race consisted of a 1.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan followed by a 56 mile bike ride and a half marathon (13.1 mile) run.  The weather was awesome, decently cool for mid July and not much wind which meant the water was like glass.  I had heard horror stories about Lake Michigan swell and sea sick racer vomiting all over length of the route… I was more than happy this was not something we had to deal with.  The temperature of the water however was a factor, it had only gotten to the upper 50’s and was quite cold at first.   To combat the head freeze I wore a thermal race cap and also decided to wear my sleeved wetsuit instead of my sleeveless one… this turned out to be a good decision.

Once the race started the adrenaline kicked in and I did not mind the water temps, in fact the swim went so well it was probably my favorite part of the race.  I never realized the water in Lake Michigan is so clear but I could see right down to the bottom and compared to my training swims in the murky Barrington Lakes, I felt much less claustrophobic and was very relaxed… I comfortably ran onto the beach hitting a 34:40 swim time.

The bike portion was my biggest worry… I have not had much bike training, in fact I’ve barely rode over 200 miles total prior to the race.  On top of that I had only had 1 training ride over 15 miles per hour so I knew I would be in for a long afternoon.   Again the race day adrenaline must have really kicked in because I started off right around 18 miles per hour and somehow managed to increase my pace throughout the 56 mile course and ended up a little shy of 20mph.. this considering I had a small incident with my chain getting stuck that tacked on a minute or two at the beginning.  The only issue on the bike portion was on two different bumps I lost a water bottle and about ½ the nutrition I packed… I started supplementing with product on the course I had never used and this turned out to be a bad decision as it gave me some stomach cramps towards the end.  I finished the bike strong though and thrilled to have it a  2:56:11.

Running was the last portion of the race and by the time I hit the pavement it was up around 80 degrees temp and quite sunny.  I felt great however and took out the first mile around a 6:50 pace feeling strong.  The course was a double out and back so we went about 3 ½ miles out and turned back.. then once close to the start we circled back again for anther lap.  The first lap in general I felt great  but the second I had some issues.  I knew about 7-8 miles into my run that my stomach wasn’t liking all the supplements I had taken from the course, I started getting some pretty bad cramping. I tried to drink some water but my stomach turned pretty quick..  the last three miles were a struggle but I made it through and didn’t feel too bad about hitting a 1:44 run time.

So my overall time for the race was a 5:23 which I was very happy with, I had a goal time of hitting under 6 hours so I had beaten that by quite a bit.  I did however come out of the race with many areas to challenge myself to get better at, mainly the biking and nutrition.  I’m excited to train a little harder in those areas and come back next year to compete again!

The Bix – Davenport, IA – (43:20, 7 mile)

The Bix was AWESOME!  I just love this race, over 20,000 people gather up in downtown Davenport to run 7 miles of hills on a pretty grueling out and back course.  The best part for me is watching the professionals battle it out for top spots, there are some of the best runners around that show up for this one.  I had a pretty great race myself considering I was only 6 days  out from Racine Tri, I actually PR’d the course by 4:31 from last year’s time and came in 199^th overall and 16^th in my division.  That and I unknowingly got to battle it out with a two time Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit!... I just thought she was a really fast older lady and was a little upset when she attempted to pass me on a downhill J   Other than my race the whole club did great, we had a large turnout of DRC members and everyone did awesome… I really enjoy our out of town races as it us more time to hang and chat about running and our race strategies...

"Catching Up"

Hello!!  Ok I’m back after a crazy month of training and racing…  I do apologize, I will try and update this a little more often.  The combination of my marathon training and triathlon training has put me over 25-30 hours a week and I just have not had time to update my blog…

… so obviously June was a very busy month for me!   I ended up skipping my taper and trained straight through my marathon, this way I can properly taper for the Ironman on July 20^th.  I had to cut back on my running a bit starting on June 22^nd but it’s only for 1 month while I dramatically increase my biking and keep up with my swim practices.   I have really enjoyed the swimming and it’s going great, last night I did 8 laps at Barrington Lakes which comes out to just about 2.5 miles.   I feel the 70.3 Ironman will be a fairly “manageable” task and look forward to training for the full next year.    The biking is still my weak point and I have conceded to be happy with my slower times and I’ll build on that over the winter and hopefully come out being a little more competitive next year. 

I’ll recap my June races below, it’s hard to believe the year is ½ way over already!!

Rhubarb 5K – June 7^th – Time 18:50

This wasn’t a great time for me but I won the race by nearly 2 minutes so I didn’t have much pressure to push the pace. I had come off a hard training week and planned to run this for place rather than a PR so it worked out well.  I averaged just under 6 minute miles, although to be fair I did a 5:40 first mile and hit the brakes shortly after as I was pretty far ahead of the field.   The event was a new location this year and I enjoyed both the course and the Rhubarb Festival that followed.   I also won a $50 gift card, a Road ID gift certificate and a $10 coupon to Caseys… pretty cool!

Grandview Gallop – June 14^th – Time 23:08

I had not planned on racing the Gallop this year as it was only a week before the marathon but I changed my mind last minute and very glad I did. I ended up coming in 8^th overall (1^st in my division) with a time of 23:08 which put my splits about 5:45.  The pace was great and so was the race, I was very happy with my time considering I had not tapered at all and really was pushing hill work all week prior to the event.  On top of racing I also helped setup the finish line in the morning, I course marshaled the 1 mile course and I helped rep the DRC Booth at the Expo.. it was one busy fun morning!

Grandma’s Marathon – June 21^st – Time – 3:28:36

Marathon went off perfectly… I had an amazing time!  Granted I was not racing this one so that took a lot of pressure off, still it went even better than I could have expected!

The temps in Duluth were very cool, 45 at the race start at just over 50 degrees at the finish.  Bill, Shannon and I ran as a group and really had a fun time… we met up with a few from Dubuque and had many cheering for us “Iowa Guys” from the sidelines.    The race was a point to point so they bussed us out 26 miles and we ran into town, this made the first 18-19 mild pretty sparse with the crowd; then once we hit the town the streets were just packed with people for the final 6 or 7 miles.    The finish was in the Harbor by the lift bridge, it was really cool to finish right by the water, some even jumped into the lake to get an “ice bath” (water was in the 30’s).

"1/2 Marathon PR and some serious training"

Once again I find myself increasingly busy as the running reaches its peak before I taper off.  To add on to this madness I signed up for the 2014 70.3 mile Ironman Triathlon in July.  This means I’ve been adding some serious swim and bike training to my schedule, I should say more increasing  than adding as I’ve been both biking/spinning and swimming regularly for some time…. I’ll get into the tri’s later but first let me catch up on my running.

On Memorial Day weekend we drove down to Madison, Wisconsin for the “Conquer the Capital” series with the DRC Crew… this event consists of a Saturday night 10K and a Sunday morning ½ Marathon.   Both went well although I really used the 10K as more of a warm-up for the ½ as it was only 10 hours away and I was more focused on pushing myself in that distance.   I was kicking myself later as I found out I came in 4^th place overall by less than 1 minute for the CTC and just missed a nice prize, always next year.   But the ½ went awesome, it was a fast course with a couple hills but very manageable.  I’ve run about 10 half marathons in the last couple years and feel I’m really feeling mentally and physically comfortable with the distance and how my body handles the miles.  My time in the race was 1:24:46 which was a slight drop from my previous PR at Marion which was 1:25:15.  I did feel after the finish I had a little too much energy so I think I’ll keep chipping away at the pace, I ran a 6:28 pace for Madison and I would like to see myself around a 6:15 to get closer to the 1:20 mark. 

More than just my time though we had an awesome trip with the DRC once again!  It was great cheering everyone on and exciting watching many break their personal best’s once again.  Hayden ran the kids race Saturday afternoon with Rob’s daughter Romy and had a great time, the medals were really cool!  We also took the kids to the zoo on Saturday morning and had a great time, Camryn loved petting the goats in the kids area.  We drove back to Dubuque Sunday afternoon and I was able to pick up a bonus 5K on Monday, running the Grey Ribbon Race at Dubuque Senior High School.  My time was a little slow at 19:10 but considering the 19.3 miles races the previous 24 hours I was not complaining, I even managed to pick up a win for my age division which was sweet!

So now I’m back to the grind, having fun prepping for Grandma’s and Racine and trying to find a good balance amidst the chaos which is my training schedule… more on that later!

"Galena Triathlon"

Where do I start?  I’ve fallen a little behind as this month has been nothing short of insanity when it has come to my racing and training schedule…. I’ll go over Galena in this post and follow up with the other races.  So Galena went just awesome, it was my first real triathlon with full equipment and it did not disappoint! 

The morning started early as my brother Nate and nephew Gavin picked me up around 5pm and made our way across the bridge to Galena… on the way to the T1 (transition 1) beach I got my first view of the biking course and it confirmed my suspicion that this would be a very challenging course.  I was not complaining though as the views were just as breathtaking as the hills would be during the race.  Once there I registered, dropped my gear and we headed back out to T2 which was in Galena.    This would be my only complaint about the race, having the transitions in two different locations that were 15 miles apart caused a logistics nightmare… very lucky for me I had Nate there to drive me.  I got my run gear dropped and hopped on the last shuttle back to the beach.

On the shuttle ride to the start I was pressed for time so I put on my wetsuit mid-ride.  The shuttle arrived at the beach a minute or two before 9am and I had a 9:03 start so I sprinted to the beach and chatted with some friends quick before prepping to start my race.  I will mention I had some great last minute tips given to me by a very nice guy riding the shuttle with me to the start… I was nervous asking questions and coming off as a newbie and he was very cool and really steadied my nerves before the start. 

I took off in the swim portion toward the front of the pack, I’m pretty confident in my swimming ability and didn’t have any reservations pushing myself up to get a good position.  What I did not expect was the cold temp of the water made me instantly start gasping for air, this combined with my goggles fogging up made the first 100 yards or so a little scary…  I flipped over, hit backstroke for a bit and removed my goggles only to find I was still sitting in good position… I slowly got my breathing into rhythm and caught a couple people toward the end finishing 7^th.  I ran up the beach and transitioned smoothly although a little slow into the bike.

Off on the bike I tried to put myself on cruise control and enjoy the race.  I’ve only had my road bike for about a month and have barely been able to get on it, I knew this would be my weak area and decided to take it easy rather than pushing myself and getting injured.  The ride was awesome, there were many hills but I tackled them fine, I only averaged about 15mph and came in the middle of the pack but I was just fine with that… I transitioned a little quicker into the run and took off for the final leg.

Running is obviously my strong suit and I took off out of the gate at a 5:30 pace… I felt very strong right until I looked up and realized I had a 150 foot hill barreling down on my to start the running leg.  I shortened up my stride and powered up the hill passing a few on the way, I then settled into a comfortable running pace and finished off the remainder of the course running strong but under control… my average was 6:28 which I was just fine with.

Upon finishing the race I felt just awesome and was delighted to see my DRC friends cheering me onto the finish!!   I knew right away I was hooked and have been thinking about doing my next one ever since.  I learned a lot and possibly the most important thing was I learned I have a lot more to learn…  I am determined to train hard and improve and look forward to seeing how I progress this year.

"MY FIRST TROPHY"

I hit my sub 18!!!!    As previously discussed I had the MVRA Heritage Trail Run this past weekend and I was gunning for a PR of sub 18.  I followed through with one hell of a race, I was very proud of myself as I pretty much perfectly executed my plan and nailed my splits pretty much to the second on pacing!   Normally I have many regrets after a race, most are about my 2^nd mile where in the past I've slowed down about 10 seconds.  Saturday I pushed through and managed to hit a 5:40 even with the turnaround point and I was very happy about that!

As the title suggests I also won my first trophy!... well first one as an adult anyway.   I was pretty excited going into the race Saturday that I would get to run behind some faster runners, I've won the last three 5K races I've run in and funny as it may sound, I was looking forward to trailing some quick guys and pushing myself to try and catch them.  Well for whatever reason those guys did not show up for the run and I was able to get out in front and pretty much carry the lead the entire race… I’ll be honest I probably would not have been that happy winning the race if I didn’t hit my goal time but being I ran a 17:52 without having someone pushing me was very exciting.  So I got my trophy and an interview for the paper in which I sounded a little air headed… but hey, I’ve been in the paper for worse so I’ll take it! J  

<iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/496928892'></iframe>

"Race Season is Upon Us"

So another week has gone by in rapid fashion!!  Marathon training is cruising along great and I’m inching my way up on mileage, this past week was right around 70 miles and approaching the max for this plan.  I had the weekend off racing so I got a couple great workouts instead… Saturday I did my first brick workout of the year for triathlon training;  I’ll go into more detail below but had a great time and look forward to doing more as the weeks progress.  I also got my new wetsuit in this week so I’m itching to try it out in some open water!  I went with the X-Terra Vector Pro which comes highly recommended and although I’m very confident in my swimming ability, it’s nice to have the reassurance of good equipment.   So I’ve got a lot on my plate in the upcoming weeks, below is my schedule of events…

May 10^th – MVRA Trail Run  - 5K Race (Goal of hitting under 18 minutes)

May 17^th – Galena Triathlon – Sprint Tri (Goal of finishing strong and setting a benchmark)

May 24^th – Twilight 10K – 1^st Race of Madison Race Weekend (Goal of not tiring myself out for the race 10 hours later)

May 25^th – Madison ½ Marathon – (Goal of under 1:25)

SATURDAY – Brick Workout – 1 mile swim / 20 mile bike / 6 mile run

With the tri’s coming right around the corner I did my first brick workout on Saturday.  I got to the pool about 5:45, swam a quick mile (currently I’m around 28-30 minutes).  After the swim I hopped on the bike and cruised around town for the next hour or so until run club started at 7:30.. I was able to get a little less than 20 miles in.  I transitioned quick to the run and cranked out 6 miles with Shannon.  The swim to bike as expected was a very fluid transition and I felt just fine, the bike to run however always takes some work.  I felt a little sluggish for the first couple miles and experienced some shin tightness, this went away close to mile 3 and I was fine from then on out.   I felt great about the workout and encouraged since I did considerably more distance than my first tri of the season (660yrdswim/16milebike/4.3milerun).    I am itching to get outside and swim in open water though, my plan is to hook up with the Dubuque Triathlon Club in the next couple weeks and train with them Monday nights at Barrington once I join.

SUNDAY – Sunday Long Run – 21.07 Miles (8:06 avg)

This was my best long run yet in regards to how I felt throughout the run and after.  We started at OMB and went down Asbury, Grandview and to the Mine of Spain again. I was pretty impressed at the 8:06 average pace being that half the run was on the trails which add on a considerable amount of extra time.  The morning was misty and cool with rain hitting us the majority of the run, I was not complaining though as towards the end it felt just great.  I fueled with Honeystingers and also chowed down ½ of a Powerbar (trail mix flavor) which I handled just fine.  I started increasing the speed around mile 16 or 17 when we climbed the bike path to Grandview.. then the last 4 miles I kicked it in a bit to the finish (7:07, 6:44, 6:44, 6:35).  After I stopped I felt amazing and even went to the pool to get another short workout in.  I’m very happy with the way my body is adapting to the 20 mile plus runs, I’m getting to the point where I can continue my day without having to lay around dead tired all afternoon.    Hopefully this endurance will help me drop a decent ½ marathon time at Madison in three weeks, I’m excited to give it a shot.

TUESDAY – Brick Workout – 1 mile swim / 16 mile bike / 8 miles of running (speedwork and easy)

Tuesday was a series of good workouts (about 6 hours throughout the day), I hit the gym hard in the AM doing my lifting routine and a ½ mile swim.  After work I hopped on my bike and got a 16 mile bike ride in with Scott ending at the University of Dubuque where I ran some miles with the club and hit the track for some speedwork.  I did some mile repeats and hit in the 5:30’s so I was feeling prepped for Saturday… I cooled it down, biked back to the Y and swam another ½ mile cool down before heading home.   Now normally I run much further on Tuesdays (avg of 15 miles over last 6 weeks) but with the race Saturday and the upcoming tri’s I figured that I may cut back on the running and add more biking on my Tuesday workouts.  Oh, another Tuesday highlight was I received a box in the mail from Marion Marathon with an award for our first place relay win, a $50 visa gift card, free gear and a coupon for 100% free entry to next year’s race!  I am very excited and just thrilled to have netted $200 cash and 2 free race entry’s already this year, it is making my “hobby” much less expensive at the moment J

Wrapping up, the rest of this week I plan to take it easy, I’ll scout out the course sometime over the next couple days although there are not too many surprises with that race… I’ll also lay off the biking and do a little more swimming, hopefully my next update I’ll be able to say I hit my sub 18 5K race, wish me luck!!

"Miles are adding up"

Ok, getting a breather to catch up on this week... it’s been a good one, by Wednesday night I’ve already hit 48 miles running and feeling strong.  Not too crazy as far as mileage goes but it is combined with a pretty large amount of swimming, cycling and weight lifting so far this week.  Triathlons are around the corner and while I don’t normally talk too much about my non-running activities here I will plug them today as I feel I’m progressing pretty well.  I've got the continuous mile swim down and right now sitting about 28 minutes at a fairly comfortable pace… it’s a start and will keep working to improve that time.  I’m getting more comfortable on my bike as well, I recently purchased a Trek Madone 4.3 Road bike as I want to do a half Ironman next year and my mountain bike was not cutting it anymore, I’m hoping the weather warms up over the next few days so I can get it out a little bit more.  Galena Tri is the first of my list this year on May 17^th and I’m looking forward to breaking up the weekend race routine with a different kind of event… Ok, enough about tri’s, on to the running…

SUNDAY -  22.1 miles -  Long Run with Bill, Shannon and Scott

Link to Garmin Data on Sunday's run

So Sunday was quite the run, I did a total of 22 miles which was enough itself but to add to the challenge we ran in 45+ MPH wind gusts and pouring rain… add in a few nice hills and it made for a pretty fun morning.  This was definitely a run I will never forget as the wind was so strong it blew my had right off my head and almost tipped me over twice.  Despite the less than ideal conditions I continue to feel more comfortable with every 20+ mile run and I’m not feeling the ache in the muscles anymore that I used to at that distance.  This is a good thing as the month of May has 20+ mile long runs every weekend.   

TUESDAY – 18.7 miles – Hill Run with DRC

Link to Garmin Data for Tuesday's run

Tuesday night started nice and easy but eventually we turned up the heat… Scott and I had an easy 8 mile warm up around town which was perfect as the combination of the race on Saturday and the long run Sunday had my legs feeling a little sketchy.  We ran to UD and met the crew who decided to take a night off the track and run hills.  From there we did a 10 mile hill route that included Loras, West Locust, University, Hill and Bryant streets… it was an awesome run and I felt surprisingly fresh picking up the pace on the hills.  That being said I did make a pretty big mistake by not drinking enough water that day… I felt great during the run but minutes after crashed pretty hard, lucky for me it did not last long and once I got some food and water in me I got back to normal quick. 

(I hit 1,700 feet of elevation on this run which I believe is a new

WEDNESDAY – 7.27 miles – Mine of Spain

Link to Garmin data for Wednesday's run

Wednesday night was a nice relaxing run at the mines… I really enjoy the Wednesday trail runs after work, I feel it sorta hits my internal “reset button” which I need after the tough Tuesday night runs and long weekends.  I just love running trails, I used to run 75% of my mileage off road and am looking to get a large portion of miles out there again this year.  The soft surface of the wet trails felt amazing and the cool air really hit the spot.  A few miles in I crossed paths with Matt Jasper and Jason Charley, they were doing an early run before their trail group run at 6pm.  It was a lot of fun chatting and running with those two, especially nice to talk triathlons for a bit as I’ve been training pretty hard for the upcoming “Tri Season”.   I’m going to make a point to join a few of their Wednesday night runs this spring and summer as I think it would be a really good time.

"Steve's Old Time Tap Spring Chaser 5K"

Continuing my April lucky streak I pulled off another overall win on Saturday at “Steve’s Old Time Spring Chaser 5K” In the Quad Cities.  Although once again keeping things in perspective as my time was not blazing fast, I’m still very excited to have run a personal best time of 18:03 in the 5K race!  I went in with a goal to PR and 2^nd goal to get under 18 minutes so I’ll say I was darn close…

I wasn’t sure what to think as the field was pretty large for this race (about 600 or so runners) so I decided to focus on my splits and hopefully pick a guy out ahead that I could draft with or use to push me though the race.  “Unfortunately”, if you can really call it unfortunate I pulled into the lead right after mile one when we hit the one and only hill of the course.  Hills, which I used to dread more than anything while running have now become my secret weapon.  Running the bluffs of Dubuque really give our community of runners a distinct advantage and that is seen very clear in these out of town races.  From the crest of that that hill until the finish was radio silence… I had got a 15-20 second lead and managed to maintain it through the end of the race.  I was a little bummed that the clock was hidden until the last few feet so I didn’t know I was so close to breaking 18… I really have no one to blame but myself as I should have kicked it in harder instead of comfortably finishing knowing I had the lead position.   I won’t be making that mistake again, that is for sure!!

After the race I was excited to find out I won $150 worth of prize money and a couple free beers which did a great job of quenching my post-run thirst.  Bill and Hunter also nailed age division prizes which was awesome and we got several people inquiring about the Dubuque Running Club which was very exciting!  Bill was even approached by the director for the Quad Cities Marathon wanting to get the DRC more involved this fall, he even wants to wear one of our shirts to promote the club!!   All in all it was a very fun and successful morning for the group, really nothing beats our weekend race trips!

So moving on I’ve got a tough couple weeks ahead, doing a 20+ mile run Sunday morning followed by a hard week of training.  The next race is the Trail run May 10^th and I need to make the decision still on whether I will run to PR the 10K or try and hit under 18 for the 5K…  either way I look forward to this race as I guarantee there will be much faster runners than I and I’m really looking forward to both watching and learning from them and also pushing myself further.

"Easter Long Run and Boston Monday"

What a fun few days, packed in the Bunny Hop 5K, Easter with the Family, my 20 mile long run Sunday with Bill and Shannon, and got to watch the Boston Marathon(well some I had to listen to at work).  It has been a really fun and exciting last few days for my running and I come into this week feeling very energized and ready for another challenge! 

SUNDAY – 20.25 Miles – Easter Sunday Long Run from Fountain Park on Asbury through the Mines of Spain and back.

Our Easter Morning run was just awesome, the weather was around 50 at the start(around 5am) and stayed within 5 degrees to the finish.  This was the longest run I’ve had to date and I was a little concerned about how my body would handle 20 miles, those concerns were put to rest as I got through this workout feeling just great.  The route was just awesome and took us from One Mean Bean in Fountain Park down Asbury and Grandview to the bike path leading down to the Mines of Spain.  From that point we hit the trails and wound our way up to the top of the park where I left a couple water bottles waiting, man that HyVee water never tasted so good!   We turned back and went back through the park and up the path, at this point we started picking up the paced and dropped down to a 7:30 or so for the remaining 4-5 miles… I actually felt pretty comfortable at the faster pace as my legs and hips felt like they got a good stretch.  As I finished the run crossing the 20 mile mark I just confirmed what I had thought all along, 20 is just another number… I don’t take it lightly as it is a nice milestone to hit; I acknowledge it and move on.

Link to my Garmin Data for Easter Long Run

MONDAY – 4.5 Miles – Run4Boston Run – Murphy Park

Monday Night there was a Run4Boston run put together by some local running folks at Murphy Park.   It was a pretty cool run and it was nice to get to see some new faces and talk and run with some new people.  We did a nice slow run down and back on Grandview and enjoyed the run and each other’s company… sometimes it is nice to just trot along without worrying about time or mileage.   It sure was a great race this year too, Meb rocked it out and made for a great race and nerve racking last couple miles.

"2014 Bunny Hop 5K"

This spring has been truly shocking and rewarding and Saturday was no exception!  This is the 3^rd year I’ve participated in Hempstead’s Bunny Hop 5K and I look forward to this race both as Hempstead Alumni and the chance of winning a ham, the prize given out to first place in each age category.  This year I was lucky enough to win the 5K race overall but more importantly crushed my previous 5K PR by nearly 40 seconds with an 18:23!!  I am very excited as my goal for this year was to break 18:30 but I had not planned on hitting that mark so early in the season.  Moreover to do it on a course with such a huge hill at the end, in the previous years I had hit that  hill and died off, last year I believe I ran a 21 something on the course… it sure was nice to come back and conquer that darn hill!

Bunny Hop 5K Data

"Huge 1/2 Marathon PR!"

SUNDAY – Marion, IA – ½ Marathon and Marathon Relay            

Man, this year is full of surprises and Sunday was no exception!  On a cool rainy morning I somehow managed to blast a 6:25 average to shatter my ½ Marathon PR by almost 10 minutes!   It is really thanks to the extra push from running the first ½ as part of a marathon relay team, it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and run a pace I normally would have never started at.

My plan for the race was to go out around a 6:40 pace for the first ½ of the race and then drop back to a 6:50 and try to hold on to the end.  Once the race started however I fell into a comfortable 6:30 pace and carried it through the first ½ of the race.  After the handoff I got to run with Scott(who ran the 2^nd leg of our relay) for about the next mile which was beyond awesome, he total lifted my  spirits and I was able to bounce my thoughts off of someone instead of letting them fill up my head…. the mile flew by at a quick pace and by the time I started off on my own again I only had about 6 miles left of the race… this is where the race went from fun to downright exciting!

The second half of the race was where I had prepared to crash, I had taken off at a pace nearly 30 seconds per mile faster than my previous PR and did not expect to hold it through the end.  However mile after mile I felt stronger and stronger and my pace continued to drop; every mile I expected to hit a wall but instead found myself feeling just fantastic and completely in control, by mile 13 I hit a 5:47 pace and felt incredible!    I ended the race at a 1:25:50 and was excited to find the course was about .3 miles long so my adjusted time would have been 1:24:14, almost 10 minutes faster than my last ½ marathon in November J

There is a lot I can take away from this race, the most exciting stat for me is that I was running nearly 40 seconds faster than Boston pace over this race… I have about 6 months of training left before my first attempt at qualifying and I am happy with my progression so far.   I’m also looking to retune some splits and goals as I’m much further ahead than I thought I would be, a very good feeling to have.   I ended up finishing 10^th place overall in the ½ and our relay team crushed 1^st place, finishing over 15 minutes ahead of the 2^nd place team… it was a great showing for DBQ runners! 

Check out Shannon's Video Below.... 

"Trails are GREAT at the Mines"

Wow, what a great week of weather we have had!!  The months of struggling though snow and ice makes the spring is even sweeter now as I’ve enjoyed a really great three days of running this week.   Luckily I’ve been able to cut the mileage back with the nice weather, I have a tendency to over train and have been trying very hard to put more self-control into my training and especially with the big weekend ahead.

Sunday I will tackle my first ½ marathon of the year with a goal to hit under the 1:30 mark, a 3 minute improvement over my PR in the Galena ½ last year.  I’m also running the first 6.5 miles of a marathon relay team with some friends so that is an added bonus!   Since I’m doing the first leg of the relay the race directors are giving me two bibs and letting me continue the ½ after my transition point for the relay.  I really enjoy doing relays as they bring more of the team aspect to race, I’m very much looking forward to this event.

MONDAY – 7.1 Miles at the Mines of Spain         

It was a beautiful evening at the mines, the temps were high enough I was able to run shirt free and the sun felt great!  I started at the first parking lot through the main gate on the lower end of the park, from there I ran Catfish to Calcite to the Prairie up top... it had been too long since I had visited the mines and I felt energized with every step.  Over the years, the Mines of Spain has become my favorite running spot and a place I often visit for my solo runs.  There is something about leaving the technology in the car(except the garmin, gotta total those miles up J ) and just enjoying a run in nature… many times on my long runs through the mines I will reach a meditative relaxed state to the point I will literally lose track of 3 or 4 miles at a time.   This is also a spot where I can hit the reset button internally… I have so many runs and workouts where I am trying constantly to hit a number or break a barrier…  when I hit the trails I instantly remember how much I love to run and suddenly my times and goals fall short in comparison to that awesome feeling you get from feeling the breeze as you whip through a wooded valley… thank goodness the trails have dried, I needed that run this week.

TUESDAY – 5 miles – Mile Repeats at the track

So after such a nice relaxing run on Monday afternoon, I turned up the intensity on Tuesday with an evening of mile repeats with Bill.  I was a little nervous going into this one as I’ve never done straight mile repeats on the track before although I am familiar with mile fartlek workouts.  But the miles were not  near as bad as I anticipated.. I did three and had a goal of 6:30 which I did not stick to very well.. I ran a 6:10, 6:18 and 5:43.  It was a good start but I need to work on consistency on the next go around.  I think next time around I will put a goal time of 6:10 or 6:15 and stick to it.  The best take away I had is that I was running my miles just as fast as my 800 sets last year but I was feeling a lot better, in fact on the second 6:15 mile I did not feel winded at the finish which is awesome.  This is the first of many track workouts to come as Tuesday Run Club’s will move back to Hempstead for the spring/summer.

WEDNESDAY – 4.5 miles – Mines of Spain

I was planning on skipping the run today however with the temps soring to 70 degrees and the fact I am getting my new road bike Thursday, I decided to have a nice easy run and enjoy the weather at the mines.  Scott met up with me and we explored the trails going to E.B. Lyons nature center… again we were pleasantly surprised at how dry it was out there, I’ve covered the majority of the park this week with not so much as a soggy sock!  Not much else to say about this run as it was pretty short and sweet but it was nice to get out for a bit and I’m glad I did not run any further than I did.