Category: RUN

2024 Paleozoic Trail Runs – Silurian Fall II 25K Race Report

I have done the spring version of this 25K before, and since I opted to not burden myself at Tunnel Hill 100 with another 100-mile attempt this year, I decided to give the fall version a go.  And I am happy that I did!  We had a cool and overcast morning for the race, with perfect trail conditions, and seeing that the fall version is run at a different course, I found this one to be a lot less technically challenging.  That’s not to say this was easy – it had nearly 1500 feet of elevation!  Lots of rolling hills, and a few steep enough to force me to walk, but the day turned out great for me.

My faithful sidekick/super sherpa/wife Kari and I got there way earlier than necessary, but were glad to do so to get a prime parking spot as the location had very few and we didn’t want to have to find the second and third parking option and have to walk.  We had lots of fun people-watching and chatting about the other racer’s prerace routines.

I had made a race morning decision to wear my more comfortable road shoes instead of my trail shoes, based on the race director’s email stating that the course was in great condition.  I also wore my gaiters to keep the little rocks, sticks, leaves, and other trail junk out of my shoes.  I was looking around and it seemed that I was the only one that opted for them.  I was so glad that I did.  

At the start of the race, a short grassy section that led to the path.

The 50K started at 8:30 and my race started at 9:30.  This course is much more crowded with other patrons, but they weren’t too bad and gave us plenty of room.  My plan was to not go out too fast and have to suffer in the later miles, but of course, I bolted out of the gate.  It wasn’t long before I found myself in no-man’s-land once again, not quite with the lead pack and way ahead of the back-of-the-packers.  Doesn’t matter what length of race I do, I find myself in this spot every time.

There was a giant hill that I walked just before mile 2 and I got passed by a couple of other runners, but walking calmed me down and I settled into a more appropriate pace.  The hills kept coming and I just kept pushing on. 

That’s a lot of hills.

The 50K leader was shirtless and I saw him around my 5-mile mark and knew that I would definitely see him again.  It wasn’t long after that when I saw the first 25K leader coming back at me from the turnaround, and she was flying!  She did eventually win the race, a first for the race director, which he was super excited for.

As I got closer to the turnaround myself, I was marveling at how good a gel would make me feel.  Every 30 minutes is when I choke down the 100-calorie syrupy stuff, and I was finding myself looking at my watch 15 minutes after each one wondering how much longer to the next.  I finally caught a guy that I had been slowly reeling in, but he would jog the hills and I would walk them and have to work at pulling him back in again.  We arrived at the turnaround aid station at the same time.  I had already had the lid off of my 21-ounce water bottle and had it refilled with another 21 ounces.  I’m glad that I opted for the bigger bottle this time instead of the 12-ounce handheld bottles I used in the spring race.  I was staying on top of hydration.

After the turn, I found my legs and started running at a pretty good clip.  This portion would be downhill for a while, and I tried to take advantage of that.  I could see the competition coming at me for the first time and I was glad I had a good lead. 

I have to give a shout-out to the large group of spectators who greeted us when we went out and came back on the course around the middle section.  It was a big pick-me-up.

The next runner ahead of me was another one that I had tried to reel in from the start.  She had passed me within the first 1/2-mile of the race and looked strong, but by mile 11 she clearly had run into a wall.  I passed her and put some distance on her.  I didn’t think that I was in the top ten at this point, but gaining a spot gave me some motivation to keep chasing others.  The problem was, there weren’t any ahead of me that I could see!  

With about 2.5 miles to go, we hit the last big hill and I was passed by another guy.  Great, I had just gained a spot and now I was losing one.  I tried to match pace with the guy, but he was younger and stronger.  And to add insult to injury, the race director informed us at the awards that he had raced the RDs fall Lakefront 50K the week before.  Tip of the running visor to him.

Once up the big hill it was flat and I summoned the energy I had left to push a little bit.  I could hear the quick footsteps rapidly approaching me from behind and of course, it was the 50K finisher passing me in the final mile.  It has happened twice now to me and I hate it!  Oh well, another tip of the running visor to the shirtless 50K winner, whose overall 50K time was nearly a half-hour faster than my Chicago Marathon time.  Actually, the second-place 50K finisher was also faster than my CM time.  Crazy kids.  Tip of the running visor to both of them.

As I was dealing with that defeat, the sounds of more footsteps were approaching, and I was passed by a woman who clearly was kicking to the finish.  I tried to keep pace with her but she was slowly pulling away (tip of the visor to her-lol).  We emerged relatively close from the trail and onto the grass to do a parade lap of the park to the finish and she hit the afterburners, beating me by 15 seconds.  I knew that I couldn’t catch her, but I also knew that the clock was ticking rapidly to the 2:20 mark and I gave it my best to be sub-2:20, but my official time put me two seconds over it.  My watch time shows 2:19:38, but it paused while I was refilling my water bottle.  Seeing that I had predicted a 2:40 finish when I signed up for the race, and then thinking I had a good chance to go sub-2:30, to get 2:20:02 was a huge surprise that I will proudly take as a new PR.  

All in all, it was a great day and a great performance for me.  I might have to keep this one on the calendar for next year!

The Value of Course Recon

With one race left on the calendar this year, I decided to do a little course reconnaissance seeing that I had not run this particular race before.  I have been on the trails in this area, but it was a long time ago, and I felt it might be a good idea to see what I had gotten myself into.

The race is the Paleozoic Trail Runs – Silurian Fall II 25K held in Palos Park, Illinois in the Cook County Forest Preserve District commonly called Swallow Cliff.  If you have followed my blog you will note that I have done the spring version of this race before, three times actually, but that course is in a different location.

Last week I went out to find the start/finish area and ran from the start to about 4 miles out before turning around.  The trip paid off because I took a couple of wrong turns and had to double back to get back on course.  But the trail was nowhere near as technical as the spring course is.  There was about 540 feet of climbing for the portion I ran and the two hills were definitely steep enough to warrant walking them.  The trail was in pretty good shape, with good footing.  I ended up running eight miles in about 1:15, so I was pleased with my speed and effort.

Last Saturday, Kari and I went back to the trail to walk the second part of the trail, which I hadn’t gotten a chance to run last time.  It was also in good condition with very few technical aspects to it.  There were 530 feet of climbing in this section, so overall, that will be the challenge that awaits me.  Tackle the hills with the appropriate effort, and push pace on the flats and downhills. 

Tried to capture the type of trail and the rolling hills of the course.

 

The course.

 

Today I ran one final 8-mile run near home at a comfortably hard pace and held an 8:32 average pace, finishing in 1:08.  I was pretty gassed after that, so I may have to dial back my expectations just a little on race day.  Plus the hills will slow me down somewhat.  The race website asks you to submit a predicted finish time, and based on my three previous attempts at the spring version of this 25K, I estimated 2:40, but I think I have a good chance to be under 2:30 and maybe closer to 2:20.  At least now I know what to expect from the course and the pace I have been running lately.  I’m looking forward to race day.

If you are interested in running or would like more info about this race, here’s the website:  Paleozoic Trail Run – Silurian Fall II 

2024 Chicago Marathon Race Report

2024 Chicago Marathon / October 13, 2024 / Chicago, Illinois

3:53:27 / 19966th Finisher / 295th M60-64 Age Group / 10th Chicago Finish

My Chicago Marathon Results

Let me be honest with everyone, I fully expected this marathon to be a final hurrah, a victory lap, a farewell tour to marathoning.  I had nothing left to prove with running marathons.  I am past setting personal bests, I have qualified for Boston three times and run it once, I just really lack the motivation to keep doing them.  The 2023 marathon and it’s perfect weather and record-setting performance was definitely fun to watch and gave me a little push.  And when the email came to encourage me with my legacy status to sign-up for the 2024 I did it.

Of course, the training season didn’t go so well.  I was doing pretty good gaining some speed and endurance again without injury, I set myself back after racing a sprint triathlon and had to take some time off to get back on track.  I flip-flopped from following an Ironman training plan to a basic marathon training plan, finally settling in on just the running plan.  I opted to do a backyard ultra as my final long run (2024 Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra Race Report). Although I didn’t practice marathon pace there, I certainly was confident in my ability to be on my feet for a long time and cover the distance easily.

Then I found that the speed was coming back.  I bought some super-shoes (HOKA Cielo X1) and I felt like a gazelle.  Now I was running an 8:45 pace easily and a 3:50 BQ time was in sight of being a possibility.  Instead of taking the intended victory lap/farewell tour at Chicago, I showed up to race as hard as I could.

Saturday my wife Kari and I met up with my Gunner team buddies – Alex (who was gunning for a sub-3:00), his dad Dave, and Jeff in the city and went to Maggiano’s to carbo-load.  After a great meal, we went back to Jeff’s place and had great conversations until it was time to get some uneasy sleep for tomorrow’s race.

Looking fresh in the hotel room

Looking fresh just before entering the runner gate at Jackson St.

I was up at 4:30 and took a shower.  I had some bathroom issues and I was hoping that it wouldn’t dehydrate me too much, if you catch my drift.  But I was glad to void all of that out of my system.  Kari found me a coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the shop located at the hotel (I stayed at the Palmer House Hilton, which I highly recommend.  Very close to both the start/finish.)  and I was all set.  I had been concerned about the temperature and about being comfortable with what I would wear, but the walk to the entrance gate was very comfortable and I ended up giving Kari the sweatpants I was wearing before going into the runner’s area.  Once inside, I made my way to the porta-potty lines and waited my turn.  After that, I headed to Corral F and took a seat on the ground.   8 am came soon enough and we started moving to the start line.  One guy took it upon himself to lay a doodie right there in the corral, which was quite a sight to see.  He had no shame.  Others were up against the fencing peeing.  I shoved my empty Gatorade bottle in my pants and peed into it as well.  At least I had a little modesty.  My mother would be proud.

I crossed the timing mat at 8:01:15 am and decided to ease into the first mile or two.  I was expecting some GPS issues going under Randolph St. and Wacker Dr. but the first mile marker came at 0.86 miles and I hit my lap button and all was fine for the rest of the race.  The mile marker signs usually came a little early, and sometimes a little late, but I just trusted my watch.

It was fun going through the various neighborhoods and I was starting to realize that I was taking it all in for the final time.  The crowds were amazing and the city was super crowded this year.

I was holding my pace around 8:40 min/mile pace and was feeling pretty good.  I was sweating and was concerned about that becoming an issue knowing I had started a little on the dehydrated side.  I made sure to take water and Gatorade at each aid station.  I kept on my one gel per 30-minute routine and felt fine energy-wise.  I tossed the white arm sleeves off and kept my thin arm cooling sleeves.  I was comfortable but a little concerned about getting cold.

Ten miles in I felt fresh.  At the halfway mark my split was 1:55 and that seemed perfect for the moment, all I needed to do was keep running my pace and empty the tank around Mile 21 or so to grab that sub-3:50.

Earlier in the race I had an issue with my right shoe feeling tied a little too tight, so I stopped and tried to untie the double knot but failed at that.  I pulled the tongue of the shoe up a little and soldiered on, but then got concerned about it again and took some time to stop again and loosen it.  From then on it felt fine.  I also stopped right around 13 miles and used the porta-potty to ease my mind with that issue.  So all told, I probably wasted 3 minutes doing those things, which I hoped wouldn’t rob me of that 3:50 BQ.

Kari was joined by my son Ben and daughter-in-law Emily, as well as a couple of their friends, and I had no trouble seeing them on the course.  I think I saw them 5-6 times on the course and each time it was a pick-me-up.  Around the 14-mile mark, I motioned that I wanted my gloves back, as I was now heading into the wind and was hoping not to get too cold.  She shook her head and said she didn’t have them.  Oh well, it turned out to not be an issue.

Somewhere mid-marathon

I kept pushing on and didn’t even worry about hitting a wall.  I was feeling pretty strong and my pace was hanging tight.  It was at Mile 22 when the wind came out of my sails.  There was a commotion and they were directing us runners to the right.  Then I saw the runner on the ground getting chest compressions.  It was one of the most unsettling things that I have seen in a while and it broke me down mentally.  Nothing cared to me at that point.  I got rather emotional and I just pressed on knowing she was in good hands and hoping the best for her.  After the race, I had seen some posts from others also seeing about a total of 3-4 runners from the race in a similar predicament.  I haven’t seen any reports of deaths so far, so fingers crossed that they all made it okay.  Man, it was unsettling.

I had written down my 5-mile splits on the back of my hand for a 3:45 marathon finish and could tell that I was behind on time to nab not only the 3:45 but also the 3:50 BQ time I was hoping for.  My intended kick at six miles to go got pushed to the last five miles, then got pushed again to kicking with a 5K to go.  But I realized that no matter if I ran the fastest 5K I have ever run it wouldn’t be enough.  I started to cramp a little at Mile 24, I slowed and walked it off, and did the same again at Mile 25.  That last mile was still pretty good, all things considered, shuffling in 9:08 min/mile.  I took my time up Mt. Roosevelt and coasted it into the finish.  Three hours, 53 minutes, and 27 seconds was a satisfying finish time, and I was pleased.

In the last mile(s) on Michigan Ave.

I had been in my head for quite a while in the race thinking that I was definitely going to have a spectacular crash at the end.  I slowly shuffled through the chute, grabbed a mylar blanket, a medal, a banana, and water, and tried to keep moving forward.  To my surprise, I was starting to feel pretty good.  By the time I passed the medical tent (I’m a frequent med tent flyer!), it wasn’t even a thought.  It took forever to get through the sea of people, but finally made my way to Monroe Street, made a left turn, and walked the two or three blocks back to the hotel in good shape.

A ride up the elevator left me a little nervous when the door wouldn’t open on my floor, and started beeping at me like I had done something wrong, but it reset itself somehow and opened.  I had expected Kari to be there, but she wasn’t so I got in the shower and got cleaned up.  Some time in the shower my body was done with this nonsense and started to punish me for once again putting it through the mill.  I got dressed, got under the covers, and started working on reversing the meltdown.  Kari was giving me food and Gatorade to help me recover, but once I started in on the soup she brought for me, my stomach was not having it.  I puked magnificently and immediately felt better.  I cleaned up, exited the bathroom, and said “Let’s go.”

Kari wanted to go get the car, which was parked about a half-mile or so away at her work, but I told her I was fine.  We got to the car and headed home.  Another crash was coming, but some sipping on Gatorade led to some potato chips, some soup, and a sandwich.  I was feeling better.

So all in all, it was a pretty good way to end my marathon running career.  10 Chicago Marathons, 23 marathons total, and some great memories along the way.  And if you ever hear of me thinking about running another one, please remind me to reread this race report.

Pre-Race Nerves Stink!

I mowed the lawn the other day.  It didn’t need it.  I just did it to take my mind off the elephant in the room – it’s race week and the Chicago Marathon is Sunday.  It’s on my mind constantly.

You would think that I would be used to pre-race jitters by now.  This will be my 23rd marathon (if you count the five Ironman marathons, and I do), and tenth Chicago Marathon total.  I’m not new to this, and I know that once I start moving forward everything will be okay.  But damn, the nerves are kicking in hard.

To start, I didn’t get an email with the packet pick-up QR code that you need to get your bib and t-shirt at the expo.  I got every other damn email they sent me to remind me about everything regarding the race, but not that one.  It wasn’t in my inbox, my junk folder, or in the e-trash bin.  Trust me I checked, numerous times.  I posted that I didn’t get the email on r/ChicagoMarathon on Reddit and found that I wasn’t alone.  Someone mentioned that they emailed the race and got a new email within a couple of days.  So I went with that approach.  Crickets. Then I get one of their regular emails stating “Packet Pick-up tickets cannot be resent.  Please go to Participant services… at the expo.”  Great.  Thursday comes and I check my email – lo and behold – a nice email from Kelli thanking me for being a Legacy Finisher and the missing/replacement QR code.

I hate driving into the city, so I looked at the Metra service to get me to the expo.  It looked like the Metra Electric line east of me runs by McCormick Place.  Perfect.  I asked a police officer coworker of mine if that train line was safe, and he strongly suggested not to take it.  Interestingly, my Facebook friends mostly said that it would be fine.  I rechecked the schedule from another “safer” place to catch the train and it turns out that none of the afternoon trains even stop at McCormick Place.  Driving it is.

I found the Chicago Marathon’s suggested parking garage fine, the one with the half-rate cheap parking.  But once in there I had no idea where to go.  There was no signage, so I found someone who looked like they had just come from there and they directed me to continue going in the direction I was heading.  I found some people getting on the elevator and I asked if they were heading to the expo and got a yes.  Great.  Up the elevator and down the hall and we were there.  I was sure that I was going to have trouble finding my way back to the car.

The expo on opening day Thursday wasn’t too bad, and the check-in volunteers were great.  I got my envelope with my bib and started heading to the back of the expo to pick up the t-shirt.  I wandered through the Nike store with the official race gear and glanced at some of the offerings.  I was unimpressed.  The quality seemed poor and the prices were crazy.  When I saw how long the line was to overpay for cheap stuff, I made my way out of the store and walked to the back for my t-shirt.  I have been to the expo numerous times, and there’s really nothing there that I need.  I made my way back to the exit but didn’t see where the event posters were located.  The volunteer that I asked didn’t have any idea either.  I finally found a guy who had one and he pointed me to the booth. I have to have a poster for my basement workout room shrine to myself.  (I took an extra one for the shrine at work, too!)

I was right about not knowing my way back to the parking garage.  I doubled back two times and finally found the way out.  I got my parking ticket validated and was back on the road quickly.  Glad I got in and out of the expo.  It was underwhelming and just causing further stress.

At home, I began the “nesting” process where you gather all the running crap that I still own and figure out what I will wear and use on race day.  Sometimes I will overthink this way too much, and the five different shirt/shorts/socks/visor options will need to shrink down.  I also had the bright idea to bring enough gels to eat one every 20 minutes.  I’ll look like a clown carrying that many gels.  Time to pare that down as well.  Eating a gel every 30 minutes has worked well in the past.  Why change it now?

Oh, and let’s stress about the weather a little too while we are at it!  I’ve been checking the weather app constantly for ten days now, and nothing has really changed.  Low 50s (d. F) for the start rising to mid-60s and dry.  So the weather looks to be pretty good, and last year’s race had perfect weather and was one of the reasons I signed up to run the race this year.  That’s a win.  Stop stressing.

I will carbo load on Friday night, and eat a sandwich or something easy Saturday night.  I’m not trusting the restaurants downtown, not so much for the food causing issues, but more so for the lack of availability.  Maybe some soup and bread with the wife.

I’m staying at the Palmer House Hilton, very close to the start/finish line.  I will walk the route to the Jackson Street race day entrance, and then walk from where the exit from the finish line to the hotel in case my wife can’t find me.  I can get turned around very easily downtown.

And that reminds me, I bought an Apple AirTag device, which I plan to carry so Kari can track me more precisely.  It’s an extra thing that I will have to have on me, but I think it is worth it.

Just writing this stuff down has been a good stress reliever.  Now I just have to kill 1 DAY : 16 HOURS : 14 MINUTES: 37 SECONDS until race day.  Not that I am counting or anything.  Pre-race nerves stink.

2024 Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra Race Report

Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra / West Point, Iowa / September 21, 2024

10 Yards/Loops – 41.67 Total Miles – Tied for 31st place with 11 others

Results:  2024 Broken Anvil BYU Results

Well-run and fun events always strike a chord with me, and this race is one of those that I really enjoy doing.  Endless loops of 4.16 miles every hour on the hour may not sound like a fun time, but race director Nic, the volunteers, and the other participants made for an excellent day of pushing the boundaries and testing our limits.

It appears that we had 89 “finishers” out of the 102 that had signed up, and that made for some crowded running on portions of the course. But since I was bringing up the rear it wasn’t an issue for me. My usual plan for this race is to run for two minutes and then walk for two minutes, and I had no problem following that plan. During the walk I made sure I was drinking water from my handheld bottle, downing 12 ounces every loop. A few of the hills were walked even if it called for running at the moment. My splits looked great until yard/loop nine when it was clear that I was starting to slow down : (1) 52:29, (2) 52:56, (3) 52:38, (4) 52:12, (5) 52:07, (6) 52:21, (7) 53:06, (8) 53:44, (9) 55:18, (10) 56:36. Yard/loop 9 took longer because I made a dash to the toilet while on course.  On the 10th yard/loop the chafing started to get to me and the slowing was more to do with that issue than actually running out of gas.

My wife Kari was once again dialed in to keep me going. On every return back to the tent I was met with all of the things that I needed to refuel and rehydrate. I was eating a gel, something solid like a couple of cookies or some banana, electrolyte pills, and she was quick to swap something out for me if I requested. She also had a wet washcloth to clean up with and refresh myself with. I swapped out shirts and visors about three times and made one sock and shoe change after dealing with rain for some midday loops. The rain was somewhat welcome, cooling us down and keeping the sun hidden behind the clouds. When the sun was out, I felt the worst. Fortunately, the course has good shade for about 2/3s of it.

It seemed that yard/loop two was a struggle for some reason, but the rest felt great and pretty much on repeat – run/walk/drink/eat/rest/refuel – and be back in the corral at the one-minute warning. One change I made this year was to eat more, which included taking a GU liquid gel with me and eating it around the two-mile mark, and also eating more in camp. Sometimes it’s difficult to eat when you don’t want to, but I knew that it would make a difference. Plus, I spent $$$ for some good snackies this year!

Even with dealing with the chafing when I sensed that it was starting, it wasn’t going to change the outcome, and that is what really pushed me to decide to pull the plug. I had gotten past the 50K mark for another notch in the ol’ ultramarathon belt and I didn’t want to make my evening uncomfortable for myself. I lined up for the 11th yard/loop, started it, and then walked over to my tent. Other racers and participants don’t like to see another pull out, but it was time for me. 41.6 miles and 10 hours of running made for a pretty memorable day, and an easy way to get that last long-distance training run done for the Chicago Marathon in three weeks. That’s the A-race and should be the focus.

I walked over to the tracker table and told them I was pulling out, grabbed my loser keychain, and thanked everyone for an awesome day. Back in the tent, Kari started organizing and packing up things while I took a few minutes to let my body come down. We finally got our tent put away and decided to eat a bowl of chili that they had made for the participants and anyone else who might like a bowl. Once we got the tent down, we loaded up the car and made our way back to the hotel. It was a terrific day.

Thoughts and Observations on the Day

~ Run the tangents! – I don’t know if it is the road racer in me, but it seemed at times that I was the only one running the tangents and taking the shortest line. I would think that if you could reduce even a few steps throughout double-digit miles you would take advantage of that. I was also staying in the shade more than some of the others. Simple things to make it easier on myself that others could have benefited from.

~ My pacing method may not be for everyone, but I can’t help to think that others could be missing out on saving some intensity minutes by dialing it back and walking more. I don’t know if they prefer to have some extra rest time between loops, or if they are just younger and don’t feel like they are working that hard, but I am only running for 26 minutes of that 52-minute loop, and they are running for 45 minutes or so. That is almost 20 minutes more intensity time spent than what I am doing, and burning more calories while doing so.

~ I met some great people out there and had some good conversations. One older guy like me seemed to be really enjoying the day. He was bringing up the rear but always had an “attaboy” for anyone out there. I could tell that he was struggling in the latter part of the race, but you couldn’t tell it by his demeanor. He ended up missing the cut on the 7th or 8th loop and I saw him coming in as we were heading out and gave him a bro hug for his effort. He also needed some medical care, which I believe was due to heat exhaustion. He was looking good after a visit with some EMTs.

~ Heat exhaustion could be sneaky, and fortunately it didn’t affect me on the course. But after a shower and resting back at the hotel, I could feel how hot my core was when I was lying in bed trying to go to sleep. I made Kari feel my back and she agreed that I was warm to the touch. I should have taken some anti-inflammatories before bed.

~ Don’t judge a runner by their look. I was guilty of this as well, thinking some of these people would not last very long, but I was proven wrong time and again. One woman was consistently coming in with just a minute or two to spare, and I thought that she was cutting it close. But as the miles wore on I realized that she was executing her plan very well.  There were several that far exceeded my expectation for them.  Congrats to everyone!

~ I have the main pieces of the “go far” puzzle established.  I was solid with my pace plan, Kari kept me on point with my nutrition/hydration, and although the training miles I had done might have been on the low side, I felt great muscle-wise and felt like I still had a lot of miles left in me.  It’s the mental side of ultra running that I have continued to struggle with.  When the going gets tough I tend to fold my cards so as not to destroy myself.  Chafing is no fun, and it was only going to get worse.  I have to figure that issue out for next time.  And there will be a next time.

Event Photos Link:  Mile 90 Photography – 2024 Broken Anvil

Can Losing Be Better For You?

I started running for the same reasons most people do – to drop some pounds, feel better, and give this bored guy something to do.  Most people lose interest in running after a while, but I caught the competitive bug.  I got to a point where I wanted to see if I could add an extra mile, if I could lower that mile pace time, if I could complete a 10K.  When I started racing I was hooked and always looking to perform at my best.

Some people can enter a race and not actually race it, but not me.  I need to know how I did against others, against the clock, and against my previous efforts.  How else do you know how well you are performing if you aren’t comparing yourself to those parameters?

When I race I have found over the years that I will be in the upper middle of the pack, somewhere around 25-30% of the field.  This plays out during the race and is very apparent in the results at the end of the race.  I have finished in first place overall once, been a top-three age grouper in many other races, and have been squeaked out of a podium finish many, many times.  There is always a post-race analysis of the finisher results for me.  How did I do overall?  How did I do against the other males?  Against the other age groupers?  Against my past efforts?  But does the analysis make me feel any better?  Generally, I’m happy to receive any award at all, and if I do better than the average then I am content.  However, if I just miss out on getting on the podium, I am going to mull that over for a while.  What if I hadn’t pushed too hard at the beginning of the race?  What if I didn’t waste so much time in transition from swim to bike?  Where could I have gotten faster?

I read an interesting article (Inc. Magazine – Haden, Jeff) today about how counterfactual thinking can affect your happiness.  In the article, it points to a study in which the faces of the gold/silver/bronze medallists at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games were examined to determine who was the happiest.  Of course, the gold medal winner was happy.  But the big surprise was that the bronze medalists were almost always more happy than the silver medalist.  The gold medalists came out on top and were super happy.  The bronze medalist is the one who beat out all the rest to be in the top three.  But the silver medalist is the one who will be thinking about what went wrong.

Counterfactual thinking is an interesting concept.  Basically with counterfactual thinking, you find yourself wondering “what if?” in certain outcomes and play out alternatives in your mind.  The silver medalists will use upward counterfactual thinking, judging themselves only against the gold medal winner according to the article.  They will dwell on the second-place finish, thinking about what they needed to do to win.  The bronze medalists often employ downward counterfactual thinking, comparing themselves to the others who missed out on the podium.  They are elated not to be in that group.  Whew!  Pretty interesting concept.

Although I think I’m aging past the point of dwelling on my placement in the field, there’s still the old guy age group that makes a difference for me.  But now I have a little more insight into how to make myself feel better about my performances.  Being thankful to still be in the hunt is feeling pretty good right now.

A first-place a/g win and two second-place a/g wins at Manteno Triathlon over the years.  I think I look pretty happy in all three!

Oopsie… Oh Well

Earlier this year I struggled with some butt pain, essentially some high hamstring tendonitis that was not going away.  I took time off from running, did a whole bunch of stretching, and finally got myself back to feeling pretty good – good enough to start running again without the tendonitis bothering me.  And then I went and raced a sprint triathlon.

If there’s anything that will do me in is pushing myself too hard, and I when I sign up for a race, I plan on racing it at my hardest and best effort.  I had tested myself a little leading up to the race and had no issues really.  And even during the race and the day after, I had no ill effects.  I felt great.  So great in fact, that I thought why not switch to the marathon training plan and stop following the Ironman training plan that I was using to train for my fall marathon.  After all, the sprint triathlon was over, I wasn’t sore or hurting, and really felt like I was ready to add some more running intensity.  So instead of taking Monday off, I ran a four-mile run and pushed a little in the last mile per the plan, and that’s when I felt the butt pain again.  Oopsie… oh, well – back to the drawing board.

I think I will bounce back a little quicker this time, knowing that rest and stretching was the combo that worked the best for me earlier in the spring.  I’ll have to take a little time off from running again, stretch more, and keep putting my butt back on the bike to keep my cardio fitness going.  And I will rotate the Ironman training plan back to the front.  I need the cross-training to keep me from overdoing the running. 

There’s still plenty of time to get ready for the Chicago Marathon in October.  I just have to stop doing foolish things and stay away from things that will derail me.  No more oopsies! 

 

One of the finishing photos from last weekend’s race. I actually don’t look fat here.

Ka-KLUNK! & Other Noises From Me

My gravel bike has been my riding choice this year, as it is more versatile and the tri-bike hangs in the garage, needing a tune-up and a reason to do it. Most of my weekday rides have been in the 20-25 mile range and I have stayed mainly on the local paved trail. Some of it is smooth as butter, but most of the portions of the trail have cracks and bumps, which are hard to avoid. And every bump lately has also come with a loud Ka-KLUNK! The sound was curious at first, causing me to wonder about it, but also to completely ignore it. But on my ride on Thursday, the sound was really bugging me.

The sound sometimes sounded like it came from the front fork, other times it was the back of the bike. But it seemed to echo through the carbon fiber frame of my bike. I tried coasting over bumps – Ka-KLUNK! I tried riding faster over bumps – Ka-KLUNK! I removed my water bottle – Ka-KLUNK! I checked and tightened all my screws – Ka-KLUNK! I removed the top tube bag which contains a bunch of stuff – Ka-KLUNK! One last thing to check was the saddle bag, which includes my flat repair tools – BINGO! No more Ka-KLUNK! It was a little surprising because it was tucked very tightly under the saddle and packed so full of junk that nothing loose could have been moving around. I added a piece of foam between the bag and saddle for now and have been riding Ka-KLUNK-free.

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I had gotten a couple of flats while riding on the tarred and chipped roads we have around here, and the inspection of my rear tire showed considerable wear on it. Little pointy rocks on the road and on the crushed limestone paths were easily causing small cuts and piercing my tube. I ended up buying a new tire to replace it. Replacing the tire was not easy. I got the old tire off easily enough, but the new tire was not going on at all. My son was called in to assist and we both struggled to get this tire on the wheel. We were eventually able to muscle it on, but it left me thinking about how hard it would be to fix a flat while out riding by myself.

I was scrolling through Reddit and saw a post on r/bikewrench from a guy who was having the same issue – couldn’t get the tire on the wheel. One guy responded that he could get it on in about 30 seconds. Others chimed in with the same advice the 30-second guy had and I was embarrassed to admit I had not heard of these instructions before. I bought a new matching tire for the front wheel and it went on much easier, and without having to call for assistance.

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One of the reasons to replace the front tire to match the back was to avoid looking silly, but also because I am doing my first triathlon in 3 years next weekend!  Yes, I’m racing a gravel/off-road triathlon next Saturday and the tires I have added to the bike should make for good traction at this course.  It’s a crushed limestone path with lots of turns, so hopefully I won’t have any problems negotiating those turns.  

I found myself looking at the participant’s list, hoping to see if I knew any other locals racing, but couldn’t resist taking a peek at what the competition looked like in the M60-64 age group.  There was one guy I found who had a very similar finish time to me and I figured he was my main competition.  I searched his name and found that he’s a triathlon coach.  Great.  Well, I’m still going to give it a good effort and try to be competitive, despite trying to ease back into it after having hamstring injuries earlier this year.  While I was on vacation, I was able to ride 10 miles in about 35 minutes and run 3 miles in about 25, so I’m not too far from my race pace effort.  

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Speaking of coming back from injuries, I have been doing much better.  After my above-mentioned 25-mile bike ride on Thursday, I followed it up with a 9-mile run on Friday.  I fully expected to be sore and have to run a little slower on a rather warm and humid day.  But I was surprised to be running very well and pushed a good effort through 6-7 miles before the heat made me dial it back.  I’m glad that the stretching and smart training I have done has made a difference.  I just got to keep it up and not do something stupid like racing.  

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There’s a new Ironman 70.3 in Rockford, Illinois next year and of course, I had to sign up for it!  Feeling good about riding and running again, and since this race is fairly close to me, I decided that this is would be a good reentry point.  It’ll be a fun time!

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I haven’t told the wife yet, but I signed up for the Broken Anvil Backyard Ultra yesterday.  The race director said it was filling up and was capped at 100 participants.  So I checked and saw that it had 79 runners so far and figured why not sign up?  The race falls about 3 weeks out from the Chicago Marathon, so I can use it as my last long training run before then.  I really like the backyard format and this race has been fun the past two times I have done it.  I got through 50 miles in 2022, and 37 miles in 2023, so I’ll play it by ear and try to have some fun without wrecking myself. 

I’d better tell the wife that I signed up.  She hates it when she finds out on Facebook.  If I don’t break it to her soon, you might hear a Ka-KLUNK! from my skull.

Let It Rip Wednesday!

The plan that I follow for triathlon training includes a bike workout immediately followed by a run on Wednesdays.  Triathletes call this type of workout a “brick,” which basically means two workouts stacked together, or the way your legs feel when you get off the bike and attempt to run on them.  It’s a tough workout, but by the end of the plan, you will be in a much better position to run well without the heavy legs you experienced initially.

The plan doesn’t say to go hard, but I always tend to let it rip.  I will push hard on the bike, quickly transition to running gear, and then head out for the short run.  It’s a good way to measure fitness and readiness for racing sprints.  Today was the first brick workout I have done in quite a while, and I really shouldn’t have pushed very hard, but old habits die hard with me.  I went hard on the bike for 12.6 miles, averaging 16.6 mph.  That average pace is a little slow when you factor in the many slowdowns and stops for road crossings on the local bike trail.  It’s probably more like 17-17.5 mph effort-wise.

The run was definitely a surprise.  After struggling with a 5-mile run on Tuesday and feeling sore, I began the 2-mile planned brick run just hoping to not ruin myself.  It started out as I expected with heavy legs and the overwhelming feeling that my calf muscles could go to Charley Horse mode at any time.  But I slowly moved along until I felt like I was out of danger.  The first-mile split showed a surprising 8:15 pace!  The route I took was a little downhill and I struggled a little more with the second mile running back home.  Again to my surprise, I ran an 8:11 min/mile.  Yesterday I was lucky to average a 9:30 pace.

Post-workout I felt pretty good, without any soreness at all.  Doing bricks and pushing pace is not something that I want to do more than occasionally, but I’m glad to see where I stand with my fitness, as I will do similar distances in the upcoming Forge off-road triathlon race next month.  Back to my regularly scheduled training!

READY, SET, TRAIN!

Today marks the start of training for the 2024 Chicago Marathon!  Sixteen weeks of training, and I kicked it off with a… swim?

Yes, I started with a swim.  I have had a fairly rough go with running this year and was forced to hit the reset button.  After taking basically two months off from running during March-April-May, I slowly started easing my way back into it.  But boy, has it been a slow recovery.

I was dealing with an injury that I self-diagnosed as high hamstring tendonitis, and took some time off from running to help my old tendons and muscles recover.  I have recovered enough now that I can do five miles pretty well, albeit much slower than I would like.  I ran eight miles the other day and felt pretty beat up afterward, so instead of starting training with a bang, I better ease into it.

In the past, I had used an advanced plan to train for the marathon and it worked pretty well for me.  But I really saw success when I was also training for triathlon, specifically Ironman.  My three best marathon times were all done in the same year that I had trained for an Ironman.  So I thought that maybe I might use the Ironman training plan to prepare me for the fall Chicago Marathon.

The main reason why following a triathlon-based training plan would be beneficial for me is because running is tough on my body, and at 60 years old, it isn’t getting any less tough.  By following the triathlon plan, I have to spread my workouts over three disciplines and not just one.  This should allow me to build cardiovascular conditioning through swimming and biking, as well as running, without putting all of that on just running.

To make it even a little less taxing, I will be following the “just finish” plan, which is a beginner-type plan instead of the advanced or competitive plan that I would normally follow.  I can always up the training another notch if I feel like it is going well, but I really don’t want to have to hit that reset button again.  Also, I have signed up for a sprint triathlon in July and I need to prepare for that too.  I must admit that I enjoyed my swim today, and I have really enjoyed the biking that I have done as well.

I’m not setting any time goals, or shooting for a Boston Marathon qualifying time – I just hope to run strong and finish well.  So, hopefully, all of this will work out and I will find some success in sixteen weeks.  Chicago Marathon 2024, here I come!