Today was the first day I ran outside in about two months. For the past two months I have done nearly all of my running in the local gym on the treadmill. Today where I live the temps hit about 50 degrees and after a strong steady rain throughout the morning the sun peaked out slightly before more clouds rolled back in. The rain had stopped and I ventured back outside to reaquaint myself with the roads that I have not seen since December. I'll be glad when all the snow is gone.
I enjoyed my time on the treadmill this winter. I was able to focus on my speed a little bit over. The treadmill was helpful in taking me faster than I would normally go on my own. Ocassionally I would venture down into the 6 minute/mile range. It felt good and was a small confidence boast to go faster than I have gone before (and not flying off the back of the treadmill is a big plus, too!).
It was so nice to get back out into the fresh air today, even if I had to dodge some traffic and run through unavoidable puddles that were deeper and bigger than usual from the rain and snow. It felt good. I ventured out Rte. 191 and climbed what I call Jadwin Hill (it is next to Jadwin Dam). My previous PR from my front door to the turnaround spot was 28:30 (or close to that). Today I PR'd and hit the turnaround in 27:42! I felt good and I thought "Cool, the treadmill paid off." I'm looking forward to getting back into a solid training routine. I have been out of sorts since Oil Creek and now it is time get back at it.
As usual, I have to give God the glory for the ability and even the opportunity to run. I'm thankful I get to do this regularly.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Finding the Will to Finish: Beast of Burden Race Report
General Observation: These were the hardest race conditions I’ve faced and one of the hardest races I’ve ever completed. The mental struggles to continue when I was falling apart almost overtook me many times. I owe this finish to many people: my remarkable wife Alice, most awesome crew/pacer Carl, the aid-station volunteers at the turn-around, and above all Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who gives us strength through all of our most trying and unconceivable challenges!
Pre-Race: To save typing, my training leading up to this event was blogged below on February 9th.
Travel/Pre-Race Prep: I picked up Carl Albright, who co-RDs the Viaduct Trail Ultramarathon with me around 5:30 pm Friday night, and we ate dinner at his house (thanks Chris!) before heading out for the 5+ hour drive up to just outside of Buffalo where we were staying with Carl’s in-laws. The trip was very nice, traffic was light and the conversation was great. I talked so much I think I was starting to get hoarse. We arrived shortly after 11:00 pm, visited for a short while and hit the sack for some very solid sleep. I was up at 6:15 am, showered and enjoyed some awesome pancakes that our host was gracious enough to get up and prepare for us.
When I got up, the first thing I noticed was that it was snowing, quite hard, there was at least 2 inches of accumulation. Par for the course, I suppose, but I was getting apprehensive knowing it was going to be a difficult day. As we started driving to the start, I was relatively focused, but my car was sliding all over the place and my nerves were firing trying to get in race mode but also trying not to wreck the car. We got to the start, got my chip, bib, goodie bag and it seemed chaotic to get everything ready while listening to pre-race instructions. RD Sam Pasceri introduced the guest of honor, Valmir Nunes, who traveled all the way from Brazil and currently is the Badwater course record holder. Also in attendance was last year’s winner Richard Cook, whom I’ve had the pleasure of running my last few ultras with. I really enjoy observing and talking with these experienced runners, and try to learn as much from them as I can.
Before I knew it the time had come and we were on our way!
Race: The course is held along the towpath of the Erie canal and consists of four 12.5 mile out and back loops. I started out running in Drymax socks and Inov-8 Roclite 305s, a long sleeve compression shirt, cotton t-shirt, tech jacket and tech beanie. As soon as we got onto the towpath, I knew it was going to be a long day. The path had been slightly packed down from a couple of snowmobiles, but the wind, which would gust at 30+ mph at times, was drifting closed the packed down portions and we had to break a new path pretty much the whole first 6.5 miles to the first aid station. The snow was deep enough in spots to go over the top of our shoes, luckily my gaitors kept a good portion of it from packing inside my shoes, but I had wet feet within a couple of miles. Drymax socks are great, but in these conditions I don’t think anything would keep the dampness at bay. As I was running the first loop, I could feel my quads and ankles fatigue from the effort they were putting forth. I moved through the first aid station quickly just getting some water and a handful of skittles. The next portion of the out and back was packed a little more and I was able to find a better rhythm and run steady. As I was running, I took note of landmarks for later in the race when I would be needing to know where I was in relation to aid stations, and there were many bridges that crossed over the canal that we ran under. This knowledge works against me later in the race, I’ll get to that.
I reached the turn-around aid station feeling pretty good, and had worked up a sweat, so I ditched the cotton shirt for a tech shirt and swapped hats. I headed back out and was immediately hit with the strong headwind that cooled me down with all the sweat I generated earlier. I put my head down and pushed the best I could. I passed through the midway aid station, grabbed some more skittles and HEED, and tried to get the headwind half lap done as quickly as I could. I caught up with Richard Cook, ran a short while with him and passed him. Trying to get the lap done, instead of assessing the conditions and responding accordingly took more energy out of me than I should have been exerting, and when I came back to the start/finish line at 25 miles, I was definitely feeling the miles.
Carl was waiting for me, helped me get what I needed and encouraged me to pace myself and not fight the course. I think he could see that I was pushing my limits very early in the race. I tried to put his advice into action, and ran with Richard for a good portion of the next 6.5 miles. When I passed him, I commented about going out too hard, and he said, “I’m going to try and stay steady with the wind at my back and just do what I can coming back into the headwind.” Very sound advice and I repeated it to myself throughout the remainder of the race. Every time I was struggling, I would assess my effort and make sure I was staying relaxed and steady. I hit the turn-around, feeling like my legs were coming back to me and headed back into the wind with a little bit of confidence.
That was short lived and after I passed the midway aid station into the drifted “snowier” part of the course, I started struggling again. One nice thing was the wind seemed to have died down and there was a small path of packed snow to follow. A neat conversation happened right before the sun was setting. I came upon some young kids who were sleigh riding along the towpath and the following transpired with a young seven or eight year old boy.
Boy: “Hey are you running that race?”
Me: “Yeah” (expecting some smart remark)
Boy: “Cool. Pace yourself ok?”
Me: “Thanks”
More sound advice. The sun set and I was hurting. Not even halfway and my feet were sore, my quads aching and overall just felt blah. This was just the right time for a call from my wife (I had my cell phone with me). We talked as I was about a mile and a half from the start/finish line. I expressed my discomfort, and told her I didn’t know if I could do another 50 miles. She encouraged me to forget about my time or placement, slow it down and just concentrate on finishing. She didn’t want me to hurt myself, but she also didn’t want to have me come home without giving it my all. She knew how miserable I would be if I DNFd. She also knew I had the desire in me somewhere and said just what I needed to hear to boost my morale…I really love that woman!
I got to the start/finish and Carl was suited up and ready to pace me for the critical third loop. We spoke on the drive up about the importance of the third loop (thanks Dan Rose for some sound pre-race advice!), if I got through that, I would most likely finish. I changed into my La Sportiva Wildcats, dry socks, baby powdered my white, shriveled, painful feet, drank an Ensure, ate a pudding cup, drank some Mtn. Dew and we headed back out.
At this point, I felt pretty good. I was full of calories, warm, had relatively dry feet and some good company to run with. We were running a steady pace, with minimal walk breaks, and during this stretch I got a call from my good friend Chris Freet, offering very nice words of encouragement, and one more call from Alice to say good night. Carl and I got to the turn-around and things were looking pretty good. I drank another Ensure, some broth, ate some Hammer gel and we headed out for the return loop. I don’t know what it was about that return loop, but every time, it just seemed to zap my energy reserves. Carl kept talking to me, and reminding me to eat, take an endurolyte, drink, and offer other suggestions, but my brain was shutting down…hopefully I wasn’t too rude, but I just couldn’t find the energy to communicate.
When we stopped at the mid-way aid station, Valmir Nunes was sitting in a chair, on his last loop and he looked beat. I’m sure he was still in better shape than me, but he just looked exhausted and though he really doesn’t speak English, he uttered a very emphatic “Wow!” that was what he thought of this course. As Carl and I approached the start/finish line, I perked up a bit, hoping to capture some of the energy the final lap would hold for me, mentally at least.
I bid farewell to Carl, thanked him for getting me through the third lap and headed back out one more time. I initially was moving pretty good, but after about three miles the wheels came off. It had started snowing again, and the wind had picked up, again. The nice packed down path was drifting shut and I was out of positive thoughts. I kept plugging forward and remembered to keep eating either some energy bar or Hammer Gel, which were Carl’s last words when I left him (keep eating, keep taking endurolytes, keep drinking), but I was walking way more than I would have liked. I also started nodding off various points too, while walking. I would just feel myself start stumbling, then realize that my head dropped and was fighting to keep my eyes open. The real battle to finish was beginning with about twenty miles to go.
I kept telling myself to make it to the midway aid station, and I could sit down and regroup. I passed some other runners headed the other direction and asked one of them how far away I was, and he said, “probably about 30-40 minutes” I felt utterly devastated, I thought it was right around the bend, he could tell by the look on my face, patted my back and said to fight through it. Luckily it ended up being only about 15 minutes and I sat down and tried to figure out what I was going to do. I was spent and mentally couldn’t imagine how I was going to pull it back together again. I talked with another 100 miler, Bob, and the aid station volunteers and forced myself to get going again, but in a very short timeframe, I was nodding off again and looking for each and every bridge that I had landmarked earlier in the day. At one point I started having a weird hallucination that the towpath cut off to the right, which would have took me straight down into the canal. I even saw footprints, and figured it must be correct, but as I followed them, my feet sunk into the deeper snow, and thankfully it woke me up enough to realize my mistake! I also kept seeing the bridge I was looking for on the horizon, but would go and go and never find it…mentally I was just not with it.
Finally I found the bridge I was looking for (Pee road, not it’s real name, but some crafty vandals worked the sign to say that) and knew I was less than 2 miles from the turn around. It was then that I had to go to the bathroom, and though I had toilet paper with me, I didn’t think I had the energy for a trail side deposit, so I mustered all the energy I could to get to the aid station in time. Finally I made it to the cross-over bridge and one of the volunteers cheered me in saying “I can’t believe you’re still running” I let her know why I was running and demanded to know where the bathroom was.
After I took care of business, the volunteers were all over me, and I told them I didn’t know if I could go on. It was as close as I came to quitting, I really was out of options. They didn’t want to hear it. The girls sat me down, got me some soup and catered to my every need. Their encouragement and pep talk was amazing, they deserve so much of my appreciation for this finish, thank you 10x over for your support. As I was leaving (around 6:00 am) they said I looked way better then when I came in, and that I had it in the bag.
I got back on the course, passed Laurie Colon lead woman coming in, and encouraged her along. She was running an amazing race, very inspirational to watch as the day went on. In the last 45 minutes of darkness before sunrise, I was once again fighting sleep and stumbling all over the place, but mentally, I was coming out of the valley. I knew that with the sun, I would have renewed strength and I could finish. My muscle pain was on the back burner and I started moving faster than before. Laurie caught up with me just before the midway aid station, and I could tell she was hurting. She was grunting a lot and not talking, but had a look of fierce determination on her face. It was something to see, and she got me thinking that my struggles can’t be all that bad, look at how hard she is working, all I’m doing is fighting off sleep!
I left the aid station ahead of Laurie, and with the help of gel and adrenaline, I was running again! I tried to smile as much as I could and just enjoy this crazy type of sport I love so much. I passed another female 100 miler and she told me Carl was waiting for me. I thought she meant at the finish line, but nope, just a half mile up the course, here was Carl in jeans, flannel shirt and running shoes coming to pace me some more! Unreal that guy, I am so thankful to have had him along for this trip. We had some miles to go, but he was ready to run it on in with me…and run we did. There were a few walk breaks, but overall I ran most of the last six miles. With Carl by my side we crossed the finish line running strong for a time of 23:36:46. Sam announced that I was fourth overall, which amazes me with the amount of down time I lost on the last 25 mile lap.
Lessons learned from this race: Training in winter to prepare for a winter 100 miler is not an easy task, nor should it be taken lightly. I had a good base, but ultimately was under-trained for the expectations I had going into it. The weather conditions and course conditions compounded the lack of mileage I should have put in during January, and though I’m very happy with my result, I could have prepared better.
Be sure to thank the volunteers, crew and pacers. This should go without saying right? But without the support I had gotten throughout the race, usually when I needed it the most, from Alice, from Carl, and from the turn-around aid station volunteers, the likelihood of me not finishing was very high. Give credit and appreciation to those who are there to make your day a success, don’t ever take that for granted.
Kudos to Sam Pasceri for a very challenging race, that tested my resolve and pushed me to a higher level, both mentally and physically.
And most of all to God be the Glory, for it is He who makes all of this possible.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
David Kennedy
Pre-Race: To save typing, my training leading up to this event was blogged below on February 9th.
Travel/Pre-Race Prep: I picked up Carl Albright, who co-RDs the Viaduct Trail Ultramarathon with me around 5:30 pm Friday night, and we ate dinner at his house (thanks Chris!) before heading out for the 5+ hour drive up to just outside of Buffalo where we were staying with Carl’s in-laws. The trip was very nice, traffic was light and the conversation was great. I talked so much I think I was starting to get hoarse. We arrived shortly after 11:00 pm, visited for a short while and hit the sack for some very solid sleep. I was up at 6:15 am, showered and enjoyed some awesome pancakes that our host was gracious enough to get up and prepare for us.
When I got up, the first thing I noticed was that it was snowing, quite hard, there was at least 2 inches of accumulation. Par for the course, I suppose, but I was getting apprehensive knowing it was going to be a difficult day. As we started driving to the start, I was relatively focused, but my car was sliding all over the place and my nerves were firing trying to get in race mode but also trying not to wreck the car. We got to the start, got my chip, bib, goodie bag and it seemed chaotic to get everything ready while listening to pre-race instructions. RD Sam Pasceri introduced the guest of honor, Valmir Nunes, who traveled all the way from Brazil and currently is the Badwater course record holder. Also in attendance was last year’s winner Richard Cook, whom I’ve had the pleasure of running my last few ultras with. I really enjoy observing and talking with these experienced runners, and try to learn as much from them as I can.
Before I knew it the time had come and we were on our way!
Race: The course is held along the towpath of the Erie canal and consists of four 12.5 mile out and back loops. I started out running in Drymax socks and Inov-8 Roclite 305s, a long sleeve compression shirt, cotton t-shirt, tech jacket and tech beanie. As soon as we got onto the towpath, I knew it was going to be a long day. The path had been slightly packed down from a couple of snowmobiles, but the wind, which would gust at 30+ mph at times, was drifting closed the packed down portions and we had to break a new path pretty much the whole first 6.5 miles to the first aid station. The snow was deep enough in spots to go over the top of our shoes, luckily my gaitors kept a good portion of it from packing inside my shoes, but I had wet feet within a couple of miles. Drymax socks are great, but in these conditions I don’t think anything would keep the dampness at bay. As I was running the first loop, I could feel my quads and ankles fatigue from the effort they were putting forth. I moved through the first aid station quickly just getting some water and a handful of skittles. The next portion of the out and back was packed a little more and I was able to find a better rhythm and run steady. As I was running, I took note of landmarks for later in the race when I would be needing to know where I was in relation to aid stations, and there were many bridges that crossed over the canal that we ran under. This knowledge works against me later in the race, I’ll get to that.
I reached the turn-around aid station feeling pretty good, and had worked up a sweat, so I ditched the cotton shirt for a tech shirt and swapped hats. I headed back out and was immediately hit with the strong headwind that cooled me down with all the sweat I generated earlier. I put my head down and pushed the best I could. I passed through the midway aid station, grabbed some more skittles and HEED, and tried to get the headwind half lap done as quickly as I could. I caught up with Richard Cook, ran a short while with him and passed him. Trying to get the lap done, instead of assessing the conditions and responding accordingly took more energy out of me than I should have been exerting, and when I came back to the start/finish line at 25 miles, I was definitely feeling the miles.
Carl was waiting for me, helped me get what I needed and encouraged me to pace myself and not fight the course. I think he could see that I was pushing my limits very early in the race. I tried to put his advice into action, and ran with Richard for a good portion of the next 6.5 miles. When I passed him, I commented about going out too hard, and he said, “I’m going to try and stay steady with the wind at my back and just do what I can coming back into the headwind.” Very sound advice and I repeated it to myself throughout the remainder of the race. Every time I was struggling, I would assess my effort and make sure I was staying relaxed and steady. I hit the turn-around, feeling like my legs were coming back to me and headed back into the wind with a little bit of confidence.
That was short lived and after I passed the midway aid station into the drifted “snowier” part of the course, I started struggling again. One nice thing was the wind seemed to have died down and there was a small path of packed snow to follow. A neat conversation happened right before the sun was setting. I came upon some young kids who were sleigh riding along the towpath and the following transpired with a young seven or eight year old boy.
Boy: “Hey are you running that race?”
Me: “Yeah” (expecting some smart remark)
Boy: “Cool. Pace yourself ok?”
Me: “Thanks”
More sound advice. The sun set and I was hurting. Not even halfway and my feet were sore, my quads aching and overall just felt blah. This was just the right time for a call from my wife (I had my cell phone with me). We talked as I was about a mile and a half from the start/finish line. I expressed my discomfort, and told her I didn’t know if I could do another 50 miles. She encouraged me to forget about my time or placement, slow it down and just concentrate on finishing. She didn’t want me to hurt myself, but she also didn’t want to have me come home without giving it my all. She knew how miserable I would be if I DNFd. She also knew I had the desire in me somewhere and said just what I needed to hear to boost my morale…I really love that woman!
I got to the start/finish and Carl was suited up and ready to pace me for the critical third loop. We spoke on the drive up about the importance of the third loop (thanks Dan Rose for some sound pre-race advice!), if I got through that, I would most likely finish. I changed into my La Sportiva Wildcats, dry socks, baby powdered my white, shriveled, painful feet, drank an Ensure, ate a pudding cup, drank some Mtn. Dew and we headed back out.
At this point, I felt pretty good. I was full of calories, warm, had relatively dry feet and some good company to run with. We were running a steady pace, with minimal walk breaks, and during this stretch I got a call from my good friend Chris Freet, offering very nice words of encouragement, and one more call from Alice to say good night. Carl and I got to the turn-around and things were looking pretty good. I drank another Ensure, some broth, ate some Hammer gel and we headed out for the return loop. I don’t know what it was about that return loop, but every time, it just seemed to zap my energy reserves. Carl kept talking to me, and reminding me to eat, take an endurolyte, drink, and offer other suggestions, but my brain was shutting down…hopefully I wasn’t too rude, but I just couldn’t find the energy to communicate.
When we stopped at the mid-way aid station, Valmir Nunes was sitting in a chair, on his last loop and he looked beat. I’m sure he was still in better shape than me, but he just looked exhausted and though he really doesn’t speak English, he uttered a very emphatic “Wow!” that was what he thought of this course. As Carl and I approached the start/finish line, I perked up a bit, hoping to capture some of the energy the final lap would hold for me, mentally at least.
I bid farewell to Carl, thanked him for getting me through the third lap and headed back out one more time. I initially was moving pretty good, but after about three miles the wheels came off. It had started snowing again, and the wind had picked up, again. The nice packed down path was drifting shut and I was out of positive thoughts. I kept plugging forward and remembered to keep eating either some energy bar or Hammer Gel, which were Carl’s last words when I left him (keep eating, keep taking endurolytes, keep drinking), but I was walking way more than I would have liked. I also started nodding off various points too, while walking. I would just feel myself start stumbling, then realize that my head dropped and was fighting to keep my eyes open. The real battle to finish was beginning with about twenty miles to go.
I kept telling myself to make it to the midway aid station, and I could sit down and regroup. I passed some other runners headed the other direction and asked one of them how far away I was, and he said, “probably about 30-40 minutes” I felt utterly devastated, I thought it was right around the bend, he could tell by the look on my face, patted my back and said to fight through it. Luckily it ended up being only about 15 minutes and I sat down and tried to figure out what I was going to do. I was spent and mentally couldn’t imagine how I was going to pull it back together again. I talked with another 100 miler, Bob, and the aid station volunteers and forced myself to get going again, but in a very short timeframe, I was nodding off again and looking for each and every bridge that I had landmarked earlier in the day. At one point I started having a weird hallucination that the towpath cut off to the right, which would have took me straight down into the canal. I even saw footprints, and figured it must be correct, but as I followed them, my feet sunk into the deeper snow, and thankfully it woke me up enough to realize my mistake! I also kept seeing the bridge I was looking for on the horizon, but would go and go and never find it…mentally I was just not with it.
Finally I found the bridge I was looking for (Pee road, not it’s real name, but some crafty vandals worked the sign to say that) and knew I was less than 2 miles from the turn around. It was then that I had to go to the bathroom, and though I had toilet paper with me, I didn’t think I had the energy for a trail side deposit, so I mustered all the energy I could to get to the aid station in time. Finally I made it to the cross-over bridge and one of the volunteers cheered me in saying “I can’t believe you’re still running” I let her know why I was running and demanded to know where the bathroom was.
After I took care of business, the volunteers were all over me, and I told them I didn’t know if I could go on. It was as close as I came to quitting, I really was out of options. They didn’t want to hear it. The girls sat me down, got me some soup and catered to my every need. Their encouragement and pep talk was amazing, they deserve so much of my appreciation for this finish, thank you 10x over for your support. As I was leaving (around 6:00 am) they said I looked way better then when I came in, and that I had it in the bag.
I got back on the course, passed Laurie Colon lead woman coming in, and encouraged her along. She was running an amazing race, very inspirational to watch as the day went on. In the last 45 minutes of darkness before sunrise, I was once again fighting sleep and stumbling all over the place, but mentally, I was coming out of the valley. I knew that with the sun, I would have renewed strength and I could finish. My muscle pain was on the back burner and I started moving faster than before. Laurie caught up with me just before the midway aid station, and I could tell she was hurting. She was grunting a lot and not talking, but had a look of fierce determination on her face. It was something to see, and she got me thinking that my struggles can’t be all that bad, look at how hard she is working, all I’m doing is fighting off sleep!
I left the aid station ahead of Laurie, and with the help of gel and adrenaline, I was running again! I tried to smile as much as I could and just enjoy this crazy type of sport I love so much. I passed another female 100 miler and she told me Carl was waiting for me. I thought she meant at the finish line, but nope, just a half mile up the course, here was Carl in jeans, flannel shirt and running shoes coming to pace me some more! Unreal that guy, I am so thankful to have had him along for this trip. We had some miles to go, but he was ready to run it on in with me…and run we did. There were a few walk breaks, but overall I ran most of the last six miles. With Carl by my side we crossed the finish line running strong for a time of 23:36:46. Sam announced that I was fourth overall, which amazes me with the amount of down time I lost on the last 25 mile lap.
Lessons learned from this race: Training in winter to prepare for a winter 100 miler is not an easy task, nor should it be taken lightly. I had a good base, but ultimately was under-trained for the expectations I had going into it. The weather conditions and course conditions compounded the lack of mileage I should have put in during January, and though I’m very happy with my result, I could have prepared better.
Be sure to thank the volunteers, crew and pacers. This should go without saying right? But without the support I had gotten throughout the race, usually when I needed it the most, from Alice, from Carl, and from the turn-around aid station volunteers, the likelihood of me not finishing was very high. Give credit and appreciation to those who are there to make your day a success, don’t ever take that for granted.
Kudos to Sam Pasceri for a very challenging race, that tested my resolve and pushed me to a higher level, both mentally and physically.
And most of all to God be the Glory, for it is He who makes all of this possible.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
David Kennedy
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Beast of Burden: Pre-Race Thoughts
Before I even finished Oil Creek in October, I knew that I would be traveling up to Lockport, New York to run Sam Pasceri’s Beast of Burden winter 100 miler. Sam started this race in 2010 to challenge ultrarunners with some extreme weather conditions and offer a 100 mile race (as well as 24 hour option) on the east coast when things are quiet. Lockport is located northeast of Buffalo and the course is four 12.5 mile out and back loops along the Erie Canal towpath, which at this point of the year is jam-packed with snow to run on.
After recovering from Oil Creek, I worked my way back into my usual training routine, and was logging consistent miles during the cold mornings of December. During this time I felt like I was falling short of what I should be doing for some reason, and was getting apprehensive, thinking I was behind the eight ball for where I should be. Then I tallied up December’s mileage and saw that it was my second highest mileage month for 2010 and subsequently the second highest mileage month for my running career. That gave me a shot of confidence, which I used to run a solid 50k effort January 8th at the Watchung Winter Ultra in New Jersey. The course conditions were snowy, icy and very difficult, yet I felt very happy with the effort I put forth and the race that I ran.
After Watchung however, winter really set in here in northeast Pennsylvania, and the brutal temperatures chipped away at my motivation, and the less I ran the more miserable I became. I couldn’t seem to get myself in a steady groove and lost all the confidence I had just weeks earlier. I put in shorter runs, ran on the treadmill more than I ever wanted to and just felt inadequate in my preparation for the Beast which was closer than just on the horizon. I seem to have come out of my slump recently and put up a moderate effort the last week and a half, and am just trying to put the low weeks behind me and focus on the positives that I do have.
Which are: 1. I’m healthy and not injured. There are no lingering pains or tweaks that have me worried, and since I have been running at least 3-4 days per week, I’m sure my level of fitness is still there to a large extent. 2. I’m well rested. Not exactly something I’m going to brag about, since it’s basically laziness that has me well rested, but I guess it’s better than being burned out. 3. I am coming into this race with knowledge and experience of having ran a successful 100 just a few months ago and also that it has become my favorite distance to run. Since I started running ultras almost four years ago, I have a good handle on what my body needs and likes nutrition wise, and I feel that I’ve learned a lot about what I need to do mentally to overcome the many battles we face over the course of 100 miles…I just have to remember to put these tools to use.
All in all it’s going to be a fun ride in sub-freezing conditions and I thank God for the health and talent He’s given me to go out there and do it again.
David Kennedy
After recovering from Oil Creek, I worked my way back into my usual training routine, and was logging consistent miles during the cold mornings of December. During this time I felt like I was falling short of what I should be doing for some reason, and was getting apprehensive, thinking I was behind the eight ball for where I should be. Then I tallied up December’s mileage and saw that it was my second highest mileage month for 2010 and subsequently the second highest mileage month for my running career. That gave me a shot of confidence, which I used to run a solid 50k effort January 8th at the Watchung Winter Ultra in New Jersey. The course conditions were snowy, icy and very difficult, yet I felt very happy with the effort I put forth and the race that I ran.
After Watchung however, winter really set in here in northeast Pennsylvania, and the brutal temperatures chipped away at my motivation, and the less I ran the more miserable I became. I couldn’t seem to get myself in a steady groove and lost all the confidence I had just weeks earlier. I put in shorter runs, ran on the treadmill more than I ever wanted to and just felt inadequate in my preparation for the Beast which was closer than just on the horizon. I seem to have come out of my slump recently and put up a moderate effort the last week and a half, and am just trying to put the low weeks behind me and focus on the positives that I do have.
Which are: 1. I’m healthy and not injured. There are no lingering pains or tweaks that have me worried, and since I have been running at least 3-4 days per week, I’m sure my level of fitness is still there to a large extent. 2. I’m well rested. Not exactly something I’m going to brag about, since it’s basically laziness that has me well rested, but I guess it’s better than being burned out. 3. I am coming into this race with knowledge and experience of having ran a successful 100 just a few months ago and also that it has become my favorite distance to run. Since I started running ultras almost four years ago, I have a good handle on what my body needs and likes nutrition wise, and I feel that I’ve learned a lot about what I need to do mentally to overcome the many battles we face over the course of 100 miles…I just have to remember to put these tools to use.
All in all it’s going to be a fun ride in sub-freezing conditions and I thank God for the health and talent He’s given me to go out there and do it again.
David Kennedy
Bring on the "Beast"!
This is just a short little post. Hopefully if Dave has any extra time he can give us a little pre-race post. However, this Saturday our one and only Dave Kennedy will be traveling to Lockport, NY to run the Beast of Burden Winter 100 miler. Dave has been training hard and has not really taken a whole lot of time off since finishing 11th overall at the Oil Creek 100 miler last October. His base fitness is great and he is one of those guys who has that mental toughness that I think is beyond what one can train and learn. I think people like Dave are born with that mental edge that the rest of us wish we had.
Nevertheless, keep Dave in your thoughts and prayers this weekend as he seeks to use his gifts and abilities to not only have fun and seek a challenge, but as he seeks to bring glory to God as well.
Go get 'em, brother!
Nevertheless, keep Dave in your thoughts and prayers this weekend as he seeks to use his gifts and abilities to not only have fun and seek a challenge, but as he seeks to bring glory to God as well.
Go get 'em, brother!
Friday, January 21, 2011
A New Respect for the Treadmill
Admittedly in the past I would avoid treadmill running at all costs. When I began to run I would occasionally run 30 minutes or so on our treadmill in the basement...but it faced a cinder-block wall and those 30 minutes felt more like 3 hours. Even last winter I ran outside all winter long. Every mile from December 1 till the first sign of spring was run outside in the cold, in the snow, etc.
But this year was different. I think that it had something to do with the change of seasons, the decrease in sunlight, so on and so forth, but everything felt off. I had a mixed November and even dealt with some aches and pains. And throughout December I struggled to get on track. I had no desire to go out in the cold. So I joined a gym.
In last December I joined the local gym and since then nearly all of my miles have been on the treadmill, including runs of 15 miles. And I must admit, I am growing to like the treadmill more and more. The following are some reasons why I like the treadmill:
But this year was different. I think that it had something to do with the change of seasons, the decrease in sunlight, so on and so forth, but everything felt off. I had a mixed November and even dealt with some aches and pains. And throughout December I struggled to get on track. I had no desire to go out in the cold. So I joined a gym.
In last December I joined the local gym and since then nearly all of my miles have been on the treadmill, including runs of 15 miles. And I must admit, I am growing to like the treadmill more and more. The following are some reasons why I like the treadmill:
1. I can run in shorts and a short sleeve shirt, enough saidNeedless to say, I have a new found respect for the treadmill. How about you? How often do you run on the treadmill? What kind of workouts do you like on the treadmill? Feel free to share with the rest of us.
2. I can actually see me pace and change it accordingly. I have since run my first miles at a sub 7 minute pace
3. I think the treadmill is beneficial in that it forces your legs to maintain a certain rhythm and cadence. Leg turnover is a good thing and hopefully it will help me improve when I hit the road/trails later on
4. You can do speed work, hills, etc. all at the same place
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Watchung 50k 2011 Race Report
My experience at Watchung this year can be summarized in a word: deja-vu.
The day begin bright and early when Dave picked me up around 4:30 in the morning. The race didn't begin until 8am but with the recent snowy weather and the possibility of more to come we wanted to have ample travel time so we would be late. After picking me up we proceeded to meet up with our new friend, Amy. This was going to be her first ultra. Amy has run a few marathons ad is running Boston in April. The drive to the Watchung Reservation at Mountainside, New Jersey was uneventful and the roads were pleasantly clear. We chatted and discussed the trail (it happens to be one of our favorites). Amy brought us cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera Bread...yummy! WE ate those on the way to the race. It was an enjoyable ride and I was feeling pretty good and not to sleepy. I think Imanaged about 5 hours of sleep in my own bed the night before.
We arrived at the race site around 7:15 or so. Th parking lot was already quite full but we managed to get an excellent parking spot very close to the start/finish line. The weather was actually pretty decent this year. Last year it was sunny but frigid, not going over 20 degrees for the day. This year was cloudy with a few flurries but the temp warmed up to around 30 degrees. I brought a lot of gear to choose from but went with two long sleeve tech shirts, compression shorts, calf sleeves and loose fitting running pants. I also used a fleece beanie and fleece gloves. It turned out to be perfect. I was never too hot nor was I too cold at any one point throughout the race. For shoe choice I went with my blue Montrail Streaks which I also put 3/8 inch hexhead sheet metal screws for added traction on the trail. And as it tuned out I would need it for this day.
The Watchung 50k consists of three 10+ mile loops o the Sierra Trail totaling 31.2 miles (according to some one's Garmin). Last year my splits were approximately as follows: 1:40, 1:40, 1:57 for a total time of 5:17 which was good enough for 8th place overall. My goal this year was to be close to or possibly under 5 hours. But that was not to be this day. I knew the reality of this about a mile into the first loop. There were bout 132 starters and the trail immediately goes into single track and the conga line that formed reminded me of the conga line I saw on the AT section at the JFK 50 miler last year. It was slow going for sure. Also, I was in the middle of a large group of about 20 runners and the entire group went off course about a half mile into the race. The rest of the loop was rather fun and uneventful. But when I looked at my watch after the first loop and it read 2:02 I immediately knew that 5 hours was not going to happen for me this day. The second loop was again uneventful and it seemed to click by. Again I was a little surprised to see the time of my second loop was again nearly identical to my first loop. Again it was around 2:02. Then, just like last year, I bonked again on the third loop. RD Rick McNulty told me I was around 9th or 10th when I started my final loop. I was passed by a few people and walked more than I wanted to on this loop. The third loop took me around 2:23 to finish. I ended up finishing 15th out of 52 finishers with a time of 6:27--that is 1 hour and 10 minutes slower than last year--yikes!
Dave had a great day. He ran the 50k in 6:00 and finished 8th overall. He passed me early on the second loop looking fresh as a daisy and that was the last time I saw him until the finish line. His training is spot on for Beast of Burden Winter 100 miler next month. He's going to do great. Amy did not have such luck this day. She completed two loops but did not make the time cutoff and was not allowed to run the third and final loop. She would have finished if she was allowed to continue.
The trail this year was brutal compared to the trail last year. Last year there was some snow and a little ice. But this year due to recent weather, there was snow ad ice the entire loop. My calves felt like I was running in sand the next day. Rick and Jennifer McNulty put on anther quality race and the trail, despite it's brutal conditions (exemplified in the finishing rate) was fun. Thank you to all the volunteers and anyone else who heled make this day happen.
And of course, thank you to God for the ability and opportunity to use the gifts He has given. To Him be the glory.
The day begin bright and early when Dave picked me up around 4:30 in the morning. The race didn't begin until 8am but with the recent snowy weather and the possibility of more to come we wanted to have ample travel time so we would be late. After picking me up we proceeded to meet up with our new friend, Amy. This was going to be her first ultra. Amy has run a few marathons ad is running Boston in April. The drive to the Watchung Reservation at Mountainside, New Jersey was uneventful and the roads were pleasantly clear. We chatted and discussed the trail (it happens to be one of our favorites). Amy brought us cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera Bread...yummy! WE ate those on the way to the race. It was an enjoyable ride and I was feeling pretty good and not to sleepy. I think Imanaged about 5 hours of sleep in my own bed the night before.
We arrived at the race site around 7:15 or so. Th parking lot was already quite full but we managed to get an excellent parking spot very close to the start/finish line. The weather was actually pretty decent this year. Last year it was sunny but frigid, not going over 20 degrees for the day. This year was cloudy with a few flurries but the temp warmed up to around 30 degrees. I brought a lot of gear to choose from but went with two long sleeve tech shirts, compression shorts, calf sleeves and loose fitting running pants. I also used a fleece beanie and fleece gloves. It turned out to be perfect. I was never too hot nor was I too cold at any one point throughout the race. For shoe choice I went with my blue Montrail Streaks which I also put 3/8 inch hexhead sheet metal screws for added traction on the trail. And as it tuned out I would need it for this day.
The Watchung 50k consists of three 10+ mile loops o the Sierra Trail totaling 31.2 miles (according to some one's Garmin). Last year my splits were approximately as follows: 1:40, 1:40, 1:57 for a total time of 5:17 which was good enough for 8th place overall. My goal this year was to be close to or possibly under 5 hours. But that was not to be this day. I knew the reality of this about a mile into the first loop. There were bout 132 starters and the trail immediately goes into single track and the conga line that formed reminded me of the conga line I saw on the AT section at the JFK 50 miler last year. It was slow going for sure. Also, I was in the middle of a large group of about 20 runners and the entire group went off course about a half mile into the race. The rest of the loop was rather fun and uneventful. But when I looked at my watch after the first loop and it read 2:02 I immediately knew that 5 hours was not going to happen for me this day. The second loop was again uneventful and it seemed to click by. Again I was a little surprised to see the time of my second loop was again nearly identical to my first loop. Again it was around 2:02. Then, just like last year, I bonked again on the third loop. RD Rick McNulty told me I was around 9th or 10th when I started my final loop. I was passed by a few people and walked more than I wanted to on this loop. The third loop took me around 2:23 to finish. I ended up finishing 15th out of 52 finishers with a time of 6:27--that is 1 hour and 10 minutes slower than last year--yikes!
Dave had a great day. He ran the 50k in 6:00 and finished 8th overall. He passed me early on the second loop looking fresh as a daisy and that was the last time I saw him until the finish line. His training is spot on for Beast of Burden Winter 100 miler next month. He's going to do great. Amy did not have such luck this day. She completed two loops but did not make the time cutoff and was not allowed to run the third and final loop. She would have finished if she was allowed to continue.
The trail this year was brutal compared to the trail last year. Last year there was some snow and a little ice. But this year due to recent weather, there was snow ad ice the entire loop. My calves felt like I was running in sand the next day. Rick and Jennifer McNulty put on anther quality race and the trail, despite it's brutal conditions (exemplified in the finishing rate) was fun. Thank you to all the volunteers and anyone else who heled make this day happen.
And of course, thank you to God for the ability and opportunity to use the gifts He has given. To Him be the glory.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Watchung Winter Ultra Preview
Tomorrow Chris and I will be headed to Mountainside, NJ to run the Watchung Winter 50k (there is a marathon distance option as well). This is the third year NJ Trail Series directors Rick and Jennifer McNulty have put on this race, and it will be my third year running it as well. The course consists of three 10.xx mile loops on single and double track trail, with a couple of very short road sections and crossings. The first year I ran the race a major snowstorm began during the last loop and made for an interesting drive home to say the least. Last year was sunny, but very cold and the trail was frozen stiff with many rough spots where horses had punched up the mud in earlier warmer weather. This year will hold true to the winter theme as we are currently getting snow which will linger through the night and have easily over 3 inches of fresh powder for us to plow through.
The race began and is advertised as FA style, low key, no awards, t-shirts, bring your own supplies type of fun run. There ends up being a plentiful goodie table offered at the start/finish line with donations from the runners, and even though Rick and Jennifer had to charge a nominal fee to cover permit and insurance fees this year and we will be chip timed, the atmosphere will still be grass roots "run cause you love it" not cause you want to show off. That's my kind of race, plus the actual course ranks in my top five favorite courses if not in the top two.
My approach to this year's event is a little different to the previous two...as in I'm actually in great shape for it. I've trained steadily through December and want to not only use Watchung as a tune-up race for Beast of Burden, but also to post a personal best on the course. Last year I PRd the course by 45 minutes, but was still recovering from an eardrum injury and was not in the best shape to run hard. The snow is going to slow me down some, but it will be a great workout and definitely tons of fun!
The race began and is advertised as FA style, low key, no awards, t-shirts, bring your own supplies type of fun run. There ends up being a plentiful goodie table offered at the start/finish line with donations from the runners, and even though Rick and Jennifer had to charge a nominal fee to cover permit and insurance fees this year and we will be chip timed, the atmosphere will still be grass roots "run cause you love it" not cause you want to show off. That's my kind of race, plus the actual course ranks in my top five favorite courses if not in the top two.
My approach to this year's event is a little different to the previous two...as in I'm actually in great shape for it. I've trained steadily through December and want to not only use Watchung as a tune-up race for Beast of Burden, but also to post a personal best on the course. Last year I PRd the course by 45 minutes, but was still recovering from an eardrum injury and was not in the best shape to run hard. The snow is going to slow me down some, but it will be a great workout and definitely tons of fun!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)