Getting back in the groove

It's November already, and I feel like I am almost back in the groove of regular running.

The month of October ended with 138 miles.  I have been able to get in a 2 hour run each of the past three weekends, with the longest now up to 11 miles.  Still a bit of a struggle, but a lot better than the last few months.

What I was most excited about last month was the Medoc Trail Races.  There are two races as part of this event, a marathon and a 10 miler.  Back at the end of last year, when I was planning out my schedule, I had targeted the Medoc marathon as a major goal.  But, with all that has gone on this year, that got scratched.  In fact, my entire schedule for the year was cancelled.  No running events at all scheduled after the first week of May.  Just a slow build back towards normal after 8 weeks of not running.

Medoc always sells out early, but this year, there were some last minute chances to register.  I had just worked up to my first 10 mile run in months, so, I signed up for the Medoc 10 miler.  This was the first event I have been able to run since the first week of May.  I did not feel well prepared for a 10 mile trail race.  My first 10 mile run in months had been on the ATT.  A very flat run, not at all like the landscape at Medoc.

I though that if I kept it slow, I would be OK.  I fully expected the 10 miles to take about 2 and a half hours.

So, I started slow.  In fact, very slow.  Around a 12 minute mile pace at the start, which was on the road.  I thought I would not be able to keep that pace once the trail started.  Too many roots and rocks to look out for.  I also knew I would be walking a lot of the hills. On the few places where I didn't have to watch out for rocks and roots, I was able to get into a good pace, and it felt pretty good.

I was surprised to hit the 5 mile mark at one hour.  Much better than expected, close to my pace lately for running on a flat smooth road.  I wasn't really keeping a close look at my time up to this point, but I started to think that I might be able to finish at closer to 2:15 than my expected time of 2:30.

So, I did start to pay attention to my overall time at each of the remaining mile markers.  At 1:30 into my run I was up to 7.5 miles.  Everything still felt good. I knew there was still the stair section to go, but I started to think more about a 2:10 finish being possible.

After the stair section, I lost track of time.  I was starting to get tired enough that I needed to really concentrate on foot placement.  I really did not want to fall.  Things were going too good for that to happen.  Before I knew it, I was coming through the camp ground area. I looked at the time and saw that I was still under 2 hours.  Then, I was coming off the trail into the grassy area and could see the finish line.  Still under 2 hours.

So, I sprinted. Or at least what counted as a sprint for me.  My garmin shows my final quarter mile at just under a 9 minute mile pace.  And, I passed under the barrier with the clock time showing 1:58.

So, next year I really need to do the full marathon at Medoc.  One of the best events around.  Great volunteers, great atmosphere, and great swag.

Looking ahead, if the legs keep feeling good, I hope to run the Pinehurst Turkey Trot HM this month.  Then the Reindeer Fun Run 12K next month.  After that it will be time to plan for next year.

Base build starts again

September is here, and I am finally running again.

Actually, I was able to start again last month, but it was a month of not really having a focus.  Just trying to get out again as much as possible, and see how it goes.  A lot of it was brutal.  It felt like I was starting all over again.  And, I guess I was.   The longest run I was able to do was 7 miles, and that took around an hour 20.  Most lunch time runs went for the full hour, but I was only able to get in 4 and a half or 5 miles.  There were a few 6 mile runs, but not many.

So, its almost back to square one.  All events that I had thought about are off, and I am looking ahead to what I may be able to build up to in the future.  One possible schedule is as follows.

Pinehurst Turkey Trot Half - November 23

Aberbeen Reindeer Fun Run 12K - December 7

Little River Trail Run 10 mile - January 18

Roanoke Canal Half - March 8

Tobacco Road Half March - 16

I think I can do all of these. There should be enough time to gradually build my base up again.  It will be nice to get back to where a two hour run feels good again.  But, the reality is, right now, one hour feels like a long hard run.

On a personal note, things are still tough.  I miss my Dad a lot.  After he passed, my Mom took a turn for the worse.  She is now in hospice care, so I try to get back to Knoxville every few weekends to see her.  There is a chance she may recover, but its just a chance, and time will tell how this all works out. I still have some residual pain from the shingles attack. The rash from that seems to come and go, almost going away, but not quite fully. Not as bad as a few months ago, but I know its still there.  I know this will eventually go away, but it is annoying.  

Until then, I get out and run.

June, 0 miles

June was not a good month.  It was a month filled with both pain and sorrow.

I had stopped running in early May when I came down with a case of shingles.  While I could have run, the pain in my shoulder was such that it hurt to walk.  I walked mostly with my hand in my pocket to keep the arm from moving, and moving at a run seemed not to be a wise thing to do.  The only thing that kept the pain at bay and allowed me to sleep was a prescription of Vicodin.

I found out after a few weeks of taking Vicodin, that 4 or 5 day for a couple of weeks was more than enough time to build up a nice little addiction.  I realized this when I cut back to only 2 as the pain started to subside.  The next day I had sweats, a mild fever, nausea, and a runny nose.  Once I figured out what was going on, I made the decision to stop the Vicodin entirely.  June and I had a 9 day vacation planned, and that seemed to be a good time to go cold turkey.

But, vacation was not to be.  A few days before it was to start, I got the call I had been expecting for some time. My Dad had just been hospitalized, and it was decided that he should go directly to hospice care.  It was my Dad's decision that if all possible, to die at home instead of a hospital.  So, hospice care was set up there.

I did get there in time to be with my Dad as the end came.  My brother and sister were also there. Thankfully, it was pretty quick and my Dad didn't suffer too much.

He was my first coach, starting way back in what was then called Buddy League baseball.  I think that was when I was 8.  After that, he coached my Little League team.  He also coached several of the different age groups of football teams that I played on as well as a few of the basketball teams. Years later, when I first started getting serious about running, I mentioned to him how much I enjoyed running, and wasn't it a shame that I didn't start when I was young.  He replied, "You probably enjoy it so much now because your didn't do it earlier."   He was a wise man, and I miss him greatly.

Dad, dressed to play basketball with his company team.

Mom and Dad on their back deck.

Me and my brother Bob.  He moved back home to take care of my parents as they needed more assistance the last few years.  I can't thank him enough for all he has been doing the last few years.

Me and my sister Diana.  She also took on a lot of the responsibility in the care of my parents, dealing with insurance, etc. Perhaps the hardest thing in dealing with all of this was being 350 miles away, and not being able to be there when needed.  Having both my brother and sister still living in Knoxville as been a blessing.

As hard as all this is on me, I know my Mom is having a much more difficult time.  Mom and Dad knew each other since grade school, and were married for 62 years.  Here is a great shot of the two of them and me at the local swimming pool.

I'll miss you a lot Dad, you were a great father.

May, Philosophers Trail, then some time off

The month of May started off good.  The Philosophers Trail Runs race was early in the month.  Had a lot of fun, even though my time was still a bit slower than I expected.  Here I am getting close to the end of the 15K, somewhere around the 2 hour mark.

The week after the race was a different story.  Had reasonable runs at lunch on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then took a few days off.  I had planned on starting up my long runs again over the weekend.  However, I had a bit of pain in my shoulder, followed by an odd rash.  So, I went to the doctor.  Not one of my favorite things to do.  Got the bad news that the pain and rash were caused by shingles.  I asked the doctor if I could keep on running.  The answer I got was sure, if you feel up to it.  But the reality was that no, I did not feel up to it.  Not even close.  

The pain got a bit worse each day for a week or so.  And its now going on 4 weeks of no running.  Rash is finally starting to clear up, but the pain in the shoulder is still there.  Hopefully, that too will ease up in a week or so.

So, I am now in a period of down time.  Nothing at all on the calendar, but I am looking at what half marathons are nearby for the fall.  And if all goes well, I should be able to start base building again in another week or so.

DNS

My first DNS (did not start).

There were two events scheduled in April, the Run Raleigh HM, and the Medoc Spring Races.  The morning of Run Raleigh my alarm went off, and instead of putting on my race clothes that were laid out, I rolled over and went back to sleep.  Fatigue has been building up for a few weeks, and when race day came, I didn't have any energy.  Well, I probably could have pushed to do it, but it seemed a better choice not to.  I thought if I did the race, I might not make it to the start line for the Medoc Spring Race the following week, and that was an event I was really looking forward to.

So, I slept in.  Then later that day, I went to REI and bought a new chain for my bike.  Put it on, pumped up the tires, and went out on my first ride on over two years.  Only an hour, about 15 miles.  Felt a bit strange to use some different leg muscles, but not bad.  So, it might be time for some cross training.

I did make it the the Medoc Spring Races.  Loved the event.  7.5 miles of trails with a staggered start.  The race started at 9am with females 73 and up; then two minutes later, females 70-72; two minutes after that, males 80 and up, females, 66-69.  And so it went.  I started at 9:20, only 10 minutes before the scratch runners took off.  So, all the fast runners had to pass me.  And they did, most of them within the first two miles.  Pretty humbling experience, but a lot of fun.  Finished in 1:26.

The next day I went to the Run for Boston event in Raleigh.  Sobering but uplifting run.  Lots bigger crowd than expected.  I knew there were a lot of people at the start, but the full size of the crowd wasn't really evident until the turn around.  Then I could see the road was shoulder to shoulder on both sides,

Here is just before the start.

 And near the turn around. Both of these photos are from the event's facebook page.

I had felt bad for having a DNS earlier in the month, but this really helped put that back in perspective.

This month, one more trail race, the Philosopher's Way 15K.  This race is named philosopher because of Horace Williams, first chair of the Mental and Moral Sciences Department of UNC Chapel Hill, now known as the Department of Philosophy.  And here is Horace, wearing the shirt from the race (courtesy of the trailheads.org facebook page).

Should be another fun run.

March, 401K finished

March is in the books.  The highlights were running the Roanoke Canal half and the Tobacco Road half.  I was also able to finish the 401K challenge. The challenge was to run 401K during February and March, so the miles fit right in with what I had planned to do.  Looks pretty cool on my car.

One thing that really stood out for the month is that I am getting slower.  I did the same two half marathons last year, and in both of those races I came in exactly 7 minutes slower last month that I did last year.  I guess I should look at this as I am running at a very consistent pace, even though it is a bit slower.

I took the time to look over the first three months of this year to see how they stack up with the same months over the last two years.  I thought that would be a good comparison to look over.  So, here are the figures.

	2011			2012			2013
	Miles	Hours	Pace	Miles	Hours	Pace	Miles	Hours	Pace
Jan	89.7	15:53	10:38	115.0	19:15	10:03	127.9	22:56	10:46
Feb	97.3	16:56	10:28	102.1	17:35	10:21	142.1	24:56	10:32
Mar	89.0	15:18	10:19	103.5	17:08	9:57	130.7	23:16	10:42

My average pace has slowed down from last year.  I am even slower than I was two years ago.  My miles are up each month from each of the previous years, but the pace has slowed. So, is this a function of just getting in more miles, or is it a function of age?

I guess time will tell.  I am feeling a bit more fatigued these days, but it still feels good when I am out on a run.

For this month, there are two events scheduled.  Both are new races for me.  There is the Run Raleigh half on April 14, and then the Medoc Spring Race on April 20.  I am really looking forward to the Medoc Spring Race, a 7.5 mile trail race.  This will be my first race using a staggered start.  My age gives me a 10 minute head start.  I expect to be passed a lot during the race, but that's OK.  Should be a lot of fun.

Tobacco Road

Just finished the Tobacco Road Half Marathon yesterday.

Back in March of 2011, this race was my first half ever. Now I have run it three times. This brings up a good bit of reflection on just how I am progressing at that race distance.

I have finished 9 half marathons over the last two years, 10 if you count the Medoc Meltdown as a half (I completed 13.4 miles in that run).  My times range from my best of  2:03 to my slowest of  2:31 (or even 3:07 if you count the Medoc Meltdown). Here is how all my HMs compare with each other.

Race                     Date           Time   Pace
Tobacco Road        3/20/2011   2:26   10:58
Flying Pirate          4/10/2011   2:31   11:37
Canonnball Run      10/8/2011   2:07     9:43
OBX Half              11/13/2011   2:03     9:17
Roanoke Canal       3/10/2012   2:18   10:32
Tobacco Road        3/18/2012   2:11   10:01
Flying Pirate          4/22/2012   2:17   10:27
Medoc Meltdown    8/18/2012   3:07   13:57
Roanoke Canal        3/9/2013    2:24   11:11
Tobacco Road        3/17/2013   2:18   10:29

Now, the Medoc is a bit out of place, but that was my first real trail run of any distance and did involve a fall along the way. The rest all seem clustered around the 2:15 to 2:20 mark, which is about what I was expecting at my first half two years ago.  I did get faster in the fall of that year, but I have now gone back to times similar to when I started.  I had been hoping to get my half time down below the 2 hour mark after hitting a 2:03 in the fall of 2011, but that has yet to happen.  Still something for me to work towards.

Now that I have run the Tobacco Road three times, I thought it might be helpful to look over how all of those runs compare to each other.

So, here are the details for my three runs of the Tobacco Road half marathon.  MT stands for moving time.  The difference between MT and Time (my official time) is due to porta-potty breaks.  There were three of those in year 1, only one in year 2, and two yesterday.  I still have a bit to go in figuring out just how much coffee I can take in with an early morning race start.

Year        2011         2012        2013

Time         2:26          2:11         2:18
Pace        10:58        10:01        10:29
MT            2:19          2:10         2:16
Pace        10:28          9:55        10:18

Mile Splits

1       11:06        10:00       10:20
2       10:28         9:27         9:53
3       10:56         9:43        11:07
4       11:05         9:45         9:34
5       13:19         9:18         9:35
6       10:11         9:53        10:17
7       10:23         9:48        10:41
8       10:57         9:35         9:57
9       10:46        10:21        10:24
10      10:47        11:23        10:47
11      12:16        10:26        11:54
12      10:30        10:22        10:36
13      10:22        10:01        11:02
14       9:47        11:13        10:52

Not really sure what I can learn from all of this, but it is fun to look back at how three runs of the same race compare. I can look at my splits and figure our where I took my breaks.  Since I know the difference from my Time and MT,  I can take those minutes out where I think they occurred, and I then get a good idea of how consistent (or not) my pacing was.  From my memory of these races, I recall finishing feeling much stronger back in 2011 than in either of the last two races.  I did fade at the end more in the last two than in my initial race. It could just be that I am more assured of finishing now, and as a result push more as I feel able to during the race.  Probably I push a bit too much for the distance at those times that I feel real good.

Its been a lot of fun.  I think the half is a good distance for me to run.  I know it will be a real challenge to gradually get my time down to the two hour mark.  Will it happen this year?  Don't know, but it will eventually happen.  Who knows, maybe even next month.

February, 142 miles, IronDog

February is a short month, so this is a short post.

Finished the month with 142 miles, keeping on track for my 1,500 for the year.

I had planned on two events, but only did one.  The Groundhog Gallop was canceled.  So, no HM trail run for this month.

IronDog was a go. The weather was rain, rain, and more rain.  So, June and Anna stayed home where it was dry.  I went ahead and ran the 5K.  Came near to a PR, but I think the course was a bit short.  Had a good time in the rain, would have been better with good weather.

Next month will be busy.  Two HM's planned.  The Roanoke Canal Race and the Tobacco Road Half.  I had thought of doing the Tobacco Road Marathon, but decided to keep with the half.  No real time goals for  either race, just planning on pushing it a little bit.

January, 128 miles and Little River Trail Runs

Its the end of January, and I am finishing with a rest day.

The month went well.  I got in 128 miles. That gets the year started off with almost exactly with the miles I need each month to get up to 1,500 for the year.  Not as many miles as I was doing back in the fall, but better than the January totals for previous years.  Here is how the miles look for January going back a few years.

2013 128
2012 115
2011  90

Nice steady progression.  Now I just need to keep it up for the rest of the year.

The main event this month was the Little River Trail Runs.  There are two races at Little River, a 7K and a 10 miler. There was a great poster this year, which they used for the front of the long sleeve tech shirts that came with registration. I think that shirt will be a keeper that gets lots of wear.

I was scheduled to run the 10 miler last year, but a fall from a broken ladder had me dropping down to the 7K.  So, I had some incentive to make a return trip and actually run the full 10 miles.

Race day was not quite as cool as last year, but it was close.  It was in the mid 20's when I arrived for bib pickup, with a promise of getting up to the 40's.  Pretty much great weather for a January run.  Of course, there was some ice and snow the day before, which prompted the race officials to include the following in the last minute race instructions.

1. Every wooden bridge and walkway will be slick.  Slow down.  Walk if necessary.  We want everyone to return safely and without injury, a goal that is largely under your control.
2. The river flooded with the recent rains, washing silt onto the trail along the river.  The trail along the river is extremely slick and there is standing water in some places.  Slow down, watch your footing, allow space between you and the runner in front of you, and heed the advice of the course monitors.
3. For 10 milers: The trail along the river beginning at marker 38 is especially difficult.  The trail runs very close to the river.  We've placed traffic cones and additional course monitors in the area to remind you of the danger. 
4. Stay alert for last minute deviations from the trail.  We will tour the course in the morning before the race and may make final adjustments based on conditions.

There was also the following advice and photo posted on Facebook.

Might want to bring a change of shoes...Bobcat and Gumbi marking the course.

Well, it was a good thing that I had a new pair of trail shoes to try out, ones with actual tread. I had thought that I would try to keep a good pace and see if I could finish in under 2 hours, but with the warnings about the trail conditions, I revised my goal to just finishing without falling, which I was successful at.

Here is what the start looked like.  A bit of snow still on the ground, and promise of mud to come.

Finished at a very leisurely 2:16. I wound up doing a lot more walking than I thought. I did walk all the bridges and boardwalks.  Especially the long boardwalk that was guarded by a volunteer wearing what looked like a full body Godzilla costume, who waved at all the runners and called out, "do not run on these boards, you will fall". I also lost a lot of time in miles 7 and 8.  Lots of nice switch backs there, with big dips at the bottom.  I would carefully step my way through the muck at the bottom, then totally lose my focus and forget to start running again.  I found myself doing that several times.  Here is the start of the switch back section.  You can't really see the dips from here, and by the time I got to the bottom section, I was too worried about not falling to take photos.

And the section we were warned about with the traffic cones?  Well, it was a good 100 yards or so of ankle deep shoe sucking mud. Not really able to get much speed there. I heard after the race that the entire section along the river was underwater the day before.  I guess shoe sucking mud is a bit better than having to swim.

I also had to slow down a lot around mile 5.  Not because of the trail conditions, but because I wanted to hear the bagpiper better.  You could hear him from a good ways off.  What a great break at the half way point.  Here is a photo that was posted on the Little River Trail Run Facebook page.  If I wasn't so into just listening to the music, I would have taken shots myself.

I will return next year.  The same group that puts on this race also puts on another trail race, the Philosopher's Way Trail Runs, 7K and 15K.  That will be May 4.  Have to put that one down on my calendar.

Next month I will be at IronDog.  My wife June and our puppy Anna will do the 1 mile fun walk, and I will do the 5K run.  NC State Iron Dog is a charity that raises money for animals whose owners can't afford medical care.  We used the services of the NC State Vet hospital more than once when our last dog Luci was getting diagnosed and then treated for her heart conditions.  I have a lot of respect for the good work they do, and am glad I will be able to do this run.

I may also do the Groundhog Gallop next month.  Not sure yet I'm up to a full HM on the trails, but if the legs feel up to it and my schedule allows, I will try to make that one.

Till then, see you on the trails.

1,444 for 2012

2012 is history and ended with my running 1,444 miles.

There was a brief moment at the start of December that I thought I would get to an even 1,500 miles, but travel during the holidays and a bad cold put an end to that thought.   I ended the year with 2 weeks off and no running.

It's time now to start the new year, and I'm looking forward to having this one be better than the last.

The main goal is to continue running and stay healthy.  I want to get to the 1,500 mile mark and run more on trails.

For this month, one event planned, the Little River Trail Runs 10 miler.

Should be fun, until then, see you on the road.