Ran a 10k in June (9 Viewers)

[bentley]

Very cool, IK. I'm sure you'll nail your goal with more time and two working hands.

 

[2Young2BBald]

***Race Report***

My wife and I did our local half today. As I posted earlier, I broke my fourth metacarpal about a month ago, so I spent three weeks in a hand cast that completely imobilized my hand, fingers and wrist. Needless to say, this completely wrecked my training becuse the lining of the cast wasn't waterproof; sweat = no-no. Still, I had done a few 12+ runs before my injury, and I was able to work in a 13-miler last week knowing that my cast was coming off the next day anyway. My orthopedist replaced my cast with a removable plastic splint that just wraps aroud the back of my hand on Monday, and everybody always says you can fudge a half, so I figured I was good to go.

Considering that its mid-May, it was preposterously cold (34 degrees, 27 with the wind chill) at the start, so it was running pants and long sleeves for me. My wife also wore gloves, which was smart because my hands were numb and useless by the end. With my spint, though, I couldn't have worn gloves regardless. I bumped into my physical therapist before the race, and he double-checked my range-of-motion with my bum hand. After the race, I talke to my orthopedist for a while; we was the main MD on staff for the day. This is a cool perk of living in a small town.

Anyhow, not much to say about the race. I knew I wasn't going to be able to beat my original time goal (1:50), so I just ran with my wife the whole time. At first I was't sure that I'd even be able to match her ~8:35 pace the whole way, but by Mile 6 I was pretty confident that I was fine. I finished at 1:52:50, which is four seconds off my time from last year (and PR -- this was only my second official half).

I'm very mildly irritated, because I'm real sure that I could have found 3 minutes somewhere had I been able to train properly during crunch time. No big deal though. It's not that hard to find other halfs, and they're easy to train for. I think we're doing a half in Red Wing, MN in August, so maybe I'll do better there. This was just a nce, pleasant outing, which is always a good thing.

I think that is a GREAT run all things considered!!!! I can only imagine how miserably out of sync I'd be with only one hand. From taking water, Gu, etc, to fiddling with the Garmin it would had to be a #####.Go get'm tomorrow gruecd!!!!!

For me, I think I just made a huge tactical error. I am meeting a buddy of mine early tomorrow morning to ride the bike course of a sprint-tri were doing in mid June (and will probably ride it twice). The error is that I just got back from dinner with my wife where I ate WAY too much Mexican food and a hand full of Coronas. I need to pick up some Oops I Crapped My Pants and see if they'll fit under my tri shorts.

 

[meeka]

***Race Report***My wife and I did our local half today. As I posted earlier, I broke my fourth metacarpal about a month ago, so I spent three weeks in a hand cast that completely imobilized my hand, fingers and wrist. Needless to say, this completely wrecked my training becuse the lining of the cast wasn't waterproof; sweat = no-no. Still, I had done a few 12+ runs before my injury, and I was able to work in a 13-miler last week knowing that my cast was coming off the next day anyway. My orthopedist replaced my cast with a removable plastic splint that just wraps aroud the back of my hand on Monday, and everybody always says you can fudge a half, so I figured I was good to go.Considering that its mid-May, it was preposterously cold (34 degrees, 27 with the wind chill) at the start, so it was running pants and long sleeves for me. My wife also wore gloves, which was smart because my hands were numb and useless by the end. With my spint, though, I couldn't have worn gloves regardless. I bumped into my physical therapist before the race, and he double-checked my range-of-motion with my bum hand. After the race, I talke to my orthopedist for a while; we was the main MD on staff for the day. This is a cool perk of living in a small town.Anyhow, not much to say about the race. I knew I wasn't going to be able to beat my original time goal (1:50), so I just ran with my wife the whole time. At first I was't sure that I'd even be able to match her ~8:35 pace the whole way, but by Mile 6 I was pretty confident that I was fine. I finished at 1:52:50, which is four seconds off my time from last year (and PR -- this was only my second official half).I'm very mildly irritated, because I'm real sure that I could have found 3 minutes somewhere had I been able to train properly during crunch time. No big deal though. It's not that hard to find other halfs, and they're easy to train for. I think we're doing a half in Red Wing, MN in August, so maybe I'll do better there. This was just a nce, pleasant outing, which is always a good thing.

Nice race IK! I know the result is not what you were after when you started training, but there is nothing you can do about a broken hand. The next one will be your sub 1:50. I ran 12.35 in 1:47 today. I took it easy for the first few miles, and the wind was a challenge of its own. I usually start with the most hilly portion of my run and today that was also straight into the wind. After being mostly a treadmill trainer last year I can not believe how much more I enjoy running outside. The hills around my house always had me pretty worried about outside running, but I have grown to really like hills. There is nothing boring about running a hilly route. Today it was really windy and that was just another challenge. Turns out I like running on days like this. Just adds to the feeling of accomplishment when I am done.

 

[prosopis]

Do we have a link to track grueced tomorrow?

 

[mr. furley]

Do we have a link to track grueced tomorrow?

i'll be tracking him with my bicycle

 

[prosopis]

Do we have a link to track grueced tomorrow?

i'll be tracking him with my bicycle

keep us updated in real time

 

[RoarinSonoran]

Needless to say, this completely wrecked my training becuse the lining of the cast wasn't waterproof; sweat = no-no.

Wow, your doc needs to get up-to-date on the latest technology. My daughter re-broke her arm in January, and with the material the cast was made from, she was able to shower and even swim in her PE class at school. No need for the plastic-bag-over-cast-in-the-shower routine, she just had to be sure to let it drain sufficiently after shower/swim.

 

[gruecd]

i will be standing on the corner of Hickory Hill and Gross, fully nude, waving to the marathoners

I'm a bad person for deep-down hoping that our shared 1/2 PR stays between us ... as much as I wish you speed and happy running today.

I really doubt I can hold 6:50s for 13 miles.

I am starting to get pretty excited for my half. (Gruecd, I am predicting a 1:29:55 for you)

In response to the above....1. Furley, didn't see you out there. If you were naked, I'm kinda glad I didn't see you.....

2. Sorry, Floppo, our shared PR is toast.

3. Well, I can't quite hold 6:50s for 13 miles....

4. ....but I can hold 6:52's for 13.1 miles!

Finished in 1:30:10, good for 1st place in the Clydesdale division and a new PR by almost 2:30! Gotta go get in the shower now, but needless to say, I'm very happy with today's results. Splits as follows:

7:08, 7:05, 7:01, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 6:52, 6:32, 6:42, 6:54 for miles 1-13 and 0:28 (4:54 pace) for the last tenth. What's even more impressive is that my Garmin registered exactly 13.10 miles, so we must've done a very nice job of running the tangents.

 

[bentley]

Dude, that's pretty awesome. Congrats!

 

[2Young2BBald]

i will be standing on the corner of Hickory Hill and Gross, fully nude, waving to the marathoners

I'm a bad person for deep-down hoping that our shared 1/2 PR stays between us ... as much as I wish you speed and happy running today.

I really doubt I can hold 6:50s for 13 miles.

I am starting to get pretty excited for my half. (Gruecd, I am predicting a 1:29:55 for you)

In response to the above....1. Furley, didn't see you out there. If you were naked, I'm kinda glad I didn't see you..... :X

2. Sorry, Floppo, our shared PR is toast.

3. Well, I can't quite hold 6:50s for 13 miles....

4. ....but I can hold 6:52's for 13.1 miles!

Finished in 1:30:10, good for 1st place in the Clydesdale division and a new PR by almost 2:30! Gotta go get in the shower now, but needless to say, I'm very happy with today's results. Splits as follows:

7:08, 7:05, 7:01, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 6:52, 6:32, 6:42, 6:54 for miles 1-13 and 0:28 (4:54 pace) for the last tenth. What's even more impressive is that my Garmin registered exactly 13.10 miles, so we must've done a very nice job of running the tangents.

WAY TO GO!!!!!

 

[IvanKaramazov]

4. ....but I can hold 6:52's for 13.1 miles! Finished in 1:30:10, good for 1st place in the Clydesdale division and a new PR by almost 2:30!

Awesome stuff here. Great job.

 

[culdeus]

There was a half going on down at the lake today thought of you guys getting thru that. Of course the purple menace was in full force and embarrassing themselves again. It's getting a little out of hand locally here.

 

[gruecd]

There was a half going on down at the lake today thought of you guys getting thru that. Of course the purple menace was in full force and embarrassing themselves again. It's getting a little out of hand locally here.

The Purple People Eaters? Gotta love 'em.

 

[prosopis]

i will be standing on the corner of Hickory Hill and Gross, fully nude, waving to the marathoners

I'm a bad person for deep-down hoping that our shared 1/2 PR stays between us ... as much as I wish you speed and happy running today.

I really doubt I can hold 6:50s for 13 miles.

I am starting to get pretty excited for my half. (Gruecd, I am predicting a 1:29:55 for you)

In response to the above....1. Furley, didn't see you out there. If you were naked, I'm kinda glad I didn't see you..... :X

2. Sorry, Floppo, our shared PR is toast.

3. Well, I can't quite hold 6:50s for 13 miles....

4. ....but I can hold 6:52's for 13.1 miles!

Finished in 1:30:10, good for 1st place in the Clydesdale division and a new PR by almost 2:30! Gotta go get in the shower now, but needless to say, I'm very happy with today's results. Splits as follows:

7:08, 7:05, 7:01, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 6:52, 6:32, 6:42, 6:54 for miles 1-13 and 0:28 (4:54 pace) for the last tenth. What's even more impressive is that my Garmin registered exactly 13.10 miles, so we must've done a very nice job of running the tangents.

Awesomeness

 

[mr. furley]

1. Furley, didn't see you out there. If you were naked, I'm kinda glad I didn't see you..... :X

got there a little early and moseyed on over to 9th and 12th insteadsaw you cruise by but that was the last time i saw you all day

 

[bentley]

There was a half going on down at the lake today thought of you guys getting thru that. Of course the purple menace was in full force and embarrassing themselves again. It's getting a little out of hand locally here.

I wish I understood what you were talking about.

 

[gruecd]

There was a half going on down at the lake today thought of you guys getting thru that. Of course the purple menace was in full force and embarrassing themselves again. It's getting a little out of hand locally here.

I wish I understood what you were talking about.

He's talking about the Team In Training people. They run/walk for a good cause, but sometimes they tend to not understand how/where to line up for races, and a lot of the more serious runners consider them a bit of an annoyance. Fortunately, they haven't caused me any problems, so I'm just glad they're raising money to help fight blood cancers.

 

[bentley]

There was a half going on down at the lake today thought of you guys getting thru that. Of course the purple menace was in full force and embarrassing themselves again. It's getting a little out of hand locally here.

I wish I understood what you were talking about.

He's talking about the Team In Training people. They run/walk for a good cause, but sometimes they tend to not understand how/where to line up for races, and a lot of the more serious runners consider them a bit of an annoyance. Fortunately, they haven't caused me any problems, so I'm just glad they're raising money to help fight blood cancers.

Hmmm....a good idea would be to force everyone that's too stupid to know where to line up to wear purple and join these guys. That way there would be extra people fighting for a good cause and the rest of us would be 100% sure who to avoid. The 74 year old lady and the guy with the stroller (despite the 'no strollers' rule) that pushed their way in front of me right before the start of the Cap 10K would have looked great in purple.

 

[Sand]

In response to the above....

1. Furley, didn't see you out there. If you were naked, I'm kinda glad I didn't see you..... :X

2. Sorry, Floppo, our shared PR is toast.

3. Well, I can't quite hold 6:50s for 13 miles....

4. ....but I can hold 6:52's for 13.1 miles!

Finished in 1:30:10, good for 1st place in the Clydesdale division and a new PR by almost 2:30! Gotta go get in the shower now, but needless to say, I'm very happy with today's results. Splits as follows:

7:08, 7:05, 7:01, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 6:52, 6:32, 6:42, 6:54 for miles 1-13 and 0:28 (4:54 pace) for the last tenth. What's even more impressive is that my Garmin registered exactly 13.10 miles, so we must've done a very nice job of running the tangents.

Freakin' awesome, man. Very, very nice run.I went out and beat myself up today. This is the third time I've tackled the 2.55 mile loop near my house. Despite both swimming and cycling yesterday (and it being a bit chilly and windy) I managed to do the distance in 22:51. That comes down to a 8:28/mile, or way, way better than my first run. My calves need some strength training, though. I'm gonna feel those tomorrow - they already hurt.

Very happy with that run - I can easily see breaking 8:00 with some hard work.

BTW, Sportracks says my best mile was 6:56 - take that!

 

[Poppa]

My normal 5-mile trail run today, epic day. Going to be mid-high 80s this weekend, plan on getting out early on Sunday for my long one, and doing it up on trails.

Inspired by this video on ultrarunning, one I know Poppa in particular will appreciate:

Gettin' behind again! Thought I'd simply pull up the most recent page fer catch-up purposes - and now I get a video to watch!Thank you!



Thought I might take a stab at trying to describe with words - the grand events of last weekend's DWD in Brown County...!

Not certain even now that I'm capable. Any words I can pull together to make a picture...would simply pale in real comparison to the wonderfully colorful gifts I was blessed enough to share in...!

I simply haven't color crayon enough...nor the talent available...to paint what was, in essence, an extended DaVinci linger....with a Louvre-like nobility...in the woods...running in communion with God's blessings... and glory all about!

Think little Poppa - redheaded and freckle-faced --- with 8 fat crayons...and mother's icebox for 'masterpiece' display!

(Thanks Mom!)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here we go!

One central aspect for the Missus and I when we travel...twice now to Brown County, deep in the Indiana woods - once in the December snow and then again last weekend - for a long run...is we gift ourselves a nice place to stay...a verrrrry nice, private, romantic place to stay. I dunno what makes us think we can afford such luxury...but we've decided that we're worth it!

In particular, we have a hot tub in our room!

So....there's that! Not much beats a nice, warm soak for muscle/mind relaxin' before a race.....OR to act as welcoming incentive for a race well-run in sub-freezing December! Or for that matter - for the Missus to bide her time away...while the Mister (ME!!!) is trudging through the freezing wind and snow for 1/2 of a December day...!

(December Marathon one week after getting my '08 Civic Coupe destroyed in a head-on with a drunk driver. THAT likely my most difficult run ever...mentally AND physically.)

:shakeshead:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This race, this MAY race...The Missus had volunteered to man (woman?) the start/finish point - passing out water, medals, collecting timing chips, etc......and so was one of the first friendly faces to greet each runner upon finish. Verrrrry enjoyable for her - in the sunshine anyway!

She swears I was the only runner fella so fortunate as to get a finisher's kiss, but..............do ya ever really know?



Always makes me stronger knowing she's waiting for me...

:thankyou:



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Race start at 7 on a beautiful just-past-dawn morning. We were sent on our way...after a pre-race prep talk by the "Head Goat"...the race organizer. A speech full of 'lies' - about the white water rivers one must cross, the cliffs to be climbed, the impossibilty of course navigation, the big, unchained dogs right up around the corner looking for runner meat, the MUD, etc...

There was a number of first-time Marathon'ers listening intently...and after each point enunciated, the Head Goat followed it with - and with perfect comedic effect - "That's a lie..."

The only lies, in fact, were:

There was no actual 'white-water'...though mannnny streams to be waded through. And there were no cliffs - merely steep trail after steep trail through the woods! Oh, and....the dogs, though in fact unchained and huge, were apparently only race spectators...and not looking for runner shank.

The mud was VERY real - sucked a woman's shoe right off in front of me!

And course navigation, while quite simple if you're paying attention and have any modicum of trail instinct, was apparently too much for some...as any number of runners were coming back up the trail at me in confusion - having missed their turn...or followed the wrong color surveyor ribbon!

For me?

FOLLOW THE PINK RIBBON!!

I was good though... varying between 75 and a 100% certainty that I was on the right track at any given moment!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeebus it was a fun course!!



It had rained all week...including a 1/2" the day before, making the trail nice and soft. Where there WAS mud - it was thick, wet and deep...

And there was lots!

Mannnnny, many streams coursing along the trail...NOT alongside the trail, mind you...but that the trail and the streambed are ONE!

Many, mannnnnny a stream ran at right angles to our course, ummmm...of course - with only a simple ankle-shin deep clear water to 'navigate' across!

:splishsplash:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloudy day...temps about 55 to start. Perfect!

Sun didn't come out 'til about noon...but the woods provided such a canopy, that direct sunlight was not a factor - for sunburnin', glare, even heat really. Slight breeze all day long...

The woods were beautiful!!

I took my glasses off right after starting...so as not to distort the natural colors and context of the forest. Simply gorgeous!!

Birds singing for my entire race...!!!

Heck, I was singing my entire race...excepting about a 30 minute stretch of 'mental black clouds'. Somewhere upon reaching my 'training runs' limit of 2 hours or so...my sunshine went away...to be replaced with angst and uncertainty and dread. WTF was I doing out here...??? I WAS TIRED...and only 2 1/2 hours in!

:(

Just as suddenly as the 'darkness' had come - and it lasted for 15/20/30 minutes of struggling effort - it went away!

From that point on...my heart absolutely SANG!!

Over and over and over again - verrrrrrrry much a part of my race day - more so than I can ever remember even...the Drifters and "Some Kind of Wonderful" accompanied me!

It was reeeeeeally cool!!

And, of course...it being me...I can mostly only remember the melody and a few key words - lots of humming involved...but with the clear expression of love and gratitude and blessing understood!



I know I can't express

This feeling of tenderness

There's so much I wanna say

But the right words just don't come my way

I just know when I'm in your embrace

This world is a happy place

And something happens to me

There's some kind of wonderful

Oh jeez, I was a happy fellow!!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interestingly enough - to me anyway...as I picked up my pace with 8...then 5 1/2 miles to go...to meet what had become a makeable time goal, I thought - (I know, I know.....TIME is NOT important!!) - The somewhat languid notions of love and happiness that the Drifters had provided...were replaced by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson singing the faster-paced "To All the Girls I've Loved Before".

The mind (and my Jungian Shadow!) are an odd, uhhhh....force!

Far as I know...and I listen to music very, very rarely anymore...I'd not heard that particularly insipid tune for decades!! But there she was...the beat that my feets needed apparently!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two years ago, in my first 50k Trail Ultra...here on this course...I ran a 9:42 or 3, I think. I was tired....exhausted for much of the latter part of the race. Relieved to be finished...ecstatic at having finished. Ended up 3rd to last, in fact...whuppin' only a 74 yr old man...and a fella by the name of Chris.

Upon reaching an aid station at 8 and another at 5.5 it had become evident that I might could finish before 4 o'clock - in other words 9 HOURS. I was stunned...having paid very little attention to my watch and distance to that point. As soon as I noted that possibility, though....I desired to DO that!



And so set about towards that end...pickin' up the pace.

While this part of the course - the first...AND last 5 miles or so was mud, mud, MUD...the saving grace (there's ALWAYS saving grace...!) was we were slowly coming down off the hills.

I ran my last 5 1/2 miles in a blazing - :snicker: - 77 minutes...equating to a 14-minute pace!



Overall race pace? Just shy of 17 minutes per...



Finished just short of an hour faster than 2 years ago - in 8:47!

(Winner dude crossed over at about 5:10...)

Have I mentioned that I was pretty happy!?



Was NOT 3rd to last this time either - more like 10th...or 11th to last! Once again beat that Chris fellow...who unbeknownst to me then...was the next 50k finisher behind me...having also improved his time from two years ago!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drank nearly 2 gallons of 'water'...pit-stopped only once.

'Ate' one Gu per hour...and one home-made 'Old-fashioned Yummy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies' about every other hour - total 3.

Some hard candy - blue raspberry Jolly Ranchers - came in verrrry handy towards the latter part of the day. Had been coughing quite a bit - trail dust...? bug...? - :Idunno: and that suckin' candy was mighty fine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Country band was playing on the finishing stretch of meadow...and people on both sides cheering for the 'old guy' finishing.

Verrrrry nice!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finished with the standard kiss and hug from one of the race volunteers - my favorite race volunteer, in fact!

SO favorite - I quickly decided - I took her back to the hotel with me...

Yyyyummm...!

Thanks for a wonderful weekend, my dear!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all.

Summit Climb of Mt. Rainier in August...another 50k Trail in September.

I feel good...

 

[SFBayDuck]

Well done gruecd, congrats on a great race and new PR!

Brutal 15 miler for me this morning. We've got 90+ degree weather going on, so headed toward the coast at 7:00 this morning to try and get it done early and find some relief from the heat. Turned out to be just as hot out there. Tried a new trail for me, the Bolinas Ridge Trail, planned a 7.5 mile out and back. First 5 miles to the peak ( elevation chart) were wide open, no shade, and through a cattle ranch, so had some bovine company and had to watch my step. Walked some uphills, ran the flats and downhills - trail runner style, and typical for me on elevation gain like that (about 1100' from trail head to highest point) if I'm going over 5 miles. Finally reached the peak and headed down a bit and within a mile or so hit a beautiful trail through redwoods, and found some shade! Got to 7.5, turned around, and soon found myself back out in the open again, temps in the mid-80s by now, struggling after the hills I already had covered. Carried two bottles with me of Cytomax and two gels, they were all gone by mile 12 and I literally hit the wall around mile 13 - breathing harder than my HR indicated I should be, legs totally shot, mouth dry. It sucked, but HTFU, right? So I struggled walking and running through the final 2 miles or so. It took me a good 20 minutes of drinking water and dousing myself to feel normal again and able to drive. Managed to keep it just under 12:00 pace overall, which I'm ok with for a long trail run with that terrain and elevation gain, nevermind the heat.

It also put me at 30 miles for the week, I've only done that a couple of other times this year (or ever).

 

[2Young2BBald]

Awsome read Poppa, absolutely ####### awesome. Thanks.

As for the Head Goat, he (Randy) makes their dirt events even better. I look forward to his weekly "Run-Mails" and all of their events. I'd bet there are very few folks out there that enjoy their "job" as much as he does.

I'm sure you'll find DWD Hell much easier (God I wish we got picked for the relay and didn't have to wait until 2010!!!!!).

 

[SFBayDuck]

Finished just short of an hour faster than 2 years ago - in 8:47!

(Winner dude crossed over at about 5:10...)

Have I mentioned that I was pretty happy!?



Was NOT 3rd to last this time either - more like 10th...or 11th to last! Once again beat that Chris fellow...who unbeknownst to me then...was the next 50k finisher behind me...having also improved his time from two years ago!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drank nearly 2 gallons of 'water'...pit-stopped only once.

'Ate' one Gu per hour...and one home-made 'Old-fashioned Yummy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies' about every other hour - total 3.

Some hard candy - blue raspberry Jolly Ranchers - came in verrrry handy towards the latter part of the day. Had been coughing quite a bit - trail dust...? bug...? - :Idunno: and that suckin' candy was mighty fine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Country band was playing on the finishing stretch of meadow...and people on both sides cheering for the 'old guy' finishing.

Verrrrry nice!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finished with the standard kiss and hug from one of the race volunteers - my favorite race volunteer, in fact!

SO favorite - I quickly decided - I took her back to the hotel with me...

Yyyyummm...!

Thanks for a wonderful weekend, my dear!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all.

Summit Climb of Mt. Rainier in August...another 50k Trail in September.

I feel good...

 

[meeka]

i will be standing on the corner of Hickory Hill and Gross, fully nude, waving to the marathoners

I'm a bad person for deep-down hoping that our shared 1/2 PR stays between us ... as much as I wish you speed and happy running today.

I really doubt I can hold 6:50s for 13 miles.

I am starting to get pretty excited for my half. (Gruecd, I am predicting a 1:29:55 for you)

In response to the above....1. Furley, didn't see you out there. If you were naked, I'm kinda glad I didn't see you..... :X

2. Sorry, Floppo, our shared PR is toast.

3. Well, I can't quite hold 6:50s for 13 miles....

4. ....but I can hold 6:52's for 13.1 miles!

Finished in 1:30:10, good for 1st place in the Clydesdale division and a new PR by almost 2:30! Gotta go get in the shower now, but needless to say, I'm very happy with today's results. Splits as follows:

7:08, 7:05, 7:01, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 6:52, 6:32, 6:42, 6:54 for miles 1-13 and 0:28 (4:54 pace) for the last tenth. What's even more impressive is that my Garmin registered exactly 13.10 miles, so we must've done a very nice job of running the tangents.

WOW. Great run. I was pretty close with my prediction. Do you want my shipping address for the prize?

 

[Poppa]

Finished just short of an hour faster than 2 years ago - in 8:47!

(Winner dude crossed over at about 5:10...)

Have I mentioned that I was pretty happy!?



Was NOT 3rd to last this time either - more like 10th...or 11th to last! Once again beat that Chris fellow...who unbeknownst to me then...was the next 50k finisher behind me...having also improved his time from two years ago!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drank nearly 2 gallons of 'water'...pit-stopped only once.

'Ate' one Gu per hour...and one home-made 'Old-fashioned Yummy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies' about every other hour - total 3.

Some hard candy - blue raspberry Jolly Ranchers - came in verrrry handy towards the latter part of the day. Had been coughing quite a bit - trail dust...? bug...? - :Idunno: and that suckin' candy was mighty fine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Country band was playing on the finishing stretch of meadow...and people on both sides cheering for the 'old guy' finishing.

Verrrrry nice!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finished with the standard kiss and hug from one of the race volunteers - my favorite race volunteer, in fact!

SO favorite - I quickly decided - I took her back to the hotel with me...

Yyyyummm...!

Thanks for a wonderful weekend, my dear!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all.

Summit Climb of Mt. Rainier in August...another 50k Trail in September.

I feel good...

Yer embarrassk'in me...



I simply run slow...steady...and absolutely will not quit.

Thank you...

 

[tri-man 47]

Before catching up on today's posts after three days being mostly out of town, my gruecd time guess: 1:32:55

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IK, gruecd, Poppa, SFDuck ...great races/runs, all!!!! Gruecd, way to kick azphalt and set a PR. You rock!

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My HTFU weekend:

Thursday was an off day as I picked up my daughter from college ...so 10 1/2 hours of driving and a couple hours packing /unpacking her stuff. Friday morning was another 3 hours driving, heading up to Michigan for two days to do some serious yard work at our family's cottage as we took out overgrown bushes and dropped a big tree.

Friday afternoon, after all the driving and two hours of cutting/hauling bushes, I pulled on my wetsuit for a 35 minute lake swim. Since the daytime temps were still in the 60's and nighttime temps no more than 50, the water was nasty cold ...it was hard to even dangle my hands in the water without them stinging. But HTFU, right? It turned out to be a great swim.

Saturday morning, left early in the morning and ran the 13.5 miles from my BIL's to the cottage on an extremely hilly route. Total time was 1:50. I was able to catch a paved path through the woods for the last two miles, though just when I got on it, a 20 foot section was flooded with about 3 inches of water. But with visions of future DWD races in mind, I just danced through it and finished up strong.

Congrats again on all the great weekend efforts, guys!

 

[Lehigh98]

10.55 mile run - 1 hour 25 minutes and 2 seconds - average pace of 8:03 per mile.

Awesome, my longest run ever, previous best was 9 in high school when I was running cross country. Also did it at a pretty good pace of just over 8:00 which was comfortable (surprisingly) most of the way. (Maybe the speed intervals are working) I'm a little surprised I kept up the pace considering I ran into some steep hills and got hit by a car on mile 6.Guess it had to happen sooner or later. Some lady in a Mercedes decided to blow a stop sign without looking around to get ahead of traffic but did a nice slow studder to fool me into thinking she would stop. When I started to run past she accelerated. Fortunately my former hurdling days kicked in and I put my left hand (she was on my left) on the hood as it came into me and got my left lead leg up in time. My right trail leg didn't make it though and I got clipped on the knee and ankle. Guess it wasn't too bad as I just kept going because it had been a good run so far, I wanted to break 10 miles, and wanted to keep up my good pace.

 

[gruecd]

Guess it had to happen sooner or later. Some lady in a Mercedes decided to blow a stop sign without looking around to get ahead of traffic but did a nice slow studder to fool me into thinking she would stop. When I started to run past she accelerated. Fortunately my former hurdling days kicked in and I put my left hand (she was on my left) on the hood as it came into me and got my left lead leg up in time. My right trail leg didn't make it though and I got clipped on the knee and ankle. Guess it wasn't too bad as I just kept going because it had been a good run so far, I wanted to break 10 miles, and wanted to keep up my good pace.

If that's me, my fist puts a serious dent in that #####'s Mercedes's hood. For real.

 

[gruecd]

WOW. Great run. I was pretty close with my prediction. Do you want my shipping address for the prize?

IIRC, you're in Minnesota, right? I get up that way a couple of times a year, since my sister lives in Minneapolis. I owe you a beer.

 

[prosopis]

WOW. Great run. I was pretty close with my prediction. Do you want my shipping address for the prize?

IIRC, you're in Minnesota, right? I get up that way a couple of times a year, since my sister lives in Minneapolis. I owe you a beer.

Dont be so cheap. Send your sister over for the guy.

 

[tri-man 47]

WOW. Great run. I was pretty close with my prediction. Do you want my shipping address for the prize?

IIRC, you're in Minnesota, right? I get up that way a couple of times a year, since my sister lives in Minneapolis. I owe you a beer. :(

Dont be so cheap. Send your sister over for the guy.

Does she look at all like gruecd? A beer might be the preference here.

 

[gruecd]

WOW. Great run. I was pretty close with my prediction. Do you want my shipping address for the prize?

IIRC, you're in Minnesota, right? I get up that way a couple of times a year, since my sister lives in Minneapolis. I owe you a beer.

Dont be so cheap. Send your sister over for the guy.

Does she look at all like gruecd? A beer might be the preference here.

 

[Keggers]

i will be standing on the corner of Hickory Hill and Gross, fully nude, waving to the marathoners

I'm a bad person for deep-down hoping that our shared 1/2 PR stays between us ... as much as I wish you speed and happy running today.

I really doubt I can hold 6:50s for 13 miles.

I am starting to get pretty excited for my half. (Gruecd, I am predicting a 1:29:55 for you)

In response to the above....1. Furley, didn't see you out there. If you were naked, I'm kinda glad I didn't see you..... :X

2. Sorry, Floppo, our shared PR is toast.

3. Well, I can't quite hold 6:50s for 13 miles....

4. ....but I can hold 6:52's for 13.1 miles!

Finished in 1:30:10, good for 1st place in the Clydesdale division and a new PR by almost 2:30! Gotta go get in the shower now, but needless to say, I'm very happy with today's results. Splits as follows:

7:08, 7:05, 7:01, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 6:52, 6:32, 6:42, 6:54 for miles 1-13 and 0:28 (4:54 pace) for the last tenth. What's even more impressive is that my Garmin registered exactly 13.10 miles, so we must've done a very nice job of running the tangents.

Very well done Gruecd!!! I ran in the same race as Gruecd (much slower)....beautiful weather...perfect conditions. This was my first 1/2 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training-wise I was doing 11 miles at 10:00 pace. So I was hoping to continue the 10:00 pace for the 1/2...but ended up doing better! Finished in 2:04:43...9:32 pace!!! I'm completely ecstatic with my result. Felt like I had some gas left in the tank and could have began my "kick" a bit sooner. It was fun passing people during the last mile while inside Lambeau Field. Great experience overall. Had the opportunity to meet Gruecd in person....the guy is a stud. Never saw Furley...after seeing Gruecd fly by he probably didn't want to wait for us slower runners. Again, a great experience!

 

[gruecd]

I ran in the same race as Gruecd (much slower)....beautiful weather...perfect conditions. This was my first 1/2 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training-wise I was doing 11 miles at 10:00 pace. So I was hoping to continue the 10:00 pace for the 1/2...but ended up doing better! Finished in 2:04:43...9:32 pace!!! I'm completely ecstatic with my result. Felt like I had some gas left in the tank and could have began my "kick" a bit sooner. It was fun passing people during the last mile while inside Lambeau Field. Great experience overall. Had the opportunity to meet Gruecd in person....the guy is a stud. Never saw Furley...after seeing Gruecd fly by he probably didn't want to wait for us slower runners. Again, a great experience!

That's awesome, Keggers. Congrats on a fantastic debut! I agree that it feels great when you're passing people towards the end. I ran the race with a buddy of mine from Milwaukee, and we started our kick around mile 10. We were just picking people off left and right. Yellow shirt guy? He's mine. Guy with the ponytail? There's no way I'm losing to a dude with a ponytail. Guy with the knee brace? Sorry, buddy, but lions target the weak.What's next on the race calendar?

 

[Bankerguy]

Nice job Keggers and Gruecd. Great updates all around.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I ran in the same race as Gruecd (much slower)....beautiful weather...perfect conditions. This was my first 1/2 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training-wise I was doing 11 miles at 10:00 pace. So I was hoping to continue the 10:00 pace for the 1/2...but ended up doing better! Finished in 2:04:43...9:32 pace!!! I'm completely ecstatic with my result. Felt like I had some gas left in the tank and could have began my "kick" a bit sooner. It was fun passing people during the last mile while inside Lambeau Field. Great experience overall. Had the opportunity to meet Gruecd in person....the guy is a stud. Never saw Furley...after seeing Gruecd fly by he probably didn't want to wait for us slower runners. Again, a great experience!

Great job, especially with the strong finish. That's a great feeling.

 

[tri-man 47]

Keggers, that's great to hear!!!

Your first 1/2-marathon gets you the dancing pickle brigade. Neat to hear how your race time was a lot better than training times - more distance, and at a better speed ...and with a strong finish, too! Ultimately, that's the idea!

 

[gruecd]

Keggers, are you gonna do the Aurora Run/Walk for Cancer on the 7th at Ashwaubomay Park? It's done in conjuction with the Green Bay Triathlon. They've got 5K and 10K distances. Let me know.

 

[pigskinliquors]

What a GREAT weekend!! To IvanK, Gruecd, Poppa, Lehigh and Keggers... Awesome runs galore!!

FWIW: I'm back to being a runner again! After consuming an extra 5,000+ calories on Friday and Saturday (parties both days/nights, all day/night), I headed out for a slow and steady approximate 4 mile run. I left the Garmin at home and just enjoyed being out again. It felt awesome, and my calves feel no worse for the wear = I'm back! I'll slowly start building mileage so that I can hopefully get a couple long runs (10+ while in Spain = in 18 days).

 

[Keggers]

I ran in the same race as Gruecd (much slower)....beautiful weather...perfect conditions. This was my first 1/2 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training-wise I was doing 11 miles at 10:00 pace. So I was hoping to continue the 10:00 pace for the 1/2...but ended up doing better! Finished in 2:04:43...9:32 pace!!! I'm completely ecstatic with my result. Felt like I had some gas left in the tank and could have began my "kick" a bit sooner. It was fun passing people during the last mile while inside Lambeau Field. Great experience overall. Had the opportunity to meet Gruecd in person....the guy is a stud. Never saw Furley...after seeing Gruecd fly by he probably didn't want to wait for us slower runners. Again, a great experience!

That's awesome, Keggers. Congrats on a fantastic debut! I agree that it feels great when you're passing people towards the end. I ran the race with a buddy of mine from Milwaukee, and we started our kick around mile 10. We were just picking people off left and right. Yellow shirt guy? He's mine. Guy with the ponytail? There's no way I'm losing to a dude with a ponytail. Guy with the knee brace? Sorry, buddy, but lions target the weak.

What's next on the race calendar?

Thanks for the congratulations everyone! Needless to say, I think know I'm hooked on running. I have a friend whose girlfriend is an experienced marathon/ 1/2 marathon runner. I saw my friend with about 2 miles left and he yells, "Hey Keggers! April (his girlfriend) is just in front of you in the red!" Well, that didn't last long....flew past her and beat her by over 3 minutes. I know that running is mainly about competing with yourself, but let's be honest, it's fun to compete against people you know. I was happy!

fixed

 

[meeka]

Very well done Gruecd!!! I ran in the same race as Gruecd (much slower)....beautiful weather...perfect conditions. This was my first 1/2 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training-wise I was doing 11 miles at 10:00 pace. So I was hoping to continue the 10:00 pace for the 1/2...but ended up doing better! Finished in 2:04:43...9:32 pace!!! I'm completely ecstatic with my result. Felt like I had some gas left in the tank and could have began my "kick" a bit sooner. It was fun passing people during the last mile while inside Lambeau Field. Great experience overall. Had the opportunity to meet Gruecd in person....the guy is a stud. Never saw Furley...after seeing Gruecd fly by he probably didn't want to wait for us slower runners. Again, a great experience!

Nice work Keggers! My first 1/2 was a year ago. I enjoyed running 5Ks other short races, but after I trained for and ran a 1/2 I knew that I really enjoy that distance more. Now find a 1/2 for the fall so you can stay motivated for the rest of the year. That was my biggest mistake last year. No long races after May, and I pretty much faked it for the rest of the year.

 

[gruecd]

Nice work Keggers! Now find a 1/2 for the fall so you can stay motivated for the rest of the year.

Fox Cities on September 20. My running club is actually in charge of the training runs. We actually start this coming Saturday morning!

 

[Keggers]

Very well done Gruecd!!! I ran in the same race as Gruecd (much slower)....beautiful weather...perfect conditions. This was my first 1/2 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training-wise I was doing 11 miles at 10:00 pace. So I was hoping to continue the 10:00 pace for the 1/2...but ended up doing better! Finished in 2:04:43...9:32 pace!!! I'm completely ecstatic with my result. Felt like I had some gas left in the tank and could have began my "kick" a bit sooner. It was fun passing people during the last mile while inside Lambeau Field. Great experience overall. Had the opportunity to meet Gruecd in person....the guy is a stud. Never saw Furley...after seeing Gruecd fly by he probably didn't want to wait for us slower runners. Again, a great experience!

Nice work Keggers! My first 1/2 was a year ago. I enjoyed running 5Ks other short races, but after I trained for and ran a 1/2 I knew that I really enjoy that distance more. Now find a 1/2 for the fall so you can stay motivated for the rest of the year. That was my biggest mistake last year. No long races after May, and I pretty much faked it for the rest of the year.

My next event will be a 10K (next month)....and my next 1/2 will be in September. I can't wait!

 

[2Young2BBald]

Very well done Gruecd!!!

I ran in the same race as Gruecd (much slower)....beautiful weather...perfect conditions. This was my first 1/2 and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Training-wise I was doing 11 miles at 10:00 pace. So I was hoping to continue the 10:00 pace for the 1/2...but ended up doing better! Finished in 2:04:43...9:32 pace!!! I'm completely ecstatic with my result. Felt like I had some gas left in the tank and could have began my "kick" a bit sooner. It was fun passing people during the last mile while inside Lambeau Field. Great experience overall. Had the opportunity to meet Gruecd in person....the guy is a stud. Never saw Furley...after seeing Gruecd fly by he probably didn't want to wait for us slower runners. Again, a great experience!

Nice work Keggers! My first 1/2 was a year ago. I enjoyed running 5Ks other short races, but after I trained for and ran a 1/2 I knew that I really enjoy that distance more. Now find a 1/2 for the fall so you can stay motivated for the rest of the year. That was my biggest mistake last year. No long races after May, and I pretty much faked it for the rest of the year.

My next event will be a 10K (next month)....and my next 1/2 will be in September. I can't wait!

I love this place. How can you not be and stay motivated when you read the reports?!?!? Great job Keggers!!I did a little bit of everything the last 3 days. I got a quick 5K running in on Saturday & rode 18 miles yesterday in 20 to 30 MPH winds on and island in the Detroit River. With the wind, we were averaging around 28 MPH, against it, it was a sturggle to do 15/16 MPH. I am starting to like the bike, but I can't keep my left thumb from going numb. Today, I swam 2,000 yards after pitching an hour of BP.

Hey PSL, have you've tried CW-X Compression Socks? I don't like them for long runs, but I really like them on the bike and short runs.

Finally,I might have to add an HTFU sticker to the race vehicle.

 

[culdeus]

Ran again last night. Couple of miles fairly brisk pushing the kids and they rolled off like nothing. Wasn't even hardly winded. I think I could knock out a 10k no problem this weekend if I wanted to. I'm also only a half pound from getting under 160, and once I get under 160, 155 usually comes quick and then I'm much faster on the bike.

Probably going to start doing two-a-days in a few weeks bike in morning run in afternoon 2x a week and run only once a week. I figure eventually I'll drop running sometime in july for awhile and pick it back up in the fall. maybe.

 

[culdeus]

The 305 w/ HRM is available at www.Costco.com for $179.00+ tax, shippped. It is good through the end of the month

 

[RoarinSonoran]

The Roarin Girls had to run a mile at school yesterday. My 12yo finished in 15:13 (not sure if she walked or not), and my 13yo showed off daddy's genes with a 9:26. roudpapa:

I guess I'll have to start getting them ready for Boston, huh?

 

[2Young2BBald]

I bought clipless pedals & shoes for the bike yesterday and need a bit of help. I tried to get the straps off the cranks, but they are not budging. I think the shop where I bought the bike over tightened them and I am afraid I'll damage them if I torque too hard. Are the a "lefty loosy, righty tighty" or are the reverse threaded like plumbing? There is no allen in the back like the clipless pedals to get a good hold, so I have to do a metric wrench instead. Is there a way to steady the crank so I can apply enough pressure to get them off, OR am I better suited to take it to the shop and have them do it? I went with mountain bike shoes versus straight road shoes as I think I can strap in to the shoes on the pedals at tri T1, but want to come out of them entering T2 versus trying to strap our and I'd of course trash the clip running on road shoes. I think I may wait until after the 2 tris I have in the next month to use the clips as I don't think I'll be secure with them. Although, I may give them a try on Saturday and see how I do. I am going to start with the tension way down until I get the hang of clipping out in the attempt to not fall (which I've heard is a clip right of passage).

 

[culdeus]

I bought clipless pedals & shoes for the bike yesterday and need a bit of help. I tried to get the straps off the cranks, but they are not budging. I think the shop where I bought the bike over tightened them and I am afraid I'll damage them if I torque too hard. Are the a "lefty loosy, righty tighty" or are the reverse threaded like plumbing? There is no allen in the back like the clipless pedals to get a good hold, so I have to do a metric wrench instead. Is there a way to steady the crank so I can apply enough pressure to get them off, OR am I better suited to take it to the shop and have them do it? I went with mountain bike shoes versus straight road shoes as I think I can strap in to the shoes on the pedals at tri T1, but want to come out of them entering T2 versus trying to strap our and I'd of course trash the clip running on road shoes. I think I may wait until after the 2 tris I have in the next month to use the clips as I don't think I'll be secure with them. Although, I may give them a try on Saturday and see how I do. I am going to start with the tension way down until I get the hang of clipping out in the attempt to not fall (which I've heard is a clip right of passage).

Slow down. I tried to get the straps off the cranks, but they are not budging. What straps are you talking about?

There is no allen in the back like the clipless pedals to get a good hold I'm not sure what you are talking about here, but I'm certain whatever it is is not meant to be taking any force of any kind.

Lets start over.

I think you are trying to get your flat pedals off. Correct?

The left and right pedals are left and right threaded respectively to the crank arm.

Removing the pedals without a pedal wrench ($5) is hard. A C-wrench doesn't quite cut it usually, though in a pinch can work.

Sheldon has some tips below.

mytagid = Math.floor( Math.random() * 100 );document.write("

What's the trick to removing pedals? Of the three times that I have tried to remove my pedals (I have two bikes and am in the process of exchanging/switching pedals) I have only succeeded once. The main problem is the pedals have been put on very tightly and I can't even budge the damn thing.

Left and right pedals have left and right threads respectively, and are best removed with a long handled 15 mm pedal wrench. Rather than using any clever wrench orientation or other methods to determine which way to tighten or loosen pedals, use the rule that rotating "forward" (as the wheels of the bicycle do) tightens and rotating "backward" loosens.

Pedals are often made with tight fitting threads in an effort to improve the hold of this poorly designed mechanical interface. The intent is to prevent relative motion under load although they move anyway. If that were not the case, the threads would not be left and right handed. That they move is also apparent from damage where the pedal axle frets against the crank face, the main causes of crank failures at the pedal eye. Besides damaging the crank face, fretting motion depletes thread lubrication and causes galling (aka welding) so that pedals often cannot be removed forcefully without damaging pedal shafts, wrenches, or cranks so that forceful removal strips threads.

To remove "frozen" pedals from an aluminum crank, remove the crank and pedal from the BB spindle, heat the pedal end of the crank over gas flame cooking stove until it sizzles to the wet touch. Using a pedal wrench, the pedal usually unscrews relatively easily without damage. If a lubricated pedal with clean threads does not screw in easily, a thread tap should be run through the crank to prevent galling on insertion. This is best done on the bicycle, where the crank is held firmly by the BB and prevented from rotation by the chain. To keep chain tension to a minimum (so the rear wheel does not spin), keep the pedal wrench as parallel to the crank as possible rather than as an extension to the crank.

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I would strongly advise against loosening the tension of the clips. If you get up out of the saddle and bear down and have any lateral play in the foot you could come out of the pedal. Most pedals out of the box are already set up quite loose and need to be tightened a few revolutions for saftey, not the other way around. Nobody falls over because they can't get out of the pedal. They fall over because they forget to get un-clipped until it's too late. It happens once to you and you will remember.

 

[gruecd]

Contemplating piggy-backing on my success from last Sunday and running the Madison Marathon this coming Sunday. Stay tuned.....