wildcat den trail run - help name it!

Last fall, I had an email discussion with the race director at Clinton Lake 30 miler, after his race filled within weeks of opening.  "Why don't you folks up in Northern IL and Eastern IA come up with something of your own?" he said.  OK...

After a winter of training on snow and mud at most of the trail venues in the  area, we opened a discussion with the Park Ranger at Wildcat Den State Park. We are going to have a trail run at Wildcat in mid November 2010!

Very low key...low entry fee, optional t-shirts. The event will be a fundraiser in cooperation with the park to raise money for a new playground.  The State of Iowa will match donations raised by the event.

Need your help....Need a catchy name.  One of my quieter running companions came up with the first few.

• WooHoo at Wildcat
• Too Den Much
• Denterrific

Please leave comments at the blog or on Facebook, and we will have a vote on the blog.

-Larry

minimalist shoe update

Bought a pair of Vibram KSO's last November on a lark.  A grand experiment.  They have earned a place in my shoe collection as a training and racing flat...up to about 6 miles or 10k.  Probably have 200-250 miles on them. On or off pavement ok, but my feet start to hurt at 8 to 10 mi mark.  And despite what Barefoot Ted says, rocks hurt this tenderfoot!  Chose not to run half marathon in them....spring events coming and I did not want something new.

A big test was a 5k for time this past Sunday. Had not raced for time since Dec. 2008 at 5k. Last year's 100 mile mountain quest prevented. Training volume up, this was gonna be for all the marbles. Did the old first time marathoner trick...tell people what you are gonna do, so you have to do it.  End up staring at ceiling at 4 am...now I gotta do this.  No back down. Time to dig.

I greased up, put on some Injinji socks.  Put on the Vibrams, stared at em.  Something made me take them off and put on my Saucony road shoes.

Ran a great race.  Happy with a 19:22 PR. 51 sec improvement.  Not enough to place...any other age group, yes, but 40 something men are out to prove something to the reaper.

Where does this leave the great minimalist shoe experiment?  Still an ongoing effort.  Looking for some INOV-8 trail shoes...someday.  Mostly I have learned to pay attention to my stride more, with deliberate intent of landing mid foot.  And I have a TON of miles on my road shoes and trail shoes....500-1000 miles each.  And my feet don't hurt, and I am running better than ever.

An un-sung component to this....yoga and targeted strength training and plyometrics.  A grown man jumping around the Y like giant bunny rabbit.  I suspect...but don't know....the cross training, strength and stretch are helping performance.  Run miles not up a lot, but other training is. I suspect this is as big or bigger piece of the pie than the minimal foot wear.  Could run in combat boots... if feet and legs and core and upper body are strong, it matters less.

Re-evaluate shoes after 50 mile Ice Age.  Running volume will fall off with periodization, out door biking events for May-July.  Short distance for time.  Never have trained specific for short distance.  Gonna see where this goes.

-Larry

if you are an endurance athlete, you understand

How much can you jam into a human brain? How far can you push yourself past feelings of exhaustion?
From You Tube. below. 1982 Ironman finisher Julie Moss, staggering, falling then crawling to a finish. Inspired by Radio Lab podcast. Also includes coverage of RAAM - Ride Across America. Dear wife overheard, said "no" ;-(
"I pooped my pants on national TV..." "That voice, I called upon, that said keep moving forward." Your real self, there is no limit. No limit." - Julie Moss
Podcast about limits. Further mentions scientific studies on cyclists where they injected glucose right into muscles using an IV. Several energy drinks worth. Did no better than control group, who got nothing. Hmmm..limits all in your head?
Another study....two groups of cyclists. 40 km on stationary bikes. One group gets a sugar energy drink...no swallow. Swish and spit. The other group gets a fake energy drink. Swish and spit. The group with taste only of sugar energy drink goes farther. Significantly farther.
Theory? The body has a "safety circuit, central governor." A circuit breaker that protects you from hurting yourself. But if you can push through the "circuit breaker," then you have more stores of energy than you realize. The sugar taste allows your mind to tap those reserves.
Like putting the penny in the fuse box. My old German grandfather's trick. Wiring down the safety valve on the steam boiler.
Breaking through the pain, tapping energy you didn't think you had. What a trip. What an addicting trip.



-Larry

rabbits

During a recent long run, I recall discussing the topic of "rabbits" with someone.  Maybe the name doesn't click, but the concept usually does.  Find someone to follow, to fixate on as your mind wanders, or needs some distraction from "embracing the discomfort."  To the next tree, to the next hill, to the top of the mountain.  Whatever motivates.  Maybe pass them at the end or top if you can. They have served you well without knowing.

Picture from a mountain race last year.  A buddy a few steps up the trail.  Me a few steps back.  Rabbit for a few hours between us.  Never said a word, except "thanks" at the summit.

-Larry

lincoln memorial half marathon - springfield, IL

A first time half for a good high school buddy.  A long time distance cyclist, he took up running last year and the training has paid off.  Proof of the value of cross training in my book - run, bike, spin, weights...another success story.

The Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon is at a nice time of year for people running a spring marathon.  Early in April or late in March.  Sponsored by the Springfield Road Runners, a nice regional race of a just over a thousand participants.  Just the half marathon, no 5k or 10k events.  Lots of water and Powerade stops, one gel stop (vanilla Gu....do they give the stuff that doesn't sell to races for free?)

There is a group locally in Springfield that has trained together for the half marathon - the Half Wits.   Check out there blog here.  Head good things about a three quality runs per week program - intervals, tempo, long....this too sounds very familiar.  Nice to hear about a group promoting the half, not just running long on weekends, training hard and delivering results.

Great job to Curt and Melissa and Mike and all the nice folks I met on an overcast, windy but very nice Saturday race.  Pictures on Flickr below.


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-Larry