race report - CRUD 8 hr trail run - brimfield, Illinois

Decided to do this race about a month ago.  A friend and I were considering Dances with Dirt in Gnawbone, Indiana, but with family commitments not looking forward to the 6-7 hour drive each way, plus two nights of stay.

Found out about CRUD 8 hr and 24 hr run through other friends, and Cornbelt Running Club website.  Only an hour and a half from my house, at Jubilee State Park - just off I-74 northwest of Peoria.

First question...what does CRUD stand for, besides being a description of what your feet and body look and feel like after running this long?  CRUD stands for Clydesdales Running Ultra Distance.  A Clydesdale, besides being a large draft horse, is a male runner over 200 lbs.  Females over 150 lbs can register as Fillies.  The horse analogies escape me...people are much better runners than horses!

Race is small, local, the way I like Ultras. A throwback to the simplicity of just running.  No pretense.  A surprisingly large park for Central Illinois at 3200 acres, Jubilee College State Park dates to the mid-1800's with the failure of a religious college.  The building is nearby and restored, but uber runners were just interested in running about in the forest on Saturday.  Another time.

In the race's second year, a 24 hour version was added beginning at 4 pm on Friday.  The 8 hr run began at 8 am on Saturday, with both races finishing at 4 pm. An awards dinner was held just after the race.  The event was chip-timed...the strap ankle mostly waterproof type chips that triathlon's seem to favor.

The course is a 3.5 mile loop, with a good deal of elevation change.  I could dump my Garmin GPS tonight, but I am tired.  Follow up soon. Trail actually seems a little slower than our own Wildcat 50k, probably due to single track and mud and hills.

Two small creek crossings, plus two wide mud bogs.  Give it up.  Just get muddy, then wet, then muddy, then wet again.  Repeat each loop.

Well supported event.  Good food and plenty of it.  It got hot in the day, and the promised thunderstorms stayed away.  By late afternoon, with temps climbing to near 80 deg, I would have welcomed the rain.  Switched to two hand bottles per loop by then...I was drinking 30-40 oz of water every 3.5 miles, plus taking 2 electrolyte pills.

Finished the event on the one mile loop after you could no longer do another 3.5 mile loop.  Felt strong after a slow easy start, so decided to turn this into a progression training run.  Every loop and mile from about mile 24 until the end, made it faster.  Dropped from 15 minute miles to 10 minute miles by the end.

Photo at left....found a skull in the woods that matched our "Run or Die" t-shirts.  Race day uniform from Rim2Rim2Rim ;-)

Praise and thanks goe out to Adam Zimmermann and Mike Klopfenstein for hosting the event, plus the Illinois Valley Striders.

Good event, and I think my friends and I will come back in future.

-Larry

race report - Cleveland Marathon - Happy Joe's Bus Trip

Thanks to Super Dave Jessen for putting this all together.  It is a lot of work to organize a bus trip, and he doesn't make a dime at it.  He just loves running with his friends.

QCRunner is on an ultra, trail running quest this season, so I missed the spring bus trip.  Looking forward to doing something in spring of 2012 group travel related.  Maybe I can get the Muscatine and QC groups together...

Best to you Dave!

-Larry
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Hi Guys,

 

Report on the Saturday Morning Happy Joe's running group trip to Cleveland Marathon weekend-

 

Rain, Wind and cold greeted us race morning. 31 Happy Joe's runners travel to Cleveland running the Marathon, Half and 10K. 2 rookie marathoners Lisa Wells and Brad Saunders. 3 rookie Half Marathoners Paul & Michele Reginello and Jim Bernas. All first timers finished what they came to do. Weather was a factor in racing performance but not a factor in fun. Left Saturday morning May 14th, rain and fog the whole way. Traveled directly to Race Expo held in abandoned Walmart 10min from downtown because last years Expo venue being rebuilt. Nice Expo with plenty to see, do and buy! Race morning, cold windy and rainy. Didn't dampen spirits though because...  hey! who said marathons were easy? After everyone was done and cleaned up we had our bus driver "Smitty" take us to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Good time there and afterwards rode to the "warehouse district" for food, brew, fun and reflection. 

Other item of note besides the first timers were Kay Ralston took 3rd place in her age group and Chet Doyle was 4th place in his.

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~the run goes on forever...~

-Dave

video - cornbelt running club - track night at Augie 5/17/11

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IL Marathon 2011 - let the wind blow

A special shout out to Teri Lyon on a great finish at the Illinois Marathon.  Huge 10 minute improved personal best at 3:46 and much thanks for arranging transport and lodging for nearly 30  runners from the Quad Cities and Muscatine area.

Another kudos to Erin Roling, on a 15th place overall female finish at 3:27 for her first marathon.  Good luck to both Eric and Matt on their lives in Madison.  Will miss you both.

QCRunner learned humility again at half marathon distance, despite a 30 sec personal best.  Running is always an unforgiving master, especially in the masters division.  First 6 miles about 10-15 ahead of the pace I had in me that day at 6:45.  Overly aggressive.  Turned into a south and then west wind of 20-30 mph for miles 6-10.

Too much watching the gps, too little concentrating on running my on race by perceived effort, the level of effort appropriate for that day.  Operating at about a 95% effort, 10 secs a mile is the difference between finishing feeling strong, and finishing feeling like your are holding on to a slipping effort.

Covered the gear up with Moeben sleeves at the half way mark, and held on, running by heart beat, concentrating on stride, knowing the 1:30 goal time was slipping away, with hope of hanging on to simple improvement.  Always have primary and secondary goals.

I am seriously considering ditching the GPS tech completely.  It is a stress creator, not a stress reliever.  Battery life is declining, and there is no rush for replacement.  A wise young elite runner told me he ran once with his wife's GPS, and then swore off the tech forever. "That thing would drive me nuts" he said.

And don't necessarily run 3 ultras in the previous 5 weeks if the half is a priority. But I knew the exchange I was making.  Grown up stuff this is.

Best to all.

-Larry

Photo credits.  Daphne D. , Erin R., Tony C.