tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4770783712675007702024-03-19T01:12:29.831-07:00Respect The RunMidwest Training, Racing and Interviews from the Lead PackAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-41710304993461303382015-05-02T13:16:00.000-07:002015-05-02T13:16:01.427-07:00No Boston MagicI wanted to share a few quick thoughts on the Boston Marathon. It's been about 12 days now and I'm glad I went, but I likely won't return. The downhill pounding didn't treat me well despite my specific preparation and strength work going in.<br />
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The weather was tough too. High winds (headwinds) and some rain. Even on a perfect weather day, I just don't think this course lays out well for me.<br />
I made a conscious decision not to adjust my pace or race plan for the weather. Even 10 days later, I still have no regrets about that, especially considering that the uphill (slower) part of the race in Boston is the 2nd half. I ran my first half marathon in 1:16:23. That's 2:33 marathon pace, which I believe I'm capable of running (just need to put it all together).<br />
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I had trouble finding a good rhythm at Boston. I was fighting the wind and looking for a pack to settle in with for the first 7 or 8 miles which just cost me too much energy. The wheels started to come off around mile 17. My pace slowed enough that I was getting passed by way too many runners in the last 8 miles. Even my college teammate Doron Clark from Minneapolis passed me about mile 25!<br />
I finally finished in 2:41:53 which put me in 353rd place. Out of about 30,000 runners that's not so bad I guess.<br />
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I was shivering and suffering the entire walk back to the apartment with my buddy Ryan. But luckily, a hot shower and a meal seemed to cure most of my suffering. Of course, there were sore hips and quads for the next couple days. But that's expected after a downhill race.<br />
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I'll hold off on doing an in-depth analysis of the race organization, expo, and so forth. In short, I wasn't impressed by the logistics, "27th Mile" after-party, or security (why are so many people passing through security and boarding the bus to the start line carrying bags and extra pairs of shoes if there is a no-bag policy in place??).<br />
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The bottom line is I just didn't feel the magic at Boston. Maybe it's because it wasn't a struggle for me to qualify, maybe it's because I'm a midwestern guy and Boston doesn't feel like home to me, maybe it's because I hate the 10am start time, maybe it's because I don't like the downhill pounding of the course and just didn't run well on April 20, 2015. Maybe all of the above.<br />
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All that being said, I had a good time riding the city bus and exploring Boston by foot. My Lincoln Running Company teammate Ryan Regnier and I stayed in a studio apartment in the South End area less than a mile from the finish line. It worked out really well because we had many restaurants and a nice neighborhood lined with brownstones and historic churches right outside our door.<br />
I also got to spend a little time the airport with another of my teammates, Austin McKillip and his family. Even his mother and mother-in-law were there. Yeah, he's totally whipped.<br />
Oh, and the JFK museum was worthwhile. That's about the only touristy thing we did that weekend.<br />
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Hope to add some pics from Boston here soon.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-20473677780557641952015-02-12T08:53:00.000-08:002015-02-19T14:42:39.163-08:00Getting Greedy In California: CIM Race Report (12/7/14)Wow! I need to get back on the blogging horse here. It's been about 2 months since I had a disappointing run out at California International Marathon (CIM) and then floated into the holidays without giving an update on what went wrong.<br />
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I'm not going to over-analyze this race (wait, I probably am) but here are the high points...</div>
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I flew out with my Lincoln Running Company (LRC) teammate Ryan Regnier and met up with other teammates Brian Wandzilak, Tom Nichols (now living in Denver area), and Eric Noel (now living in California). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan Regnier and me at the Expo (abov<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">e) and a shot from the shakeout run we attended.</span></td></tr>
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We did the usual expo thing and had some fun there tasting Nuun flavors (I still don't like Nuun) and chatting with other runners. It was a great expo. We ran around downtown Sacramento and found it to be a pretty average city. The Old Town Sacramento area near the river was unique and packed with candy stores. Just what we needed going into a marathon!!<br />
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Ryan Regnier and I drove the course the day before the race and hid some water bottles along the way that we could find on race day. I was surprised to see that the course was not very scenic. The majority of the race was a run through a suburban scene of strip malls, tire shops and chain restaurants. I guess I had heard so many people compare it to Grandma's Marathon that I expected it to be more scenic and less suburban.<br />
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The highlight of the day before the race, though, was hanging out with Ryan Regnier's aunt Jean who lives about 30 minutes outside Sacramento. She took us to a local diner for pancakes and then drove us through the beautiful rural areas of nut trees and vineyards that are just outside Sacramento.<br />
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Despite Ryan's aunt Jean being nearby, we stayed at a Holiday Inn (which was crappy) to be near the bus pickup area on race morning. It worked out well and the bus got us to the start in plenty of time.<br />
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I was feeling good and healthy going into the race.<br />
I had led in with a solid 2:38 at Des Moines Marathon (October 19) and then mileage weeks of 55, 106, 110, 114, 87, 79 and then 53 the week of the race. I had even suprised myself and run a 1:12 half marathon in early November during a 106 mile week (at the Good Life Halfsy in Lincoln, NE). </div>
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Hindsight being 20/20, I see now that I was aggressive by taking this 1:12 half to mean I could run 2:30 or 2:31. My goal early in the fall was simply to PR. Anything sub-2:35 would have accomplished that. But after my 1:12 half marathon, I believed my own hype and those stupid online pace calculators. I had adjusted my official goal down to 2:32 but secretly wanted to run 2:30.</div>
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The weather was great on race morning. It was around 50 degrees (I think) and cloudy/cool at start time. I had planned to run this race without trying to pace with teammates. Nobody's goals were close to mine. We had some guys looking to run 2:22 and others looking at 2:40. </div>
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The gun went off and I got out in 5:45 for the first mile and was happy with that considering it is a downhill mile. I followed with a 5:53 which put me right back on pace. My problem came during miles 3 and 4 where I got antsy and picked up my pace to 5:38 and then 5:36 as I tried to find a good pack to run with. </div>
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I certainly did find a good pack. As I continued to roll along and talk to a couple guys in our pack of about 6 runners, I found that they were all 2:28 or 2:29 marathoners. I realized about mile 7 that I was punching above my weight class but was actually pretty comfortable in the 5:40-5:45 pace we were running so I made the conscious decision to just carry on as long as I could.</div>
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I was remarkably even with my pacing thanks to the pack. Miles 5-17 were all in the 5:41-5:47 range.</div>
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I began to fall of the pack around 16 miles and realized that I wasn't actually slowing down but my pack had started to pick it up in order to run negative splits. We had split 1:15:04 at the half marathon, and most off my pack would end up running 1:14 for the second half of the race and finish in the 2:28 to 2:30 zone.</div>
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I turned miles 18 and 19 in 5:59 and was really feeling those quick early miles (3 and 4). </div>
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For mile 20 I fell to 6:18 and mile 21 was worse. I had hit the wall hard and my legs felt like stone. I probably would have tried to jog in for a 2:40+ finish time if I hadn't seen my teammate Tom Nichols struggling just as bad as myself right at mile 21. </div>
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But I caught him and we decided to drop out together. We hung out awkwardly near the water stop and eventually found a spectator who was headed to the finish and he gave us a ride to the finish line. We got there when the clock was about 3 hours. We were able to find our teammates and the rest is history. Congrats to those who did finish CIM. I just got a little greedy.</div>
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SPLITS</div>
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5:45.8</div>
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2:02:29---Did Not Finish (DNF), dropped out at mile 21.</div>
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Note that I don't appear in full results but my splits are there if you search my name.</div>
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<a href="http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-7526?lc=en">My Results</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-1579049995159466342014-11-07T08:03:00.000-08:002014-11-07T08:24:25.368-08:00Hometown High and Headphone Guy: Des Moines Marathon Race Report (10/19/14)I was certainly in uncharted waters going into the DSM Marathon. I had never run a second marathon only 4 weeks after the first. But I had laid out an aggressive plan to run 2 fall marathons as warmups for my goal race, the California International Marathon in early December, and I wanted to stick to that plan. Unfortunately, I had been sick with flu symptoms in those 4 weeks between races and was still battling congestion during race week. My mileage had suffered too. While I normally run 80-120 miles per week I had only logged 67, 75, 81, and 55 (week of DSM including race).<br />
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Despite all that, I've had a pretty solid year of running and felt good the days leading up to the race. This was my hometown race, after all, and I wasn't going to miss it. When I was growing up in Des Moines in the 80's and 90's this race simply didn't exist (2014 is the 14th year), so I was excited to see how the city would support the race. </div>
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The day before the race I drove 3 hours over from Lincoln, NE (where we have lived for just over a year) with my wife and two boys. My wife and 10 year old son had plans to run the 5k which I didn't see because it started 45 minutes after the full marathon. But my son Gavin had a great race and ran a 5k PR of 19:58! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Race kit laid out night before the race.</td></tr>
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We stayed in town with family the night before. I laid out my race day gear as usual. Things looked a bit different. This would be my first race wearing my new Smarty Pants Vitamins jersey and I was surprised at the way so many fans called out "Go Smarty Pants!" out on the course. It was definitely a pleasant surprise. </div>
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I thought I should write a quick note in response to a few folks who have asked about my new race jersey. </div>
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So here's the scoop: I will be wearing my Smarty Pants gear for some races and my Lincoln Running Company gear for others. Basically, I will wear my club gear (LRC) in any race where they are supporting me financially (by paying entries, travel expenses, etc.) and I will wear my Smarty gear (or whatever I feel like wearing) for other races. Team Smarty Pants isn't a real club team like LRC, it's just a loose group of people around the country who like the product and agree to be an "ambassador" and receive free products and gear in exchange for "getting social" about the products on Twitter. </div>
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All that being said, this is a great product that my kids had been taking for about a year before I got involved with Smarty Pants. It's the only way my kids will take Omega-3 vitamins at all. Use this code for 15% off your order: #RunSmarty14 </div>
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Now back to the race report....</div>
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I did my usual routine of waking up and eating a light breakfast 2 hours before race time. One banana and a cup of dry cheerios, then a V8 brand energy drink with caffeine about 45 minutes before the race starts. Caffeine is my drug of choice on race day. Research indicates that caffeine reduces perceived exertion while running (you feel like you are running slower than you're actually running), and I'm a big believer that this is true.</div>
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Wish I had known this in high school in the mid-90's...</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was lucky enough to have time to set 6 of my own bottles out along the course the night before. I used the same mix that seemed to work at Omaha. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">The bottles had my mix of half water/half gatorade and 2 Saltstick Caps dissolved in each bottle. Each bottle held 12 ounces and I ended up carrying them for maybe half a mile and drinking about half of each one (6 oz) before tossing it. (</span>Feel free to email or tweet at me if you want any marathon nutrition tips! I think I almost have it figured out.)</span></div>
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We arrived about an hour before race time and parked on the north end of downtown DSM. The weather was crisp but really just about perfect for a marathon. 40's and fairly light breezes. </div>
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I jogged for about a mile and then went over to the starting area. I wore gloves and arm sleeves to stay comfortable early in the race until I warmed up. I ended up ditching the sleeves at mile 6 and the gloves around mile 21 after I spilled a cup of water all over them. </div>
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I liked the start area being on a bridge over the river. It gives you a view while you wait to start and a "big race" feeling. The deep field of Kenyan runners vying for the new $10,000 winning prize also gives you a big race feeling. (I met one athlete at packet pickup who had just got off a plane directly from Kenya. He had come to Des Moines for a chance at the money.)<br />
Of course, I knew I wouldn't be in that mix (the winner ran 2:12) but it's always fun to watch 20 Kenyans start a race and watch most of them drop out along the way because the prize money only goes down to 5th place. Once they realize it's not their day they stop running and save it for next weekend where they will be racing in Dayton or St. Louis or wherever there is prize money. I will do a separate post soon about how the Elite Runner fields are handled at Des Moines Marathon and other races. And I should probably note that I did receive a free "elite" entry at this race because I met the time standard of 2:35.<br />
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I got out very relaxed the first mile and fought the urge to go hard too early. At DSM, as in most marathons, the full and half-marathon competitors start at the same time. There were some fast half-marathoners in the race, which can make it hard to tell who your competition is early on.<br />
I ran 5:59 for mile one. I was chatting with several Nebraska and Iowa runners during this mile including Shannon Suing, David Bohlken and others. This was just the pace I had planned. A good start.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A mix of Full (blue bibs) and Half Marathoners (orange bibs) at Mile 1.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">My wife Bridie and 10 year old son Gavin spectating at Mile 1 (before their own 5k!)</td></tr>
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The full and half marathon runners split around 2.5 miles into the race. The half marathoners turn south for their pancake-flat jaunt through Waterworks Park and Gray's Lake. Full marathon runners head west up the Grand Avenue hill which is over 1 mile long (although there is a flattish stretch halfway up). </div>
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It was apparent as soon as we started climbing Grand Avenue that this would be a lonely marathon for me. The Kenyans had shot out and left just a handful of us strung out minutes behind them. I chatted with a runner from Carroll, Iowa on the way up the Grand Avenue hill. His name was Scott Cale and he was wearing a baggy orange t-shirt which made me wonder if he was for real. (He turned out to be a solid runner who finished the race in 2:40.)<br />
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I ran with Scott up and down the South of Grand hills for a couple miles and then pulled ahead around mile 5. We agreed to see each other at the finish and catch up. I felt I couldn't wait any longer to start moving up. I could see two runners up ahead and one was clearly struggling. </div>
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He was a blonde guy wearing royal blue gear. I was feeling comfortable up Foster Drive as I chased the royal blue runner and a runner in all black, who turned out to be Dan Sevcik (a Runablaze Iowa team runner). </div>
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I peeled off and tossed my arm sleeves at mile 6 and then passed the royal blue runner about mile 7 (as you come back onto Grand Ave and head west toward Polk Blvd).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Thanks to Super Fan and Super Race Director Julie Feist of Beatrice, NE for this pic at about mile 7.5.</td></tr>
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I was feeling good and couldn't help smiling as I ran past my alma mater Roosevelt High (mile 9) and then ran by my first house on Kingman Blvd (mile 10). My goofy smile was apparently contagious as the scattered crowds along the way were screaming for me. "Keep smiling!" and "Go Smarty Pants!" were common cheers. I was amazed how much fun people had calling me Smarty Pants out there!<br />
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I was running solo from mile 7 to 10 but was slowly reeling in the runner in black (Sevcik). He was laying down solid splits and I was happy to have someone to chase. I quickly passed an African woman about mile 10 who had apparently fallen off the lead pack and was struggling. (3 international women ended up beating me that day and all the international women had gone out aggressively.)</div>
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It was definitely a breezy day but I didn't realize how breezy until I entered the wind tunnel of Drake Stadium. Cool to run a lap there, but it was a windy lap. I was still about 10 or 15 yards behind Sevcik.</div>
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The turnaround at Drake allowed me to see who was in front of me and approximately how far ahead they were. I could see the women's lead pack had at least 3 minutes on me and they were working together. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I exited Drake Stadium, climbed back up to Kingman Blvd, and near mile 13 I passed Sevcik without him putting up a fight. (After the race we met and he told me he was having ankle problems. I don't believe he had finished the race.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was through the half in 1:18:16 and was disappointed when I saw it on the big clock. I had hoped to be in the mid-1:17 range. But I had no real basis for that goal time, having never run this course before. I reminded myself that the hills on this course were behind me. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Right after passing Sevcik I caught an African woman who had fallen off the lead pack. She was trying to latch on and use me to break the wind. I decided to push for a few minutes to drop her. I got carried away and turned a 5:14 mile for mile 15 as I passed Roosevelt High School again. I had succeeded in leaving her behind but I suffered for it the rest of the race. When I passed Ashworth Pool and entered the bike trail that leads to Waterworks Park, I was hurting. This was the most desolate mile of the race. The only people I recall seeing were at a small waterstop. I only ran a 6:25 for mile 18. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Luckily, I had a water bottle and an energy gel stashed near mile 18 and that seemed to energize me again. I spotted my friend James Clevenger at mile 18 cheering on the side of the road. He was screaming, jumping up and down, and generally going crazy. "This is YOUR day, Chad Sellers!" He shouted. This gave me a big lift! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was now in Waterworks Park where the full and half marathon courses come together again. At first it was nice to have some slow runners to pass, but this would get challenging as I made my way through the next couple miles and the packs of runners got larger. The half marathon runners tended to take up most of the road. </div>
<div>
I was lucky to spot a woman in a pink shirt working as a bike marshal around mile 20. I asked her to ride near me and ring her bell to warn the half marathoners I was coming by. </div>
<div>
Kathy quickly started to help. She also offered some moral support. At one point she said "My husband does REALLY LONG bike rides, so I know what you're going through." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Kathy was a tremendous help in cutting a path for me with her bike and her little bell. Although, I still had to yell "on your left" all the way around Gray's Lake to make sure people got over. This probably took about the same amount of energy as weaving around everyone, but it felt like a safer strategy. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Around mile 24 (a man who will forever live in infamy as) "Headphone Guy" was running on the left side of the trail with 2 people to his right. They made a wall across the trail. I yelled and Kathy rang her bell but Headphone Guy couldn't be bothered to pay attention. </div>
<div>
I finally had to lower my shoulder and bump him out of the way. And I would do it again. Although I shouldn't have to.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Please don't run more than 2 people wide on the trail!!!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At mile 24, I would pass one more runner in a red Simpson College Alumni singlet. And I hated to do it. Des Moines runner Jake Sutton was leaning to the side and his head was bobbing around. I yelled to him to keep it going but I wasn't sure he would make the finish line. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had a nice run in and felt good the last couple miles. My older son Gavin and my wife spotted me around mile 25 and cheered me in. The Johnston Cross Country girls also went crazy for me at mile 25 which was a great surprise. I finished in 2:38:13 and was happy to be done.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Jake Sutton eventually did cross the finish line about 2 minutes behind me and promptly collapsed. But it wasn't too serious. It looked like he was just depleted of electrolytes and possibly dehydrated. The medical tent had no salt or electrolytes on hand (really?!). I fed him some of my own Salt Stick Caps (electrolytes!) in the medical tent and he felt better within minutes. </div>
<div>
Shout out to Jake for finishing the race despite his body failing him. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, shout out to some friendly faces I spotted along the way or talked with post-race: Julie Feist, Ivan Marsh, Theresa/Jim/Peyton McClure, Johnston Girls Cross Country, James and Robyn Clevenger, Ryan Kramer, Doron Clark, Ryan Kollman. Several of my LRC teammates and more that I've forgotten to mention.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxq9M08KC8q3TjXkx7u3nSg8WtfMTB52bNl-NV83j2sEt58lgE9YhifFSetmSqFVwlL0CrTzVIli03QpId8o9VOWVwQ6xAjn5WH8l4GlWN0oqcCzMtBfkjk0VPrlJSXZjHDV9U7u3g_0/s1600/IMG_20141103_115624644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxq9M08KC8q3TjXkx7u3nSg8WtfMTB52bNl-NV83j2sEt58lgE9YhifFSetmSqFVwlL0CrTzVIli03QpId8o9VOWVwQ6xAjn5WH8l4GlWN0oqcCzMtBfkjk0VPrlJSXZjHDV9U7u3g_0/s1600/IMG_20141103_115624644.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div>
The medal was pretty average in terms of size, but a nice design. And I like that Des Moines isn't engaging in the "my medal is bigger than yours" arms race that some marathons are engaging in.<br />
The shirt is a light half-zip long sleeve design. Nice design and color choice.<br />
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<div>
There were many bands out along the course playing music. The crowd support was very good for a smaller/mid-sized marathon, especially downtown and during the middle miles along Polk and Kingman Blvd. The early miles (3-7) through the ritzy South of Grand neighborhoods were a bit sleepy but there were a few front yard bbq's (with Samosas and Bloody Mary's) going on there which was great to see. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After I crossed the finish line at the Des Moines Marathon, there was plenty of food available including pizza, deli sandwiches, peanut butter, you name it. </div>
<div>
The traffic control, aid stations and general organization was all top notch. I was proud to be a Des Moines native on race day. And proud to drop the shoulder on Headphone Guy. It had to be done.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GF4Y3J9K-GM/VEXAj9gBIDI/AAAAAAAABaE/o2ztO3zjDUY/s1600/finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GF4Y3J9K-GM/VEXAj9gBIDI/AAAAAAAABaE/o2ztO3zjDUY/s1600/finish.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Thanks to Julie Feist for this finish line shot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">RACE NUTRITION:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Approx 36-40oz---Half Gatorade/Half Water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4 Energy gels---Various brands (with caffeine)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">6 Saltstick Caps </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
SHOES: Scott AF Trainer </span></div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
SPLITS (non-GPS watch)<br />
<br />
5:59<br />
6:00<br />
6:17 (18:16 3 mile) (Grand Ave Hill)<br />
6:07 (Grand Ave Hill)<br />
5:57<br />
5:54 (36:15 6 mile)<br />
5:48<br />
6:00<br />
5:47<br />
5:56 (59:48 10 mile)<br />
5:46<br />
5:49<br />
6:11 (1:18:16 half marathon)<br />
5:58<br />
5:14 (Polk Blvd south to Roosevelt High--This one killed me!)<br />
5:51<br />
5:55<br />
6:25<br />
6:08<br />
6:09 (1:59:17 20 mile)<br />
6:03<br />
18:59 (miles 22,23,24--Dodging half marathoners at Gray's Lake)<br />
6:16<br />
7:36 (last 1.2 miles)<br />
<br />
2:38:13 Final Time. 10th Place (2nd American-born runner)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-32819707925080432762014-10-16T10:15:00.001-07:002014-10-16T11:27:30.602-07:00Be Aggressive, B-E Agressive: Omaha Marathon Race Report (9/21/14)I decided to jump into the Omaha Marathon about a week before the race. I knew I wasn't super fit yet, having just started back training seriously in early August, but my half-marathon on 9/7/14 had gone better than expected and a low-key marathon just felt right. Especially when I was offered a highly discounted entry from the Race Director.<br />
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<br />
<div>
Besides, since moving to Nebraska about a year ago, I've taken it upon myself to be involved in as many different races here as my time allows. I'm at the age now where I don't have to be in top form for every race. I'm not too proud to use some races as workouts along the way to bigger goals. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And the Omaha Marathon has a bad reputation as a brutally hilly and poorly managed race. I was excited to see for myself. Spoiler alert: neither of these things is actually true. </div>
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I don't know who managed the OLD Omaha Marathon, but HITS Endurance (based in New York) took over the race 2 years ago, and this was the 2nd year of a new and relatively flat course. Overall, they did a nice job despite apparently marking the 10k course very long.</div>
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Omaha is a Sunday race so I went up for packet pickup on Saturday afternoon. Since it's only an hour drive from my house in Lincoln, this was worthwhile for me to know I had my race number before race morning and then go home to my own bed. I also stayed for the pasta dinner because it was free with my entry. It was a great way to soak up the pre-race atmosphere. The pasta dinner was right across the street from the packet pickup (which was at the TD Ameritrade Baseball Park) which made it convenient. I felt some good energy here from both the runners and the race staff and volunteers. I got my bland plate of pasta and chatted with a few "50 Staters" and other half and full marathon folks. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiEqG2OgWkRakIETpc8cNoLMGsCnu1jgGyz-36z0UQDn3zOaaojJnrOuOgx8FRT_kyxjRC16B8MmOwOsKobuhla-DcXslTSa5fDMdwAs2AbTbVI5OT1PLnT1aBsBDkB0zWovgFYX4c2k/s1600/IMG_20140920_173731889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiEqG2OgWkRakIETpc8cNoLMGsCnu1jgGyz-36z0UQDn3zOaaojJnrOuOgx8FRT_kyxjRC16B8MmOwOsKobuhla-DcXslTSa5fDMdwAs2AbTbVI5OT1PLnT1aBsBDkB0zWovgFYX4c2k/s1600/IMG_20140920_173731889.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A couple shots of the small (and outdoor) packet pickup and expo. Luckily the weather was great.</td></tr>
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<div>
Having had major issues with nutrition/electrolytes in my first few marathons, I decided to place my own bottles out on the Omaha Marathon course on Saturday night. This was easy because the course runs through a few parks where there are picnic tables or fenceposts where I could set the bottles for an easy run-and-grab.</div>
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</div>
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I placed 6 bottles out along the course containing my mix of half water/half gatorade and 2 Saltstick Caps dissolved in each bottle. Each bottle held 12 ounces and I ended up carrying them for maybe half a mile and drinking about half of each one (6 oz) before tossing it. </div>
<div>
This mix worked well for me and I think I finally figured out how much salt I need during a marathon. About 6 Saltstick Caps seems to do the trick and prevent me from losing my vision/seeing spots late in the race.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Race day kit laid out Saturday night.</td></tr>
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<div>
I drove up from Lincoln, leaving just before 5am on race day. The weather on race morning was good. About 50 degrees with a cool breeze and clouds at the start. The sun would come out a few miles into the race, but I never felt the heat or sun affected my performance. </div>
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I got to the start line and had no idea who I would be racing, which is part of the fun. I had several LRC Racing teammates running the half marathon so I wasn't surprised to see them. Although the picture in the Omaha World-Herald the next day makes it look our team captain Logan Watley and I have just discovered each other. That's me on the right in the orange hat.</div>
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In any case, the race started and I got out in a very relaxed 6 minute mile pace. It became clear by mile 2 that it would be a 2-man race between myself and Stephen VanGampleare. We chatted for several miles and it turns out Stephen went to Creighton a couple years back and now lives in Colorado Springs. </div>
<div>
We rolled through the first 10k taking turns leading the way and ticking off 5:40 something miles. I didn't feel like we were intentionally pushing the pace, and we definitely benefited from some downhill stretches in that first 10k. </div>
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We were also fortunate to have Will Lindgren on the bike with us making sure any cars along the course could see us coming. He's also full of stories and jokes (and generally full of crap) as many of you Nebraska readers know.</div>
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The out-and-back course starts downtown then runs for a few miles through a sketchy neighborhood north of downtown. At mile 5 it then transitions into a nice park and onto Minne Lusa Boulevard which has some nice historic homes and seems to be a nice area. Miles 7 through 11 lead you onto the bike trail along the river which is scenic if you only look at the river and ignore the industrial area on your right.</div>
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The two of us continued to roll along at a comfortable pace on what is a slight downhill toward Carter Lake. At mile 11 you emerge from the bike trail onto the road at Carter Lake and run for 2 miles to the half marathon point where you turn around. </div>
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We got there in 1:15:59, which was over a minute faster than I had planned. But I didn't go into panic mode. I still felt strong and had been getting my fluids down. </div>
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The turnaround was a bit goofy as it was set up on the side of the road in some tall grass. Why would I come off the road into some grass to turn around? </div>
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I was looking for a timing mat on the ground (to run across and prove that I had been there) but the timing system HITS uses has something like speakers suspended above you on a steel arch rather than a timing mat. Once the appropriate number of people yelled at me to cross under the arch, I did it correctly. </div>
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We continued to run together through about 17 miles. Between miles 14 and 16 you start to see the slower marathoners coming at you on the trail, still in their first half of the race. The slow and steady climb from Carter Lake back up to the River started to slow me down slightly and my competitor was able to start to pull away. It happened in slow motion and wasn't a decisive move as I was hanging on just 10 yards behind him, then 20 or 30........and then the large hill at Energy Park and the Minne Lusa/Redick hill at mile 20 really sapped what little pop I had left in my legs. </div>
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I knew at this point I had been way too aggressive early on, especially considering that you hit the bigger hills in the second half of this race. I went into survival mode and my struggle the last 5 miles was just to keep my legs moving and finish the race. I was certainly not in top condition. And it only took me about 18 miles of feeling great to figure this out! </div>
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Thank you marathon for another cruel lesson.</div>
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After my last few miles of merely surviving, I was happy to enter the stadium and do a lap around the warning track before finishing. Although the gravel on the warning track was a bit slick, a stadium finish is a nice touch.<br />
Congrats to Stephen VanGampleare on a great race and a PR! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
The post-race food was good. BBQ sandwiches, fruit, milk, etc. The nice thing about these smaller races is that you aren't herded around pre and post-race and you don't have to really wait in line for food. I enjoyed the sunny weather and hung out with a few friends for awhile to get my award. It turned out to be a plaque and a running armband/headphones. Which wasn't too bad of a prize. If only I had an i-phone it might work! </div>
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The finishers medals were substantial and have an LED light that flashes, which is definitely unique.</div>
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Overall, I think this is now a well-run marathon. There was good traffic control, enough water stops, enough porta-potties, a relatively flat and visually varied course (downtown, residential, parks/bike trails, Carter Lake). </div>
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Now all we need is more people to come out and run and more people to spectate!</div>
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I had terrible mile splits towards the end but I still ran a decent time. And I feel like for me there is no better workout for the marathon than running the marathon.</div>
<div>
The great thing is that my legs didn't feel trashed when I finished. I felt better than I had after any other long race. I was worn out but not injured. I took two days off to recover and started training again. </div>
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Now for the Des Moines Marathon on October 19th and the goal race this fall will be the Cal International Marathon (CIM) on December 7th.</div>
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<div>
RACE NUTRITION:</div>
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<div>
Approx 36 oz---Half Gatorade/Half Water</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
3 Energy gels---Various brands (with caffeine)</div>
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<br /></div>
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6 Saltstick Caps </div>
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SPLITS</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
6:00</div>
<div>
5:44</div>
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5:58 (17:42 3 mile)</div>
<div>
5:43</div>
<div>
5:43 (29:08 5 mile)</div>
<div>
5:47</div>
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5:58</div>
<div>
11:17 (miles 8 and 9)</div>
<div>
5:49 (58:00 10 mile)</div>
<div>
6:18</div>
<div>
5:49</div>
<div>
5:52 (1:15:59 Half Marathon)</div>
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5:56</div>
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12:13 (miles 15 and 16)</div>
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5:59</div>
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12:13 (miles 18 and 19)</div>
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6:09 (1:58:30 20 mile)</div>
<div>
6:38 </div>
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6:24</div>
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13:24 (miles 23 and 24)</div>
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6:50</div>
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8:34 (last 1.2 miles)</div>
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<br /></div>
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2:40:19 Final Time---2nd Place</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-65255311040277360642014-09-16T14:02:00.003-07:002014-09-16T14:02:57.477-07:00How I Just Missed Making Olympic Trials (Okay, it was 10 minutes): Freedom Run Half Race Report<br />
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Last Sunday I made my way up to Valley, Nebraska (just west of Omaha) for the Freedom Run Half Marathon. There's also a 10k, 5k, and Family mile offered but the main event is definitely the Half.<br />
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When I arrived there were volunteers out directing parking and everything looked ready to go. I got to meet Race Director Judy Argintean and she was gracious and well-organized. I was able to grab my bib number quickly, use the locker room inside the Valley YMCA, and warmup on a quiet dead-end street adjacent to the YMCA. The weather was great with temps in the 50's and light winds.<br /><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Start/Finish Area Pre-Race. </td></tr>
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My expectations for myself were modest going into this race. I had just started training seriously again about 5 weeks before race day and this would be my first race of the fall. I felt like I was probably in 1:14 or 1:15 half shape so I just wanted to run that pace, avoid a meltdown, and build some confidence going into my fall marathon season. </div>
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There was a brief ceremony pre-race that looked to my non-military eyes something like a military funeral. Men in uniform, rifles, flags, etc. It was a touch that reminded us what the Freedom Run is about.........honoring service members and those we lost on September 11th in particular. </div>
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In any case, we got to the start line and a rifle served as the starting gun. The course leaves the YMCA parking lot and heads probably 400 meters out to the highway where most of the race is run. I immediately fell into 4th place and could tell this would be a lonely run right from the start. But what better way to work on mental toughness than run a half marathon pretty much by yourself?</div>
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I trusted my body to set the pace and I settled in at 5:33/mile pace for the first 4 miles or so. The course is basically an out and back on a very flat highway. There is a lollipop through a new construction neighborhood that occupies from the 2 mile mark to about the 3.5 mile mark. Otherwise the course is out and back. Somehow I didn't find it boring, but I had never been to this town before so it was all new to me. The great thing about a course like this is the lack of turns. The bad thing is that if there is any wind, there's no escaping it. We did have a slight headwind on the way back from the turnaround point but I can't blame my slow fall from 5:33 to 5:49 pace on the wind. (Splits below)</div>
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I had done very little in the way of quality workouts coming in but was feeling surprisingly good and in control as the miles went by. And while I may have had more in the tank, I'm not sure how much. It was hard to push myself to the max without any other runners near me. Maybe next year we can get a deeper field to run the Freedom Run. </div>
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With Nebraska's own "Run Guru" Will Lindgren (his daily blog at <a href="http://www.rungurusays.com/">www.rungurusays.com</a> is mandatory reading for serious Nebraska runners) in charge of this USATF Certified race course and elite athlete recruiting, I'm sure it will happen. </div>
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Lindgren promised the flattest and fastest course that Nebraska has ever seen. And he definitely delivered. The course was well-marked and had plenty of cones along the way. The highway and the shoulder is also pretty flat so you aren't fighting a side-hill the whole way. I've also run the Grand Island (State Fair) Half and I would say that while there aren't any real hills on that course, this Freedom Run course is even flatter. Or at least the Freedom course has far fewer turns to slow you down.</div>
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Lindgren also delivered by bringing in a few national-class runners to compete. How he did this with a modest $600 prize purse, I have no idea. </div>
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Most notably, Zach Hine of Boulder,CO, who was able to run a 1:04 half marathon and qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the marathon. This appears to be the fastest half marathon on Nebraska soil in over 20 years. Even more impressive is that Zach Hine ran alone without the aid of any pacers (besides one woman on a lead bike) for the first 9 miles or so. At that point Colin Morrisey (Team Nebraska) was brought in to pace Hine from approximately miles 9 through 12. </div>
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There was quite a gap behind Hine as Team Nebraska runner Luka Thor took second place in 1:09 and Aaron Davidson of Kansas City took third place in 1:10. I ended up running 1:14 for 4th place.</div>
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<a href="http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_plain_text.php?race_id=42776" target="_blank">Results Here.</a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Swag Consisted of a Cotton Shirt and Basic Medals.</td></tr>
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The Swag was pretty average including a cotton shirt and some basic medals. But I have enough Dri-Fit shirts anyway. The mini-expo inside the YMCA was a nice touch. I was able to get my legs worked on by a sports chiropractor and grab some snacks at the same time. </div>
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Kudos to Will Lindgren and Judy Argintean on a great event. I know that an Olympic Trials Qualifying performance in small-town Nebraska turned some heads in the running world. I hope that translates into people coming out to run the Freedom Run next year. </div>
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It would make a great tune-up race before your fall marathon. 2 weeks before Omaha, 4 weeks before Twin Cities, 5 weeks before Chicago and Market to Market, 6 weeks before Des Moines.......</div>
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<u>Splits</u></div>
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5:33.8</div>
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5:34.4</div>
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5:33.0 (16:41.2 at 3 mile) (17:17 at 5k)</div>
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11:19.7 (miles 4 and 5 together) (28:00 at 5 miles)</div>
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5:35.2 (34:44 at 10k)</div>
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11:27.7 (miles 7 and 8 together)</div>
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5:49.6</div>
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5:49.3 (56:42.7 at 10 miles)</div>
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5:52.2</div>
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5:49.2 (1:08:24 at 12 miles)</div>
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(1:10:47 at 20k)</div>
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6:16 for last 1.1 miles</div>
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1:14:40 at Half Marathon finish.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-34884421201779687952014-09-06T09:53:00.000-07:002014-09-06T09:53:13.362-07:00No More SunscreenSo I went in for my annual physical in mid-August. Had some blood work done, which is not my favorite thing. But I somehow survived the needle without passing out.<br />
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According to the doctor my "lipids are amazing." Apparently, that has to do with cholesterol.<br />
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The bad news is that I have a Vitamin D "insufficiency." It's pretty low but not quite low enough to be called a "deficiency" according to their scale.<br />
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Anyway, I will be taking Vitamin D supplements going forward and hopefully this gets me back on track. I have also slowed down on using sunscreen so my body can absorb the sunlight and give me some Vitamin D that way. You apparently need to have a certain amount in your body and then the sun somehow activates it or makes it do what it should.<br />
That's my highly medical explanation.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-24273120203321463492014-08-28T08:21:00.001-07:002014-08-28T08:22:09.902-07:00Grand Canyon RecapI've been down (but not out) for a couple months here. I had a good run at Grandma's in late June and then caught some sort of virus that ruined most of my July including my planned Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim run on July 11th.<br />
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I will give you a quick recap on that experience. (Better late than never, right?)<br />
I flew down to Phoenix solo and then drove up to the south rim of the canyon (about a 6 hour drive if I recall) on a Thursday in mid-July. I arrived at my friend Brian Wandzilak's campsite around dinner time.<br />
But I was sick. Upset stomach, generally felt like crap, etc. Not sure why I even showed up at the Grand Canyon. I was given some antibiotics about a day before I boarded my flight, so my thought was they would cure me overnight. It didn't happen.<br />
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The plan was to nap Thursday night until about midnight and then get up and start our run down into the canyon. This way we would be done by noon the next day and avoid the worst of the heat. When Brian woke me up around midnight, I felt like crap, and told him as much. But I also decided to get geared up and start the run anyway, still hoping for some sort of race-day magic. The campsite was 2 miles from the Bright Angel trailhead leading down into the canyon, so we put on our headlamps and hydration packs and started running that direction.<br />
It was a cool, windy, pleasant night. Great conditions to start a 50 mile journey, except that I was in no condition to make the journey.<br />
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When we started descending into the canyon on what was originally a donkey trail, it was clear to me that I wasn't going to be able to complete the journey. I may have been able to shuffle through 50 miles on flat ground even in my feeling-crappy state, but with all the switchbacks and what are basically railroad ties built into the trail about every 10 feet, I wasn't able to find a rhythm. And I could feel that I was shredding my quads (wearing them out and making them sore very quickly, for you non-runners) within a few miles.<br />
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I decided to pulled the plug about 3.5 miles down into the Grand Canyon. This was a relief mentally when I told my running partner Brian that I just couldn't go on. The bad thing was that we still had to turn around and run/hike back up. So we ended up going about 11 miles total that night and getting home to camp around 3am.<br />
I slept a couple hours and in the morning I decided to go explore the Grand Canyon by myself. Mostly from my rental car rather than my own feet. I drove to several overlooks along the south rim and just took it all in. It was only 7 or 8am so most of the tourists weren't out yet and I actually had some quiet to take in the views.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woke up to this guy Friday morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few random canyon views.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-56924369546569641402014-06-25T13:57:00.000-07:002014-06-26T06:06:06.249-07:00Guzzlin' Drinks, Droppin' Pills and Fast Women: My Grandma's Marathon Race Report<br />
<u>LOGISTICS</u><br />
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I drove over solo from Lincoln to Des Moines on Thursday night (3 hours). Then Friday morning I hopped in one of 3 minivans full of Des Moines runners heading north. The vans included some of my Des Moines running friends such as Ryan Kramer, Greg Bell, Martin Popp, Tony Cendana, Paxton Bennett, and Ben Jaskowiak.<br />
The drive up to Duluth was another 6 hours or so. And it went very smoothly.<br />
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The weather at Grandma's is always unpredictable (and the forecast had been changing daily) so we were excited when we approached Duluth and the temperature dropped from the 70's to down around 45 or 50 very quickly! It was about 2:30pm Friday when we arrived at the Expo/Packet Pickup at the convention center in downtown Duluth. The place was busy but it was very well-organized and we were able to get in and out pretty easily.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packet Pickup in Duluth.</td></tr>
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We then headed about 10 minutes away to the dorms at University of Wisconsin-Superior where we would be staying. The dorms are nothing fancy but they are very affordable and there is shuttle service to the starting line for both the half and full marathon from right outside the dorms. The dorms also provided sheets, pillows, towels, and soap which was great. The less details to think about on race weekend, the better.<br />
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About 4pm I did a 3 mile shakeout run with Ben Jaskowiak, Ryan Kramer, Martin Popp. It was cool and windy. Great running weather! I felt a bit sluggish, but I usually do when I only run 3 or 4 miles per day those last couple days before a long race. (I had cut down to 80 miles the week before the race and ended up logging only about 30 miles between Monday and Friday on race week).<br />
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Then around 6pm we headed to dinner at a local restaurant called <a href="http://clydeironworks.com/" target="_blank">Clyde's</a>. This was a really cool atmosphere compared to hitting the pasta dinner that was basically set up in the middle of the Marathon Expo. Clyde's is also apparently a good music venue, so it's on my list to go back next time I'm in Duluth.<br />
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Then it was back to the dorms and to bed around 9:30 or 10.<br />
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<u>RACE DAY</u><br />
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My alarm was set for 5am because the shuttles came at 5:45 for a 7:45 race time. My roommate Ryan Kramer didn't snore and I actually slept well on the dorm bed. When we woke up to foggy, misty, cool conditions, I was excited. With temps in the 40's and very little chance of the sun coming out, I was no longer worried about heavy rain or heat slowing me down.<br />
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I ate my normal breakfast of one banana, a cup of dry cheerios, and an energy drink. The shuttle ride up to the start line was about 45 minutes and went smoothly. I got off the bus and walked immediately to the Porta-Potties. Unfortunately, there were already rather long lines. I had time to burn so I waited 5 or 10 minutes to use one. But more bathrooms is my number one recommendation to the Grandma's race directors because the lines grew to ridiculous lengths as it came closer to race time. I simply had to go in the woods for my last pit stop just a few minutes before the race started.<br />
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I warmed up with Des Moines runner Ben Jaskowiak. We did an easy 10 minute jog (around the parking lot of the car dealership next to the starting line) and then a few stride-outs and drills. We then walked our drop bags over to the dropbag area and made our way to the start line. Although I wasn't entered as an elite athlete this year, allowing elites to drop their bags right at the start line would be a nice touch. I know it would have saved us all some time and some fighting through the crowds.<br />
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I got to the starting area and found my Lincoln Running Company teammate Jason Zakaras. We both were shooting to run 2:35 and we planned to run together. We lined up probably 25 yards from the front of the pack because you don't want to get pulled out too fast by the truly elite runners who get out in 5 minute mile pace.<br />
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I just went with my normal race singlet, shorts, hat and PRO Compression socks. My only modification for the cool weather was a light pair of gloves. I had 3 Clif Shot Gels stuffed inside my gloves. I like the Double Espresso flavor with 100mg of caffeine for a nice boost. I also had about 8 Salt Stick brand salt pills in my little zippered back pocket of my running shorts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old "use your gloves to carry fuel" trick. 2:24 marathoner Eric Noel gave me this tip. </td></tr>
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The weather felt great as we started. Upper 40's, heavy fog, light winds which blew from the east--right off the lake. (Grandma's Marathon runs north to south on a 2-lane highway that skirts the western edge of Lake Superior). With all the fog I didn't see much lake on Saturday, but I hear it's pretty. It was misting off and on so the humidity had to be near 100%. The road was wet but there really were not many puddles so the damp weather didn't seem to slow you down or cause any slippage at all.<br />
<br />
Zakaras and I got off the start line comfortably and slowly worked our way past some packs of elite women and others in the first mile. We hit mile 1 in 6:01. It was comfortable and while we had wanted to be more like 6:05 or 6:10, it was a good start. We were ready to dial in on our 5:50 to 5:55 race pace goal. <br />
<br />
I like to chat my way through the race so I was asking folks where they are from, how fast they plan to run, etc. Somewhere around that mile 1 mark, Zakaras and I met the two elite women that we would run with for the next 20 miles or so. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brianne.lippoldtnelson" target="_blank">Brianne Nelson</a> and <a href="http://laurenloverun.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Jimison</a>, pro runners for Adidas and Asics, respectively.<br />
<br />
Brianne spoke up and said she was planning to run the Olympic Trials "A" Standard of sub 2:37.<br />
Without even thinking about it I told her to just run with myself and Zakaras and we would take her there. Sometimes (ok, most times) I'm really full of crap---but I'm so glad that I opened my big mouth and offered to help these ladies stay on pace.<br />
<br />
It was a win-win situation. Sure, I was leading the pack most of the race and taking the brunt of the light wind that was hitting us from the front-left. But I would have set my own pace anyway. My long legs don't make it easy to tuck in behind shorter runners.<br />
Mentally my race became much easier when I switched from thinking about running for myself to helping these women qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon. I was instantly accountable in a way I couldn't have been otherwise. <br />
<br />
So we settled in and hit 5:49, 5:45, 5:51, 5:48 and then 5:52 for mile 6. We were right on pace. Even a bit ahead of pace. I was calling out the mile splits for everyone and trying to cut the best tangents I could in the fog on this curvy highway. Our little pack of 4 runners would swell to 7 or 8 briefly as we passed runners who had gotten out too hard, but it never lasted long. It always ended up coming back to just the 4 of us working together. Fans were few and far between out on the course, but probably every mile or so there would be a group at the end of someone's driveway.<br />
<br />
Around mile 7 I took my first gel and then unzipped my back pocket to grab a salt pill. I imagined my thumb and index finger neatly plucking one pill out of my pocket. But I had visualized it wrong. When I pulled my hand out, I turned the pocket inside out. I turned around to see all my salt pills hit the pavement. And I started to curse my luck out loud.<br />
<br />
Zakaras quickly told me to stop freaking out. This was a big help.<br />
I mourned my mistake for about half a mile and then made a new plan to drink Powerade at each water stop and skip the plain water entirely because Powerade does have some salt content. I was even able to grab two cups of Powerade at some aid stations and I guzzled it down.<br />
It turned out that I still felt low on salt between miles 13 and 18, but I never fully lost my vision/saw spots everywhere as I had in my previous marathon.<br />
<br />
We continued to grind out miles in that 5:50 zone as we moved through the fog on the gently rolling hills of the highway (all splits listed below). We hit the half marathon in 1:17:07, which was right where we wanted to be.<br />
<br />
Around this time we spotted 2 African men pacing 2 African women probably 100 yards ahead of us in the fog. We knew that we had to reel them in and then blow by them quickly so they didn't try to latch onto our group. Brianne and I discussed this out loud. It took us about 2 more miles to catch them and we passed them around mile 15. They didn't put up much of a fight.<br />
<br />
We hit mile 20 in 1:57:49 and this was where it became every man (and woman) for himself. Zakaras started to pull away first. He wasn't speeding up much but he was holding that 5:50's pace where I had started to fade to between 6 minutes and 6:05 per mile. The two women also ended up pulling away from me the last few miles.<br />
<br />
Brianne Nelson had a very gutsy finish to end up as the 2nd place woman. Brianne and Zakaras ran 2:34 and Lauren Jimison and myself ran 2:35. I gutted out the last 6 miles and passed several men who were hitting the wall. I was slowing slightly, but I wasn't dead. The last 6 miles is when you enter the city of Duluth. I passed many more runners than passed me during that last 6 miles. And I ended up knowing most of the runners who did pass me late. Iowa runners Jake Stanton and Martin Popp and Illinois runner Daniel Kittaka were among them.<br />
<br />
The crowd support is very good once you get to town and that really helped to carry me through. You do wind around in town quite a bit and I started to wonder where the finish line actually was.<br />
I finally found it and finished in 2:35:31. That's a huge PR for me!<br />
<br />
Post-race I was impressed with how organized the drop bags were. With about 6200 runners in the full marathon and 7300 in the half marathon, that is no small task. And there were plenty of snacks to be had. I heard there was a long wait for post-race massage, so I just skipped that area.<br />
<br />
Here's a few pics from finish line area:<br />
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I have to say that I was happy with my choice of shoes this time around. I went with the Scott Eride AF Trainer. It's a light trainer with great tread and I had no blisters or any sort of issues at all. I didn't think about the shoes at all during the run, which is exactly how it should be.<br />
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A huge congratulations to Brianne Nelson and Lauren Jimison who both made the U.S. Olympic Trials "A" Standard, which means they will have a chance to compete in Los Angeles in early 2016 and hopefully make the Olympic Team!<br />
<br />
Thanks to all who made Grandma's Marathon 2014 such a special weekend. And we will see you further down the road!<br />
<br />
<u>RACE FUEL</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
3 Clif Shot Gels--Double Espresso<br />
<br />
Powerade--Approx 30 oz?<br />
<u><br /></u>
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<u>LINKS</u><br />
<br />
See my complete results <a href="http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=2164&email=1&rid=4199" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
See my finish line video <a href="http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/videoResults?rid=4199&email=1&race=2164#" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
See my Marathonfoto.com pics <a href="http://marathonfoto.com/Marathon/Grandmas-Marathon-2014/offering/myMarathonfotos/RaceOID/13272014S1/Language/en" target="_blank">here</a>. (4199 is my Bib #)<br />
<br />
<br />
MY SPLITS (I don't race with GPS and I missed hitting my watch a few times)<br />
Mile 1 -- 6:01<br />
Mile 2 -- 5:49<br />
Mile 3 -- 5:45<br />
Mile 4 -- 5:51<br />
Mile 5 -- 5:48<br />
Mile 6 -- 5:52<br />
10k -- 36:19<br />
Mile 7 and 8 -- 11:49 (5:54.5 avg)<br />
Mile 9 -- 5:58<br />
Mile 10 -- 5:41<br />
Mile 11 and 12 -- 11:52 (5:56 avg)<br />
Mile 13 -- 6:00<br />
Half Marathon -- 1:17:07<br />
Mile 14 -- 5:41<br />
Mile 15 -- 5:52<br />
Mile 16 -- 5:51<br />
Mile 17 -- 5:58<br />
Mile 18 -- 5:56<br />
Miles 19 and 20 -- 11:58 (5:59 avg)<br />
20 Mile Split -- 1:57:49<br />
Mile 21 -- 6:03<br />
Miles 22,23,24,25 -- 24:13 (6:03 avg)<br />
Mile 26.2 -- 7:25<br />
Total Time 2:35:31<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-60022520537900326052014-06-19T09:12:00.000-07:002014-06-22T17:19:21.274-07:00All-Comers Track Meet at Lincoln Northstar on 6/18/14I went out to a local all-comers track meet last night. It was put on by my friend <a href="http://www.simplesoleproject.com/2014/06/all-ages-results-and-photos/" target="_blank">Brian Wandzilak</a> at the Northstar High School Track.<br />
I didn't run since I have Grandma's Marathon in just a couple days, but my son Gavin wanted to use the meet as a workout. So Gavin ran the 400, 800, and Mile. Gavin had a great time running against the grown-ups and high schoolers.<br />
The weather was very windy and temps in the upper 90's. Not a good day to run fast, but still a good day for a workout.<br />
Great to see some friends and<a href="http://www.lrc-racing.com/" target="_blank"> LRC Racing</a> teammates out there last night!<br />
I had two hungry boys to feed so we didn't stay for the final event----the Donut 2k. I'm sure it was great fun in the heat.<br />
<br />
Below are some pics from the meet. See them all <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114447862104091495276/albums/6026446746364140033" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
Download or use them if you like but please credit this website.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 800 with Hayley Sutter, Gavin Sellers and company.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin takes it all in. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWN-ryTNhVO7dj9eX0ZHukNIP4aaEvcJaMs8bjWxFSlzBtSLnYpF4ic58Kv-ewTVzrwN7qn-Awipt4N7IsdO4bA1MyCQ6BKAzTLxO9Wjq7KvRQeA1zlN73bPB2Nh1DjSQvCAAVk1xghQ/s1600/IMG_20140618_183447569_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWN-ryTNhVO7dj9eX0ZHukNIP4aaEvcJaMs8bjWxFSlzBtSLnYpF4ic58Kv-ewTVzrwN7qn-Awipt4N7IsdO4bA1MyCQ6BKAzTLxO9Wjq7KvRQeA1zlN73bPB2Nh1DjSQvCAAVk1xghQ/s1600/IMG_20140618_183447569_HDR.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan Haden wins the 200.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gmwzgOGnhOSKXjd2F0iPOJam1vwRuSwvJAIR1rC1pB9edXhra0bQ9OM4WE-4iIjFnWHBvaVvltm91ESgALvbK6jm9HoQyWNhwuGqREi1K5kRbzAJSkitUyStnJGUjO6KOCbQtjy82dM/s1600/IMG_20140618_184040822_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gmwzgOGnhOSKXjd2F0iPOJam1vwRuSwvJAIR1rC1pB9edXhra0bQ9OM4WE-4iIjFnWHBvaVvltm91ESgALvbK6jm9HoQyWNhwuGqREi1K5kRbzAJSkitUyStnJGUjO6KOCbQtjy82dM/s1600/IMG_20140618_184040822_HDR.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting line (shaky chalk line drawn by Wandzilak) of the true mile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTxMxkCX4gVnDkcqZbRXoohbNMuOIQraK-7G3umsEvDbYkZ8lfkMQPJcqYr1q6-yc2aMc0psg6k65oeDlCdrjGgUuDTMoThsfO0ENy4Q_fBwF7NSi6H4eEm6stZztzyvJDZk0HpzzeBU/s1600/IMG_20140618_184046322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTxMxkCX4gVnDkcqZbRXoohbNMuOIQraK-7G3umsEvDbYkZ8lfkMQPJcqYr1q6-yc2aMc0psg6k65oeDlCdrjGgUuDTMoThsfO0ENy4Q_fBwF7NSi6H4eEm6stZztzyvJDZk0HpzzeBU/s1600/IMG_20140618_184046322.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True Mile start with Jacob Kaemmer, Andrew Jacob, Logan Watley, Jeralyn Poe and others.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKfmHDRStL2Qad8reOMz3VRBCAUMtCCGvP7EQY3Y7PgnIqxz0KbQgPuKKxt6K2VxvFD-K66hc3u5cHh5l0VProQe3O7b6_7aJO7XuXN0urgO6hA3-iDh5EIpSglDFv0ncv3S56fWoWHY/s1600/IMG_20140618_184214688_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKfmHDRStL2Qad8reOMz3VRBCAUMtCCGvP7EQY3Y7PgnIqxz0KbQgPuKKxt6K2VxvFD-K66hc3u5cHh5l0VProQe3O7b6_7aJO7XuXN0urgO6hA3-iDh5EIpSglDFv0ncv3S56fWoWHY/s1600/IMG_20140618_184214688_HDR.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Market to Market Relay mastermind Ben Cohoon on his way to a sub-6 True Mile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTc2B3Z9EvValT4ruzHGmtCp69_tlD-AsIa48zGqzDz2r5KYmiOsBYyhtlS0nZwfHY81AKImJHfoQUleB0V6DZg0VxpEsJ4jemeWTsx-0k-Elm130aAveBbOPyXm9eua6JZ2HVw4Mrh5c/s1600/IMG_20140618_184607795_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTc2B3Z9EvValT4ruzHGmtCp69_tlD-AsIa48zGqzDz2r5KYmiOsBYyhtlS0nZwfHY81AKImJHfoQUleB0V6DZg0VxpEsJ4jemeWTsx-0k-Elm130aAveBbOPyXm9eua6JZ2HVw4Mrh5c/s1600/IMG_20140618_184607795_HDR.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek Sekora in the True Mile.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-55646589126854858882014-06-19T07:44:00.000-07:002014-06-19T07:44:25.848-07:00Gavin's USATF State Meet Over the weekend my son 9-year-old Gavin competed in the 800 and 1500 meter events at the USATF Nebraska State Meet. Omaha Burke was the host for the meet and it was in the 80's and very windy both Saturday and Sunday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJ280Hhq7HJOVcpvcUOHSPahou909ElZZR0Cz86tTf31xuWlPwb5tvOfJuPDknEqcLLFbi7lpMd76vLkfT8607gW-zLszybeusdcT7YJOwZKp1BcYxtNARSDoiReSN1lor6Hm-IEefbo/s1600/IMG_20140614_112448707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJ280Hhq7HJOVcpvcUOHSPahou909ElZZR0Cz86tTf31xuWlPwb5tvOfJuPDknEqcLLFbi7lpMd76vLkfT8607gW-zLszybeusdcT7YJOwZKp1BcYxtNARSDoiReSN1lor6Hm-IEefbo/s1600/IMG_20140614_112448707.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omaha Burke on Saturday morning. </td></tr>
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Gavin got a bad draw and ended up in lane one for a waterfall start in his 800 meter race on Saturday. This meant he had to get off the line very fast to avoid getting stuck in a crowd. So Gavin got out and led the race (in the wind) and then faltered in the last 300 meters and finished in 2nd place. He still ran a 2:39 to match his PR (personal record).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfceXxi2o3EPvtZA49EzH-6J1beCUtUbdLWr65WSQgfEDw6tndqxa8jEUFNLbjWDfpNSsyiL9hU9EIZdN_eyevBiwov9Gef3mozrYVjmTU1EhPu-1faS-6MBEaj82TJ48N6liuFg_h4g/s1600/IMG_20140614_130121135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfceXxi2o3EPvtZA49EzH-6J1beCUtUbdLWr65WSQgfEDw6tndqxa8jEUFNLbjWDfpNSsyiL9hU9EIZdN_eyevBiwov9Gef3mozrYVjmTU1EhPu-1faS-6MBEaj82TJ48N6liuFg_h4g/s1600/IMG_20140614_130121135.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin leads the 800 meters about 150 meters into the race.</td></tr>
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He was disappointed after his performance Saturday and said his plan was to come back and win the 1500 Sunday to claim his first NEBRASKA State Championship (he has won a few in Iowa). I knew Gavin was much stronger in the 1500 than the 800, he just needed to run a solid race and not let the nerves get to him.</div>
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Luckily, Gavin got out Sunday in the 1500 and ran a very smart, very even-paced race. He was in 2nd place for the first 400 meters and then took over and ran solo the rest of the race. He ran a 5:19 which also matched his PR. See full results<a href="http://www.nebraskausatf.org/2014/2014nejoresults.htm" target="_blank"> here</a>. Gavin is in the 9-10 year age group.</div>
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I am very proud of Gavin's efforts from the weekend. Congrats on another State Championship!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-47624569380601963082014-06-08T19:05:00.003-07:002014-06-10T11:38:35.544-07:00Race Report: Havelock Charity Run 10k on 6/7/14 <u>Wet And Wild Havelock 10k </u><br />
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When I woke up Saturday morning there was HEAVY rain. Flood-the-roads type of rain. So things didn't look promising.<br />
I got out of bed and got myself (and my 9 year old Gavin) up to the Havelock area of town anyway, about a 25 minute drive. My son and I warmed up for about 10 minutes and got completely soaked. Luckily, the rain let up from heavy to what I would call moderate or steady by the time the 7:30 race time came around. No lightning and just a steady rain meant no delays or cancellations---i.e. the race would start as planned.<br />
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Before the race it was fun to meet Lincoln native/local running hero <a href="http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Archive-Bios/Mike-Morgan.aspx" target="_blank">Mike Morgan</a> (who runs professionally for the Brooks Hanson's group in Michigan) but was back in town for the weekend. I lined up right behind Morgan at the starting line figuring he would get away quick and I could follow his line the first few blocks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Starting line as the wheelchair athlete starts just a few minutes before the 10k start.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="425" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tjT5dsMVUbU/U5Mj6Cdi5CI/AAAAAAAACG0/WJvUA29zVXQ/w866-h577-no/IMG_3190.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's me on the right in the orange hat lined up behind Morgan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I went into this race just looking for a nice workout/tune-up two weeks out from Grandma's Marathon. I was hoping to get out smart and see if I could run the second half of the race faster than the first (negative split). I was also excited to see how our LRC Racing team would do in the 10k team competition, and see if I could help the cause. This turned out to be a non-issue as there weren't many Team Nebraska jerseys (our chief rival) at the start line. I'm not even sure if they fielded a full team. The 10k field of individual runners, however, was very strong.</span></div>
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The Lincoln Track Club race staff did a nice job of getting the race started very close to on time considering the wet conditions that really slowed down their setup.</div>
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When the gun went off I quickly settled in at about 9th or 10th place and found a few other runners to pass those first couple miles with. I found out later that a couple of them were runners at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln). </div>
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I hit the mile in 5:27 and was feeling pretty good that I was able to find a line on Havelock Ave that didn't have too many puddles, despite the raging river on the south side of the road as we approached 84th street. A nasty surprise when we turned south onto 84th street about 1.5 miles into the race was about 4 to 6 inches of standing water that filled that intersection. No way to avoid it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VRA-jyqjvCLXHnSziL-q4b2LvjnPfbN_LPBejMxTmtfT7V3SzYWiSKNiAN9qtKT-AWarfDy9Gbs_7ENfswbZM9tKnpqg5pPHHXFkbP1CUJody-c2ZL8LcqqGT7QNnfo7PPwoNgobJcA/s1600/IMG_20140527_084828424_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VRA-jyqjvCLXHnSziL-q4b2LvjnPfbN_LPBejMxTmtfT7V3SzYWiSKNiAN9qtKT-AWarfDy9Gbs_7ENfswbZM9tKnpqg5pPHHXFkbP1CUJody-c2ZL8LcqqGT7QNnfo7PPwoNgobJcA/s1600/IMG_20140527_084828424_HDR.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a><br />
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I felt like the Scott Eride AF Trainers I was wearing did a nice job of draining the water, though. I've been wearing these light trainers for speedier workouts the last few weeks and I really like them. I'm likely to wear them at Grandma's Marathon in two weeks. They are more substantial and offer more cushion than the Skechers GoMeb Speed 2 shoes that I wore for the Lincoln Marathon in early May. I came out of that marathon feeling more beat up than I would have liked and I'm sure that wearing too light of shoes was a big part of that.</div>
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Back to the race......When we went south on 84th they had the right lane of traffic closed for runners. Unfortunately, that lane was about 3/4 filled with water so there wasn't much room to run. But we pressed on and hit the second mile in 5:33. </div>
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Mile 3 is mostly uphill. I ran a 5:40 without using too much energy. I hit the 5k mark in 17:15 and started to use a downhill portion of the course to pass a runner or two. I got back down to about 5:20 for mile 4, but forgot to grab the split on my watch. </div>
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Mile 5 was a turnaround loop in Mahoney park which included a few rolling hills. I was losing focus and started to struggle a bit. I was passed by a teammate just before the turnaround but was able to catch back up to him at mile marker 5 and he ran with me and encouraged me through the last mile. I was able to pass a runner wearing a Nebraska Wesleyan singlet in the last mile and also hold off a Team Nebraska runner who was closing very strong in the last 400 meters. </div>
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<img height="426" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sNkF5BwQD4A/U5Mkc9w-FbI/AAAAAAAACFQ/whsPllOIuek/w866-h577-no/IMG_3231.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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This is me about 100 meters from the finish line.</div>
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I finished in 34:19 and was 10th place. I had reached my goal of going faster in the second half than I had in the first. I went 17:04 in the second 5k to 17:15 in my first 5k. I can't remember negative-splitting a 10k in a very long time so that was encouraging. </div>
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Here are a few other pics my wife took of the top finishers Saturday:</div>
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Mike Morgan was first in 31:42. </div>
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Trevor Vidlak was 2nd in 32:04.</div>
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Mike Rathje was 4th in 33:12.</div>
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This is my son Gavin (2393) at the 3k start. </div>
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Congrats to my son Gavin! He was 28th overall and 2nd in his age group in the 3k race. This was more of a tempo run for him as he prepares for track meets later this summer. </div>
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With nearly 800 finishers between the two races, this was a good-sized race. Kudos to Nebraskans for coming out to run in the wet conditions.</div>
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And Kudos once again to the Lincoln Track Club on a well-run event. They had ample donuts, Pepsi and other snacks available at the finish. The rain ended shortly after the race did, so it was a great time to catch up with teammates and rivals. </div>
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And it was a great day to be under an orange hat. Hey, it keeps the rain out of your eyes.</div>
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Also a great day to be wearing blue and gold! Congrats to my LRC Race team on winning the 10k and 3k team titles on the men's side. And congrats to our women for winning the 10k team title in impressive fashion. </div>
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Now on to the cooler climate of Duluth, Minnesota for Grandma's Marathon in just two weeks! </div>
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Thanks for reading.</div>
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<u>LINKS</u></div>
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See the LRC Racing team report <a href="http://www.lrc-racing.com/recent-news" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
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See the full Havelock Charity Run race results <a href="http://onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=13341" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
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See all the pictures my wife took Saturday <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/103923821864468274847/albums/6022191862807326529?authkey=CPnJponl0IfFRg" target="_blank">here.</a> Please give photo credits to my website if you want to use any of the pics. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-17078850487845997312014-06-02T09:51:00.001-07:002014-06-02T09:51:35.886-07:0019 Days to Grandma's MarathonI've been busy chasing kids (since school is out!) and putting in my peak training weeks here before Grandma's Marathon on June 21st.<br />
I've been getting out at 5am every day the past couple weeks so I can get home to the boys and let the wife get to work. That means I also need a little afternoon nap some days, which the kids will usually comply with after a few empty threats.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's watermelon time, suckers!</td></tr>
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Training is going well. I'm feeling healthy and recovering well. I should be on track for my goal of 2:35 (5:55 minutes per mile pace) at Grandma's, despite only having about 6 weeks of training between the Lincoln Marathon and Grandma's.<br />
My weekly mileage since the Lincoln Marathon on May 3rd has been solid. I took 5 days off and only ran 11 miles during my recovery week right after Lincoln. Then I went 98, 114 and 120 miles. I wrapped the 120 mile week yesterday (June 1).<br />
I've been healthy enough lately to get in 2 faster workouts per week. Usually one on the track and one tempo run. I did a nice 11 mile tempo run last Friday, for example. I like to do my quality workouts alone so I can listen to my body and focus on my own pace.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last 2 weeks of training. 114 and 120 mile weeks.</td></tr>
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I went with too light of a racing flat for Lincoln Marathon and my legs really tightened up on me.<br />
So I'm trying to decide which shoes to wear for Grandma's Marathon and I'm also looking ahead to my run across the Grand Canyon (and back!) on July 11th.<br />
Stay tuned.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-23172762522587576842014-05-13T06:25:00.000-07:002014-05-13T06:25:00.354-07:0013 Questions with Colorado Marathoner Tom Nichols<div class="im" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<b>13 Questions with Colorado Marathoner Tom Nichols</b><div>
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Name: Tom Nichols</div>
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Age: 31</div>
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Born and Raised: Auburn, Nebraska & Clarinda, Iowa</div>
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Currently Lives: Parker, Colorado</div>
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Day Job: Internal Auditor at TW Telecom</div>
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Fave Training Shoes: Brooks Defyance</div>
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PR's: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1133471626" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">2:25</span></span> at Chicago Marathon 2012, 1:08:14 at Lincoln Half Marathon 2014</div>
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Marathons Completed: 10</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Tom Nichols at the Lincoln (Nebraska) Half Marathon in early May where he finished 2nd. (Photo courtesy of The Lincoln Marathon and Gary Dougherty Photography)</td></tr>
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Respect The Run: How and when did you get into running? Was running always your "first love" or would 8th grade Tom have chosen basketball or football? </div>
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Tom Nichols:</div>
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<i style="color: #222222;">I got into running in 5th grade after my family moved to Clarinda, Iowa. We had to run a mile in PE and I had never done anything close to that before. I was the 2nd fastest in my class and from there always wanted to get faster. My first love is football. Growing up in Nebraska, my dream was always playing for the Huskers. Looking back, choosing cross country over football was the right choice. </i><i style="color: #222222;">(Note: Tom lived in Clarinda, Iowa from 5th-12th grade and graduated high school there.)</i></div>
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RTR: How was your college career? Why do you think you have stayed with running as a post-collegiate when so many college runners just call it quits after graduation? </div>
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<i style="color: #222222;">I would call my college career "above average". I ran at <a href="http://www.gujackets.com/" target="_blank">Graceland University</a> in Lamoni, IA which was an NAIA school. I qualified for Indoor Nationals in the 3k and 5k, but the standards weren't very strong. I would say I under-achieved in college and wanted to prove to myself that I could run faster, which is why I kept going. My running style (high-mileage/lower intensity) differed from the Ideas of my coach, so I was injured a lot trying to add more mileage during college and learned how to train the way I like now.</i></div>
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RTR: Congrats on a PR (1:08:14) and a 2nd place finish at the Lincoln (Nebraska) Half Marathon on May 4th, 2014. How did you feel out there and how does that race fit into the bigger picture of your 2014 racing?</div>
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<i>Thank you! Very much appreciated. I felt good out there. I wanted to keep the leaders in sight, but Sammy (Rotich) got out so quick I was kind of on my own, til I picked up some Marathoners at mile 4 and they kind of latched on to me until mile 10 or 11. My plan was to go easy the first 5k then build off that. I really wanted to see if I could break <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1133471627" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">1:08</span></span>, and I'm now second guessing the race to think where I could have dropped 15 seconds. The wind caught me off guard the last 5k, which was when I really started wearing down. Other than that I felt really good and am happy with the race.</i></div>
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<i>That race is the 2nd of my 3 big races this spring. The first was the Shamrock Shuffle 8k in Chicago, where I set an 8k PR (25:00). The other race is Grandmas Marathon, and the Lincoln Half is big for my confidence and seeing that my training is paying off. Going into Grandmas with 2 PR's will be very helpful.</i></div>
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RTR: Is your ultimate goal an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier of <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1133471628" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">2:18</span></span>? Does Meb's run at Boston (just days before he turned 39) give you some confidence that you may just be coming into your prime marathon years? </div>
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<i>The Trials are the ultimate goal. The time keeps getting lowered, which makes it tougher. I still have a chunk of time to knock off, but I'm hoping Grandmas will get me closer. </i></div>
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<i>Yes, Meb's run at Boston is huge for knowing there are still more good years to come. I'm nowhere near his level, but seeing guys in their mid-to-upper 30's setting PR's lets me know I have a shot to do that too if I keep working hard.</i></div>
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RTR: What's a typical week of training like for you during a marathon build-up? </div>
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<i>My typical marathon training is anywhere in the 90-110 mile range. I usually build up for 3 weeks then take a down week. I don't run a lot of workouts, as mentioned earlier. The big one is usually incorporated into my weekly long run of 20-24 miles. That usually involves some sort of tempo or goal pace work at the end of the long run. The other workout usually comes in the middle of the week and varies by the week. One week it could be a longer tempo, the next it could be some sort of fartlek faster than goal pace.</i></div>
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RTR: Has your training changed at all compared to when you were 24 or 25? Are you smarter now about training, racing, and recovery?</div>
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<i>Adding to the question above, I think I'm being smarter about training and racing now. I've had a few injuries that set me back (Hip in 2008 and Plantar Fasciitis in 2012). I'm taking on a "less is more" approach when it comes to speed training and racing. I learned over the years I recover very slowly and want to make sure I'm not sacrificing recovery to get in quality. I love racing but have to pick and choose the big ones and sit out the smaller ones or use them as workouts now rather than racing as often as I did when I was younger. I'm also running less intense workouts at this point, which seems to be working out well.</i></div>
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RTR: I understand you just moved out to Denver from Nebraska within the last 12 months. Do you feel like you are getting a benefit from living at altitude? </div>
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<i>I moved out here to Denver about a year ago, and yes, I am noticing a benefit. Its hard to describe, but running faster and hills are much harder out here. I do find when I run at sea level I can work harder for a longer period of time. As long as it isn't humid!!!</i></div>
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RTR: Are you finding some fast guys in Denver to run with? How important are training partners for you? </div>
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<i>Slowly... I'm not the most outgoing person, so meeting new people to run with is hard for me. I live in Parker which is away from the areas that the large pockets of runners call home (Boulder, CO Springs). I am finding a few guys and getting in good shape pushing my niece and nephew in the double stroller when I run with my twin brother and his friends. </i></div>
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<i>I would have to say the worst thing about moving from Lincoln is leaving all the great training partners I had behind. I think the year before I left I had about 10 runs total by myself. That was great. Now I run at least half of my runs on my own. It's nice when <a href="http://www.lrc-racing.com/ryan-regnier.html" target="_blank">Ryan Regnier</a> (Lincoln-based marathoner) comes out to Denver for work. </i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMaBkrGRxXQDJ4TlORYWq317R3xBfx993B8no-rP9CTwi7lW0xnMLtLuzENes0Hw6FXpFrndsJZ85mm_1V97zpC-D16OX_tPe05y83As-gC6KagTnb08PCxQ3aUqvAQmzqDdwCa5D-Ys/s1600/Nichols2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMaBkrGRxXQDJ4TlORYWq317R3xBfx993B8no-rP9CTwi7lW0xnMLtLuzENes0Hw6FXpFrndsJZ85mm_1V97zpC-D16OX_tPe05y83As-gC6KagTnb08PCxQ3aUqvAQmzqDdwCa5D-Ys/s1600/Nichols2.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Nichols at mile 11 of the Lincoln Half Marathon. <span style="text-align: left;">(Photo courtesy of The Lincoln Marathon and Gary Dougherty Photography)</span></td></tr>
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RTR: What's your key pre-marathon workout that lets you know you're ready to roll? How far out from race day do you run that workout?</div>
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<i>Usually it's the long runs that signal I'm ready to race well. A lot of days I don't wear a watch, but I normally do on long runs and just get into a good rhythm and without knowing it, I'll be running <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1133471629" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">6:00</span></span> miles. I've never been one to need a lot of speed work to feel fit, it's the strength runs that get me there.</i></div>
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RTR: Do you have a mantra/words that you repeat or a song that you sing in your head when a marathon gets tough? Maybe Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," the Chariots of Fire song, or Katy Perry's "Dark Horse"? :-)</div>
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<i>Sometimes I'll get a song stuck in my head, but that varies every run. I normally think to myself just get to the next mile and go from there.</i></div>
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RTR: What's your personal theory on the marathon taper? Cut mileage but maintain intensity? Cut back on both? Or don't taper much at all?</div>
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<i>I definitely back off, but not a ton. I cut both mileage and intensity. I usually start gradually lowering it starting 3 weeks out. The 3rd week out I'll run about 70-80 miles with a day off, 16-18 mile long run and a shorter workout. Two weeks out is closer to 60-70 with a day off, 14-16 long run and short workout. The last week is just some shorter runs and strides to loosen up. At that point the work is done, so I just want to get to the start line feeling as fresh as possible.</i></div>
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RTR: What's your take on the growing popularity of MUT (Mountain/Ultra/Trail) Running? You're in Colorado now, which is where UROC, Wasatch, Leadville and many other ultra races take place. Will we see you out there running a 50-miler in the mountains anytime soon? </div>
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TN:</div>
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<i>I think it's great. Anything that brings attention and more people to the sport is a good thing. It's not my thing, because of weak ankles. I love seeing people getting into it. My twin brother is doing some longer trail runs this summer so I'll probably go with him and watch his kids while he races. I wouldn't count on me joining him anytime soon. Maybe after I give up my competitiveness on the roads.</i></div>
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RTR: Who is your running idol and why? </div>
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<i>I've never had a huge running idol. I liked following guys growing up, but I'd say I follow the guys I know more than certain professionals. With that, I'd say <a href="http://www.hansons-running.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/BIO_Morgan.pdf" target="_blank">Mike Morgan</a> would be the top of the list. Seeing a good friend of mine go as far as he can with the talent he has is fun to watch. He is one of the toughest guys I know.</i></div>
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<span style="color: #500050;">RTR: Tom, thanks for your time and best of luck at Grandma's Marathon in June!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-24160628806609505842014-05-06T18:29:00.001-07:002014-05-07T09:57:45.575-07:00Race Report: Lincoln National Guard Marathon (5/4/14)<u><b>My Day at the Lincoln National Guard Marathon</b></u><br />
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I had the race day kit all laid out. I had my banana and baggie of Kix on the nightstand so I didn't wake the family to get breakfast. Alarm set for 4:40AM. Socks, shoes, warmup pants, everything decided in advance.<br />
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I went out Saturday night and hid 3 water bottles along the course at miles 5, 11, and 17.5 so I could drink my own special sauce on the course. The forecast called for 50 as a low temp, highs in the 70's and windy conditions. This would be my do-over debut marathon after my 20 mile hamstring burnout at Quad Cities Marathon last fall, and I wasn't leaving anything to chance.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race day gear laid out the night before.</td></tr>
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I didn't sleep well the night before the race, but who does? I went over everything in my head way too many times. What if I get out too fast? too slow? How fit am I right now? How fast is Ryan or Pete or Ivan or Nate going to run? How many elite guys will swoop in from out of state for some prize money? The weather, the wind...? blah, blah, blah.<br />
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Just get me to the starting line.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting line about 6:20AM. </td></tr>
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I left my house in Lincoln at 5am for the 7am start time. I only live about 15 minutes away. But what am I going to do at home except agonize over which socks to wear. So I was there by 5:20 looking for a good parking spot. I got myself over to the Coliseum and just soaked up the excitement at last minute packet pickup for about 30 minutes or so. Something oddly comforting about listening to other people talk about their upcoming race and how they hadn't trained properly. <br />
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I'm normally a loner before a big race. This day was no different. I had about 15 Lincoln Running Company teammates running either the full or half marathon and doing a team warmup. Thanks but I need my space before a big one.<br />
I ran just over a mile for a warmup. I normally do two miles or more. But this was my deliberate attempt not to feel too warm or too "ready" when the race started. That can lead to getting out too hard and racing right from the gun. I wanted to just settle in the first few miles and make sure I didn't blow myself up.<br />
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It seemed to work. I lined up for the race in about the 4th row of runners. I let the Kenyan marathoners (several guys from Minneapolis) and the fast half-marathoners get away from me so I didn't feel the urge to go with them. I started the race at a very easy pace (6:22 first mile) and talked with teammates Ryan Regnier and then Hayley Sutter during the first couple miles.<br />
Looking up the road, I could see the race working out in front of me. Nate Stack was out very strong with his Team Nebraska teammates, but they were running the half-marathon.<br />
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Also in front of me were Ivan Marsh and my teammate Brian Wandzilak. I caught up to them around mile 2 and ran with them for a few miles as we passed through some historic neighborhoods and had some great crowd support along Sheridan Boulevard. Brian announced that it was his 'hood. And I guess I can't argue, he really does live a block or so off the marathon course.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself, Wandzilak and Marsh around mile marker 4.</td></tr>
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I had run 6:22, 6:10, 6:10, 6:09 for the first 4 miles and I felt like I had the brakes on, so I started to press just a bit during mile 5 and left Wandzi and Marsh behind. I climbed the hill at 48th and Calvert (probably the first real hill of the day), grabbed my first water bottle from under a nearby tree, turned onto 48th street and hit mile 5 (6:09). There's a long downhill here for nearly a mile. I sucked on my water bottle during that mile and was running with Jerrod Anzalone from team Nebraska Run Guru Elite (NRGE). We passed several guys during this downhill mile. I went 5:48 for mile 6 and was feeling good.<br />
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Miles 7 and 8 were along the Highway 2 trail. I left Anzalone behind and caught up to Pete Kostelnick from team NRGE during this time and we ticked off a 5:53 and 5:57 together. Somewhere in here I had a GU. Then Anzalone caught us again as we climbed "The Hill" on 20th street together. There were some good groups of spectators along the way. But I called out a couple of quiet groups and said, "It's not a funeral YET, you can make some noise!"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the bottom of "The Hill."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4wsjjN7JmUuELInWaOhSnfaJ0LdGMtnrQjqvWjSQhC6jQahddWfyXHAtyv7DGnWRuJXsuRF_rYjh10_xGG4_b_iuj4qTPi-jjkdKdZGI4yKew4xPhqlUTe6Ml-jhpCtZ8MDAGQesP3g/s1600/IMG_20140506_103738371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4wsjjN7JmUuELInWaOhSnfaJ0LdGMtnrQjqvWjSQhC6jQahddWfyXHAtyv7DGnWRuJXsuRF_rYjh10_xGG4_b_iuj4qTPi-jjkdKdZGI4yKew4xPhqlUTe6Ml-jhpCtZ8MDAGQesP3g/s1600/IMG_20140506_103738371.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View halfway up where "The Hill" levels off before rising again. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
"The Hill" is a moderate climb of about half a mile and it really wasn't too bad. It's definitely the longest hill on this marathon course. But the thing about this course is that it never stops rolling. Even the "flat" parts along Highway 2 have just enough elevation change to mess with you. (If you think that Highway 2 trail is flat, think about the climb up to the Arby's/Rock Island Trail interchange coming from east to west.)<br />
<br />
I split 6:10 for miles 9, 10, and 11. Or at least I split 18:30 for those 3 miles---I forgot to hit my watch during those miles because I was talking with Kostelnick and Anzelone and trying to pay attention to the turns we had to make. At this point it was myself and Anzalone working together and Kostelnick was starting to fade. I had another GU and grabbed my next water bottle at mile 11 (sitting beside a telephone pole only a foot off the road) and sucked on that for a mile or so heading up 10th street toward downtown. I was feeling pretty good, feeding off the crowds, and passing more half marathoners during miles 12 and 13. I left Anzalone behind as we approached downtown. I went 5:54 for mile 12 and 5:55 for 13.<br />
<br />
This is where the half marathoners turn into the stadium to finish and you can get a sense of where you stand in the marathon field. Up to this point, when you passed another runner it was common to ask "you in the half or full?" and maybe say a few words of encouragement as you pass. But now with the half marathoners gone there was no more mystery, and it felt lonely pretty quickly. I split right around 1:19:40 for the half marathon (the timing mat missed this one somehow). I would have preferred to be more like 1:18 at the half marathon mark, but I was trying to stay relaxed and not burn myself out too early so 1:19:40 was fine.<br />
<br />
I could see Nate Stack in his red Team Nebraska singlet and also a National Guard runner maybe 30 seconds ahead of me as we headed from the half marathon point onto the lonely Antelope Creek Trail.<br />
The wind, which I hadn't really noticed during the first half marathon, was now smacking me in the face as we headed east and south. Miles 14, 15 and 16 were just me slowly reeling in Stack and the National Guard runner. Stack even gestured to me a few times to get up there and help cut the wind. I felt decent on miles 14, 15 and 16 and had splits of 6:02, 6:07, and 6:08. I caught them somewhere around the 16 mile mark.<br />
<br />
I downed another GU and settled in with the two guys I had been working to catch. Unfortunately, the spectator support was really lacking on this stretch compared to the first 13 miles. And the wind seemed to get increasingly worse as we ran miles 17 and 18. We were all suffering. Just before I grabbed my final stashed water bottle at mile 17.5, I remember thinking it wasn't just the wind that sucked, but it was getting hot outside too.<br />
<br />
I took a couple drinks from my bottle in the next block or so and then tossed it. I felt like the bottle was slowing me down as I tried to keep pace with the other two guys. After less than a mile I knew dropping that bottle was a bad idea. I had a drink called Tailwind in there, which is similar to Gatorade but with a higher salt content. I had split 6:10 for mile 17 and was still with the pack. But during mile 18 I started to see spots and lose my vision.<br />
<br />
I backed off late in mile 18 on the steep climb up to Holmes Lake and lost touch with Nate Stack and the other runner. I knew I needed some salt but I had thought the Tailwind would be enough so I didn't have any salt pills on me. I started to wonder if I could finish this race at all.<br />
My legs, and especially my calves, were starting to feel like stone at this point. I wasn't sure if I had perhaps gone too minimal on my shoe choice or if the little rolling hills had taken a bigger toll on my legs than I thought. Probably both.<br />
The Skecher's GoMeb Speed 2 is a light shoe and felt great on my foot the entire race. Meb swears by it, but I'm 6-4 and 160 pounds.....he's not. I'll explore this more in another post......<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc7c3cQkjMpey6HoScUZMgRhdC7YaK0d1gvTIA9OYQb-8vcJvR2DgpdkoyW14uw9OGOhyphenhyphenMGGZtOaaNZM5aAnHULsfjjeHT5LnNlOKsTBtMynTAQQo3UuuWEsstgw2oqkAk5YdcgmP_HY/s1600/skechers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc7c3cQkjMpey6HoScUZMgRhdC7YaK0d1gvTIA9OYQb-8vcJvR2DgpdkoyW14uw9OGOhyphenhyphenMGGZtOaaNZM5aAnHULsfjjeHT5LnNlOKsTBtMynTAQQo3UuuWEsstgw2oqkAk5YdcgmP_HY/s1600/skechers.JPG" height="414" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skecher's GoMeb Speed 2 in action.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Luckily, I was able to get Gatorade at an aid station at mile marker 19. I knew that I would get to pass that same aid station again at mile 20---after the turnaround loop on 70th street. So the thought of more Gatorade carried me through mile 19, even though my vision wasn't the best. I ran exactly 6:24 for miles 18, 19, and 20. The wheels were coming off for sure and I was suffering. But these were also rather hilly miles and I literally couldn't even see straight.<br />
<br />
The good news was that I had made the turnaround at 19.5 miles so I got a look at who was chasing me. I had been counting runners and I was in tenth place. Everyone behind me looked like they were suffering too. My teammate Ryan Regnier was the only one within a minute of me at the turnaround and he looked strong. I got my vision back at that mile mark 20 aid station and I was determined to hold my teammate off as long as I could. We had expected to see each other somewhere around mile 20 or 22. I knew going in that his strategy over the first 10k was even more conservative than mine. This is a guy that I meet at 5am twice a week to run with, we weren't being secretive about our race day strategy. He truly likes to build up his pace, stay comfortable, and come from behind in the marathon. I'm just not that patient.<br />
<br />
I ran mile 21 and mile 22 in 6:20 and 6:12, respectively. But still I could feel Ryan Regnier getting closer and closer behind me. I passed my wife and kids for the last time at mile 22 and my wife gave me a cold towel, which was great. My boys were handing out fruit snacks to the runners too.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="359" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PACZrw5b8HQ/U2fFcL3RGpI/AAAAAAAABRQ/Pb_NcP8T-zM/w1026-h577-no/20140504_070720.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samson, 5, and Gavin, 9, eating donuts and waiting for me to run by.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Ryan Regnier passed me just after mile marker 22 and I tried to go with him but my legs just wouldn't respond. I hung close to him for mile 23 but only ran a 6:28. I knew it was a mental game from here on in. 3 miles to go. I was convincing myself to push to the next block, then one more.<br />
I was also passing many marathoners now (face to face) who were still on their way out to Holmes Lake and some offered encouragement. (The second half of the marathon is out and back.)<br />
<br />
It wasn't pretty, but I went 6:33 for mile 24, 6:43 for mile 25 and 8:06 for the final 1.2 miles into Memorial Stadium. The finish at the Lincoln Marathon is on the 50-yard line right on the "Big Red" letter N. Pretty cool, especially for Nebraska fans. By the way, it was nice to have an entirely separate full marathon chute leading into the stadium because so many half marathoners were finishing at the same time as me.<br />
<br />
I finished in 11th place in 2:43:03. I was about 75 seconds behind my teammate Regnier. And one spot out of the prize money! On the bright side, as bad as I felt, nobody else passed me or was even near me those last few miles. <a href="http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2144/2014_Lincoln_National_Guard_Marathon-Marathon" target="_blank">See Results Here.</a><br />
<br />
My race didn't go perfectly, but I rolled with the punches and was able to finish my first full marathon with a respectable time. If I had a mulligan, I may have pushed a bit harder in the first half and definitely would have taken in more salt and fluid the whole way. I had 3.5 GU's/Gels during the race and probably only about 30 ounces of water and sport drink. Despite having my own fluids at my disposal, I just hadn't trained properly on taking in large amounts of fluid while running fast.<br />
<br />
Special thanks to my sports chiro dude <a href="http://www.activechirocare.com/dr-robert-lane" target="_blank">Dr. Rob Lane</a> in Lincoln for keeping me healthy enough to run a March 1st 50k and then a May 4th marathon on a hammy that is still a work in progress!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Race Organization and Goodies</u>: </b><br />
<br />
After I finished, things were a bit of a cluster. But with 12,000+ entrants this year (up from 10,000 last year) you have to expect some congestion. Tons of half marathoners were finishing when I was and we were all being herded off the football field and into the ground floor of the stadium where they had drinks and snacks available. But you had to grab it fast as you were being pushed down the hallway. It was just too many people at once and my legs were rubbery. I congratulated Regnier and Stack, then I grabbed a Gatorade and headed straight to the massage area and got worked on. They gave priority to marathoners (over half-marathoners) and they got me right in!<br />
<br />
Kudos to Lincoln Track Club on a great race. The event was organized very well from packet pickup to pre-race emails to bike marshals on the course. Having the National Guard there in uniform, and seeing them working a water stop and the finish line, was awesome too.<br />
More spectators on the second half of the course would be great, but you can't have it all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXkei_p-BSSyJX6YJcmkjusgxi4mkCYUadIBTeyfmpbFWqXpz-5fxE-ji0H67PFOnlqB_PUTIClH4uLSv2BZ2V6l7O5a8sk5LzhWVK3_4tM2LKw-jlqgbcbE75f8sqY3GyjX_YAjzazk/s1600/IMG_20140505_154032539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXkei_p-BSSyJX6YJcmkjusgxi4mkCYUadIBTeyfmpbFWqXpz-5fxE-ji0H67PFOnlqB_PUTIClH4uLSv2BZ2V6l7O5a8sk5LzhWVK3_4tM2LKw-jlqgbcbE75f8sqY3GyjX_YAjzazk/s1600/IMG_20140505_154032539.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finisher medal, age group award, and salt-crusted hat.</td></tr>
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Lincoln Track Club has done a really nice job growing this race over the last several years. I see why it sells out so quickly each year and why all 50 states are represented. But it's definitely time to stop and evaluate that growth/entrants allowed. The awards ceremony (with free lunch) was a great time to catch up with rivals and teammates. The awards themselves are nicely done and they offer awards deep into each age group. The finisher medals are substantial and handsome.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ylqzW5lr6Zk/U2jieVRcHrI/AAAAAAAAAcY/ZOpTpupuohA/s1600/IMG_20140506_082358654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ylqzW5lr6Zk/U2jieVRcHrI/AAAAAAAAAcY/ZOpTpupuohA/s1600/IMG_20140506_082358654.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The race shirt looks more like a 4th of July theme, but this is the Lincoln <u>National Guard</u> Marathon and apparently serves as a championship race for that branch of the military. And the Guard did have some tough competitors out there. I know at least one Guardsman beat me to the finish line.<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Bottom Line</u>: </b><br />
<b>This is a hometown race with heart. Even if Lincoln isn't your hometown.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
My splits are listed below:<br />
Mile 1: 6:22<br />
Mile 2: 6:10<br />
Mile 3: 6:10<br />
5k: 19:25<br />
Mile 4: 6:09<br />
Mile 5: 6:09<br />
Mile 6: 5:48<br />
10k: 38:06<br />
Mile 7: 5:53<br />
Mile 8: 5:57<br />
Mile 9: 6:10 estimated<br />
15k: 56:54<br />
Mile 10: 6:10 estimated<br />
Mile 11: 6:10 estimated<br />
Mile 12: 5:54<br />
Mile 13: 5:55<br />
Half Marathon: 1:19:40 estimated<br />
Mile 14: 6:02<br />
Mile 15: 6:07<br />
25k: 1:34:27<br />
Mile 16: 6:08<br />
Mile 17: 6:10<br />
Mile 18: 6:24<br />
Mile 19: 6:24<br />
Mile 20: 6:24 and 2:02:44<br />
Mile 21: 6:20<br />
Mile 22: 6:12<br />
Mile 23: 6:28<br />
Mile 24: 6:33<br />
Mile 25: 6:43<br />
Mile 26.2: 8:06 and 2:43:03 total time<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-60667532802864814522014-05-02T11:41:00.001-07:002014-05-02T11:41:46.198-07:00Meb Falls Off His Elliptigo! <div class="MsoNormal">
<u>My Pre-Lincoln Marathon Training Rundown</u> (Meb makes a cameo below, please read on!)</div>
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<br /></div>
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I ran just 27 minutes today. Crazy. Below is how I taper.<o:p></o:p></div>
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From page 266 of Jack Daniels' book <u>Daniels’ Running Formula</u>. This is the 24th week of the "elite marathon" plan. I didn't really follow the training plan this time around, but I still like the taper. And I believe the Daniels pace tables, which tell you exactly how fast to run your workouts, are still the best out there. </div>
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In college I thought Coach Schmaed was crazy for relying so heavily on his paper binder with Daniels' "VO2 Max" tables, but like most things, coach was right.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S2u-I1mUde8/U2K5GGbHiMI/AAAAAAAAAWk/Vu8LYK3rg9g/s1600/IMG_20140501_161350170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S2u-I1mUde8/U2K5GGbHiMI/AAAAAAAAAWk/Vu8LYK3rg9g/s1600/IMG_20140501_161350170.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Since I have this extra time on my hands from tapering my
training, now seems like a good time to put out an update on my training. Only
two more days to the Lincoln Marathon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I have been intending to get going on Strava or some other
site that I can connect directly to my website, but I’m not there yet. I do use
Training Peaks and log everything religiously, I’m just not sure how to make
that public yet, despite a chat with Training Peaks help desk. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If anyone wants to explain all this new-fangled technology
to me, feel free. I’m due for a new GPS watch anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today I cracked 1300 miles for the year so far. And I’ve
also biked 446 miles on a stationary recumbent.
I got into the biking early this year when my hammy was pretty tight, but I found a recumbent bike wouldn't aggravate it (Spin bikes do aggravate it). I still bike about once per week now for variety, usually as a second
workout. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19RcOxMn4t8V1C3Xnpienncdc5DKzs3sB3bn33XcP0kT2XRejbK_IQVWBDX2sXtU72u1PjnygTk719UAxdqu3QnUm2wS7wcegLPLPaRmYgf296f2d2ejxQm5du03WrJSFaZPVhzPsAh4/s1600/IMG_20140501_155121027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19RcOxMn4t8V1C3Xnpienncdc5DKzs3sB3bn33XcP0kT2XRejbK_IQVWBDX2sXtU72u1PjnygTk719UAxdqu3QnUm2wS7wcegLPLPaRmYgf296f2d2ejxQm5du03WrJSFaZPVhzPsAh4/s1600/IMG_20140501_155121027.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 months of training summarized in one pie chart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And, no, I don’t have an ElliptiGo! It would need fat mud
tires to go on the trails and gravel I like to run. Plus the Nebraska wind (or a drunk Husker Football fan) would knock Meb on his butt if he rode that contraption down the street in
Lincoln. I would pick him up and dust him off though. Love you, Meb.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="272" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTH7puv_CS1D6vCZn1NMjySEu4lVfy2rpM9IIWiFiICZXK4-Mfb3Q" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Running.competitor.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Meb also made a cameo in a dream I had last night. I was warming up for the marathon and when I went to put on my racing flats, all that was in my bag were track spikes. Several pairs of track spikes with a plastic bottom! They started the race without me and Meb took the early lead. Guess I had no chance of winning that marathon, even in my dreams. Sad but true.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But back to my training.</div>
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My training mileage the last 8 weeks looked like this: </div>
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33 miles + 11 bike (recovery week after 50k)</div>
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79 miles + 53 bike</div>
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102 miles + 17 bike</div>
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85 miles + 51 bike</div>
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104 miles</div>
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96 miles + 14.5 bike</div>
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85 miles + 14.5 bike</div>
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58 miles (week ending 4/27)</div>
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<br /></div>
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This wasn’t a full marathon build-up/training
cycle by any means. It was more of a “hurry up and recover and then do all I
can” with these 8 weeks between my March 1<sup>st</sup> 50k and the Lincoln
Marathon the first weekend in May. So it has really been an abbreviated cycle, but I did have a decent base of easy January and February miles coming in.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04PJ83TrcUBjGzD4cVh55qIxBP0BL0svnYP4DXBkT9NXTYfys6dhfvej6gsMFUNpJ4bwQdoK9ab3SdIyqvZKsmSIEFwq8ej19YGQG8k1goRnDZsX3AgkN4TC-kca4recKkBdqCEk1OXw/s1600/Training+peaks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04PJ83TrcUBjGzD4cVh55qIxBP0BL0svnYP4DXBkT9NXTYfys6dhfvej6gsMFUNpJ4bwQdoK9ab3SdIyqvZKsmSIEFwq8ej19YGQG8k1goRnDZsX3AgkN4TC-kca4recKkBdqCEk1OXw/s1600/Training+peaks.JPG" height="382" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two training weeks from April.</td></tr>
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My mileage goal in most any training cycle these days is to
have a peak mileage between 110 and 120 and then stay in the 85 to 105 range
for the “meat” of the cycle. Basically, I train (mileage-wise anyway) like I’m
22 again but I run the easy stuff easier and I stay under control on my speedier work. </div>
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Although, I didn't really hit my mileage goals this cycle in pure running miles, the biking must be worth something. And my goals are a bit high for coming off a lingering hammy issue anyway. </div>
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<br /></div>
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That being said, February through April getting mileage in wasn’t as challenging as I had expected. My body has been allowing me to log easy miles
without too many issues. Adding the sufficient intensity (SPEED WORK!) while
keeping my hamstring/glute area from rebelling has been my issue. So I’ve
slowly dialed up the intensity this year (while working my hams/glutes along the
way). From no speedy workouts at all, to one per week, and now to two per week.
And I’m day to day. But I have the sports chiropractor (Rob Lane in Lincoln) put me back together every week
with soft tissue work, strength exercises, Graston, ART, whatever is needed. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Would I take another 3 or 4 weeks and move the Lincoln Marathon back to the last weekend in May if I could? Probably.</div>
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But Thankfully, I have really started to feel fitter and have increased the intensity (actually adding track work for the first time this year) these last few weeks. I have been careful not to push the pace too much on my track or tempo work.</div>
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But, long story short, I feel good this week and I look forward to a big run at the
Lincoln Marathon this Sunday May 4<sup>th</sup>! <o:p></o:p>My goal is to break 2:40 and a have a top 10 finish. My bib # is 2539 is you want to track me. </div>
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Lincoln is a great American running town and this marathon sells out in a matter of hours every year, so I know this will be a great experience........Even if Meb falls off his Elliptigo in front of me and steals my racing flats out of my bag before the race. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-28013193649920933622014-04-28T19:09:00.000-07:002014-04-28T19:09:09.191-07:00 7 Questions with Nebraska runner Hayley Sutter<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><u>VITALS</u></b><br />
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<b>Name: </b>Hayley Sutter</div>
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<b>Age</b>: 24</div>
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<b>Born and Raised</b>: Lincoln, Nebraska (Southeast High School)</div>
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<b>Currently Lives</b>: Lincoln, Nebraska</div>
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<b>Occupation</b>: University of Nebraska Public Policy Center</div>
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<b>PR's</b>: 1:21:32 Half Marathon (Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon, 2013); 1:01:16 10 Mile (State Farm 2014); <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_793771452" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">22:05</span></span> 6k Cross Country (Tori Neubauer Invitational, 2009)</div>
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<b>Fave Shoes: </b>Brooks Pure Flow for training. My favorite racing flats are the Saucony Type A6 (I call them my business shoes because when I wear them it's time to do work)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NQUVmHzHiyA/U17RT_DpgII/AAAAAAAAAVQ/pH-f1tQEAMM/s1600/Trail+Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NQUVmHzHiyA/U17RT_DpgII/AAAAAAAAAVQ/pH-f1tQEAMM/s1600/Trail+Sign.jpg" height="640" width="604" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hayley Sutter enjoys her stretch of trail just south of the Lincoln Zoo.</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Respect the Run: When did you start running and were you always a strong runner? </span></b><br />
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<b>Hayley</b> <b>Sutter</b>: The first time I remember purposefully going on a run was when I was 9 or 10 years old. However, I didn’t start running to become a better runner until I was in high school and, even then, I wasn’t overly dedicated at first. The first few weeks of track season involved a lot of walking and stopping at friend’s houses for mid-run snack breaks. About halfway through the season I realized I might be able to make the varsity track team and I started getting more serious about running. I don’t really think I became a strong runner until I was a sophomore or junior in college.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">RTR: What was your favorite distance to race in college and what distance do you like now?</span></b></div>
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<b>HS</b>: My favorite race in college was the 6k cross country course. I am generally a strong and confident runner so it was always fun for me to be able to catch people in the last half of the race. If I am having an especially hard week or need to refocus my running I still go out to Pioneers Park for a hard run. My favorite distance now is definitely the half marathon. I only have two half marathons under my belt right now but am hoping to be able to run 2 or 3 this year.</div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>RTR: How is post-collegiate running treating you compared to college? Do you have a coach? Is running for <a href="http://www.lrc-racing.com/" target="_blank">Lincoln Running Company Racing</a><u> </u></b><b>keeping you motivated? </b></span></div>
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<b>HS</b>: At first, post-collegiate running wasn’t even in the picture. After graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan, I was mentally and physically burnt out and took almost an entire year off from consistently running. I am really glad I took the time off though because I was able to reconnect with my love of running and now it is something I look forward to and 100% enjoy. I don’t have a coach per se – I write my own workouts, tell myself when to go where and how fast, and decide what races I am going to run and what effort I will put forth – but I do have a group of people whose involvement in my running is far beyond that of an interested bystander. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheLincolnRunningCo" target="_blank">Ann Ringlein</a> was my college coach and in many ways still is my coach. I ask her for advice and guidance regularly and would probably be terribly injured or undertrained if it weren’t for her. My dad, boyfriend, and dearest friends have also helped to encourage me and give me suggestions to improve my running. In addition, LRC Racing has been instrumental in helping me continue to grow as a runner by providing me with a network of people who have similar goals. A few weeks ago two of the LRC boys and I met on the track for a workout; even though I did a different workout than the boys it was nice to have someone encouraging me and reminding me to swing my arms efficiently.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">RTR: What does a typical week of training look like for you? What kind of mileage and workouts do you normally like to do?</span></b></div>
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<b>HS</b>: I average between 60-80 miles a week and generally do a workout <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_793771453" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">on Tuesday</span></span> and incorporate a long workout into my weekend long run. In addition, I decided early on in my career that I was going to run to work as much as possible and for over a year now I have been making the 3 mile commute regularly – meaning I run about 30 miles a week with a backpack on. I think my biggest key to success has been my long run workouts; they allow me to get a really solid workout in that I wouldn’t be able to do if I were going a shorter distance. One of my favorites is 7-8 sets of 5 minutes hard and 5 minutes easy. The long recovery allows me to really get after the 5 minutes hard and by doing 7-8 sets I get a really good endurance workout.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">RTR: What are your goal races for 2014? Is there a marathon in your future?</span></b></div>
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<b>HS</b>: My biggest goal race will be the Kansas City Half Marathon. I was able to win the race last year and want to come back and set a PR this year. I am also looking forward to the (Columbus, NE) Downtown Runaround, Harvest Moon Hustle, and Nebraska Wesleyan Alumni XC meet. I have this very arbitrary idea that when I am 27 years old I will be physically and mentally ready to run a marathon (I have no idea how I came up with 27 but it has stuck). I am 24 now so in 3 years you will likely see my debut marathon on the first <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_793771454" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Sunday</span></span> in May at the Lincoln Marathon. (Note: Hayley is competing in the Lincoln Half Marathon this year on May 4th, 2014.)</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">RTR: I was running in Lincoln a few weeks ago and noticed your name on a sign. You have adopted a local stretch of trail! Tell me about that.</span></b></div>
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<b>HS</b>: Yes! I adopted a section of the trail about a year ago after I noticed how much abuse the trails get. As someone who relies on the trail network, I wanted to be able to give back and tell Parks and Rec thank you for everything they do to keep our trails clear and convenient. I take a lot of pride in my trail and get a little heart broken when I see people littering on it or damaging the flora along it. The coolest thing about my trail is I adopted it back in April of 2013 and every day when I was running home from work I would look to see if they had put the sign up yet and when they finally did it was on my birthday! It was one of the best presents I got that year and I have a really great picture of me and the sign right after I first saw it. I encourage everyone who uses and enjoys Lincoln’s trails or parks to consider adopting one (<a href="http://lincoln.ne.gov/city/parks/volunteer/parksandtrails.htm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Visit here</a> to find out how you can adopt a trail or park).</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">RTR: You also have recently started a philanthropic group called Good Runners, Better People. What's the idea behind this group? </span></b></div>
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<b>HS</b>: The idea for Good Runners, Better People came when I was cleaning out my closet and decided to tackle my running clothes as well. After sorting through my clothes I went out for my daily run; however, I could not stop thinking about all the excess running clothes I had and came up with the idea of hosting clothing drives to benefit local high school athletes. After discussing the idea with my teammate Ryan Dostal, he and I approached LRC Racing to get the project started as an initiative of the team. Good Runners, Better People has since grown and is now a three-part philanthropy of clothing drives for technical running gear, redistribution sales at participating middle and high schools, and a college scholarship for high school runners focused on the positive impact of running. With the full support of the Lincoln Track Club and BRIN Racing Series we have been able to hold three very successful clothing drives and will continue to be present at all LTC and BRIN Races. In addition, nearly half of Lincoln’s high schools are Good Runners, Better People partnering schools and we will have the first redistribution sales in August or September of 2014.</div>
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More than a clothing drive, Good Runners, Better People is a philanthropy seeking to help established runners to become better citizens and create a more welcoming running community. I like to think of our name not only as a summary of the philanthropy, but also as our challenge to Lincoln’s running community. If you would like to learn more about Good Runners, Better People visit our <a href="http://www.lrc-racing.com/good-runners-better-people.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">website</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoodRunnersBetterPeople" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">RTR: Hayley, it's great you are finding so many ways to give back! Great talking with you and best of luck racing this year!</span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-20498858869291022442014-04-14T11:05:00.000-07:002014-04-15T11:04:51.049-07:00How I Cheated at My Local 50k The email hit me hard. My stomach dropped and I started to feel sick.<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I have a few questions for you about the stampede trail 50k race. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Your answer to these questions will give you a chance to clear your name and show me your true character. Do you think you ran the full course that day? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">How many times did you run the mile loop on the farm?"</span><br />
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Earlier this week, I emailed a local trail runner to ask about doing an interview for my website. What I got in return was an accusatory email stating that I had not only cut the course in my first 50k race back on March 1, but possibly done it on purpose. The second part of that accusation is ridiculous if you know me at all. Why in the world would I cut the course, especially in a race that I won handily?<br />
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I was offended that I was even being questioned. Is this how you welcome a guy who is new to your state and your running community?<br />
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But then I went to my Nike GPS data and watched the little cursor move across the map showing where I had run that day. And sure enough, I HAD cut a mile loop off the course.<br />
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I didn't even notice the total mileage on my watch as I finished the race. Looking at it after I stopped running and went inside the barn to warm up, the total was 29.88 miles.<br />
But this didn't alarm me because my watch is known to lose the GPS signal and come up short on mileage, especially out on the trail.<br />
Meaning if I run with you and your Garmin or Suunto brand watch says 20 miles, my Nike TomTom watch might say 19.6 or 19.8 miles.<br />
Not to mention that trail race courses can come out long or short on your GPS no matter how carefully the RD may have planned the course.<br />
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But there it was on my laptop screen (and here it is below because I can't figure out how to make my Nike GPS data public). I had only run the mile loop on the farm 3 times rather than the required 4 times. After making a quick halftime stop for a bathroom break and drink at the barn (race headquarters), I had been in such a hurry to race away from another runner, that I just plain blew past the turn for that mile loop without even realizing it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNZJZplI2rRrs3KLvW7IinbWkiibxticD85UrvCGV-X2hZ7xCLn5VICfElXHTdTmH7xBKqTPYhvDr7qbqEQ8vJkq0U8eC7V1oTXYCtngMdoIGF5NzYQusPS3aLn4tXVy2mlkaigFbQKo/s1600/VID_20140412_192242116.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNZJZplI2rRrs3KLvW7IinbWkiibxticD85UrvCGV-X2hZ7xCLn5VICfElXHTdTmH7xBKqTPYhvDr7qbqEQ8vJkq0U8eC7V1oTXYCtngMdoIGF5NzYQusPS3aLn4tXVy2mlkaigFbQKo/s1600/VID_20140412_192242116.mp4" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shots of my GPS map data showing how we made only 3 loops of the farm (bottom loop) rather than 4. </td></tr>
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The second place runner, just a few seconds behind me leaving that halftime stop, chased after me and ended up cutting the mile loop as well.<br />
It appears that the third place runner and runners thereafter did complete the proper course. Thankfully, the third place runner was about 30 minutes behind me, so our inadvertent error hadn't changed the outcome of the race. Adding another 7 minute mile wouldn't have even come close to erasing that 30 minute deficit.<br />
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The frustrating part is that I've been walking around for over a month now totally unaware that I cut off a loop that amounts to about a mile. Nobody said a word to me after the race that day about missing that loop. No calls or emails from the RD or other runners asking if I was sure I had gone the whole distance...<br />
The second place runner was also clueless about the error we had made that day until I got this email and then alerted him to the facts.<br />
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Meanwhile, the runner who sent the email was stewing for a month. That runner's thinking was that we had either cheated on purpose or had realized our error and were never going to admit to it.<br />
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I have asked the RD to disqualify me for not completing the course and I have offered the 3rd place finisher my medal. The 3rd place finisher responded that I had still earned the medal and he didn't want it. I'm not sure yet what action the RD will take in terms of amending the results/disqualification. <a href="http://www.xperiencems.com/AngryCowRaces/?page_id=2448" target="_blank">Stampede 50k Results </a><br />
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I am including my mile splits below. The slowest miles, such as mile 16, correspond with stops at aid stations. Also, here is a link to the 2nd place runner's GPS data. <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454864948" target="_blank">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/454864948</a><br />
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Lesson learned. It turns out you really should study the course and know it front and back. Especially on a day where the wind is so harsh and cold that no volunteers will be out on the course to help guide you.<br />
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So we had a nice 30 mile trail run that day rather than a 50k. Still a great day on the trail, despite the -30 windchills and all this drama!<br />
NOTE: You can read my detailed race report about this 50k race <a href="http://respecttherun.blogspot.com/2014/03/race-report-stampede-trail-50k-in-5.html" target="_blank">Here</a>. (It was written before I knew about cutting off the mile loop.)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-36387195588770921462014-04-12T20:41:00.000-07:002014-04-13T11:23:19.012-07:00Race Report: Novartis 10k Run (4/12/14)The Sellers family had another Saturday at the races here in Lincoln, NE. I ran the 10k this morning and my son Gavin ran the 2 mile race.<br />
It was great to see some Lincoln Running Company teammates that I hadn't seen in quite awhile (Jason Zakaras and Logan Watley in particular). Zakaras, Brian Wandzilak, and I are likely making a run at Rim to Rim to Rim (running across the Grand Canyon and back) in July so we have plenty to talk about for that trip.<br />
It was also nice to see that Team Nebraska represented well this morning with several strong runners including Eric Rasmussen, Cory Logsdon, Cheto Cerda and Nate Stack. It made for a nice large pack the first couple miles of the race and really helped to break the wind.<br />
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Below are a few starting line shots that my wife snapped. (I'm in the orange hat.)<br />
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It was a very humid and windy morning with temps in the upper 60's at the 9am race time. This course starts and finishes at Holmes Lake, which is a nice little lake right in the heart of Lincoln. I had never run this course so didn't have a very solid goal for my first mile or my overall race pace.<br />
I ran my first track workout of the year this week so I had no real feel for my fitness yet. I decided not to overplan things and just run on feel. I ended up getting out in 5:21 for the first mile and that left me in the chase pack, which was fine. 5:21 was probably the fastest mile I had run yet this year, period. But luckily I was feeling pretty good and in mile 2 and I ticked off another 5:21 while I made a move up to run alongside my teammates Ryan Regnier and Logan Watley.<br />
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We were in 8th, 9th and 10th place at that point with runners strung out in front of us and a small Team Nebraska pack chasing us. For mile 3 I went 5:30 and still felt pretty darn good.<br />
Mile 4 included a nice long climb up 56th street where Logan, Ryan and I continued to work together to a 5:45 mile split.<br />
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There was a bit of goofiness at the turnaround point just after mile 4. Unluckily for me, whoever was working that turnaround was confused and ended up telling the first seven runners to turn around early and cut about 20 seconds off the course (I timed it). As our little pack approached the turnaround, the volunteer figured things out and we were told to go on up to the real turnaround point---which we did. And we grumbled all the way. That 20 seconds did cost me one place at the end of the day, but the difference between 7th and 8th place at the Novartis 10k is nothing I will lose sleep over. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me near the finish of the Novartis 10k. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near the finish with local runner Ivan Marsh offering encouragement.</td></tr>
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After the turnaround you get to run back down the 56th street hill, which was a nice break. I was able to run a 5:25 mile and separate myself from Watley and Regnier at this point. During mile 6, I worked to reel in the next runner but I just ran out of time. I held my 8th place standing through the finish. I ran 34:16 and felt pretty good out there on the course. <a href="http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_plain_text.php?race_id=38636" target="_blank">Results Here</a><br />
Our LRC men put 6 in the top 10 today and our women put 4 in the top 5! See the LRC team race recap <a href="http://www.lrc-racing.com/recent-news.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I was testing a new pair of racing flats today. The Skecher's GoMeb Speed 2. They treated me well but I'm not sure yet if they are a sturdy enough shoe for a full marathon. I need a day or two to evaluate any soreness in my lower legs and feet before I can make a good evaluation of these shoes.<br />
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Looking ahead, I have the Lincoln Marathon in 3 weeks. I'm toying with dropping down to the half marathon at Lincoln and then running the full marathon at Grandma's up in Duluth, MN in late June. I'm still on the fence at this point. If I run the Marathon at Lincoln and/or at Grandma's, my goals will be 2:40 and 2:35 respectively. I believe the Grandma's Marathon course is quite a bit faster than Lincoln.<br />
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In related news, my son Gavin (9) ran the 2 mile and looked strong. He ran 13:34 for 7th place overall. He was the first finisher under 18 years old. Gavin is getting warmed up for his outdoor track season which starts in May.<br />
Nice work Gavin!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the Novartis 2 mile run. (Gavin in the middle in purple.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin near the finish of the Novartis 2 mile run.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-81242301137600915872014-04-07T21:10:00.000-07:002014-04-08T05:39:18.308-07:007 Questions with Nebraska ultra runner Pete Kostelnick<br />
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7 questions with Nebraska ultra runner <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_participant.aspx?fname=Pete&lname=Kostelnick">Pete Kostelnick</a>, winner of the Brew to Brew 44 miler on April 6, 2014. Pete was also the first man to run across Iowa with the RAGBRAI week-long bike ride in the summer of 2013.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete Kostelnick completes the Heartland 100-mile race (sunglasses and white singlet).<br />
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VITALS:</div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;">Age: 26</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050;">Born and raised: Boone, Iowa</span></div>
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Currently lives: Lincoln, Nebraska</div>
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Family: Married, no kids</div>
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Occupation: Accounting/Finance</div>
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Respect The Run: When did you start running? How long have you been running ultras?</div>
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Pete Kostelnick: I started running cross country my junior year of high school in 2003. I ran JV the entire year, and then varsity my senior year, never a very serious runner. Funny thing about Boone High is my fellow classmate Danna Herrick (Kelly) is an olympic marathon qualifier, good friend Logan Gonzales was a 800-1600m repeat state champ who then ran at Texas, and there have been several state champs in CC and track since my time (Brogan Austin, Chandler Austin, Albert Meier). I quit running from '05-'08, and ran my first marathon in 2008, and first ultra in 2011 at Brew to Brew.</div>
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RTR : Congrats on a big win on April 6 at the Brew to Brew 44 mile ultra in Kansas City! What kind of strategy or pacing got you the win this year? Looking back at results I see you have run Brew in the past but never won the race...</div>
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PK: I went out easy like I always do for this race, which is probably a smart move in itself. Realistically, I probably went out slow (~8 min pace) since it's still dark at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1577001275" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">6 AM</span></span>, and the course can get you lost if you aren't careful and navigating with others. I went out with several guys who had never run it before, so I was the one who knew the course. Pretty soon, at mile 15, I noticed I was in a pack of four with an "older" guy on my tail. Brew to Brew has a 10 min handicap for each age group starting at 40 and increasing on up, so I freaked out a bit knowing I hadn't gained any time on someone who had 10-30 min of age grade to work with. So honestly, I started to push the pace closer to <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1577001276" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7:15</span></span> min miles from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1577001277" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7:45</span></span> min miles in hopes this guy would stick with me and have to walk later, where I would gain my time (ultra running isn't always a friendly sport). My goal was a <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1577001278" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7:30</span></span> pace overall, with negative splits, which I did just barely. That is about the time my neighbor, Ryan Regnier, ran in 2012 when he got 1st place and I placed 3rd (we didn't know each other until a year ago). So I just had to beat his time, right? I've placed 2nd or 3rd all three years I've run it, so I wanted to get over that hump this year.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kostelnick winning Brew to Brew on April 6, 2014. </td></tr>
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RTR: What does your race day nutrition look like? breakfast? how much/what form of calories taken on the run?</div>
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PK: I usually eat a breakfast of oatmeal or a bagel and banana before a race. This morning I went with a donut and Clif Bar since they were at the gas station. I used to fill up to the max before an ultra distance race, but lately I've tried to limit my calories, and ensure that they come 2 hours before the race so I can take a Vespa pouch 30-45 min before the race without a full stomach to optimize fat sources of energy. I ate just under two Clif Block packs along the way, and that was it for eating. I had some Tailwind mixed in with my water for the last 14 miles to replenish some sodium.</div>
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RTR: How do you recover from a race like Brew? (days off, compression, ice baths, etc) How long to get back into normal training mode?</div>
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PK: Usually I only take a day or two after Brew to Brew--it's an odd distance where you don't push the pace too hard, but don't really break down the muscles like a 100 miler. I don't have any recovery traditions, other than letting the legs rest until they crave some miles.</div>
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RTR: What does a typical week of training look like for you building up for a race like Brew? (Mileage, any hard workouts, etc.)</div>
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PK: I've been doing more 5 - 10 mile races this year than I typically do, so I made sure to mix in a couple 30+ mile easy runs in March, with the faster runs saved for weekend races. Coach Will Lindgren (Nebraska Run Guru Elite, www.rungurusays.com) got me motivated and in shape earlier than I thought was possible in January after taking a couple months off. Say what they will about his (Lindgren's) ability to stir the pot, he's the best running coach in Nebraska by far. I've been getting in 80-100 miles per week consistently since February.</div>
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RTR: What is your goal race for 2014 and what specific preparation will that require?</div>
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PK: Badwater 135 is the ultimate goal. I also want to do well at the Lincoln Marathon in May and the Superior 100 in September, but they're all completely different mindsets and strategies. For Badwater, I want to see if I can hang with a big name or two. I don't really know what my training for that will look like yet, other than a few June <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1577001279" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Saturday</span></span> runs where I'm wearing a hoodie, winter hat, and 100 oz camelbak. I've had the benefit of running two of my hundred mile finishes with Cath Todd, the lady's Badwater winner last year, so I may need to pick her brain a bit more before then.</div>
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RTR: What are your favorite shoes for training and racing? What other gear is a must for "going ultra"?</div>
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PK: Brooks Pure Grit (2's)--I run in these things every day from 1 to 100 miles on any surface. They flex well to give you a natural landing and push-off, but still provide great support. If Scott Jurek wears them, they must be perfect, right? The 3's (2014) feel a little narrow for my square feet, so I'm not sure if that's psychological or not. For ultras, my must-haves are Body Glide, handheld bottle (50 oz camelbak if > 7 miles/1 hr between aid stations), Vespa, Tailwind, Clif Blocks, and Jolly Ranchers. Salt is important, but I try to get it through more natural sources than pills. I also try not to touch any "sandwich" type food for 50 miles or less, but have noticed I need "real" food past my 100k plateau. Every runner is different, though. I know some people who don't eat at all during a 100 miler.</div>
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RTR: Thanks for your time and have a great year of running!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-63460853093128618222014-03-31T18:43:00.000-07:002014-03-31T18:43:13.142-07:00Race Report: State Farm Run (3/29/14)We got the whole Sellers family out on Saturday morning and did a nice local race here in Lincoln. The State Farm Run had a 10 miler for me and a mile run for my two boys Gavin (9) and Samson (5).<br />
Gavin had a nice showing and finished 2nd overall in 6:25. Samson ran 11:28 and showed some real heart running most of the race and then finishing hard with a little moral support from my wife and his older brother. This was Samson's first road race.<br />
Gavin will start his track practices with a local club here next week. Lately he's just been running easy 2 or 3 times per week.<br />
It was great that I could watch my boys run at 8:30 AM while I warmed up for my 9AM start time. I'm very proud of them both!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Samson in blue finishing hard. Gavin finished his race and then turned around to encourage little brother.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samson strides to the finish in 11:38. </td></tr>
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As far as my race goes, it was my first road race of the year and I treated it more like a tempo run. I had a conservative goal of just breaking 60 minutes going in and I was glad to reach that goal with a 9th place finish in 59:08. Not a fast time by any means, but considering my lack of speed and tempo work so far this year, it was about what I expected. I clearly need to do some speedier workouts in the next 5 weeks leading up the the Lincoln Marathon in early May. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the race start with Kaemmer , Wolford and Wandzilak (left to right) leading the way early.</td></tr>
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It was a cool morning right around 30 degrees at race time. I enjoyed running much of the race with my Lincoln Running Company teammates Neil Wolford, Ryan Regnier, Brian Wandzilak, Tom Woods and also Nebraska Run Guru Elite team member Pete Kostelnick. It was also great to see LRC teammates Hayley Sutter, Austin McKillip, Brian Kelley, Jason Schmaderer and Derek Sekora there finishing close behind me. We put 5 runners in the top 10 on the men's side of the 10-mile race. We also had Ryan Dostal and Cole Marolf go 1-2 in the 5k. Full LRC race recap <a href="http://www.lrc-racing.com/recent-news.html">here</a>. Kudos to the Lincoln Track Club for another well organized event.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best side of Kostelnick (black arm sleeves), Regnier (black gloves) and myself (orange hat) in the first 100 meters.</td></tr>
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I got out in the 5:35 range for the first mile which put me in about 6th or 7th place. Regnier was feeling good and decided to move up after about a mile leaving me, Kostelnick and Woods to run together. Regnier ended up third, representing our crew well.<div>
My first 4 miles were all in the 5:30's and then I decided to back off just before the 5 mile turnaround, letting Kostelnick and Tom Woods pull away from me just before the tunnel at about mile 4.5. I was feeling some tightness in my hammy (despite wearing pants in attempts to keep it warm) and decided it would be smarter to back off. I ran closer to 6 minute pace the next few miles. I dropped back down to 5:50 for my final mile. I felt pretty comfortable the whole way, hopefully meaning I have more in the tank than I showed!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my finish, in all its Google-enhanced glory.</td></tr>
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It was encouraging when I woke up on Sunday and didn't really have the sore calves that I would normally have after a race like this. And my hamstring also felt pretty good. I hit another 25 miler on Sunday to make it a 45 mile weekend. I'm not sure if all these long runs will translate to marathon success this spring, but we'll see what happens. In my mind, I don't really have a goal race yet for this year. I am doing what I can to be ready for Lincoln but I feel like it's an early marathon and I won't be in top condition quite in time. Hopefully I round into shape in the next few weeks.</div>
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In any case, I do hope to find an event on the trail in the 50k to 50 mile range in late May or June to make a goal race. This is my Ultra Year, after all. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-75278062503534458782014-03-28T11:30:00.000-07:002014-03-28T11:32:09.870-07:00A Fat Shoe Love Story: My Review of the Skecher’s Go Run Ultra<br />
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WHY AM I LOOKING AT “ULTRA” SHOES?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Early in 2014 I found myself in a running transition. I was feeling
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Once I had something on my calendar I began to obsess about
what gear and shoes I would need to complete this longer race. Will I need to
carry water? Will there be snow on the ground, etc. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had a lot of road running shoes in my closet and a couple
pair of Inov-8 Roc-Lite trail shoes which I had found to be stiff and not very
cushy for longer runs. Good shoes for rocky or muddy terrain, but I couldn’t
see wearing them in a 50k on the relatively tame singletrack and crushed gravel
course I would be racing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Nike Air Pegasus, now in it’s 29<sup>th</sup> iteration,
has been my workhorse shoe for the last 18 months or so. But it didn’t seem
appropriate for the trails and mixed terrain either. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enter the Skecher’s Go Run Ultra. I can’t tell you how I
even found the shoe online. I think I searched “Ultra” shoes and got a list of
shoes with “Ultra” in the name. In any case, I was skeptical of the Skecher’s
name (they made those ShapeUp grandpa shoes, right?) but intrigued by the story
of the Go Run Ultra shoe. Did Skecher’s really have a “Performance Division”
that tested and toiled over shoes for
runners? Did Skecher’s care enough
or see enough sales dollars to invest in making a serious shoe for ultra
runners?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, apparently they do. And they’ve done their R&D
quite well on their first version of the Skecher’s Go Run Ultra.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WHAT IS THE GO RUN ULTRA? IS IT RIGHT FOR ME?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For starters, the Go Run Ultra claims to have 65% more
cushion than the Skecher’s Go Run Ride. Great, but I’ve never worn the Go Run Ride
so let’s start there. After a little reading, the Go Run Ride seems to be the
closest thing to a neutral cushion trainer in the Skecher’s lineup. And I
always go for a neutral cushion shoe. I don’t need “support” shoes, which
generally offer pronation control in the form of some rigid material on the
inside of the shoe so you don’t “over-pronate.” And I don’t need super
lightweight or minimal shoes because I’m 6-4 and I weigh in around 160 lbs. Yes, I'm a tall, skinny dude.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here in the Skecher’s Go Run Ultra we have a neutral
cushion shoe with lots of extra pillowy goodness and a fairly aggressive tread
which should go from trail to road to gravel without missing a beat. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Categorically this seems to put the Skecher’s Go Run Ultra in
the relatively new “Maximal/Maximum Cushion/Fat Shoe” category. Whether this is
a backlash to the barefoot/minimal movement (take that Vibram Five Fingers with
your creepy toe shoes!) or just a response to the growing popularity of
ultradistance running, or a little of both, I’m not sure. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP_h6D864TJSj8lczF6N_l1zDzY4XCfyM3vYJRWZk58TA-fjEtvR4mvtdOzGHa5qtHC-TraQWyvNl1iWVy1NrTj3Tep0s_GgrgNVLG72WreZqqBNoxS8_iVet6BK7LzcedRLo_1ZY_rQ/s1600/IMG_20140325_181252984_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP_h6D864TJSj8lczF6N_l1zDzY4XCfyM3vYJRWZk58TA-fjEtvR4mvtdOzGHa5qtHC-TraQWyvNl1iWVy1NrTj3Tep0s_GgrgNVLG72WreZqqBNoxS8_iVet6BK7LzcedRLo_1ZY_rQ/s1600/IMG_20140325_181252984_HDR.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I always run with the insole in for about an 8mm drop. The drop is 4mm with insole removed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as a 35-year-old runner who puts in 80-120 mile weeks on
a regular basis, I’m open to some extra cushion. And even the relatively low “drop” of the
Skecher’s GRU doesn’t scare me off. The shoe itself has a 4mm drop and the
insole adds another 4mm for a total around 8mm.
I’m used to the traditional 12mm drop in the Nikes, so at least I won’t
be moving down to a zero drop shoe such as an Altra, which does scare me (and
my achilles tendons) a bit. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first shoe that comes to mind when you consider the
concept of the “Maximal/Max Cushion/Fat Shoes” is the Hoka. Hoka is also the
originator and 300 pound gorilla in this “Fat Shoe” space. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve admittedly never worn a Hoka, but I’ve had two friends
waste their ankles wearing Hokas in technical trail races. They both seem to
think the very high stack (Hokas almost look like a platform shoe) was mostly
to blame. That’s right, I’m dogging Hoka purely on anecdotal evidence. The good
news about the Skecher’s GRU is the stack height is much more reasonable than
the Hoka models and the softer and more aggressively lugged outsole on the GRU should
offer a more stable, non-ankle-busting ride. (I invite Hoka to send me a pair of size 14 shoes
to test.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
THE GOOD<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a world (movie announcer voice) where a good pair of
shoes is now almost always north of $100, one nice surprise is the Skecher’s
GRU retails at only $80. That’s about half the price of many Hoka models. And with the 25% coupon code I was able to
find online for www.Shoebuy.com, these Skechers were a super value.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was in shoe lust before they even arrived, figuring up
dollars spent vs. miles I could run in the GRU. Could they really be so
versatile, so cushy, so exactly what I was looking for? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In short, yes, these shoes deliver in nearly every way. I
didn’t sit down to write a love letter to the GRU, but there are very few flaws
to be found. For “Fat Shoes” they even have a svelt, muscular look.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lPacE1Lfonk/UzIMDaYlqAI/AAAAAAAAAO0/L-xt5R4SRdc/s1600/IMG_20140325_180632166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lPacE1Lfonk/UzIMDaYlqAI/AAAAAAAAAO0/L-xt5R4SRdc/s1600/IMG_20140325_180632166.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside view of the shoe: the contours of the outsole and two different colors of outsole foam reduce the visual bulk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weight of the shoe is much less than you would expect.
At just 9.1oz for a men’s 9, they somehow pack a lot of lightweight cushioning
into the shoe. They look a bit bulky, but it seems they look bulkier than they
actually feel on your feet. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The toebox is wider than that of my Nikes but not as wide as
an Altra. I have pretty average foot width and the toebox allows for natural
toe splay, which is something I didn’t even know I would enjoy until I did a
few 25-milers in the GRU. The wide toebox should also accommodate the swelling
of the feet you would encounter in a longer trail or ultra race. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The cushioning is very plush as promised. The GRU’s help you
roll over rocks and roots while still being able to feel what is under you, to
an extent. However, the GRU’s don’t make you totally immune to feeling the
rocks under you like shoes with a shank (my Inov-8’s) would do. I’m ok with
that though because what I get in return is the confidence to grip those rocks
and roots, push off and feel like you still get some spring back from the shoe.
Which hasn’t been my experience in trail shoes with a more hardened rubber
outsole. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The M-Strike technology (which is essentially Skecher’s bump
in the midfoot of the shoe that propels you forward) is definitely noticeable
when you first wear the shoes, and it did feel a bit funny at first. But after
a few runs in the GRU, I didn’t even notice it even more. I also didn’t
experience any calf soreness or other aches which I thought might be a symptom
of the M-Strike propelling me forward. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had enough confidence in the GRU that I wore them for my
50k after only owning the shoes about 2 weeks. And while I raced that 50k in 5
degree weather, I second-guessed a lot of things (including my sanity), but my
choice of shoes wasn’t one of them. The GRU kept my feet warm and comfortable and
even the little things such as the laces (they stayed tied) and the tongue
(stitched in place) performed very well. And I was lucky enough to win that
race. Coincidence or Skecher's magic?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
THE BAD<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve put about 250 miles on these shoes and worn them about
half the time on the road and the other half on trail/gravel. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main negative I have noticed is the outsole does seem to
get shredded pretty quickly on the roads. But 250 miles in, I would expect some
wear to show. I am only used to getting about 350 miles out of each pair of my
Nike’s before my knees tell me it’s time to update my shoes, so I’m excited to
see how many miles I might get out of the GRU before they are shot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-96yalwG7Ytg/UzINJD-0qbI/AAAAAAAAAO8/TuJaF7yUacM/s1600/IMG_20140325_181109156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-96yalwG7Ytg/UzINJD-0qbI/AAAAAAAAAO8/TuJaF7yUacM/s1600/IMG_20140325_181109156.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outsole comparison of new shoe and one with 250 miles, about half of that mileage on the road. I'm a mid to forefoot striker, so the back half of the shoe shows little wear.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another issue I’ve noticed on warmer days is limited
breathability in the upper. I tend to have sweated through the shoe in the area
at the bottom of the tongue (where the shoe flexes) rather quickly. So I would
like to test them further in rainy or creek stomping conditions to see what
kind of drainage they provide. This will be a key test for those that truly
intend to run longer ultra races in these shoes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
FINAL WORD<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been wearing the Skecher’s Go Run Ultra every other day
(alternating with my Nike Air Pegasus 29) but I find myself wearing them more
and more lately. In fact, I would see no issues with making them my primary
trainer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The GRU would be a great shoe for just about anyone but
especially for heavier runners, those that run higher mileage, those that run
trails and ultra distances, those who like a great value. I would stop short of
wearing them for road races because they just may be too cushy and add
to that late-race sensation of your feet sinking into the pavement. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Outside of running, these shoes are just plain comfy to
wear. If you send a pair to Mario Batali, he might just trade in his Crocs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have already bought my second pair and have them ready to go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Skecher’s, listen up! You’ve hit the nail on the head
here with the Go Run Ultra. Don’t ruin this model by tinkering too much!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-19582108364499285372014-03-24T10:31:00.001-07:002014-03-24T11:48:11.408-07:00Race Report: Stampede Trail 50k in 5 degree weather (3/1/14)<br />
<br />
I decided to make my third race of 2014 a long one. This would be my 50k debut and the first race of the year I felt fit enough to actually race. I chose the <a href="http://www.xperiencems.com/AngryCowRaces/?page_id=2448" target="_blank">Stampede 50k</a> because it starts at Roca Berry Farm and runs into the Wilderness Park trails just 10 minutes from my house in Lincoln and I know the terrain pretty well. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed the night before a race.<br />
<br />
My late 2013 and early 2014 training has been a bit spotty by my standards. I've been battling with a tight hamstring/inactive glutes (coincidentally the subject of many recent articles in running magazines) since September of 2013 when I had my DNF at the Quad Cities Marathon. I was in great shape, ran aggressive there (1:15:10 at the half marathon and about 1:57 at the 20 mile) and my hamstring tied up on me at mile 20 so I pulled the plug.<br />
I've been squeezing my butt muscles in every way imaginable for the last few months to try to remedy my hammy situation. Things have improved lately so that I can run decent mileage again but any speedwork, and even tempo work, makes the hamstring tight and kills my stride.<br />
If 2013 was about coming out of retirement, going hard and running mostly half marathons (and it was), 2014 for me is about going long, mixing in more trails and testing my limits another way.<br />
<br />
So I was walking into this 50k with a few solid long runs (topping out at 25 miles) and for speed I had just a couple random short tempo runs on the treadmill and one "fast finish" long run. Luckily, trail 50k's don't usually come down to a sprint.<br />
<br />
What I hadn't anticipated for a March 1 race was 5 degree temps and -30 windchill readings. So the week leading up to the race was about preparing gear and preparing mentally for those conditions. Luckily, I went to college in Minnesota so I had a pretty good idea of how to race in the cold. Wear layers and don't overdress. In a race situation, you will warm up even quicker than a normal run.<br />
Below is what I wore on race day.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuzkW5551FGyaR2pblOhkebrcykC2dU2Fr09kP1nRPWIBt9bQnzwJQR4najGnnyHxOGMQLTPT0B2mk_gOE_YBHowFO0vaAJ7DQBVtmaHuYolK3OwXlAjqp1kfs9wJ4GJHGvQ0VSz5SRk/s1600/IMG_20140320_112559807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuzkW5551FGyaR2pblOhkebrcykC2dU2Fr09kP1nRPWIBt9bQnzwJQR4najGnnyHxOGMQLTPT0B2mk_gOE_YBHowFO0vaAJ7DQBVtmaHuYolK3OwXlAjqp1kfs9wJ4GJHGvQ0VSz5SRk/s1600/IMG_20140320_112559807.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super-cold 50k gear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I went with 3 layers on both top and bottom. On top I went with a mid-weight Adidas ClimaFit t-shirt, mid-weight Asics half-zip and a Millet wind vest. Millet is a french company that makes great mountain/ski gear but this vest is similar to many on the market. I also put on some basic arm sleeves under my long sleeve shirt to keep my elbows warm (not pictured).<br />
<br />
On my bottom half I went with my go-to combination for anything under about 20 degrees. Orca "Kompression" shorts, 2XU Compression tights, and basic Sporthill pants.<br />
For footwear I went with a basic mid-weight cotton sock and my Skechers Go Run Ultra shoes. These shoes worked great for the varied terrain on this course---crushed gravel, grass, singletrack dirt. Review of these shoes coming to Respect The Run very soon!<br />
<br />
For gloves I went with my Nathan "convertible" gloves with the little windsleeve mitten that pulls over the top. I could have gone with a warmer mitten but I needed to have my fingers to get at my fuel along the way.<br />
On my head I went with my favorite hat. It's a Skitrab brand hat (yes, more ski gear). The thing I like about ski hats is they are very tight and keep the wind from coming up into your ears. No other hat keeps me as warm as this one. You can usually tell a good ski hat because it will have a little loop on top for hanging and it will be made of stretchy tech fabric.<br />
I also wore a windmask that covers your nose and mouth, but I just pulled it down around my neck because I don't like covering my nose and mouth, especially in a race. But it made a nice neck-warmer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8csHKJStWrDIWdAiZv91mWo4KVeLJ2n8SxoBVbLb3CJCt_uu7m6kocmJJlL7yvCrfnf8KeXGuMHvXKTIUQOPksptO1QyvqjL5pPeWJ8GdhQRzq43zITCw-3nf3RzZMegjSgSkTCu1F0/s1600/IMG_20140320_112612100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8csHKJStWrDIWdAiZv91mWo4KVeLJ2n8SxoBVbLb3CJCt_uu7m6kocmJJlL7yvCrfnf8KeXGuMHvXKTIUQOPksptO1QyvqjL5pPeWJ8GdhQRzq43zITCw-3nf3RzZMegjSgSkTCu1F0/s1600/IMG_20140320_112612100.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The right hat and gloves go a long way. (About 31 miles in this case.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All this turned out to be the just the right amount of gear when I got going. If you are dressed right to race in cold weather, you should be cold at the start line...<br />
<br />
On race morning I woke up about 2 hours before race time and had my usual race breakfast of a whole banana and a handful of Kix cereal right away. On my way out the door I stuffed my pockets with race fuel: 3 energy gels (I generally like them caffeinated), 3 oreo-style vanilla cookies, 6 or 8 Hammer Endurolytes salt caps, and a handful of chocolate covered coffee beans (I ate a few of these on the way to the race to give me a little caffeine in my system). I told my wife and kids just to stay home rather than come out and watch me in the harsh conditions.<br />
<br />
I got to the race site, grabbed my number and did a 10 minute light jog. I wanted to get some blood moving but not really get sweaty. I knew there would be some waiting for instructions at the startline and I didn't want to get sweaty and "ice up" before the race.<br />
<br />
The actual start/finish line was located in a barn on the Roca Berry Farm property. We are talking an old, non-insulated barn. They had a couple of kerosene heaters in there which raised the temp inside to probably 25 or 30 degrees but it was still pretty cold.<br />
<br />
Just before 8am, RD Jim Craig started giving pre-race instructions in the barn to about 60 or 70 of us (there was also a 5 mile and 15 mile offering that day). The gist of Jim's talk was not to kill yourself out there and dropping out after the first 15+ mile loop was very acceptable today considering the harsh conditions.<br />
Don't kill yourself. Good advice. Jim also said that the clock and finish line volunteers would stay inside the barn so finishing would literally mean unlatching the barn door, walking in and announcing yourself. Insert joke about leaving the barn door open....<br />
<br />
We stepped outside to the start and Jim Craig sent us on our way. I decided to carry my Nathan handheld and no other fluids. As I suspected, my bottle's mouthpiece started to freeze up about a mile into the race and I just tossed it into the ditch. Some upstanding citizen grabbed it and it appeared back at the finish line after the race.<br />
<br />
Off the starting line, <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_participant.aspx?fname=Jeremy&lname=Morris">Jeremy Morris</a> , an accomplished ultra runner took the lead. He went about 6:20 for the first mile while myself and <a href="http://ultrasignup.com/results_participant.aspx?fname=Aaron&lname=Norman">Aaron Norman</a> , another seasoned ultra guy, were more like 6:30. There was no one else really giving chase. Norman and I decided to let Morris go and settled in around 6:50 pace while we talked about family, races we had run, etc.<br />
My goal going in was just to break 4 hours and I didn't want to get sucked into Morris's pace. So Norman and I headed north running side by side into the wind on the crushed gravel rail trail.<br />
<br />
Norman was wearing an ultra vest which carried 2 bottles on the front for most of the race, although he wasn't getting much out of them because the liquid was turning to slush and the mouthpieces were freezing up. It looked like Morris had a belt on carrying a water bottle in back. I was planning to rely on the aid stations since my handheld had frozen.<br />
The course was set up with small aid stations at about miles 5.5, 8, 9, 11.5, 15 and then the same sequence on lap 2. So plenty of aid for this type of race. The course was roughly 10% dirt/gravel farm road, 45% crushed gravel rail trail, 45% singletrack wooded trail. There was one dry creek crossing at mile 8/mile 23.<br />
<br />
I grabbed a small bottle of water with a twist off top at 5.5 mile aid station and carried that with me for several miles. It wasn't freezing up because of the constant movement. I took a GU around mile 6 and it was very thick and I had to warm it inside my glove to get most of it out. Norman and I continued to hold pace just under 7 minute miles even on the singletrack sections. Between miles 6 and 8 we noticed that we were slowly reeling Morris in. Norman and I passed him just after the creek crossing around mile 8. We exchanged a few words but Morris didn't seem to have much fight as we passed him. We found out later that Morris had overdressed and he ended up shedding a layer at the mile 9 aid station.<br />
<br />
Norman and I both passed on aid at miles 8 and 9 because we both still had water and calories on us.<br />
We were still working together and I ate a few coffee beans and then a couple oreo cookies around mile 10. My face was frozen and chewing was not pleasant but I managed to get the calories down. I grabbed another small bottle of water at the 11.5 aid station.<br />
<br />
About 15 miles in, as we approached the halfway point aid station at the barn, Norman and I agreed to stop and leave the station together so we could continue to work together. It's definitely a valid race tactic to leave another racer behind who is slower at an aid station, or to simply skip an aid station where another racer is stopping to make up time, but this wasn't a day that either of us wanted to go it alone out in the wind.<br />
<br />
I needed a bathroom break and a bottle of water, and Norman really wanted to refill his frozen water bottles. We didn't stop at the barn for more than 2 minutes or so and I was ready to go again. Pete Kostelnick, my sometimes long run partner, had opened my water for me (my hands were half-frozen) and got me ready to go again quickly.<br />
Norman was now standing outside the barn and fumbling to get the lid on his water bottle, it kept leaking.<br />
We started to jog out and he was still fiddling with the water bottle. I can't remember if I told him just to drop the bottle and run, but I wanted to. He finally told me to go ahead and leave without him.<br />
<br />
This was when my racing instincts kicked in. As I took off from the barn I picked up my pace down the farm road back to the rail trail. When I turned onto the rail trail I shifted gears and ran about 3.5 miles at 6:20 pace despite running straight north into the wind. I didn't look back for a few miles. I was encouraged along the way by the other runners in the race coming back toward the halfway point. Somewhere during that hard stretch I passed Kyle Clouston, who was leading the 15 mile race and going the opposite direction. I called out asking him how much of a lead I had. He said a minute or so, hard to tell.<br />
<br />
I blew past the 19 mile aid station for fear of losing my lead, which was a bad call. I still hadn't taken my Endurolytes (salt pills) and I started to see spots on the singletrack between that station and the 22 mile station. I didn't feel too bad, I just couldn't see clearly. I needed salt.<br />
<br />
This had happened to me in the desert in January of this year so I knew what was going on and I didn't freak out. I didn't stop to walk either. I just slowed up slightly and concentrated on each turn in the trail using what I could see to guide me. I couldn't see my feet below me so I was turning with my body more than aiming my steps like I would normally do on a trail like this with tree roots and walnuts that need to be avoided. I knew this stretch of trail well but I still got very lucky flying blind for those couple miles until mile 22 where I stopped for a minute or two and finally took some salt. My recovery when I took the salt pills was almost immediate, within a few minutes anyway. My vision came back and I could turn my attention back to finishing the race.<br />
<br />
In a race like this you would normally have some friends or family out on the course cheering and telling you what your lead or deficit is. But the conditions were so brutally cold that it wasn't realistic for spectators to be outside.<br />
<br />
Norman hadn't caught up to me while I was stopped taking my salt like I worried he might. He was apparently back more than the minute or two I had stopped at the aid station. I jumped back on the course and was running around 7 minute pace again between miles 22 and that final aid station around mile 26. During these miles I passed Morris and saw that he was having a really bad day, at least 20 minutes behind me. I also saw Kaci Lickteig out on the course near Morris. She is a top national ultra runner on the women's side, having placed 2nd at the national 100 mile championships at Rocky Raccoon in Texas just a few weeks before this Stampede 50k. She was probably just getting back into doing long runs after her huge 100 mile effort.<br />
<br />
When I rolled out of the woods and into that last aid station, the race was mine to lose. The RD had driven to the aid station to tell me I had to do the loop around the farm, not just run straight to the barn, before I finished. Basically an extra mile or more that I hadn't mentally prepared for. Not news I wanted to hear.<br />
<br />
The volunteer at the aid station helped me open some sports drink and water. I knew I had at least a few minutes of cushion on Norman. This should have been comforting but really wasn't. I was feeling pretty drained. My hamstring was feeling tight and I hoped it wouldn't fail me. I'd never run further than 26 miles before. I was there now on the doorstep where a marathon turns into an Ultramarathon. Me and some other crazies out running around in the cold on a perfectly good Saturday.<br />
But as I started to run again my legs weren't all that tired. The battle was mostly mental. My mind kept telling me just to stop and walk for a minute, it will feel great. Just putting one leg out in front of the other was a battle those last few miles but I knew I couldn't stop and walk or I might not start again. I ignored my watch as it informed me I was ticking off miles 27, 28, 29. I just looked ahead to the next stand of trees and focused on reaching it. Then I told myself to do it again.<br />
<br />
I know my last 5 miles weren't my fastest but I pushed through and got back to the berry farm where I had to do one last lap around the farm before finishing. The last mile I imagined spectators lining that rough farm road as though it were the finish of a major marathon. Luckily, the last 100 yards or so of the race were a slight downhill and it made reaching the barn easy.<br />
<br />
I opened the barn door, walked in and simply said "I'm in." I had won the Stampede 50k.<br />
My time was 3:32:04. I was pleased with that considering the conditions and my doubts about my own fitness going into the race.<br />
The next hour I sat inside the barn next to a kerosene heater and tried to get warm by drinking hot chocolate and a little beer. I felt like garbage. But what do you expect after running 31 miles out in frigid conditions?<br />
I was somewhat out of it for that hour and I finally realized I was just so cold that I needed to leave the barn and really warm up in my car. So I headed out to the car, warmed up for a bit and then just drove home. I'd intended to go back inside and eat more food, but getting up from the warm car seat wasn't going to happen. I got home and took my temperature. It was still about 1.5 degrees low. I hydrated, napped and felt much better in a few hours.<br />
<br />
I "Respected The Run" by giving my body a few days off and then only running about 30 miles the week after the race. I pretty much resumed full training after that down week. I have the Lincoln Marathon on my schedule in early May.<br />
<br />
Big thank you to RD Jim Craig at Angry Cow Adventures and also to Morris, Norman, Kostelnick, and everyone else in attendance that day. See you further down the trail!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-61038095726487671722014-03-19T16:40:00.000-07:002014-03-19T16:40:01.644-07:00Stoked for March Madness!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEsgdRcrcv796s4ndaGeyQ1INtt3QJzHEdnDbTYlgHuXMyAs3FHrveON4THiYyWKayxCNdahpXFg29BUPHEPHbax4tgX5K2Axn7MSO4BfPZ0WgxzpvM1VLDTqHErmd-P3ozzj5qgC_Zk/s1600/IMG_20140319_171617228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEsgdRcrcv796s4ndaGeyQ1INtt3QJzHEdnDbTYlgHuXMyAs3FHrveON4THiYyWKayxCNdahpXFg29BUPHEPHbax4tgX5K2Axn7MSO4BfPZ0WgxzpvM1VLDTqHErmd-P3ozzj5qgC_Zk/s1600/IMG_20140319_171617228.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samson, 5, and Gavin, 9, holding their NCAA brackets<br /></td></tr>
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My boys Gavin and Sam are ready for March Madness! Here they are proudly holding up their brackets. They are in the $5 pool at my wife's work. Sam picked purely on the names of the teams as I read them to him. He somehow came out with Florida beating Duke in the final though. Probably more likely than my Michigan State over Arizona scenario.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477078371267500770.post-4411046124014062452014-03-19T14:39:00.001-07:002014-03-19T14:39:17.030-07:00My Morning 14-miler: Lost at Wilderness Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5OH5t0F6Po/UynewSPp6MI/AAAAAAAAABY/9cbXkPnywTg/s1600/IMG_20140319_102235924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5OH5t0F6Po/UynewSPp6MI/AAAAAAAAABY/9cbXkPnywTg/s1600/IMG_20140319_102235924.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
I've been here in Lincoln for about 6 months now. I run the Wilderness Park Trails 3 times per week or so. I even won a 50k on these trails on March 1 in frigid temps (belated race report coming soon) but I found out today that I don't know all the trails.<br />
I got adventurous today and went west then north out of the main Wilderness parking lot on S 14th near Rokeby Road and I ended up all turned about 5 or 6 miles north of there. I didn't panic, but I started to wonder if I could make it back down to my car in time to get my 5 year old from preschool in time. Samson goes from 9-11.30am so this is my main weekday running time.<br />
I knew I was west of the creek and wanted to be east of it....so when I saw a dry creek bed I slid down about a 20 foot high bluff which was just loose dirt and got myself down to cross the creekbed. Turns out that creekbed crossed me over to an island and didn't get me anywhere. Scrambling back up the bluff and onto the trail again was my strength workout for the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPMZO-hXz7VS_EfCj6niuhqGAVmTaALB0VR03aKZCdWldZRSLqRXQu1nW8M4eaiesGaxMRpepJqRkrFcIKukaCxF0vzbDKEAh0W718Bv5PDqwwrORcb75sYs1tAUeU_BAAmwNMUCqgbs/s1600/IMG_20140319_102129689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPMZO-hXz7VS_EfCj6niuhqGAVmTaALB0VR03aKZCdWldZRSLqRXQu1nW8M4eaiesGaxMRpepJqRkrFcIKukaCxF0vzbDKEAh0W718Bv5PDqwwrORcb75sYs1tAUeU_BAAmwNMUCqgbs/s1600/IMG_20140319_102129689.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proof I had fun today--mud-caked Skechers Go Run Ultras (Review Coming Soon).</td></tr>
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<br />
I followed the trail around and eventually spotted a road. It turns out I was near Old Cheney Road and just east of Hwy 77---on the western edge of Wilderness Park. Now I know. Found my way back across the creek on Old Cheney and back down to my car just in time to pick up my little guy.<br />
This was way easier mentally than 14 miles on the road. It turns out being lost is a great way to pass the time. Instead of thinking "oh man, my legs are tired today. how much longer is this run?" I was looking for a solution to get back to a trail I knew without going to plan B, which was a WET creek crossing in 34 degree temps.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXp77EjT1QvhpbO3U_ezEMPKj8j3BpupeS9sgnOXjXhzgSeANF40BNxl9_XFPDgwbw6RFGayfGI4Yd-G1Io_LIQJIrUCAS88hCWnAzRjwxTYyKh5IfQe5OtQbP3_Is-SHfn2EhyzLjJI/s1600/IMG_20140319_102403409_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXp77EjT1QvhpbO3U_ezEMPKj8j3BpupeS9sgnOXjXhzgSeANF40BNxl9_XFPDgwbw6RFGayfGI4Yd-G1Io_LIQJIrUCAS88hCWnAzRjwxTYyKh5IfQe5OtQbP3_Is-SHfn2EhyzLjJI/s1600/IMG_20140319_102403409_HDR.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me post-run, relieved I found my car again.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16157553445520007350noreply@blogger.com1