Tough run.
I hadn't been on a good long run since Silver Falls Marathon well over a month ago. I think I got out for a couple decent 2-3 hr. hilly efforts a couple weeks back and had been pushing things a bit here and there with the weekday workouts so fitness felt fine despite the past 2 weeks schedule being whacked by holidays. Like too many "runless" days whacked versus lack of miles or something like that.
That said, I think I was in better 15 mile shape than 50k shape. After 13-15 miles I experienced an early period of fatigue and hip soreness that I'd never felt before and I don't know if it was was my (lack of) preparation or the tough terrain. With each step needing to be carefully placed to save my ass from a slip maybe I was overworking some muscles? It was tough going that just got tougher as the race went on.
The various loops that made up the course involved a network of trails around and up and over a hill on the outskirts of Eugene. These trails consisted of a section of slick as snot ice, a section of snow encrusted "chunky" ice, a section of clumpy grass (to avoid ice), a section of slimey mud, a nice bog of standing water, a section of water running over mud and rocks, and a very short section of buttery soft forested trail and some gravel that was nice but had that shiny look to it like maybe it would send you to the ground if you got to comfy with it. The loops also involved 4 steep ups and downs that presented some of the finer running surface, which was welcome given the pitch in which you where climbing or descending.
But enough complaining... I'll try and keep this a happy post. I went into this thing knowing it'd be messy and that's what was delivered. I also went into the race with high hopes of breaking the course record time (a local fast dude's training run time of 4:34). I even thought I could get down to some place significantly below that (say 4:10ish) given the pace I recently did the trail marathon which I thought boasted similar conditions and the same-ish vert.
I went out a little too gutsy (fast) with all this on my mind and didn't take into consideration how much the terrain and uniquely steep the profile was until I was reminded by my own body's signals and by getting passed by the winner, new course record holder Joe Uhan. He passed me about 2/3rds of the way around loop 3 and held the pace all the way through. I am impressed with his run. I had no idea who he was while we raced but enjoyed a brief conversation with him after the race. We discussed the trail conditions (the mud was better than the ice... or was it?) and how we were both were anxious to get on the interwebs and geek out to Desert Solstice happenings ( where our friend Pam Smith went on to take the world record for women's track 100 mile!!!)
Anyway, back to the race... after finishing the 3rd loop I almost bogued out. I'd never run a loop course and it's mentally kind of tough to keep going when the car's right there not to mention hot soup and BEER. But Kattie was there to remind me that afterall it was just one more loop... sheesh, what's one more loop?
Well what seemed like it would never end finally did. As I was headed up the final 1000'+ climb a dude named Walker caught up with me and we chatted some. Nice young guy. I told him to go for it on the descent as I wouldn't put up much of a fight. He must have been happy in my draft as he stayed there until we crossed the finish line. He started the race right behind me as well so he actually beat me according to the chip timing system. So I finished second and got third, which made no difference to me who was happy to have finished within my goal time with a 4:27.
Soup and beer. Then Kattie and I headed home with a car full of Christmas presents that Kattie was able to shop while I was out running.
I am sore today but look forward to recovering best I can before the final race in my December Trifecta: the Santa Paws 5k! Very serious stuff.
Also looking forward to a flat and hopefully fast 50k outside Eugene in the beginning of February as it is more accessible than any marathon I could find.
Kids, if you don't keep moving forward the race will never end... so keep going.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Shellburg Falls Race Recap-a-rama
Living in the PNW means living between 30 and 85 degrees with only a handful of exceptional days. Saturday was an exceptional day as Friday's snows and a clearing overnight left us at about 10-14 degrees and sunshine for the morning of the race up in the hills just east of Salem. Definitely running cold for us rain-mongers.
I got there early to help with registration which was sooo cold despite layers. Lots of people were no shows but at least 10 or so pretty fast dudes showed up so there was going to be a race. Good, it was worth the trip.
Same course as last year's mudfest but very different feeling as running the frozen mountain bike tracks was like running on some very poorly poured concrete. Had to keep the ankles on high alert as you never knew what angle (or in which rut) the paws were going to hit underneathe the couple inches of snow on the trail. Logging road sections were fine and dandy.
It was a pretty spectacular morning for a quick run through the woods. The light snow that covered the forest and blew down from the trees above was highlighted nicely by a low sun that shown right through the canopy especially on the hilsides. The falls area was covered in giant daggers of ice and really slick in a couple spots.
Took off with last year's winner, speedster Matt (someone told me he did a 1/2 marathon in 1:08 or something-- that's 5:11 pace type shit) and Thomas (who's fast and has a couple wins another local race at Buck Mtn. that is very similar to this one). I figured I'd hang with them as long as I could--since it wasn't a 5k or a long race I figured I couldn't get into to much trouble. My quads felt spent right from the start which was weird. And that's how it went until the last mile and half or so when Matt built his lead into something substantial (a minute) on the logging roads. I was running close to Thomas until I decided to push for the last 1/2-3/4 of a mile. The push paid off and I finished the race in 49:09.
Very fun day. Stuck around for the awards and had some coffee and a beer with Mike Tyler, Eb Engelmann, Thomas and a few others before making my way back down to the valley for the weekend's Christmas shenanagins.
I also caught up on the 50 mile race in Marin (holy smokes) and the kid's XC race up in PDX. The next day I spent a little time chasing results for friends running CIM down south. Lots of great races!
I got there early to help with registration which was sooo cold despite layers. Lots of people were no shows but at least 10 or so pretty fast dudes showed up so there was going to be a race. Good, it was worth the trip.
Same course as last year's mudfest but very different feeling as running the frozen mountain bike tracks was like running on some very poorly poured concrete. Had to keep the ankles on high alert as you never knew what angle (or in which rut) the paws were going to hit underneathe the couple inches of snow on the trail. Logging road sections were fine and dandy.
It was a pretty spectacular morning for a quick run through the woods. The light snow that covered the forest and blew down from the trees above was highlighted nicely by a low sun that shown right through the canopy especially on the hilsides. The falls area was covered in giant daggers of ice and really slick in a couple spots.
Took off with last year's winner, speedster Matt (someone told me he did a 1/2 marathon in 1:08 or something-- that's 5:11 pace type shit) and Thomas (who's fast and has a couple wins another local race at Buck Mtn. that is very similar to this one). I figured I'd hang with them as long as I could--since it wasn't a 5k or a long race I figured I couldn't get into to much trouble. My quads felt spent right from the start which was weird. And that's how it went until the last mile and half or so when Matt built his lead into something substantial (a minute) on the logging roads. I was running close to Thomas until I decided to push for the last 1/2-3/4 of a mile. The push paid off and I finished the race in 49:09.
Very fun day. Stuck around for the awards and had some coffee and a beer with Mike Tyler, Eb Engelmann, Thomas and a few others before making my way back down to the valley for the weekend's Christmas shenanagins.
I also caught up on the 50 mile race in Marin (holy smokes) and the kid's XC race up in PDX. The next day I spent a little time chasing results for friends running CIM down south. Lots of great races!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
wine and races galore... it's December
Dearest Reader,
Running's going fairly well these days. Naggles all over my legs including a shin (or is it both?), a tight high hammy/low glute on the right side (currently loosened back up), and as of yesterday tight upper glute on the left side (work-related). Other than that running's all good. Been joining Mike, Rui and Doug for the Tuesday/Thursday thing which is a touch faster pace and starts/ends earlier meaning there is time for homemade lattes and eggs over medium.
Bringing me to another important point: drinking and eating are also going awesome! Especially drinking. It's dark at 4:30 (not that one can't drink in broad daylight but darkness triggers something inside me that says drink some more) and it seems there is always an occasion from the weeks prior to Thanksgiving thru the New Year meaning wine intake is at an all-time high with no cutting back in the foreseeable future. I'll be responsible about it but I am not going to impose any restraints with these things--Tis the season.
Got a series of little races going on the next few weekends:
The 7th is the 6.5 mile Shellburg Falls Trail Run. I am surprisingly excited about this race. Looking to take some time off last year's decent time which could be done by simply not falling 5 plus times. Is not falling good enough alone to take 4-5 minutes off? Nope, but hopefully some improved fitness helps with that a bit.
The 14th is Frozen Trails RunFest 50k down in Tracktown (Mt. Pisgah). This race is new to me. It's 4 loops that are each different (well 1 and 3 are the same) each with 800-1000 ft. elevation gain. Sounds relatively flat but times of familiar names don't indicate that. I guess it's always a mud fest despite it's Frozen name. So that will be a not so close alternative to doing the warm, sunny, "chapparally" BBT which fell off the plans awhile back, mostly due to a lack of logistical prep.
The 21st Kattie and I will be in the most important race of our lives. The Santa Paws 5k in Palm Springs, CA. The name is so cute, isn't it? All runners are given and required to wear a 5 piece Santa Claus suit meaning we will be setting Santa suit 5k PRs that day. A Christmas dream come true.
Reports on how these events altered my life are due out soon so stay tuned...
Cheers!
Running's going fairly well these days. Naggles all over my legs including a shin (or is it both?), a tight high hammy/low glute on the right side (currently loosened back up), and as of yesterday tight upper glute on the left side (work-related). Other than that running's all good. Been joining Mike, Rui and Doug for the Tuesday/Thursday thing which is a touch faster pace and starts/ends earlier meaning there is time for homemade lattes and eggs over medium.
Bringing me to another important point: drinking and eating are also going awesome! Especially drinking. It's dark at 4:30 (not that one can't drink in broad daylight but darkness triggers something inside me that says drink some more) and it seems there is always an occasion from the weeks prior to Thanksgiving thru the New Year meaning wine intake is at an all-time high with no cutting back in the foreseeable future. I'll be responsible about it but I am not going to impose any restraints with these things--Tis the season.
Got a series of little races going on the next few weekends:
The 7th is the 6.5 mile Shellburg Falls Trail Run. I am surprisingly excited about this race. Looking to take some time off last year's decent time which could be done by simply not falling 5 plus times. Is not falling good enough alone to take 4-5 minutes off? Nope, but hopefully some improved fitness helps with that a bit.
The 14th is Frozen Trails RunFest 50k down in Tracktown (Mt. Pisgah). This race is new to me. It's 4 loops that are each different (well 1 and 3 are the same) each with 800-1000 ft. elevation gain. Sounds relatively flat but times of familiar names don't indicate that. I guess it's always a mud fest despite it's Frozen name. So that will be a not so close alternative to doing the warm, sunny, "chapparally" BBT which fell off the plans awhile back, mostly due to a lack of logistical prep.
The 21st Kattie and I will be in the most important race of our lives. The Santa Paws 5k in Palm Springs, CA. The name is so cute, isn't it? All runners are given and required to wear a 5 piece Santa Claus suit meaning we will be setting Santa suit 5k PRs that day. A Christmas dream come true.
Reports on how these events altered my life are due out soon so stay tuned...
Cheers!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Silver Falls Marathon: Race Recap
Pre-race:
Training went awesome for a couple weeks after the race down in the Applegate. Just a nice block of pushing things hard. The speed workouts were fast and the strength stuff was steep and hard. The long runs were just right.
Then, a couple weeks ago I just got tired and skipped a 30 mile run and opted for 10 ez. I blazed through a couple more weekday workouts feeling good. Work got really busy and physically demanding as I placed and planted a 25 acre hazelnut orchard with a small crew. It was miles of walking and I figure we each planted ~600 trees. Needless to say I was too beat to run after the day's work so I missed a couple workouts. Then I skipped a 15-8 mile run and opted for 7 ez on that weekend. I didn't know what to make of my schedule other than it seemed to be setting up like a mutated form of taper just in time for the marathon I was going to run as a training effort. A couple days before the event I recognized this and changed to a "race" mindset. I decided I was going to push to stay towards the front and see where that took me.
Race:
Kattie, who was running this time (in the half), and I carpooled with Justin, Amy and Becca. We got there plenty early and I mosied about and said hi to some folks.
Start time came and I got a spot towards the front. We set off on a good clip and held onto it while the course allowed us to. Soon, one dude broke away and created a bit of a lead for himself while Don G., the eventual winner (Mike?), Jeff Browning and myself worked hard but held back. Mike eventually left us and Don and I seemed to be losing Jeff. The light sprinkling rain developed into something more substantial.
Around mile 9 or so Don suggested I lead for awhile and I did so thinking I'd pace things for awhile as we seemed to both be running well that morning. We talked about our pace briefly and he seemed to think we were making good time. To be honest, I was more concerned about where the 2 guys in front of us were than the pace. For this event, I was using what my friend Nick and I had talked about as a "racing" strategy (vs. a "pacing" strategy) so long as things felt "generally within my limits or somewhat sustainable." The course tilted upwards a mile or so later and Don was out of my site not too much later. He's a much better pacer than I am but he had a firmer time goal in mind. I had a feeling I'd being seeing him again.
I caught a glimpse of the guy that was in the lead (now in 2nd) at the 14 mile AS. He took off when he saw me. I got a refill of my waterbottle from Jeremy H who was awesome as an Aid Station worker. He was by far the most helpful person I encountered all day.
Now I was chasing someone which was motivating except it was short-lived. Not much more than a mile up the line the trail got steepish and all the sudden I found myself jogging past my objective saying niceties while he muttered something about "sticking to the roads". He seemed really beat and like he wanted out of there. I wanted to tell him he could turn left at the next intersection and be back at the start area/car much quicker than following the course but decided that might be insulting/offensive so I just wished him well and carried on.
I spent the next hour or so running completely alone. The leader was somewhere out there (though no one at the aid stations ever confirmed this which made me wonder at one point if he'd dropped or gotten lost) and there were some really strong guys on my tracks but I just moved along as if I was on some training run in the woods. I slipped and fell quite hard on my side once but the burst of adrenaline and explitives sort of revived me and rattled me out of the trance I was in.
The canyon must have been 10 degrees warmer than the hilly Perimeter Trail. Feeling was coming back in my hands which was nice because I actually worried about how cold and useless they felt. I pushed best I could but without a competitor in front or behind I sort of felt like I was incapable of going faster though surely I could have. I even walked up a few steeper sections near the last couple falls convincing myself it was faster than running.
I did finally see Don G. in the rear view as I looked down from near the top of the South Falls. This inspired me a bit but I also felt like I had a pretty secure lead given the space and the climb between us. I picked up the pace a bit and committed to jogging up the last little hill. I was comfortable and cruising down the hill, trying to respectfully navigate a big crowd of cautious half-marathoners when--within a quarter mile or so of the finish--whoosh! Somebody goes skiing down the mud right by me! Jeff Browning is an animal, make no mistake about it. I have no idea where he came from but that was it--within earshot of the finish I traded the silver for the bronze. I pushed a bit to catch up but such an abrupt reminder that this was a race was more than I could handle at that point in the game.
I crossed the finish in 3:21, five minutes after the new course record was set by the winner.
It was a fun race and I had a blast navigating the nice parts as well as the parts with 6" of mud and running water.
Kattie beat her 27 yr old self by almost 10 minutes and was feeling much better afterwards than she did that year. She's definitely more fit and that makes the whole ordeal much more enjoyable. We've been binge eating since the race ended which is the best part of both of us doing a race on the same day.
Justin, Amy and Becca also had fine performances. Training pal Dan M. took his age division and the one below his by storm in his training effort for an upcoming road marathon.
Cheers!
Training went awesome for a couple weeks after the race down in the Applegate. Just a nice block of pushing things hard. The speed workouts were fast and the strength stuff was steep and hard. The long runs were just right.
Then, a couple weeks ago I just got tired and skipped a 30 mile run and opted for 10 ez. I blazed through a couple more weekday workouts feeling good. Work got really busy and physically demanding as I placed and planted a 25 acre hazelnut orchard with a small crew. It was miles of walking and I figure we each planted ~600 trees. Needless to say I was too beat to run after the day's work so I missed a couple workouts. Then I skipped a 15-8 mile run and opted for 7 ez on that weekend. I didn't know what to make of my schedule other than it seemed to be setting up like a mutated form of taper just in time for the marathon I was going to run as a training effort. A couple days before the event I recognized this and changed to a "race" mindset. I decided I was going to push to stay towards the front and see where that took me.
Race:
Kattie, who was running this time (in the half), and I carpooled with Justin, Amy and Becca. We got there plenty early and I mosied about and said hi to some folks.
Start time came and I got a spot towards the front. We set off on a good clip and held onto it while the course allowed us to. Soon, one dude broke away and created a bit of a lead for himself while Don G., the eventual winner (Mike?), Jeff Browning and myself worked hard but held back. Mike eventually left us and Don and I seemed to be losing Jeff. The light sprinkling rain developed into something more substantial.
Around mile 9 or so Don suggested I lead for awhile and I did so thinking I'd pace things for awhile as we seemed to both be running well that morning. We talked about our pace briefly and he seemed to think we were making good time. To be honest, I was more concerned about where the 2 guys in front of us were than the pace. For this event, I was using what my friend Nick and I had talked about as a "racing" strategy (vs. a "pacing" strategy) so long as things felt "generally within my limits or somewhat sustainable." The course tilted upwards a mile or so later and Don was out of my site not too much later. He's a much better pacer than I am but he had a firmer time goal in mind. I had a feeling I'd being seeing him again.
I caught a glimpse of the guy that was in the lead (now in 2nd) at the 14 mile AS. He took off when he saw me. I got a refill of my waterbottle from Jeremy H who was awesome as an Aid Station worker. He was by far the most helpful person I encountered all day.
Now I was chasing someone which was motivating except it was short-lived. Not much more than a mile up the line the trail got steepish and all the sudden I found myself jogging past my objective saying niceties while he muttered something about "sticking to the roads". He seemed really beat and like he wanted out of there. I wanted to tell him he could turn left at the next intersection and be back at the start area/car much quicker than following the course but decided that might be insulting/offensive so I just wished him well and carried on.
I spent the next hour or so running completely alone. The leader was somewhere out there (though no one at the aid stations ever confirmed this which made me wonder at one point if he'd dropped or gotten lost) and there were some really strong guys on my tracks but I just moved along as if I was on some training run in the woods. I slipped and fell quite hard on my side once but the burst of adrenaline and explitives sort of revived me and rattled me out of the trance I was in.
The canyon must have been 10 degrees warmer than the hilly Perimeter Trail. Feeling was coming back in my hands which was nice because I actually worried about how cold and useless they felt. I pushed best I could but without a competitor in front or behind I sort of felt like I was incapable of going faster though surely I could have. I even walked up a few steeper sections near the last couple falls convincing myself it was faster than running.
I did finally see Don G. in the rear view as I looked down from near the top of the South Falls. This inspired me a bit but I also felt like I had a pretty secure lead given the space and the climb between us. I picked up the pace a bit and committed to jogging up the last little hill. I was comfortable and cruising down the hill, trying to respectfully navigate a big crowd of cautious half-marathoners when--within a quarter mile or so of the finish--whoosh! Somebody goes skiing down the mud right by me! Jeff Browning is an animal, make no mistake about it. I have no idea where he came from but that was it--within earshot of the finish I traded the silver for the bronze. I pushed a bit to catch up but such an abrupt reminder that this was a race was more than I could handle at that point in the game.
I crossed the finish in 3:21, five minutes after the new course record was set by the winner.
It was a fun race and I had a blast navigating the nice parts as well as the parts with 6" of mud and running water.
Kattie beat her 27 yr old self by almost 10 minutes and was feeling much better afterwards than she did that year. She's definitely more fit and that makes the whole ordeal much more enjoyable. We've been binge eating since the race ended which is the best part of both of us doing a race on the same day.
Justin, Amy and Becca also had fine performances. Training pal Dan M. took his age division and the one below his by storm in his training effort for an upcoming road marathon.
Cheers!
Monday, September 30, 2013
A Run Amongst Fairies Down in the Applegate Hills
After finishing the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb back in August Kattie and I headed out to enjoy some of the Applegate wine country we hadn't experienced on a previous trip. We arrived at Wooldridge Creek and really dug not only the wine but the whole atmosphere. We traded some wine from Kattie's work, got a tour and found out that there was a race coming up there later in September.
Turns out the race is ultrarunner and RD Tim Olson's Enchanted Forest Wine Run. It's got a 5k around the vineyard and a half marathon that loops around the vineyard a bit and also climbs around in some nearby hillside trails. It's got a fairy costume theme too which makes for fun spectating even if I couldn't piece together my own sparkles and wings.
Well Kattie was hooked on the place's vibe and I liked the looks of the course and the idea of coming back down to SoOr one more time this year so I signed up a few weeks later (via snail mail! something I've been wanting to do for awhile... same catagory of weird goals as finding a race with popcicle sticks at the finish? yep.)
Training (mostly for a longer effort this winter) had been going well and I had a few of pretty big (for me, for this time of year) weeks on my legs. I took Friday before the race off from running and really felt pretty beat from all the miles and effort. I still planned to give the race a good effort but focused on enjoying the scenery of the area.
As it turns out there would be more to enjoy than wine and a change in scenery...
around 11 on Friday my buddy Nick shoots me a text from Seattle where he's been camping out with family. He needs to get out of town and I half-jokingly tell him to come down and race! Within about 15 minutes he says they (him and Caroline, his wife) are on their way down. The weekend plans went from great to awesome with a couple of Kattie and I's favorite travel companions now joining in on the fun!
The following morning we jammed down I-5 as fast as a car full of tiny coffee filled bladders can go and showed up to the race about a half hr. before the start. We got changed, did a sorry warm up jog, lined up and Nick and I took off together through the upper vineyards of the property. Soon a gravel road gave way to a fast and awkward cross-country style course amongst the grapes. Lots of sharp turns and quick little ups and downs. Also lots of good signage but I still managed to miss a turn... it's hard to read and run!
From there we left the vineyards and headed up a road section that was kind of hot but a nice change in pace from the dodgy vineyard section. It wasn't long and I was entering the woods which was refreshing and AS #1 was close. I stopped and had a couple cups of water. As I headed up the switchbacks I heard voices just below and hollared at Nick who I could see was still closeby.
The course was hilly but super runnable and nothing that seemed to go on for too long. I really enjoyed it. I had no watch and therefore no clue where I was at in terms of time or distance, kind of unusual for me these days.
I was in 3rd place and figured the two guys (Hal Koerner and another shirtless dude) that were leading were long gone. Then, to my surprise I caught up with #2 dude as we re-entered a woodsy section from a grassy, exposed slope. His name was Bob and he was a really nice guy. We ran together for a bit before I felt like I could do more on a climb section.
I finished loop #1 and I knew that #2 had much of the same trail as #1 but didn't know which parts. I kind of freaked out at an AS as it seemed/or I had a strange feeling that I was going the wrong way. It was a really busy intersection with runners all over the place. I asked the station crew if they had seen Hal and the guy said no... That's when I got really flustered and sort of resorted to waiting a bit for Bob to come into the station. He knew the way better than I and so I followed him hoping we were on the right track.
After a minute I'd calmed back down and realized were I was headed. I liked the parts of the trail that lie ahead and knew I could get back to the vineyard in one piece even if I pushed the pace a bit more. Things came pretty easily and I didn't ever really push things too much as I winded around the hillside trail and eventually exited the forest for the road back to Wooldridge. I caught a glimpse of Hal going through the vineyard and I was surprised, I figured he was done already. It wasn't long after and I too was winding through the vines one last time before crossing the finish line in 1:41.
Kattie was all jazzed and I was pretty psyched on the performance. I ate and drank water and waited for Nick who came in shortly after. We all walked down to the road and cheered Caroline into the finish. We enjoyed some food, wine and Nick and I even had a flash of cold sweats and gut sickness. Weird.
We got some sweet prizes including a bunch of Injiji socks, shirts, shorts, and $100 bones at The North Face. Then we gathered our wine and drove home into the eye of a nasty storm.
Really awesome day. I wish I could make some comments about mediocrity as has been the theme of this blog lately but this one was above that in many ways.
Turns out the race is ultrarunner and RD Tim Olson's Enchanted Forest Wine Run. It's got a 5k around the vineyard and a half marathon that loops around the vineyard a bit and also climbs around in some nearby hillside trails. It's got a fairy costume theme too which makes for fun spectating even if I couldn't piece together my own sparkles and wings.
Well Kattie was hooked on the place's vibe and I liked the looks of the course and the idea of coming back down to SoOr one more time this year so I signed up a few weeks later (via snail mail! something I've been wanting to do for awhile... same catagory of weird goals as finding a race with popcicle sticks at the finish? yep.)
Training (mostly for a longer effort this winter) had been going well and I had a few of pretty big (for me, for this time of year) weeks on my legs. I took Friday before the race off from running and really felt pretty beat from all the miles and effort. I still planned to give the race a good effort but focused on enjoying the scenery of the area.
As it turns out there would be more to enjoy than wine and a change in scenery...
around 11 on Friday my buddy Nick shoots me a text from Seattle where he's been camping out with family. He needs to get out of town and I half-jokingly tell him to come down and race! Within about 15 minutes he says they (him and Caroline, his wife) are on their way down. The weekend plans went from great to awesome with a couple of Kattie and I's favorite travel companions now joining in on the fun!
The following morning we jammed down I-5 as fast as a car full of tiny coffee filled bladders can go and showed up to the race about a half hr. before the start. We got changed, did a sorry warm up jog, lined up and Nick and I took off together through the upper vineyards of the property. Soon a gravel road gave way to a fast and awkward cross-country style course amongst the grapes. Lots of sharp turns and quick little ups and downs. Also lots of good signage but I still managed to miss a turn... it's hard to read and run!
From there we left the vineyards and headed up a road section that was kind of hot but a nice change in pace from the dodgy vineyard section. It wasn't long and I was entering the woods which was refreshing and AS #1 was close. I stopped and had a couple cups of water. As I headed up the switchbacks I heard voices just below and hollared at Nick who I could see was still closeby.
The course was hilly but super runnable and nothing that seemed to go on for too long. I really enjoyed it. I had no watch and therefore no clue where I was at in terms of time or distance, kind of unusual for me these days.
I was in 3rd place and figured the two guys (Hal Koerner and another shirtless dude) that were leading were long gone. Then, to my surprise I caught up with #2 dude as we re-entered a woodsy section from a grassy, exposed slope. His name was Bob and he was a really nice guy. We ran together for a bit before I felt like I could do more on a climb section.
I finished loop #1 and I knew that #2 had much of the same trail as #1 but didn't know which parts. I kind of freaked out at an AS as it seemed/or I had a strange feeling that I was going the wrong way. It was a really busy intersection with runners all over the place. I asked the station crew if they had seen Hal and the guy said no... That's when I got really flustered and sort of resorted to waiting a bit for Bob to come into the station. He knew the way better than I and so I followed him hoping we were on the right track.
After a minute I'd calmed back down and realized were I was headed. I liked the parts of the trail that lie ahead and knew I could get back to the vineyard in one piece even if I pushed the pace a bit more. Things came pretty easily and I didn't ever really push things too much as I winded around the hillside trail and eventually exited the forest for the road back to Wooldridge. I caught a glimpse of Hal going through the vineyard and I was surprised, I figured he was done already. It wasn't long after and I too was winding through the vines one last time before crossing the finish line in 1:41.
Kattie was all jazzed and I was pretty psyched on the performance. I ate and drank water and waited for Nick who came in shortly after. We all walked down to the road and cheered Caroline into the finish. We enjoyed some food, wine and Nick and I even had a flash of cold sweats and gut sickness. Weird.
We got some sweet prizes including a bunch of Injiji socks, shirts, shorts, and $100 bones at The North Face. Then we gathered our wine and drove home into the eye of a nasty storm.
Really awesome day. I wish I could make some comments about mediocrity as has been the theme of this blog lately but this one was above that in many ways.
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| movin to the finish in the vineyard. photo: shahid ali. |
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
dull training post mid-sept
Training's going well!
Got a half-marathon, Enchanted Wine Run down in the Applegate Valley, and a full marathon, Silver Falls just outside of town, on deck but my sights are set on the Backbone Trail run I'll be doing in December.
We're between seasons workwise and it's still pretty busy but I've managed to ramp things up just as much as time allows. Still getting quality (speed/hills) work in as I did pretty much all summer. It's the quantity work that is tough to make time for. Just a week or two more and I should be able to make the most of weekdays and have more flexibility on the weekends. Looking forward to that but I hope I can contain myself and not over-do things.
BOORRRIIIINNNG post! I know. Sorry. Go somewhere else!
Got a half-marathon, Enchanted Wine Run down in the Applegate Valley, and a full marathon, Silver Falls just outside of town, on deck but my sights are set on the Backbone Trail run I'll be doing in December.
We're between seasons workwise and it's still pretty busy but I've managed to ramp things up just as much as time allows. Still getting quality (speed/hills) work in as I did pretty much all summer. It's the quantity work that is tough to make time for. Just a week or two more and I should be able to make the most of weekdays and have more flexibility on the weekends. Looking forward to that but I hope I can contain myself and not over-do things.
BOORRRIIIINNNG post! I know. Sorry. Go somewhere else!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Fast Mexi Running - Que Paso?
Dearest fans I am sorry but this isn't another gem of a post regarding some mediocre performance by yours truly. It's not even about me. It is about something I am fascinated with: Mexican Running. Mexicans have a long tradition of running places and have an entirely different perspective than most of us Northerly neighbors do. I could go on about it but I'll save that for another post, or the book I someday author on the subject.
Anyway, I came acrossed a couple articles that more than anything else solidified my thoughts that Mexican running has fallen by the wayside. These hombres used to kick ass on an international level and then just dissappeared. Not sure about things on the trail/mountain running front but when it comes to the streets and track they aren't even a shadow of the powerhouse they once were.
Here are links to the articles that attempt to explain que paso con los Mexicanos:
Part Uno
Part Dos
Really interesting stuff. Probably mostly has to do with $$$ as both articles point out. The comments are worth reading as well. If Mexico can recreate the training programs that once pushed legendary performances or if the running bug spreads organically as it has in the US (particularly trail stuff) look out--there will be a slew of muchachos pushing the pace from the South.
A brief sidenote from running but Mexico's national soccer performances seem to also be lackluster these days too. Come on Mexico! Ponte trucha! Echale ganas!
Anyway, I came acrossed a couple articles that more than anything else solidified my thoughts that Mexican running has fallen by the wayside. These hombres used to kick ass on an international level and then just dissappeared. Not sure about things on the trail/mountain running front but when it comes to the streets and track they aren't even a shadow of the powerhouse they once were.
Here are links to the articles that attempt to explain que paso con los Mexicanos:
Part Uno
Part Dos
Really interesting stuff. Probably mostly has to do with $$$ as both articles point out. The comments are worth reading as well. If Mexico can recreate the training programs that once pushed legendary performances or if the running bug spreads organically as it has in the US (particularly trail stuff) look out--there will be a slew of muchachos pushing the pace from the South.
A brief sidenote from running but Mexico's national soccer performances seem to also be lackluster these days too. Come on Mexico! Ponte trucha! Echale ganas!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Running Free: Mtns again!
Faithful followers: Just another update to keep your dreams fresh...
Last week was a departure from all the street hustling I've been doing at 4:00 a.m. these days. I labored the holiday weekend away on the farm and painting the house a bit before busting out of the civilized mundane for several runs in the wild lands of the NW.
Monday I made it up to Whetstone Mtn in the Old Cascades (Bull of the Woods/Opal Creek Wildnerness). It was a 14 mile jaunt with 3600' ascent/descent. Perfect temps and good company, William Swint and Mike B of Aumsville, made for a nice outing. Got some views of a 30+ mile run along a beatiful line that loops out to Battle Axe Mtn. We've made plans to give this a go in October.
Then I drove out to do some real mtn stuff in McCall, ID. On Wednesday I was ridin high above 8000' scrunbling across the Idaho skies on the summit of Jughandle Mtn. with KT and Pete the Dog. Thursday we opted for the flat 20 Mile Trail out of Upper Payette Lake before continuing up the road for a soak in Bergdorf Hot Springs. Friday I went alone for a 20 mile run that left the lake just outside town and connected to the Crestline Trail which rides several ridges between mtn lakes galore. The views were awesome! Nice cool temps, especially up above 7000' (which was all but about 4 miles of the run). Saturday we ran the farm roads out to the Payette River for a little shake out before we headed home again.
To stoke the fire some more I also drank a shitload of Pabst, tequila and mescal. It was vacation: excess! excess! excess!
Nice to be out in nature. I am feeling great and refreshed. Fired up a track workout this morning and hoping to keep the momentum going with more outings into beautiful new places as we move into Fall (my training-year Spring). Really going to stress the volume (long runs) and climbing without pushing things too much. If I can't do it again the next day, I am not going to do it. That should get me ready for this winter's goal: the 68+ mile Backbone Trail across the Santa Monica Mtns in good time.
Dream mediocre and it's easier to acheive! Cheers!
Last week was a departure from all the street hustling I've been doing at 4:00 a.m. these days. I labored the holiday weekend away on the farm and painting the house a bit before busting out of the civilized mundane for several runs in the wild lands of the NW.
Monday I made it up to Whetstone Mtn in the Old Cascades (Bull of the Woods/Opal Creek Wildnerness). It was a 14 mile jaunt with 3600' ascent/descent. Perfect temps and good company, William Swint and Mike B of Aumsville, made for a nice outing. Got some views of a 30+ mile run along a beatiful line that loops out to Battle Axe Mtn. We've made plans to give this a go in October.
Then I drove out to do some real mtn stuff in McCall, ID. On Wednesday I was ridin high above 8000' scrunbling across the Idaho skies on the summit of Jughandle Mtn. with KT and Pete the Dog. Thursday we opted for the flat 20 Mile Trail out of Upper Payette Lake before continuing up the road for a soak in Bergdorf Hot Springs. Friday I went alone for a 20 mile run that left the lake just outside town and connected to the Crestline Trail which rides several ridges between mtn lakes galore. The views were awesome! Nice cool temps, especially up above 7000' (which was all but about 4 miles of the run). Saturday we ran the farm roads out to the Payette River for a little shake out before we headed home again.
To stoke the fire some more I also drank a shitload of Pabst, tequila and mescal. It was vacation: excess! excess! excess!
Nice to be out in nature. I am feeling great and refreshed. Fired up a track workout this morning and hoping to keep the momentum going with more outings into beautiful new places as we move into Fall (my training-year Spring). Really going to stress the volume (long runs) and climbing without pushing things too much. If I can't do it again the next day, I am not going to do it. That should get me ready for this winter's goal: the 68+ mile Backbone Trail across the Santa Monica Mtns in good time.
Dream mediocre and it's easier to acheive! Cheers!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Mac's Beautiful and Brutal
Went down to Mac Forest yesterday and dammit that place is really brutal.
Seldom do I go there alone but when I do I always try and link up a bunch of my favorite sections which actually make a pretty asthetically logical line up and down various ridges and hillsides. Up the Ridge across to Dimple on almost all single track for the view there. Bomb off the backside of Dimple and down into Oak Creek for some good turnover before jamming up S. Side Slip to McColluch Peak's amazing viewpoint. Then it's another long speedy descent to Soap Creek TH before making my way back up to the Pass. Sounds good? Well it is... and it isn't.
The run is naturally beautiful and it's physically taxing, a combination I've grown to love, but at some point on every solo jaunt in the Mac I get a feeling like I am a bit lost and beat down. Yesterday was no exception. I wonder if the pauses to stop and figure out where I am and where I am going create this feeling of weakness. Or if all my focus on uphill running has left my descending wheels (quads) a bit unprepared for those long descents?
Just a couple observations from my first long (timewise) run with the new fall/winter goals on my sites (post Hillclimb). I've got some work cut out for me!
Seldom do I go there alone but when I do I always try and link up a bunch of my favorite sections which actually make a pretty asthetically logical line up and down various ridges and hillsides. Up the Ridge across to Dimple on almost all single track for the view there. Bomb off the backside of Dimple and down into Oak Creek for some good turnover before jamming up S. Side Slip to McColluch Peak's amazing viewpoint. Then it's another long speedy descent to Soap Creek TH before making my way back up to the Pass. Sounds good? Well it is... and it isn't.
The run is naturally beautiful and it's physically taxing, a combination I've grown to love, but at some point on every solo jaunt in the Mac I get a feeling like I am a bit lost and beat down. Yesterday was no exception. I wonder if the pauses to stop and figure out where I am and where I am going create this feeling of weakness. Or if all my focus on uphill running has left my descending wheels (quads) a bit unprepared for those long descents?
Just a couple observations from my first long (timewise) run with the new fall/winter goals on my sites (post Hillclimb). I've got some work cut out for me!
Monday, August 12, 2013
From the Land of Shakespeare and Hippies: Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Recap2013
Superfans (wife, mom, and people who should be doing something more productive than web-surfing) I bring to you a tale about a footrace up a hill in the land of Shakespeare and hippies--a land where high-culture-gucci-linens and no-bras-hemp-skirts seemlessly flow in unison up and down Main St. A sort of Heaven on Earth for those who prefer extremities but odd for fodder for the eye for a farmer from Salem: land of moderation and mediocrity.
Anyway, a year ago I'd never heard of this iconic Southern Oregon race: the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb. Sometime this Spring I did a little research after stumbling upon it someplace in the interwebs. I saw that it was a very logical course from the town center to the top of the local ski hill, it had a pretty deep history of 30 yrs or so, it was competitive, it was affordable, and it gained 5600' in 13.3 miles. It seemed so... European. So Chamonix, if you will. I was in... within minutes of registration's opening up.
I decided that I would try and hold myself together this summer with this race as sort of a focus. It was tough to do so as summer's are just so damn busy but I'd grade my training at about 80% of what I had hoped for it to be. That said, the half marathon distance was much better suited to my summer schedule than last year's attempt to train for an August or September 50k.
We made it down to Ashland and eventually camp at Howard Prairie (east of town) in good speed and good fashion (just one headlight out). Camp was a bit rowdy with thunder roaring in the night sky and a hearty serving of drunk boaters smashing beer cans on their foreheads (well, that's what it sounded like) but I slept right through it all after polishing a bottle of Chardonnay with Kattie.
Alas the race deets: I don't know if it was something I ate (or drank?) or if I actually got some butterflies about about me but I felt like crappola the next morning. My stomach was queezy and I was sort of lightheaded as we descended into Ashland. Folks at the start line looked well-sunned and quite trim: the competition looked fierce even though everyone was just sort of mellowly jogging about and doing a little pre-race chatter. They said go right on time and we took off up, up, up and away. The queezys faded soon enough and I was able to stay focused on the shuffle of my feet below me. The hills were consistently runnable and consistently "there". Around mile 5 or 6 it seemed a bit steeper (a 10+ min/mile) in grade and mile 9 or so was sort of flattish (a 7 min/mile). The final half mile from the lodge up to the summit had about 1-200 yards that could be run, the rest was super steep, hands on the knees or rocks in front of you climbing.
From what I recall, it was all jeep roads except one short spot leaving Bull Gap AS on trail. After the first mile or so where everyone sort of settled into their general positions I was passed by one guy and I passed 3-4.
I finished the ordeal in 2hrs and 5min. Good enough for 7th overall and 3rd in my ever competitive age group. Almost everyone else in the top ten was from Ashland or some other hilly locale. I was definitely the only flatland farmer in the mix. As usual.
Kattie and Pete were at the top cheering and we stuck around a bit to witness others suffering before heading down the roads to the lodge 1000' below. There we savored a beer got in the car and drove back to Ashland trying to figure out which ridge I'd run. Lunch at Standing Stone was good and 10 bucks off thanks to their generosity and the race director's genius collaboration with them and all other awesome local biz.
The following day we went out to do a little recovery run around part of Howard Prairie Lake. What was supposed to be 90 minutes (Kattie's schedule) turned into a 3 hr. 15+ mile epic that I don't want to talk about... let's just say we should have turned around instead of getting the idea that we could just keep going around the lake (the lake that would never end!).
Following a brief disaster episode with 25cent 5 second showers we made our way out of boaters paradise and over to the hills of Jacksonville and the Applegate Valley for some wine country shenanigans. Kattie brought bottles of fine Pinot from her work and we traded for 4 great bottles of awesomeness! Mix in some tasting and cool people and it was fun as a day in this remote wine area can get! Alas, a day that started off a bit rough finished a success.
Rodger out Superfans! Hasta la vista bebes!
Anyway, a year ago I'd never heard of this iconic Southern Oregon race: the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb. Sometime this Spring I did a little research after stumbling upon it someplace in the interwebs. I saw that it was a very logical course from the town center to the top of the local ski hill, it had a pretty deep history of 30 yrs or so, it was competitive, it was affordable, and it gained 5600' in 13.3 miles. It seemed so... European. So Chamonix, if you will. I was in... within minutes of registration's opening up.
I decided that I would try and hold myself together this summer with this race as sort of a focus. It was tough to do so as summer's are just so damn busy but I'd grade my training at about 80% of what I had hoped for it to be. That said, the half marathon distance was much better suited to my summer schedule than last year's attempt to train for an August or September 50k.
We made it down to Ashland and eventually camp at Howard Prairie (east of town) in good speed and good fashion (just one headlight out). Camp was a bit rowdy with thunder roaring in the night sky and a hearty serving of drunk boaters smashing beer cans on their foreheads (well, that's what it sounded like) but I slept right through it all after polishing a bottle of Chardonnay with Kattie.
Alas the race deets: I don't know if it was something I ate (or drank?) or if I actually got some butterflies about about me but I felt like crappola the next morning. My stomach was queezy and I was sort of lightheaded as we descended into Ashland. Folks at the start line looked well-sunned and quite trim: the competition looked fierce even though everyone was just sort of mellowly jogging about and doing a little pre-race chatter. They said go right on time and we took off up, up, up and away. The queezys faded soon enough and I was able to stay focused on the shuffle of my feet below me. The hills were consistently runnable and consistently "there". Around mile 5 or 6 it seemed a bit steeper (a 10+ min/mile) in grade and mile 9 or so was sort of flattish (a 7 min/mile). The final half mile from the lodge up to the summit had about 1-200 yards that could be run, the rest was super steep, hands on the knees or rocks in front of you climbing.
From what I recall, it was all jeep roads except one short spot leaving Bull Gap AS on trail. After the first mile or so where everyone sort of settled into their general positions I was passed by one guy and I passed 3-4.
I finished the ordeal in 2hrs and 5min. Good enough for 7th overall and 3rd in my ever competitive age group. Almost everyone else in the top ten was from Ashland or some other hilly locale. I was definitely the only flatland farmer in the mix. As usual.
Kattie and Pete were at the top cheering and we stuck around a bit to witness others suffering before heading down the roads to the lodge 1000' below. There we savored a beer got in the car and drove back to Ashland trying to figure out which ridge I'd run. Lunch at Standing Stone was good and 10 bucks off thanks to their generosity and the race director's genius collaboration with them and all other awesome local biz.
The following day we went out to do a little recovery run around part of Howard Prairie Lake. What was supposed to be 90 minutes (Kattie's schedule) turned into a 3 hr. 15+ mile epic that I don't want to talk about... let's just say we should have turned around instead of getting the idea that we could just keep going around the lake (the lake that would never end!).
Following a brief disaster episode with 25cent 5 second showers we made our way out of boaters paradise and over to the hills of Jacksonville and the Applegate Valley for some wine country shenanigans. Kattie brought bottles of fine Pinot from her work and we traded for 4 great bottles of awesomeness! Mix in some tasting and cool people and it was fun as a day in this remote wine area can get! Alas, a day that started off a bit rough finished a success.
Rodger out Superfans! Hasta la vista bebes!
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