Unicorns and awesomeness

My friend Stephanie was tired of having to travel at least a couple of hours from Carolina Beach to any races and runs she wanted to do.

So she decided to put on a race in her home town.

The First Annual Prancing Unicorn and Polydactyl Kitten Fat Ass Race was born. I just had participate – just because of the name if nothing else. Especially when I found out I could purchase a t-shirt. Who could possibly resist a raspberry colored t-shirt with kittens and unicorns on it? Not me

Steph mapped out a 50k course, sprayed green arrows on the course, dropped a few gallon jugs of water around. There you have it. Now, I was not sure how far I wanted to run – I brought the pups, so really didn’t want to run too much especially as warm weather was predicted. Certainly less than 20 miles.

In the end, I ran with my friend Blanca – we ran an easy 13.1 and figured that would do.

Beer and cheeseburgers wrapped up the day nicely at Carolina Beach State Park.

24 Hour Run for Cancer

Team Awesome 2012.

Remember this race from last year? 2011 race report The 12 members of Team Awesome set a course record of  802.5  miles. Obviously, the mission this year was to beat it.

But let’s go back a few days. On the Monday evening  before the race, I was trying to "forge” a new trail in my back yard. With a lot of switchbacks, and some back tracking (and a little trespassing onto a neighboring unoccupied/undeveloped property) – I can get a mile, cool eh?. Anyway, a little earlier in the day, I had had a fantastic lunch time run at Umstead, and like an idiot, I posted on Facebook how awesome that run was. DOH! Talk about tempting Murphy. Well, Murphy did duly arrive and while bushwhacking later in the day, I managed to trip over something, and re-injuring my Achilles tendon again. Crap. In an effort to heal in time for the race, I did not run another step until I toed the line in Hampton VA on Saturday morning.

I always want to shoot for 100 miles in these 24 hour races, but set a relatively doable goal of 75 miles – 100 miles being the “WTF? LOL goal”. As soon as I started, I pretty much knew that my Achilles wasn’t going to let that happen, and the goal was realigned to beat last year’s total of 57.25 miles.

I also wanted to continue my experiments with “The Method of Doom”, in other words, even slow steady splits, and see how long I could maintain it. I settled on a time of 52 minutes for the 3.75 mile loop. If I get in early, instead of “banking” the time, I would sit down and rest and take care of any issues or eat/drink etc. This worked perfectly for 9 laps, and on lap 10, my pace backed off, likely due to the heat of the day. Hindsight being 20/20, I would perhaps slowed my pace earlier – or even started off with say 55 minutes per lap. Still lessons were learned. Throughout the day, the Achilles gave me grief – it didn’t get worse, but was ever present. After 10 laps – I would just plod through a loop, plenty of walking, and then rest up, run another lap.

During the night it rained – a cold rain, and to be perfectly frank, I don’t like being cold and wet – by that time, I had 56.25 miles, I was sore, and decided to call it a day, with a plan to run a mile in the morning in order to get my total to at least equal last years total. FAIL. The cold rain continued in to the morning, ad I really had no inkling to do even just one more mile – I was sore and tired.

Thankfully though, Tom did do one mile. We beat our previous record my just 3/4 mile. So, YEAH! A win and a course record for Team Awesome.

There was a whole ton of Awesomeness for Team Awesome. Kati, Ladonna and Mike – first time Ultras with 52.5, 63.75 and 75 miles respectively (I think 26.2 was the furthest they had ever run). How about Frank? – returning from hip surgery a few months ago, and hasn’t ran more than 11 miles since – well Frank ran 50! Cheryl – first place woman with 100 miles. Awesome. Alanna, recovering from 100 miles at Umstead ran 52.5.  My friend, mentor, part time therapist and unpaid coach Shannon, despite getting pretty sick early, still put up 67.5 miles. Tom did one more mile than his total last year – 83.5. John, Matt and Tony all put in good shifts with 67.5, 75, and 60 miles.

So much fun, good to catch up with friends and make new ones!

expanding my blogosphere

 

It always stuns me how many people stumble onto these pages. Some even come back for more – many even leave comments (125 followers – WTF? LOL)

It occurred to me that many of you dear readers also have blogs, websites etc. etc.  I do follow quite a few blogs – especially if you have left comments, but I would bet that there are many I don’t even know about, because you may not be “commenters”, but more “readers” – so  I may never know of the existence of your site, and I could be missing out on good stuff. And I like good stuff.

So, here is a request: If you read this page, and you have a blog or website, and you think it is at least somewhat relevant, why not go ahead and comment below, with a link and a description? I would be happy to check out your site and I probably need to update my “Blog Roll” anyway.

Thanks in advance from the SoFarFromNormal  Blog Team

Getting my rocks off at Umstead

With a title like “getting my rocks off” I had perhaps explain…….

A few weeks ago, my friend Lauren and I were doing a training run at Umstead – I did 20 miles, Lauren did one more lap for 30. As we ran, we had a conversation about the 100 mile race – we had an idea about how we could symbolize each of the 8 laps. So, when I was helping out at the Ellerbe Volunteer Marathon, I picked up 16 quartz rocks at “The Dog Pen” – the place where the Mangum Track Club Shirt Runs end. On Wednesday before the race, I placed two piles of 8 rocks next to a tree at the top of “Effing Hill”. One pile for Lauren, one for me. Lauren got all of her rocks off, she threw one into the woods each time she passed the spot – me, well I brought a rock back to my truck each time I passed the pile. But I didn’t get my rocks off. There are three rocks left in my pile. Bollox.

I guess that is a roundabout way of saying Umstead didn’t go to plan. Bolloxed it up comes to mind. But did I? I mean, I got a 50 mile PR – first ever sub 11 hours. I think my 100k split was also a PR too. But I didn’t sign up for a 50. Or 100k even, I signed up for a 100 miles.

Here’s what happened – four solid 12.5 mile loops, all pretty evenly split, which got me in for 50 miles at around 10:50 (it’s very nice to have the Western States qualifier in the bag already). The fifth loop started off with a break before heading out with my pacer Deanna (awesome pacer by the way). It was always going to be a slower loop – I anticipated that. It’s tough to get going after the extended rest, plus it takes a while to get used to running in the dark. Plus of course I had already done a hard 50, and the fatigue kicks in. Yeah, I expected all that. What I didn’t expect were the sharp pains in my Achilles when going up hills that started just after the half way point. As the lap progressed the pain got worse. I am not sure when I started to worry – probably with a couple of miles to go, I probably expressed some doubt to Deanna while going up Cemetery Hill with a mile or so to go. I definitely decided I was going to see the medics at the main s/f area.

Guido took a look at my leg, detected some inflammation and raised temperature around my Achilles area, and told me that the weird tingling I felt in my ankle when I touched my calf pointed towards an Achilles strain –  he did additional tests and suspected that it was not likely a tear. He told me that it was up to me if I continued – but it wouldn’t improve by running, and that I haven’t got a tear. Yet. And I should look at the time left, and would I be able to finish if I limped through the remaining loops?  And “did I know how long a tear takes to heal compared to a strain”? I did take it as a hint, but it seemed pretty certain he wasn’t going to “call it a day” on my behalf.

Ice for 20 minutes, then a test jog. I could walk slowly with not much pain – but up hills and actually running gave me those shooting pains.

DoNothingStupid Jimbo, DoNothingStupid. I made the decision and DidNothingStupid – and told Guido, who told me that was a smart choice. But egads it hurts. It's disappointing. It sucks.

But remember this? It was a very fast 5k – well the day after that, I had Achilles pain – to quote: “I noticed a minor tweak in my left Achilles tendon” – but decided on “sucking it up buttercup” and ran through it. For quite a few days. I really can be a dumb ass some times. In all fairness, I did run 57 or so miles with no issues, but I guess it hadn’t healed properly.

All of the bad stuff aside, the disappointment was extremely well diluted by a considerable amount of awesomeness. The awesomeness of seeing so many friends meet or beat their goals. The awesomeness of the whole Umstead experience. The awesomeness of the race management, and the supreme awesomeness of all of the wonderful volunteers (Guido in particular) – truly, thank you all for being there.

As they say, you can learn a lot from a DNF, so, what did I learn?

• I can run fairly even pace for almost 50 miles – the “Method of Doom” really does work. My first three loops were all around 2:40 give or take a minute. 4th loop was just 10 minutes slower in the heat of the day.
• If I am injured…. maybe, just maybe “MTFU and suck it up cupcake” isn’t always the most appropriate way to get healed.
• Friends are everything – seeing so many friends really helped to lift my spirits.
• Deanna could get a full time job as a pacer, she is great. (If only there were full time jobs doing that)
• I can run 50 miles on gels and liquids (and the occasional “bacon treat” only (not sure how much that contributed to the steady pace on the first four loops.
• Next year – no dreams of sub 24, no shooting for Western States qualifiers or 50 mile PR’s – 100 miles or bust.

So, until next year I guess. If I can get in.

In the meantime, what do with those 3 rocks left all alone in a pile at the top of Effing Hill.

<sigh>

“Barefoot Running” WTF? LOL

 

Just for fun – in response to this “infographic” http://runningshoes.com/barefoot-running, here are my thoughts

1. “Barefoot running shoes” are still shoes. And despite considerably less materials and research, still cost about the same.

2. Bikila won the Olympic marathon barefoot in 1960. True. He wore shoes in 1964. His fastest marathon time was in 1964. Also true.

3. I have read articles that say that podiatrists have seen more running related injuries since the “barefoot revolution”. Especially cuts, bruises, plantar fasciitus, second metatarsal stress fractures, and Achilles tendonitis.

4. Most race winners wear shoes. Except the Tarahumara. Oh wait, they wear huraches. Which are sorta like sandals, which are a sorta shoe, which is sorta not barefoot.

5. I imagine that running through dog crap (broken glass etc) is considerably more pleasant in shoes than not.

6. I could write a book (well, at least a blog post) that hypothesizes that more injuries are caused by running too fast than anything else. It is just as plausible as McDougall’s theories.

7. How many of those 65-80% that receive an injury annually, don’t train regularly, run too fast, slip on ice, trip on trails etc.? Could it be a bit of a false correlation, kinda like saying “65% of cars have engine problems, all cars have tires, therefore we should drive with no tires.”

8. “1.25 more likely to have an injury in an expensive running shoe”. Here’s a thought – those who spend more money on shoes, are more likely to run more.

9. Just because it is in “Born to Run” doesn’t mean it is true.

10. Just because it is on the internet, doesn’t mean it is true. Please consider that this article is on the internet also (‘article’ LOL, WTF? article??)

But here is my honest opinion. Barefoot running and running in lightweight shoes can be fun and enjoyable. I certainly enjoy running in my Merrell Trail Gloves. It gives my feet a good strength workout, and over time can build up and strengthen Achilles and calf muscles etc. It also drastically reduces the risk of ankle rolls when trail running. Also, I enjoy the light weight of my Kinvaras, NB 101’s, [101’s – Best.Shoe.Ever.] I also enjoy their cushioning. The problem is that there are some who are promoting barefoot running as the be all and end all of running. It isn’t. Or at least that’s what I think. But WTF do I know?

Accountability update and some cool runnings plus a little bit of numerology

Last week’s 5k was another “Jimbo Best” 22:25. Not so shabby. This fatboy can run fast from time to time.
That said – I noticed a minor tweak in my left Achilles tendon. It hasn’t bothered me when I run slow, but when the pace picks up, it is pretty sore. Not so much during a run (after the initial few minutes of pain anyway) – but more so afterwards.

With Umstead 100 approaching, and some high volume weeks coming up, I think the smart decision is to rest it and skip the sub 24 minute 5k this week. If all is well healed, I will try and do two next week.

Some Cool Runnings


Work had me in California again this week, so I took the opportunity to run in the Henry W Coe State park, just like I did a few weeks ago. What a beautiful place to run – fabulous trails, glorious mountains. The 12 mile run was shrouded with awesomeness. I really felt strong on the climbs, and felt that I have picked up some confidence on the descents. Still haven’t had the guts to throw caution to the wind and just let it fly downhill yet, I still feel as though I need to hold back some and remain slow to keep my footing. Maybe though, that’s just the nature of the beast with hills this steep.

I’m hoping that being able to shave a couple of minutes per mile on the climbs for TRT 100 will make a huge impact on my time. Not to mention, there could be a significant payback on the less significant hills of Umstead too.

This weekend sees me run the Umstead Trail Marathon – I am going to use this as my launching point to kick off a month of high volume. Thus far, I am averaging just over 40 miles a week – with a hectic travel schedule and what with me being a wuss and all and not enjoying winter running, I have used these last few weeks to get some short fast runs in. There is a noticeable difference in my pace now, quite how that will translate into a 100 mile run, I am not sure. I have already shaved off 18 minutes from my last year’s time at Pilot Mountain Marathon – Umstead Trail Marathon will give me an additional opportunity to see if I am faster. Last year’s time was 5:14, it is going to be interested to see where I finish tomorrow.

Now is the time to up the weekly distance – especially once the clocks change, and it looks like I won’t be travelling for a couple of weeks too.

A little bit of numerology


Something else I noticed. And it is a pure coincidence. I am currently just over 10 weeks into a running streak – (1 mile a day is all  I need in order to count the day), but anyway, I noticed that the day before Umstead 100, will be my 100th  day of running should I keep it up. It’s a sign I tells ya.

And here is another sign. February 2012 was the 25th month straight that I have run at least one marathon or ultra. It will be my 4th appearance at Umstead. 4x25=100. See?

And, for some real spookiness, my first ultra was in April 2009 – Umstead 50. Umstead Trail Marathon will be my 50th race of a marathon or above.  It is also the second time I have done this particular race. 50x2=100

If you really want to get into some even more strange coincidences of numerology, Umstead Trail will be my 53rd lifetime marathon or ultra. It takes place on 3/3. You will note that there are 2 number 3’s in the date. (53-3)x2=100.

Also, the year is 2012. ((53-(2+0+1))x2=100

Yep, all signs are pointing to a successful 100 miles at Umstead.

There really is Just The One Hill at Pilot Mountain

I joked at Pilot Mountain last year that if you had done the half marathon, then you missed out on all the fun – the significant climb to the summit. Everything else just pales into insignificance on this course. “There is only one hill” I claimed. This has stuck with me for the last year. Just The One Hill™

But you know what? I am right. Sure, the race starts with a steep climb – but a quick glance at the elevation profile will show that  everything (even that steep climb at the start) up until the climb up to the summit is a molehill by comparison.

Anyway onto the race. The goal – smart pacing and to beat last year’s time (5:42), and to finish as if I could run more. I had predicted 5:30. And of course to get some nice hill work and have a blast in the progress.

Having done this race twice before, my approach was to take my time and pace easily until the 8 mile point – work hard up the hill, ease off around the summit and the initial descent (a lot of loose rocks and steps etc., the kind of things that can ruin your day as well as your ankle), open it up a bit for the bulk of the descent, then push it a little for the last 10k. As a result of the strategy, I have little doubt that I was close to DFL until the climb. Starting the ascent – I confirmed what I already knew. I really enjoy hill climbing! Yay! Slow steady calf burning climbing. I was giggling to myself. I passed a few people on the way up, and was really enjoying myself.

Once at the top, I caught up to my friend Amy. We chatted about The One Hill™ – Amy was also having a whole bunch of fun – apparently even continually saying “WTF? LOL” to herself on the way up.

The reward for the effort – the views from the top are so very worth it. Except I got in the way of any view for this picture.

The run around the summit and especially the initial drop down from the summit can be quite treacherous at times. It would be hard to run this part with any sort of speed – well especially if you are even slightly worried about the possibility of breaking any ankles.

Amy and I stuck together for most of descent. She will be running 100 miles at Umstead, and is just coming back from an injury, so it was good to see her running pain free and happy in her first long run back. About 6 or 7 miles to go, Amy ended up taking a detour into the woods, and I spent the rest of the race on my own.

The last 10k was when I saw the benefits of smart pacing early. I was in a happy spot, and running at a very nice pace over the rolling molehills. In fact I think my pace picked up nicely. I know I passed maybe half a dozen people in the last few miles.

All good.

Finished in 5:24. I even had an opportunity to act like a race-jerk. Picture the scene – 1/2 mile to go, I passed a couple of people. The last 100 yards or so, I realize that one these guys is trying to run me down. GAME ON! LET’S RACE. The sprint to the finish line was awesome! Especially when I knew I had him beat. But perhaps turning around and crossing the line backwards was not the least cocky thing I have ever done – but that is what I did nonetheless. It was all in good fun though and the fella I had just raced, laughed and we high fived when he finished a whole two seconds later. And I caught it on camera. Enjoy

Jimbo-The-Ass?

I am only left with two questions.

1. The weather was perfect for the third year running. Can it happen a 4th time in 2013?
2. What color will the finishers mug be in 2013.

Can’t wait to find out.

Some thoughts about training.

Not sure whether I should post this. But I am on a plane, and for once I think I am pretty much up to date with things on this here blog, the book I am reading doesn’t interest me that much, so I thought about writing about my training, and some of my philosophies.

Why am I not sure that I should post this? Well, every runner is different, and different things work for them, so I would hate it if someone followed the “Jimbo method”, and as a result bolloxed up a race.

Disclaimer: I can be opinionated with stuff. But these are just my opinions. Mine. I have learned this stuff by just doing it myself and figuring this out for myself. I have learned what works for me. Feel free to have your own opinions.

That said…… here we go:

“Think of effort before pace” – Easy, medium, hard, maximum. A hard effort run in the summer will probably mean you are running at a slower pace than a hard effort run when it is cool – but will still yield just as good results. A 10 minute pace up a hill is more effort than a 10 minute pace down a hill (Durr!) If I run on pace alone, then I might not get the training benefit I want or need. Also, learning to gauge my effort levels mean that during a race, I stick at a steady effort – which will mean faster at the beginning, slower going up hills etc, but (hopefully) meaning I have enough energy at the end for a good finish.

“The more you run the better you get” – No shit Sherlock. And yet almost weekly, I get an email from Runners World, “Train Less, Run Faster”. Does anyone fall for that crap? Really. No, the more I run the better I will get. What do I mean by better? If I run more, I will be able to endure more – run further.

“If you want to run long, then you need to practice running long” – Kinda like the one above really. And kinda obvious.

“If you want to run fast, then you need to practice running fast” – Well yes, precisely. By running fast, I mean short hard intervals or the maximum effort level for the distance you are running, (this of course doesn’t pertain to junk miles (see below) or long runs). I have never got the principle behind “Tempo Runs”. WTF is the point of running 5 miles at goal marathon pace? Why not run 5 miles at 5 mile pace? And if you want to run at marathon pace, then run a damn marathon. (Probably controversial – see disclaimer above)

All of that said – let’s get to junk miles……

If you read the UltraList, then you will know that this is a controversial topic. Junk Miles – miles that (according to many) are a waste of time. In other words, there is a large segment of the running community that believe if any given run doesn’t have specific pace or specific goals in mind, then they are a waste of time (some say even detrimental). I say bullshit. (See my first point – the more I run, the better I get – also, read disclaimer again). I like running, I have fun running, so if I want to plod around for a few very easy miles, then that is precisely what I will do.

I don’t use a training routine. – I don’t like them. They are a waste of time for me, because I would probably not follow it. Besides, they say things like “Tuesday - 4 mile tempo” – well, what happens if I don’t want to do a 4 mile tempo run, and I want to do a 8 mile jog?

Hill Training. – Another one that most training routines don’t seem to get right. Most of them will say something like “Run hard up the hill, recover on the way down”. Errrr no – I say, it is more beneficial to run hard down the hill, and power hike back up. Don’t get me wrong though, there are some benefits to running hard up hills – it is kind of like strength training for the calf muscles. But I always find that working the quads running hard down hills is of greater benefit.

Now, onto long runs, LSD. Yes, I need to do long runs – they can’t be avoided – see points 1 and 2 above. I have a solid principle behind my long runs – the principle is “The Four E’s” (Or running “For Ease”). And here are The Four E’s

1. Endurance – time on feet, it gives my body and muscles practice at just moving for long periods of time.
2. Exercise – Have you ever seen me? Or heard about my fondness for bacon? Yep – I need to burn calories.
3. Experimentation – Where else am I going to learn about the hydration, nutrition I will need, the type of clothing, shoes, lube I will use. Long runs are the time to learn this stuff – not on race day (That said, I do run races as training runs too – I am not one of those who put on a race number and feel as though I have to race – it is, in my opinion, perfectly reasonable to use a race as LSD. )
4. Enjoyment – the big one. If I don’t enjoy it, then what is the point? Run with friends, run alone, run on beautiful trails, run with music or without, stop and smell the flowers, but just run for fun. If I have fun, then I will run more – and the more I run, the better I get.

Now – a little bit about running streaks. I like running every day. Even if it is just a mile to keep the streak alive. I find that I really do not want to stop my streak, so I force myself to go out. Almost every time, I find myself enjoying the run, so I will end up running more. In other words, it is way easier to find an excuse to go and run when you have a streak going. On the other hand, if don’t have a streak going, then it can be pretty easy to find an excuse NOT to run (too cold, too hot, too tired etc etc). That said, I do stop streaks when I am tapering for a goal race. There are people who have run every day for decades, so I am not a “proper” streaker.

Running in the heat – the training benefits of running through the summer are huge! I meet the heat, and do not go out of my way to beat the heat. It is no surprise to me that most of my PR’s happen in the fall after running through several sufferfests through the summer.

So, I like to think that for my short/fast runs, I am training for my fastest ever 5k, and my long runs as if I am training for my slowest ever marathon.

Notice I didn’t define the distances that define short or long runs? Probably because I think it is hard to put a distance to it. I have ran 3 or 4 miles, and treated just like a 4E long run, I have also done marathons or 50k’s at maximum effort (for the distance, but that is racing) – (maybe that’s what a tempo run is???). So, in short, a long run can be shorter than a short run and a short run can be longer than a long run, and that is basically the long and short of it. (WTF Jimbo?)

My plane is just about to land so – that will do for now.

So, there you have it. The Jimbo Method.