2016 Walt Disney World Marathon!!

I ran my first Disney Marathon today (six previous marathons with a PR of 3:18 - twice). My aunt has worked at Disney for over 25 years so she's been working on me to come run Disney for a while since I graduated college and moved up to marathons a few years ago.

I signed up last spring on the first possible day since I had heard the race fills up fast. Toyed with the idea of trying the Dopey (5k/10k/Half/Full) but didn't really have upwards of $500 for race entries and figured I could also try that at a later date. I entered my time from a half-marathon this past summer (1:22) and that was good enough to get me bib #67 and place me in corral A.

I spent Friday and Saturday hanging out at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom (free entry being a benefit of a relative that is a cast member) so spent more time on my feet than I usually would before a race but I flew 1,500 miles to visit and wanted to enjoy myself.

It was an early morning - since I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle we woke up at 2:15 AM to eat breakfast and get on the road by 3 AM (they live 20 miles from Disney in an Orlando suburb). We had no problems getting to the EPCOT parking lot by 3:30 AM and parked and walked together to the large runner staging area to hang out until 5 AM when I started making my way to the corrals.

I was also lucky enough to have not only my Aunt Lois and Uncle Michael to cheer me on but my Mom made the trip from Sioux Falls along with my Aunt Carol and Aunt Pat from Minnesota. They also had an extremely early morning to get to Disney before the roads were closed for the race!!

Part of my cheering section: Aunt Carol, Aunt Pat, and my Mom

I have never seen so many porta-potties and runners in my life!! I should note that my previous marathons have all been smaller races in my home state of South Dakota with usually only a few hundred runners - maybe upwards of 2,000 in a half marathon. The porta-potty lines were moving quickly but it was a long crowded walk to the corrals. I did a little bit of dynamic stretching and jogging to warm up and took my spot in Corral A at 5:20; 15 minutes before the race was set to go off.

Just after 5:35 the gun and fireworks went off and the 35 elite runners and Corral A (about 350 runners) were off and running!!

Mile 1: 7:04 - A dark stretch of Disney highway with some portable lights set up and a HS marching band playing along the side of the road

Mile 2: 7:00 - My early goal was to maintain an "easy" 7:00-7:15 pace

Mile 3: 6:52 - Approaching entrance to Magic Kingdom parking lot

Uncle Michael with the first "text alert" as I hit the 5k mark just before entering Magic Kingdom

Mile 4: 6:48 - Approaching entrance to Magic Kingdom park

Mile 5: 6:43 - Got a little running up and down a couple hills towards Magic Kingdom... didn't want to run any miles under 7:00 until at least Mile 15, and this was my third too quick in a row

Mile 6: 6:42 - Mile six was almost entirely entirely in Magic Kingdom; very fun, especially running through Cinderella's Castle. Was not very crowded in the park as I was up in the top couple hundred runners and we were getting spread out

Mile 7: 7:22 - As we left Magic Kingdom I tried to make a conscious effort to slow my pace down

Mile 8: 6:54 - Miles 8-11 were all on some dark roads between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom

Mile 9: 7:03 - Powerade and Water were offered about every 2 miles, sometimes more often. I tried to take mostly small sips of Powerade and sometimes followed it with a little bit of water. Knew I needed to stay hydrated as I was pretty well soaked through my short sleeve shirt and shorts from miles 3 through the finish. I honestly couldn't have been much more wet if I jumped into a lake - it was humid!!

Mile 10: 7:07 - I had heard some horror stories about running past the water treatment plant and compost area but the wind must have been in our favor because I did not smell it at all

Mile 11: 7:05 - A small horseshoe turn allowed us to run up against our competition up ahead and also those immediately behind us

Mile 12: 7:05 - Our first Cliff Bar gel station was much needed by this point. The 12th miles brought us through Animal Kingdom which was a highlight. It was still quite dark and I was running pretty much alone - nobody within 50 feet either ahead or behind so I got to interact with the AK cast members and characters

Mile 13: 7:06 - Miles 13-17 was more highway running towards the Wide World of Sports Complex

13.1 Split: 1:31:15 (3:02:30 Pace) - My original goal was Sub-3:00 but I realized that this wouldn't be possible since I could tell my best miles were already behind me. Just settled in to enjoy myself and see how well I could compete the whole distance

Mile 14: 6:54

Mile 15: 7:06

Mile 16: 7:21 - Fatigue was starting to creep in and would eventually get worse. Could have used another gel at this point but was hoping Powerade would do.

Mile 17: 7:13

Mile 18: 7:17 - Had to take a 4+ minute pit stop in a porta-potty just as we were entering the sports complex. Not ideal, but really had no choice and didn't want to get stuck in between bathroom stops. This mile included 3/4ths of a lap on a track (also where Goofy was hanging out)

Cruising through the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Look at that right leg kick-out action!

Mile 19: 7:29 - Ran by the big cheese himself, Mickey!

Mile 20: 7:32 - Even though I knew I was fading, this mile was a highlight as we got to run a lap around the warning track and outside of the stadium used by the Braves during spring training

Mile 21: 7:46 - Miles 20-23 were spend on the road working towards Hollywood Studios Mile 22: 7:45

Mile 23: 8:23 - Yikes... I was hurting by this point!

Mile 24: 7:39 - Running through Hollywood Studios was a much needed mental distraction. Lots of awesome volunteers and cast members cheering us on!!

Mile 25: 7:57 - Ran on the boardwalk on our way to EPCOT

Mile 26: 7:23 - Entered EPCOT - could see Spaceship Earth (the golf ball) and knew the end was near!! Tried to put in some surges but the legs didn't really want to respond Final .21: 1:31 - Just tried to soak in the final little bit of the race with lots of crowd and volunteer support as we approached the finish. Crossed the line to an announcing calling our name and hometown and got my Mickey Finisher's Medal :)

26.21 miles Garmin time: 3:09:54; 7:15/mile pace (I paused my watch during my restroom break near mile 18)

Official Chip Time: 3:13:41; placed 91st overall out of 19,838 finishers.

Unfortunately I did not receive one of the coveted chocolate medals

I was pleased overall with the race, a new PR of 5 or 8 minutes, depending on which time I go by. Obviously I missed my original goal of 3:00 but the humidity and heat probably had something to do with that (coming from a cold Midwest winter), as well as walking lots of miles the two days before the race.

Overall it was a lot of fun. I'd love to run Disney again, both to run a faster time but also again to do more "fun things" and pose for pictures with characters along the course. I'd definitely recommend Disney to anyone, whether you are a serious runner or not. It is well run, you get a great long sleeve technical shirt as well as a very cool and iconic medal. The volunteers and cast members along the course and at the end were amazingly supportive! This might not be your best bet for a fast PR, but it is truly a running experience.

Couldn't get out of that soggy race shirt and shorts fast enough!!

PS - The expo was by far the biggest I've ever been to and was well organized and pretty awesome. The highlight was definitely stopping by the Runner's World booth and realizing that their CRO (Chief Running Officer) Bart Yasso was just hanging out in the booth. We spent a few minutes chatting about the Black Hills and racing and coaching and the demise of "Running Times" magazine. He was incredibly gracious and friendly. A highlight of the weekend for me!

Bart Yasso spent some time talking about the Black Hills and Spearfish running!

2015 Sioux Falls Marathon

Recap of 2014 Sioux Falls Half Marathon HERE

Argus Leader (SF Newspaper) Story about Karl and Myself HERE

A 4:30 AM alarm does not rank among my favorite things. It was necessary this past Sunday though so I had enough time to eat and digest a couple of bananas to feel comfortable for the 6:30 AM race start of the Sioux Falls Marathon. I usually try to eat some toast with peanut butter before a long run or race but my appetite was virtually non-existent. Hopefully the bananas and some GU Gels and Powerade taken at aid stations throughout the morning would be enough.

Last year Karl and I completed the Sioux Falls Half Marathon with me pushing him along the way. The goal was simple: Survive - and keep Karl comfortable. We were able to accomplish both goals in a little over two hours with a wheelchair that was definitely not made for competitive running! 

This year, we upped the ante to the full marathon while the goal was the same: Survive - and keep Karl comfortable, through 26.2 miles this time. We also went into this year's race with the benefit of a special lightweight wheelchair made especially for running that the 605 Running Co. in Sioux Falls was kind enough to let us borrow and even bring to the race start for us.

In the past, the Sioux Falls Marathon and Half have started on the track and Howard Wood and finish at Sertoma Park. This year, the revamped courses both started just outside the gates of Howard Wood Field in the parking lot and wind their way through both city streets and the bike trail before each finishing with a 3/4 lap on the track at Howard Wood.

This was a welcomed change and an exciting time to run my first Sioux Falls Marathon (I have done five fulls in other places as well as two previous Sioux Falls halves). The updated route passed within blocks of the house where I grew up and took us over the same bike path and city streets where I ran countless miles as a high school runner in Sioux Falls.

Pre-Race. Everything is all smiles when it's too early to
lucidly think about running 26 miles in the coming hours

Arriving at Howard Wood Field at 6 AM on Sunday, the sun had still not crept onto the horizon and it was immediately clear that this would be a great day for running. The air was cool and crisp with very little wind and the forecast called for temperatures that would not exceed 70 degrees throughout the majority of the race. I found Karl and his posse and we located the chair and got him buckled in and ready for the long haul.

We took our spot towards the back of the starting line - not very crowded at all with just over 300 runners running the full (the half had over 1,000 but they started 30 minutes after us). I got some positive words of encouragement from my college coach Randy Fischer who came out to watch the races start and we took off across the starting mat and onto our journey. 

Having never used this chair before I was not sure what my exact goal would be but I thought that maybe finishing around 4:00 would be possible. I figured we'd start near the back at a very conservative pace and slowly work our way forward as long as things felt good. We passed the ballfields near Covell Lake and ran our first mile in about 10 minutes. Mile two took us towards the Cathedral with some uphills mixed in and I realized that the uphills would be the deciding factor in this race. I really had to dig in and push hard to get the chair up the hill without losing too much time. It hurt and burned my calves, hamstrings, and quads, but as soon as we crested a hill my legs felt immediately relief and we were able to surge ahead.

Winding through downtown and Falls Park form miles 3-6 was enjoyable with some nice crowd support and Karl and I continued to pass other runners a few at a time. We were not doing anything crazy, just slowly increasing our pace as we went along and surviving the small occasional uphill.

The hills I was most concerned about were at miles 9 and 11 but we made it through those areas unscathed and actually passed quite a few other runners during those portions. Karl was doing awesome, staying engaged in the race and encouraging me verbally and also by lifting his right arm in the air (his signal to go faster - I had to tell him a few times that I was trying!). I took a GU Gel at the Mile 7 Aid Station and was alternating water and Powerade every couple miles and felt plenty energized as we neared the halfway mark.

A big highlight of the day was to get waves and encouragement from a few longtime family friends that were driving by on Sycamore Ave. and 57th St. on their way to church. It's hard to overstate how important crowd support can be during a marathon - but it is even more important when it is someone that you have known for almost your entire life and have a longtime personal connection with.

Karl's entourage was also cheering for us at various points throughout the race as well as plenty of people that had heard our story or knew Karl and his family so that was a big encouragement as we went along.

Can't overstate how awesome that chair was!

 As we hit mile 14 we caught the 3:55 pacing group.... at that point I knew we were moving at a pretty good clip. We stayed and chatted with the group for a bit - and had a nice talk with the group leader about some of the races he had done in the past. Had a nice laugh about the fact that we were about to run up a hill on 57th St. (railroad viaduct) that did not used to exist. As we went by Lewis Park and headed downhill towards rejoining the bike trail at Tuthill Park we made some good time as I was running pretty close to an all out sprint for a few hundred meters to keep up with the chair since it rolled down the hills so well.

Miles 17-19 and 20-25 were back on the bike trail and flew by. I took another GU around Mile 17 and that along with the water and Powerade kept me feeling great. Those final five or six miles really did fly by - it's a great feeling when you pass another mile marker and think that there is no way it had been a mile since the last one!

For the final mile we turned off the bike trial and onto Russell St. to head back towards Howard Wood. The crowds picked back up the final quarter mile before the track so that was exciting to have more support as the excitement of the finish line also drew near. The last 300 meters were run on the track at Howard Wood (a place I had logged many laps throughout high school and college) and the announcer read off our names as we were cheered into the finish. We passed a half-marathon finisher as we rounded the track and it was pretty obvious it was his first race of that distance. We offered him some encouragement which he seemed to genuinely appreciate. 

Crossing the finish line. Coach Fischer is in the foreground

We officially stopped the clock at 3:48:36 for an overall pace of 8:43/mile. Quite a bit faster than last year in the half. That chair made a big difference and I was also probably in a little better shape.

The team post-race with Karl holding the bib number and wearing the race medal

Overall we placed 89th out of 306 runners in the full. Starting near the back of the pack we did not get passed by everyone for the entire distance, so that is always a nice feeling :)

I was pretty sore on Monday for my morning 2-mile run with the middle school cross country team but felt much better by Tuesday.

Not sure what the future will have in store for Karl and myself. Just found out that he will be moving to Omaha with his family next June... so might need to put the Omaha Marathon on our calendar. Time will tell.

Soaking up the post-race scene

2014 Sioux Falls Half-Marathon Recap

On a cool Sunday morning in September 2012 I lined up at Howard Wood Field to run in my first Sioux Falls Half Marathon. I had run a handful of halves by this point and growing up in Sioux Falls I ran countless miles on the bike trail greenway and lap after lap around Howard Wood’s track while competing for Washington High School and later Mount Marty College. As the gun went off and I settled in near the front of the pack I was a bit alarmed as each mile clicked off at a pace a little faster than I thought I could sustain. Luckily, it was one of those days that only runners can describe, where everything feels fluid and effortless. It is the type of day that is rare in training but you can only dream of having during a race. I never slowed from the early faster than usual pace and crossed the line with a three-minute personal record, running the 13.1 miles in just over 1:18 to place 10th out of over 1,000 runners. I had won races before and since, but that performance three years ago is still something I am trying to return to.

Fast forward two years to September of last year and I competed the half for the second time, nearly 50 minutes slower. I could not have been any more thrilled with the result.

That is because last year I completed the Sioux Falls Half Marathon as part of a two-person team with my young friend Karl Madsen. Karl and I met a number of years ago when he was a family camper where I worked during the summers throughout college at Lutheran’s Outdoors camp near Custer. Although his mobility and speech were hampered by a traumatic brain injury he suffered as small boy, Karl is full of life and is more active and enthusiastic than almost any other middle school student you’d meet.

Pre-Race... Ready to go!

The idea of pushing Karl in his wheelchair throughout the half so he could join me in the competition was something born out of the legendary Team Hoyt from the Boston area. I had seen some videos and read stories about the father and son duo and their running and triathlon and other athletic accomplishments. Knowing how vibrant Karl is and how strongly his mother Anna advocates for her son’s inclusion in “normal” events (although a half marathon might not be considered all that normal for some) I figured they would be open to the idea of Karl and me running the race together.

So that is exactly what we did. We did not use Karl’s normal wheelchair but the chair we had was not exactly made for running either. I knew we could survive 13 miles; I just wanted to make sure that Karl would remain comfortable and that we would stay out of the way of other runners.

We lined up towards the very back of the pack – a welcomed change from my usual up-front “sizing up the competition” ritual. Once the gun went off we slowly made our way around the 3/4ths of a lap before heading out onto the streets and bike trail of Sioux Falls.

Immediately numerous other runners and spectators were offering Karl and me encouragement and kudos – with many other runners coming over to give Karl a high-five or pat on the back which he was loving. We were able to see friends and family and familiar faces throughout the course – including my high school and college coaches - and although downtown Sioux Falls is much hillier than I previously remembered, we were making decent time and staying competitive in the back half of the pack.

On the bike trail; mid-race and feeling good

Aside from keeping a slower pace than normal I really did not notice any differences in running the race with Karl aside from the fact that I was getting the greatest core workout of my life. My midsection was absolutely searing throughout the final 2-3 miles of the race but there was so much crowd support and the excitement of fellow runners knowing how close to the finish we were made those final miles fly by in an instant. At last we were crossing the finish line and as I gave Karl the race medal and bib number his ever-present smile that morning grew even larger across his face. There was no question that we would try this again sometime.

Finished!!

I guess the next logical step for me was to see if Karl would be interested in giving the full marathon a shot. Sioux Falls is his home and where I grew up and the fact that the city has this growing and well-run event (no pun intended) made it an easy choice to decide for our first full marathon together. The plan once again is to survive the distance and to make sure Karl remains comfortable and gets to let his competitive side take over for the morning. Running with Karl is a terrific escape for me from the “train to win” philosophy that we can get so wrapped up in and is a way for me to bring the joy of running back to the very basic reasons that I love to be outside and active and among like-minded people.

Looking toward the future....

During my last update (early July) I was just starting to log some miles again after being forced to take the month of June off with a knee injury following the Deadwood Marathon.

I was able to log some decent mileage in July, culminating in the Custer Gold Discovery Days 5k on Sunday, July 28th. I won this race last year, and knew that would be difficult to defend in just four weeks of actual running. A few Custer High School XC runners showed up and I was able to beat most of them but had to settle for 2nd as one of their stud seniors was just too tough and I couldn't manage to hang with him. Ran something around 18:50.... didn't wear a watch so I'm not positive what it was.

Won my age group.... yet another vile of gold... hooray!

In early August I think I may have gotten a little too ambitious, running a 15-miler (longest run since the marathon in early June) and then logging a 12-mile run just three days later. Seemed like a good idea at the time to push myself and maybe get in shape for a fall half - but a few days later I started to notice a little pain on top of my left foot just under the ankle.

Long story short, I have spent the better part of 6 weeks with some mild pain during and following any runs. I was hoping that some rest would take care of this but I still can't run without feeling some pain the following couple of days. I've put it off long enough and probably need to go visit a doctor soon and see whether it is a stress fracture or something else and see what needs to be done. I'd love to be training at full effort right now but I guess if I have to wear a boot or take some time off I'd rather it be leading into winter rather than in the spring.

My classroom running bulletin board. My students think it is pretty cool. Maybe it will even encourage them to try cross country or track someday?!

In the meantime, I have a new location - Belle Fourche - which is a nice little town but is TERRIBLE for running. There are hardly any trails or runner-friendly roads whatsoever here. A positive is that Spearfish is only 10 miles away so I am looking forward to venturing there a couple times per week for runs/workouts once I get my foot problem solved.

Hopefully I can get this injury issue figured out in short order and start training no later than December. I'd love to run a half and a full next spring. Goals would be to PR in a half (under 1:18) and also go under 3:00 in a full (current PR 3:18). I'd love to go back to Yankton for the River Rat 1/2 or Full in April and win one of those races - I've finished 4th, 2nd, and 3rd the past three years. I am a pretty big fan of the Deadwood race so that full or half would be enjoyable, especially since I live less than 20 miles away.

Long term goal is to qualify and run the 2015 Boston Marathon with Tyler Smit after he returns from his Peace Corp stint in Africa! Seems like a long ways off but in reality that is only 18 months away. Can't wait!

A 45-minute marathon PR!

On the morning of Sunday, June 2, I toed the line for the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon a little nervous and a very apprehensive. A little over 3 hours later, I was downing a pair of chocolate milks (liquid gold for me after a race) and more excited than ever for my running future, having just shaved 45 minutes off of my previous marathon time. More on that in a bit....

Since my last post I have had many ups and downs, the variety in running that keeps me motivated and coming back for more.

On Saturday, March 16th I competed in the annual Sioux Falls Irishman Road Races (5-mile, 5k & mile). I ran a little slower compared to last year but managed to finish 4th overall out of 200 Irishmen participants. Nothing to get too excited about... just races that I used as a workout.

A few weeks prior to this I signed up for the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon in early June. My only other previous full marathon was Deadwood in 2011 and it was a total disaster for me. I vowed to be much smarter about my training this time around - especially concerning the all important long run.

Most of my long runs were down during the winter and spring in and around Yankton with former teammate Jordan Pater. Jordan is the best distance runner in the history of Mount Marty College and easily the hardest worker that I have ever met. I was lucky enough that Jordan had qualified for the NAIA Nationals Marathon to be run just before Deadwood so we could do long runs together.

Even though Jordan is much faster than me, he is smart an realized that he should take it easy on his long runs during his first ever marathon build-up so it was a tremendous opportunity to have a partner to run and chat with on some downright miserable winter 2+ hour runs.

On Saturday, March 30th I competed in and won the Missouri Valley Christian Academy 10k in Yankton for the second year in a row. It is a pretty small race although Gregg Uecker from Freeman was not too far behind keeping my effort honest the whole way. It ended up being a solid speed workout which is exactly what I was hoping for.

Most of April was simply building mileage with a little (but not nearly enough) speed work mixed in, culminating with a 20-miler with Jordan on April 21st. I wouldn't call this run fun, but I did feel really good until about mile 18 and then the last couple were a struggle.... but thankfully Jordan was struggling right next to me and we got through it. We got thirsty about 2/3rds through the run but luckily there was some mostly clean looking snow in the ditch to munch on while we ran down some Nebraska blacktop.

Saturday, April 27th saw me compete in the RiverRat 1/2 Marathon in Yankton for the third year in a row. After finishes of 4th (2011) and 2nd (2012) the past two years I was hopeful for a victory but had to settle for third after Bruce Allen from Flandreau literally ran away with the race for the 2nd year in a row and Uecker sped by me in the second half of the race. My time was 1:28:02... 6:44 pace.... something that I was not thrilled with but my mileage and workouts were geared for a longer race so in hindsight I am a little less upset. In my running log I simply wrote, "Felt like sh*t - need more speed work!"

I did manage to win my age group however. I also convinced former teammate Kaylee Fly, who was redshirting her outdoor track season, to run the 5k and she completely dominated. This is us with our awards...

Collecting some spring racing hardware :)

The beginning of May brought a move out near Custer to work at camp once again, and along with that some training opportunities at elevation (approx. 5000 ft)

I spent the first few days getting used to running up and down the hills and up at a mile in the air and did my final long run of my training progression on May 4th, 4 weeks before race day.

A week later I made a pretty dumb mistake and wiped out on some gravel on a friend's scooter at camp. I scraped up my right knee, arm, hand and hip which hurt a good bit but also messed up something in my right knee which took the brunt of the fall. I ran 7 miles the next day but my knee got very sore halfway through the run and was extremely painful during the final couple of miles.

I ended up taking most of the next week off (2 weeks before the race) due to knee pain - only running about 10 miles total - all in Boulder while on a little trip.

I really didn't have to worry about a taper for the race since I was only able to log about 3-4 miles on most days due to my knee getting extremely sore after about 10 minutes of running. I had thoughts of maybe calling it quits and throwing in the towel for the marathon but two things kept me from doing that. 1) The entry fee was expensive and I didn't want to throw it away. 2) All those long runs were not going to be wasted.

My plan was to go into the race with a small medicine cabinet of ibuprofen in my pocket and to just take it easy early and see now the race unfolded.

The Deadwood race route can be a killer for those who run it foolishly, as the first 13 miles are all uphill - gradually - before the course descends just before mile 14. Normally I wear a watch and am a stickler with my pace but I decided to run without any type of watch and to just go by feel and take the first half very cautiously. I also popped a few ibuprofen just before the start and kept taking one pill at each water/aid station - about every two miles. I was also taking small amounts of the offered Powerade at each aid station.

I settled into what I felt was a decent groove early in the race and just rode along for a solid 10 miles. Eventually I caught a pair of guys - seen shirtless and in the neon green in the picture below - and just stayed in their shadows for a few miles. Even though it wasn't windy and I wasn't exactly drafting I still felt good about the pace they were holding and it helped me to relax.

On the ascent up the first half of the race, somewhere around mile 11

Just before the halfway point one of the guys moved over and slowed slightly, obviously wanting me to get out of his footprint - not that I can blame him. I took a short lead on them and they ran just off my shoulder for the next mile. Right at the halfway point curiosity got the best of me and I asked them what our race time was since they were wearing watches. We hit the halfway point in 1:40 - a 3:20 finish pace and very respectable. I was very aware however that 13.1 miles into a 26.2 mile race might as well be 1 mile into the race and really doesn't mean a whole lot.

Just before we hit the peak of the course and started the descent half of the race one of the gentlemen stopped momentarily and a small gap appeared between us that grew quite quickly without me trying to put any more effort in.

After coasting downhill for a couple miles - and very much enjoying the easy effort to maintain what I thought was the same pace I caught and passed another couple of runners who were already paying for starting too hard. I caught another marathoner at mile 16 whom I had run just behind very early in the race and we ran and chatted together for the next couple of miles while I felt our pace slowly increase.

Eventually we reached the one point in the course at mile 19-20 where the course levels off and climbs in elevation ever so gently. At this point in the race the flat part feels hard enough of the elevation gain is very difficult. The guy I was running with dropped off and I kept plugging away at close to the same pace although at an obviously harder effort.

I should mention that I took my first ever energy gel packet around mile 15. I had never take a gel before and never practiced and to do so in a race for the first time is a cardinal sin of running, BUT I could feel my energy draining and felt it was worth the risk.

It ended up being a great decision and gave me a needed boost without affect my stomach at all.

The final six miles were difficult but a number of half-marathoners whom I was passing and spectators gave me encouragement as a marathoner near the front of the pack and this gave me energy to keep moving. I felt like my pace was decreasing but I was able to keep going at a fairly good clip I thought.

The final mile seemed to go on FOREVER but finally the finish line cam into view and the awesome spectators cheered me in to the chute. I looked up at the clock not really knowing what to expect and was pumped to see that I had run a negative split (2nd half of a race faster than the first) and set a 45-minute marathon PR (personal record) with a time of 3:18.

Coming to the finish line

This placed me 12h in the men's division and 13th overall out of 325 runners. I was stoked that I improved my time by so much despite missing about 3 weeks of quality training heading into the race. Also, I am certain that I could have come near or surpassed a Boston Qualifying standard (3:05) on a flat course near sea level.

The less than great news.... I ran out of pills in the final few miles and my right knee was starting to hurt pretty badly. It eased up the final few miles thankfully but pretty much locked up on me after I was done running. I could barely get out of bed for the next couple of days and walking without a limp was impossible.

Thanks to lots of ice and rest it gradually got better but still hurt a good bit for the next few weeks. I am just now getting back to the point where I can think about serious training again so most of my summer racing plans are no more but I still feel good about starting a new build up for a fall race.

I'm not sure what race I want to do next but I fully expect to run under 3:00 next time I hit the course for a marathon - hopefully sometime this fall.

Batman ran the race too. We hung out post race. As you can see form my shoes the course was very muddy, especially during the second half. Luckily, when you are sore and tired all over, splashing through some mud puddles is really no big deal.

Fall/Winter Update!

Once again, a long overdue post....

My resolution is to be better at updating this. Much better.

When I last posted back in August I had just returned home from a summer of working at camp and was just about to embark on a Fall of student teaching at Freeman High School while also working as the assistant coach for Mount Marty's cross country team.

Before my student teaching began I had a couple of weeks of training camp with the cross country team where we focused on doing two runs per day before the fall term started. Having just come down from elevation (5,000 ft) and getting plenty of rest each day, this two-week stretch consisted of some of the best workouts that I have ever done.

Student teaching began for me during the last week of August but we gradually add sections of teaching one at a time so it was not a big time commitment at the front end, so still easy to hit some hard workouts with the team.

On Friday, August 31, I joined the team in running the Augustana Twilight Meet at the Yankton Trail's soccer complex in Sioux Falls. This meet is held at night with the soccer lighting and glow sticks used to mark the course. I was a little tentative in the race - a 4-miler as opposed to a normal men's 8k (5 miles - but I did finish rather strong and passed a lot of people in the final 1-2 miles. I ended up finishing 76th out of 147 runners in 21:51.

The following weekend was the SF Half-Marathon Sunday, Sept. 9. I knew I was in fairy good shape but this was by far the best I have ever felt in a race. I ran 5:55/mile-6:05/mile pace for the entire race - struggled a little bit around miles 5-8 but really had a great second wind for the final 5 miles to push to the finish. I ended up finishing 10th (1st South Dakotan!) out of 1079 runners in a 3-minute PR of 1:18:48 - an average of 6:00 minutes per mile for 13 miles.

Running this half really got me excited about my future as my mileage still was not all that high in the months prior to the race, so I feel as if I can ever really nail down some high mileage along with the quality workouts I can really drop my time.

Six days later I competed with the team at the DSU Invite at the Madison golf course. I knew that I wouldn't be recovered from the half yet but after spending a year at DSU and running countless miles on the golf course for practice I wanted to give this race a shot.

I ended up finishing the 8k race in 29:29 - a PR, even though I didn't feel that great about the race or my time - and placed 12th overall, earning my first-ever college racing shirt!

The top 15 from the DSU Invite on Sept. 15. I am fourth from left (12th place)

My training really suffered following the DSU race, as my student teaching load continued to increase and I was putting in quite a few hours at the newspaper. I really had no energy for the type or workouts I was doing before and I took 2 weeks in October completely off from running. It has been a long road back from this layoff and light stretch of running but I am glad that I took the time off so that I can better appreciate the fitness level that I did attain and how much patience it takes to get that back.

I did run the NAIA qualifier half-marathon on December 3rd in Fremont with some female teammates as they attempted to qualify for nationals. We ran the half in 1:35. Not really a struggle, more of a long run for me.

On Saturday, Feb. 2 I ran the Beresford Frostbite 4 for the 3rd consecutive year. I won my age group (and the accompanying penguin statue) for the 3rd time - running 25:04 and placing 3rd out of 264 runners. The leaders were within reach but I just didn't have any speed work under me and couldn't hang on with them during the final half-mile. It ended up being a very cold and windy day but I'm glad that I ran the race because there is no way I would have been able to run that quality of a workout on my own.

That is the summary of what has been going on. I have been logging some long runs during the past 6 weeks in hopes of running a marathon this Spring/Summer. I am also signed up for tomorrow's (Today's) St. Patrick's Day Irishman (5-mile, 5k and mile) for the third year in a row. I am also planning on running the RiverRat Half-Marathon in late April yet again this Spring.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the run! If you don't run but want to, DO IT! If you need some basic advice or training plans feel free to drop me a line at cr7sprinter@yahoo.com

Nothing is as empowering as the feeling one gets after completing a run or workout once thought impossible!

2012: A Hot Summer!

My last post was at the end of March.... way too long ago. One thing I remember from then was how unbelievably hot it was - 90+ degrees on some days already! Apparently it was a sign of things to come as this summer ended up being one of the warmest and driest on record all throughout the US. I spent mid-May through mid-August working @ Outlaw Ranch once again in the Black Hills.


Normally the Black Hills are a runner's paradise - once you get over the elevation and hilly terrain - with cool summer temps and downright cold weather at night. Not this summer! It seemed like the temperature did not reach 80-90 degrees only a few days throughout the whole summer! That made daytime workouts tough, but luckily I was able to get quite a bit of quality morning and evening training time in.


Here is a recap of my racing from last Spring through the summer:

On Saturday, April 7 I ran the Missouri Valley Christian Academy Race for Christ 10k on the bike trails in Yankton. It is a small fundraiser for a local Christian school and was the first official 10k road race that I have ever entered. The race went over the Meridian Bridge before going out and back on the Brokaw Trail through Yankton. It was extremely windy on this day, but I took an early lead and just pressed on as hard as I could until the turn-around point. I ended up winning by quite a bit with clocking of 38:15 - a PR since it was my first 10k :)


I was planning on running the 5k at the Sioux City Relays on Saturday, April 14. I was pretty excited since I was almost sure I would get a PR and hadn't raced on the track in 2 years. Unfortunately severe weather moved in about an hour before the race and the meet was cancelled.


Saturday, April 21 saw me compete in my second ever Steeplechase event at the Northwestern Invite in   Orange City. I felt horrible throughout the race, had no rhythm, and barely got over water pit barrier on most laps. I had never so badly wanted to drop out of a race but I wouldn't let myself quit and finished. Not even sure what my time was.... but I know it wasn't good!


On Friday, April 27 I drove to Brookings EARLY in the morning to run the Arbor Day 5k. This race is the first of the year for the Brookings-based Prairie Striders Running Club yearly calendar. The PSRC does something really neat by tracking results from all of the races that they sponsor and assigning points based on your finish. Then, if you run at least three of their races, you are eligible for year-end prizes. I decided that I wanted to run as many of these races as possible in 2012 so I drove up to run it.

I finished in 19:00 on an windy and cold morning (one thing I learned from my year at SDSU is that the wind can really blow in Brookings - especially around that campus which is on the edge of town!). This got me second place overall, behind the biggest runner I've ever seen! The guy who won had to be at least 6-7 or taller! He had just run the Boston Marathon the week previously so I guess beating me in a little 5k was his cooldown :)


The next day, Saturday, April 28 I competed in the RiverRat 1/2 Marathon in Yankton for the second year in a row. Usually I wouldn't recommend running a 1/2 the day after a hard 5k but I went into this race treating it as a long run/tempo workout. Well, that plan went out the window as soon as I found myself out front all alone about a mile into the race.

I stayed alone out front until mile six, when another runner caught me and ran in my footprints for the next 4 miles, until he took off and left me. It ended up being Bruce Allen, a talented runner from Flandreau who I recognized from previous races. Bruce had a strong push to the finish and won by about 90 seconds. I ended up in second, in 1:23:43, a new PR. After talking with Bruce I found out that he too had just run Boston the week before! I didn't feel so bad then considering I had just run a hard race the day before and he had a full winter of marathon training to fall back on.

The second week in May was a little bit crazy with lots of packing, traveling, and running. Once again I ran a 5k the day before a half-marathon. Friday, May 11th saw me travel up to Brookings to run the Scotty Roberts 5k, part of the Prairie Striders series. I did my best to "jog" through the race since I was running the Brookings 1/2 the next morning but my competitive side took over and I ended up pushing to a 4th place finish in 18:16. Some family camp friends, the Abrahams were gracious enough to let me sleep in their basement Friday night in preparation for the Saturday 1/2.

Saturday, May 12th brought the annual Brookings Marathon and Half-Marathon. I have never competed or witnessed this event but it annually gets rave reviews online from participants. Not to mention, my college coach, Randy Fischer, was 5-time winner of the Brookings Marathon and still holds the race record from 1979!

It was a perfect chilly morning to race. My hands were numb the first few miles and then in gradually warmed up but never got too hot. I felt great the first 5 or 6 miles, then miles 7-11 were a bit of a struggle but I felt great again the last couple miles on the way to the finish. I ended up finishing 5th in 1:23:24.... another new PR, 19 seconds faster than I ran the RiverRat race 14 days earlier. It was an interesting race for me as I settled into the 5th position about a half-mile into the race and eventually by about mile 3 there was so much distance between the runners ahead of me and behind me that I did not see any other competitors the entire rest of the race. The fan support was great however; lots of cow bells! I can see why this race gets such great reviews. The organization and support and volunteers were all superb. I definitely want to go back and run the marathon in the near future.

I ended up seeing quite a few people that I knew following the race so it was fun to chat with them and wait for the awards ceremony. Then I got in my car and made the 6+ hour trip from Brookings to Custer to get to camp just in time for supper :)


On Sunday, June 3rd I returned to the site of my worst running experience, the Deadwood Marathon. This was my first, and only to date, marathon experience and it went pretty horribly. I ran the 1/2 instead this year, which starts at the halfway point of the marathon and let's just say that I experienced 13 miles of race course that I had almost no memory of from the year before. I was a little more lucid this time around!

The majority of the Deadwood race is on the crushed-gravel Mickelson Trail.
It is a beautiful course lined with pines, aspens, and birch trees.

The 1/2 course is mostly downhill and flat with a little uphill mixed in towards the middle of the race. I ended up running alongside another runner that I was visiting with (really, it's pretty easy to visit at half-marathon pace compared to shorter interval training) and got in a little over my head for the uphill section. I backed off but then felt much stronger towards the end and finished in 9th overall (out of over 1900 runners) with a clocking of 1:23:16.... my third consecutive PR, this time by a whopping 8 seconds!

Randy and Andy Fett, friends from family camp, also ran the Deadwood Half
in preparation for Grandma's Marathon a few weeks later.

Following Deadwood, my third half-marathon in 5 weeks, my legs got a nice break as I just logged some easy training runs near camp with a couple of runs up Harney Peak mixed in. On Saturday, July 14th, I traveled to Spearfish to run the Spearfish Canyon Half-Marathon for the second consecutive year. A couple of other friends from camp also competed in the race following their week at family camp.

We ended up running late, as I usually am when it comes to getting to races, and we got to the start line BARELY before the race began. At the start it was already around 80 degrees and rising. Of course, I forgot to pack a short sleeve running shirt so like a champion I put on my long sleeve Irishman technical t-shirt and got my sweat on.

It was about 85 degrees by this point, and I was
perspiring pretty heavily in my long sleeve shirt :)

Apparently it did not hurt me too much as I was clicking off mile splits at a pace that I had never maintained in a 13-mile race before and was feeling better and better as the race went on. I ended up feeling pretty awesome the entire run, finishing in 1:21:24, an almost 2-minute PR! That is 6:10/mile pace for the 13.1 miles and placed me 6th out of 260 runners. It just ended up being one of those rare days when you feel pretty invincible on a race day.

Outlaw crew post-race

At this point there was only one more race that I had my eye on, the Custer Gold Discovery Days 5k. It fell on Sunday, July 29th this year. Last year it was the day after the Spearfish 1/2 and my legs were absolutely shot as I finished runner-up to someone that I knew I should have beaten.

This year was also less than ideal as I came back to SF to attend the Joe Walsh concert at JazzFest on Saturday night with some friends from camp. We left for Custer about 12:30am Sunday morning and got back to camp around 6. I took an hour nap, the only sleep I had in a 24-hour stretch and woke up at 7 to shower and head into Custer for the race.

At the start a few Custer High School XC runners started pretty hard so I just decided to hang on their backs and see what happened. Around the mile mark they started to slow down so I really tried to drop the hammer and passed all four within about 200 meters and just kept trying to push harder and harder. I was definitely in the pain cave at the turn-around point but I saw how much distance I was gaining on the trailing runners so I just kept pressing. I ended up cramping a little bit towards the end but really never consciously let off and won pretty handily in 18:03, not a PR but definitely the best 5k time I've recorded at elevation (Custer is at about 5000 feet). The Rose Quartz trophy that eluded me the year before was finally mine!! :)

What the heck do I do with this?!?

Speaking of ridiculous trophies.... this summer I gained a solid amount of running awards and medal to my stash. It really is making me wonder what I am going to do with all this stuff? I'm a little too modest to walk around Yankton wearing 10 different marathon and half-marathon finisher and place-winning medals. Maybe my future kids will want this stuff someday. Or I guess they can fill up a table with it all next to the sandwich bar at my funeral someday. Just don't bury me with all this crap!

So there it is... a pretty solid summer of racing and training. Coming back to eastern SD a little over a week ago makes a runner feel pretty darn near invincible after running on hilly and high ground for three consecutive months.

I have been lucky enough to get the assistant cross country coaching position at Mount Marty for this semester while I student teach. It's an exciting opportunity but will definitely put a dent in my fall racing plans. I am planning on running unattached in some of the meets to run with our freshmen and hopefully hit a road race and half-marathon or two before winter arrives.

The last week and a half has been some pretty intense mileage and training with our XC "training camp" before school starts and my legs and feeling it. It's a good kind of soreness and fatigue though, the kind that comes along with knowing that you are pushing your body and getting better. Today we ran a 4-mile time trial on the bike trail in Yankton and I finished second among the men's team. It felt pretty good to have Coach Fischer tell me he wished that I still had eligibility left to run.

Being in shape is fun, and knowing that my potential is still largely untapped is even more fun! These are exciting times. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the run!