Racing, Training, and Burnout

     I have been working on preparing for my upcoming races and considering going BIG! My next race is The IronMasters Challenge on April 28th at Pine Grove Furnace, a 50K trail race. I am excited about this race for several reasons. There are a number of friends that have signed up for the other distances, most of whom are either running their first ever race period (not just trail race). Pat Fahey is running the 15K (9.3 miles) along with Mike Gallagher; for both of them this is there first race ever!!  SO cool! My old buddy Kyle Valkenburg is running the 20M distance, his longest run/race ever and first trail event! I am running the 50K solo as of right now, but I am really hoping Don Gidusko joins me...  Regardless, having a great group of guys there who are new to the sport of trail running all hangin out and supporting one another is just something really special. I am using the race to prepare for my longest run ever as will Kyle. (see below) Here's a glimpse of the elevation profile of a chink of the course. At one point it rises about 800 vertical feet in a mile - BONKERS for an east coast race as far as I'm concerned.

     On June 1st I will be attempting my longest run/race ever at The North Face Endurance Challenge at Algonkian Regional Park, Great Falls Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail in Washington D.C. I am nervous about this race, but I know I can do it. Kyle Valkenburg will be there, running the marathon distance. I am really excited for him. I know the course and the feeling of pushing myself harder and farther than previously thought possible. I can't wait to see him on the course and be there to see him accomplish this momentous achievement!!  He is going to do GREAT! We will be coming home with these:

50 Mile Medal

Marathon Medal

     This race just might be my preparation race for the Oil Creek 100M trail race in Titusville, PA on October 5, 2013. I have "pre-registered" for it, which means I signed up and they are awaiting payment via check. I am unsure if I can run the distance and do not have the money right now to pay, so we'll see if it actually happens. It seems like a great race and it sells out rather quickly, not nearly as fast as the 50K and 100K distances the same day though. The fact that it's a 100 mile race here in Pennsylvania makes it special and a great first 100 mile distance for me. Still, running (moving) for 24-30 hours is a mental and emotional challenge. We'll see if it transpires despite my mental and financial obstacles.

     The thought of not only maintaining my level of training by being required to increase it over the next six months is tough for me. I train alone about 90% of the time and I am currently training between 40-50 miles per week or about five hours of running alone each week. That would have to increase to about 75 miles per week over the summer and running seven or eight hours alone each week can really burn a person out. I was feeling that way going into D.C. last June when I ran my first ultra and swore the day before that I would never sign up for anything like that again. For the record, I was looking for another ultra the same day I finished D.C. I really need to see how I fair with my training leading into D.C. this year and if I want to throw in the towel at some point. 

     I love this sport and I really enjoy running in general. It has brought me a lot of self gratification and a real sense of accomplishment. I have never (and still do not) considered myself an athlete, and still I get out there and perform better than half of the people in just about every race I enter and often in the top third overall. I know that I will never win a race overall or even place in my gender and/or age group. That is not why I run, I run because I love the trails and the people I meet. I run and race because I want to know what I am capable of. I run because it makes me work as hard or very possibly harder than anything I have ever done in my life. 

I run beacuse when I am in nature I feel at peace with myself and truly alive.

A lesson in humility

     It's been a few weeks since I posted last, I guess it's time to purge my mind of random thoughts.

     So I started this year with a goal of running every day, whether it be a mile or twenty. I thought it would give me something to focus on and work towards. I wanted to be able to say, "Yeah, I'm running every day this year." THAT is where my flaw lay. My goal was ego based...I wanted to be able to tell people I did it. I know I could do it, there's no doubt about that. Heck I could run a mile in the shower! So if I already knew I could do it, there was no sense in trying. I realized that a goal should be for the person within and not to scream from the mountain tops and see who I could impress.
     Last year, when I set out to run 100 miles every month, I did it because I was unsure if I could do it. I had never tried, I don't know that I ever ran half that far in one year. I have always been a runner who goes in spurts, months of gung-ho running followed by weeks of almost no physical activity at all. I ran in the spring and the fall most of all, the winters and summer being my "off-season." You see, I needed that goal last year in order push me and break this bad habit. Let's face it, goals help us push on when we may feel that there is no harm in missing a day..or two, a week...or a month. I pushed to my goal and even extended it to 1500 miles when I realized I would get to 1200 quite easily. I finished at somewhere over 1600 I believe.
     So, for 2013, I need a goal. I know I do. It's what will push be beyond what I may feel I am capable of. So with that I guess 2013 would make a fine goal for 2013.

The year draws to a close...

     This year has been great for me as a runner! I accomplished many of my goals and I really feel as if I grew as a runner.  As the 2012 running year draws to a close, it is time to reflect upon my goals, achievements and shortfalls (not failures). On January 1, 2012, I set out to run 100 miles every month for a total of 1200 miles for the year. While I did not get my goal of 100 miles every month due to a couple injuries involving tendonitis on the tops of my feet in mid August and the early part of September, I did crush my goal of 1200 miles for the year. As of today I have 1565.5 miles, most of which are trail miles.  I may even hit 1600 if I really push hard today and tomorrow. I'm not too concerned with that number though, I ran hard this year regardless of what the number shows. I also pushed myself in long runs, including two 50K's (The North Face Endurance Challenge and Labour Pains), both on trials. I commuted from York to New Cumberland, about 18 miles.  I ran with some old friends and created some close bonds on the trails. I am so grateful for that!! The memories I gathered on my adventures are priceless and I will cherish for the rest of my life.

     I want to thank my amazing wife Angela for being there for me. As I look forward to 2013 I plan on pushing farther and harder, perhaps to my wife's dismay. She is the most supportive and encouraging person I have ever met, but the level of training I put in does take away from family time. I thank you Angela, for everything you do for me and all the confidence you instill in me! In 2013 I know that she will have to maintain that level of love and understanding because I am going to push it a bit farther.

     In 2013 I want to try to average 40 mile weeks, this will help me prepare for my longer races and put me close to 2000 miles for 2013. I have registered for my first 50M run at The North Face Endurance Challenge on June 1. Don Gidusko will be running by my side for all 50 miles in D.C. after pacing me on my 50K there last year. Too f'n cool! I believe my good buddy Kyle Valkenburg will be running his first trail marathon that day, which is SO rad!  He will kill it, I'm sure. He may be taking it to the next level later in the year at the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50K in Tennessee with me, and I would be STOKED! I may also try to find another 50M race or maybe a 24 hour trial run to see just how far I can go; I would be shooting for 100 miles. Other than that, I just wanna have fun! Travel and see some new courses, run more local trails with friends, maybe set a 50K PR.

Here are the runs I'd like to do in 2013:

Ugly Mudder 7M                               1/20/13

Chilly Cheeks 7.2M                         2/24/13

Iron Masters Challenge 50K          4/28/13

Farm Park Challenge 12 hour         5/4/13

The North Face 50M                         6/1/13

Labour Pains 12 hour                       9/2/13

Rock/Creek StumpJump 50K        10/5/13

Ghouls & Fools 6.5M night run    10/20/13

Upchuck 50K.                                   11/9/13

     Finally, to end the post and 2012, I started a FaceBook group for trail running. The goal is to give trail runners in south central PA a place to organize group trail runs. We'll see if it works. Every time I try to put something like this together it sinks like a big brown submarine in the tub! Time will tell.... If you want to get together for a group trail run, check it out here:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/385594928199813/

Thanks for reading and following my blog!

 

WS100 Raffle and Lottery - 2014 Western States

     Well, yesterday was the raffle and lottery for the 2013 and 2014 running of the Western States 100 Endurance Run. Just to clarify, the lottery is entered by people that have already qualified for the run and are prepared to pay the $370 registration fee as soon as their name is pulled for the 2013 run. The Raffle, which I was entered into with the generous donations I received, is for a FREE admission into the same run for 2014 with the expectation that the winner runs a qualifier within the next year. Mine was/is The North Face 50M in Washington D.C. in June of 2013. So, moving forward, I will still run the 50M with the hopes of completing it in under eleven hours, thus qualifying me for the lottery of the WS100 to be held in 364 days.
     There is some exciting news, a gentleman from Harrisburg was selected for the run in the Lottery, meaning he will be there in June of 2013 running the hallowed ground from Squaw Valley to Auburn. His name is Randy Dietz and he is 63. I would love to get into contact with Randy and be his training partner for the next six months. Who knows, maybe he needs a pacer for his attempt? Finding a kindred ultra-runner spirit would be great. He can help me prepare for D.C. and I can help him get some long miles in for WS100. I will be attempting to make contact with him this week I guess, I hope I don't come across as a weirdo!
   
     I am closing in on my 2012 goal of 1500 miles. The original goal was to run at least 100 miles a month for the entire year for a total of 1200 miles. Things changed when I signed up for my first ultra (The North Face 50K in D.C.) and ramped up my mileage. Half way through the year I changed my goal to 1500 miles because I was on pace for that. I hit a couple snags with my first ever injuries that took a toll of a bout 3-4 weeks of missed training. Then I missed some days with my bad toe and a pretty good cold the last couple weeks. Despite a month or so of missed running, I will still meet my goal two weeks ahead of time. I am at 1457 as of 10:15 am on Sunday the 9th. I will be running maybe 10-13 miles today, putting me close to 1470. I will run the last 30 miles between Tuesday and Saturday with little problem. It will feel GREAT to hit this milestone!!

Lastly, I plan on signing up for the Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50K that is held in Tennessee on October 5, 2013. This thing looks BEAUTIFUL and my wonderful wife Angela told my I should do it. My races are much fewer and far between nowadays. I will be running an Ultra to prepare for my TNF 50Mer. It will be either The Outrun 24 hour Trail Race in Ohio on April 27th (high registration fee of $100) or The Farm Park Challenge, a 12 hour ultra consisting of five mile loops and a registration of only $39. The experience of the Ohio race is much more exciting, but I will most likely need to do the Farm Park race. It is a lot cheaper, will require much much less planning and travel time. It's not my first choice, but it's the best one for my budget and family. I will think it over....

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog! If you could, leave a hello or a message below. I am really curious who is reading this! Take care and be well.

Western States Update

     Next weekend is the raffle drawing for a spot in the 2014 Western States 100 Endurance Run. I have decided to do a little fundraising to buy as many tickets as I can and try to get a spot in the race. I have had two good friends already donate a total of $75, and I just started today. Kyle Valkenburg and, we'll call him Agent H, were very very generous. I really did not expect such levels of donations. The fundraising only lasts until the end of the week, as the drawing is December 8th. If you would like to donate, please feel free to make your way over to GoFundMe and donate $5 or $50 or anywhere inbetween. There are some incentives included for the various levels. Each level has a name that represents the start, an aide station along the course, and the finish line. I'm sorry I cannot offer more interesting incentives, but I promise you will come away with something special - even if it's just a picture, a rock, or a story to tell your friends, "I know this guy that is running 100 miles through the Sierra Nevadas!"

     

Thank you for the consideration and potential donations.

You can feel good about your donation, even if I am not granted registration into this amazing race.  

"All proceeds from the Raffle are used to support Western States medical research and to preserve and maintain the Sierra Nevada trail system."

Also:

Note: Ticket amounts are considered to be a donation to WSERF, a 501(c)3 organization, and as such may qualify for a US federal tax deduction. If you are a winner, however, you can claim only the portion of the total ticket purchase that exceeds the value of the WS entry ($370.) Check with your personal tax adviser for full information.

Gearing up for the 2013 Race Season

I have been thinking about my next BIG race in June, The North Face 50 Mile trail run, and have been thinking that I will need to do some longer training runs in the spring months to prepare for this increase in race distance. I have began the search for one or two races in the east that will supply me with the necessary training and of course a challenging and interesting race that I will be genuinely excited to participate in. I figure that the races will have to be 50K's because that id the closest distance to my 50M that is typically organized. If I can find a 40 miler, that would be ideal! Here is my list of possibilities:

Disclaimer: The registration fees can be steep, but when you consider the amount of race support that is required and the relatively small number of people that participate in these events, the prices are understandable. Above all else, a lot of race organizers are in the business of charity. They donate some or all of the profits to trail maintenance and preservation.

NJ Ultra Festival - March 23, 2013 (click on link)

A weekend long ultra festival (as the name implies) that has the following distances; marathon, 50K, 50M, 100K, and 100M. The course is a 10 mile loop, which is nice, but not a true trail run. It is mostly forest roads and rail trails from what I can tell. Another negative is the registration fee - $110 for the 50K.

The Farm Park Challenge May 4, 2013 (click on link)

A race of loops, these are 5.18 miles each. The "rules" are interesting though. From the website:

     The Challenge

1)    The Farm Park Challenge starts at 7am on 5/4/2012. The 3 Hour Challenge will start at 8am and conclude at 11am.

2)    There will be a new Challenge each hour on the hour for 12 hours or until everyone has had enough.

3)    To complete each Challenge, the entire roughly 5 mile loop must be covered in less than 1 hour

4)    No competitor may begin a Challenge earlier than the beginning of the hour, regardless of when the previous challenge was finished. Got that? If it takes you 50 minutes, you wait 10 minutes to start the next loop. Choose your strategy wisely. The trail is pretty easy, and fast miles can catch up to you, or maybe you could benefit from a few minutes to rest and hydrate in between laps.

5)    Only those competitors completing each Challenge are eligible to begin the next Challenge. Those failing to meet a Challenge may drop to the Open Fun Run.

6) All those who complete 6 or more Challenges will be recognized as FPC finishers with their name submitted to Ultrarunning Magazine. The official order of finish will be based on the number of Challenges completed with the winners taking home a "Coveted" FPC Golden Rock Trophy. Note that this prize may be closer to a rock than a trophy. 12 hour finishers are immediately inducted into the FPC Hall of Fame.

7) Those completing 5 laps will be recognized as Marathon finishers as long as they also run a "baby lap" to make it the right distance. Note that the 5 laps may be covered as Challenges or as part of the Open Fun Run (see below)

8) Those finishing 3 loops will be recognized as having completed 25k.

The Open Fun Run:

Should you not be up to The Challenge, miss a Challenge, or simply want to run the trails supported and in good company, consider the Open Fun Run. We will keep track of your laps and report your lap count, but not the time. You can start laps whenever you want during the event. This is not a race and 6 laps run in 7 hours will show the same as 6 laps run in 10 hours.

The Relay:

The Challenge may be run as a 2-person relay, provided both competitors are registered and have signed the waiver before running.  Each Challenge may be attempted by only one member of the team. The rest works the same, if you meet a Challenge, the team is eligible for the next one. If you miss a challenge, the team is out and may join the Open Fun Run. You may go in whatever order you like, run two in a row, or however you want execute your strategy. One person could run 11 legs and the other just one leg, something more balanced, or decide as you go. Your choice.

This would be a great event for those of you to participate in and do not want to run for six or so hours. You come and do what you can and quit when you want to. One lap, three, five...whatever. Registration is cheap due to the minimal amount of support at the aid station, only $39. One more bonus, it is close. It is in Derwood, MD. 

3 Days at the Fair May 16-19, 2013 (click on link)

THIS is interesting, a one mile loop that is run for 6, 12, 24, 48, or 72 hours! However many laps you can complete in the alloted time. This would be the weekend of my last long run leading up to The North Face 50 miler, after which I would taper off to allow my body to be at its optimal level of preparation. The 12 hour registration is $125. 

A final note, and one of the real reasons I decided to post today. I HAVE to do The Rock/Creek StumpJump 50K this year! It is in Chattanooga, TN and is on some of the most beautiful trails I have ever seen. Check out the video!! 

It is in October, so I have a lot of time before this event, but it will sell out quickly. Registration opens January 1, 2013 and if I get the "Go" from my wife, I am all in!!! 

Only Two Months to Go - Looking Forward to 2013

It has been quite a while since I have posted, and I am only doing so now (today) because I was nudged my a friend of mine - Pat Fahey.

Current Goal for 2012
My progress towards my current goal is really coming along. I set out on January 1st, 2012 to run at least 100 miles every month of the year. I barely made it in January, logging 101 miles. From there I went up to 135 miles, 165 miles, and so on. Some months I was really able to get out a lot and felt highly motivated, others were hindered by weather, life, and motivation. In August I hit a road block with my first ever injury, tendonitis in the top of my left foot. I was forced to take off two entire weeks and only logged 75 miles. The next month I ran an Ultra, the Labor Pains 12 Hour Race, and was knocked back again. I injured my other foot, same condition, at mile 17 or so. I managed to run 14 miles in agonizing pain and log another 50K. I was shooting for 50M, but I had to stop at hour 8. If it wasn't for the injury, I certainly would have hit my goal!  This caused another two week stop in my training, but it did not prevent me from hitting my goal of 100 miles for September! In October I came back strong with 149 miles.  I am now shooting for 1500 miles for the year, and goal that I established in June or July when I realized that the 1200 miles was going to be no problem. I have NEVER logged so many miles in all my life. I contribute this simply to setting goals and finding bigger and badder races to enter. I will most certainly log my final 240 miles and hit 1500 by December 31, 2012!

Looking Forward to 2013
I will certainly shoot for 1500 miles again, this time a little more passively. My real goal is to see just how far I can go in one shot. I will definitely run my first 50M race in 2013, and most likely more than one. I am looking to do The North Face 50M in Washington D.C. on June 2, but there are a few others that I may hit including the Ice Trail 50M in Wisconsin. It's one of the oldest trail 50M races in the country. I only run trail races anymore, so whatever I do it will involve dirt, rocks, water, mud, hills, logs, and some serious adventure!!  Depending on how those goes, I just may have to go for 100M. The Javalina Jundred is #1 on my list at this point. I've talked about both of these races (Ice Age and JJ) in prior posts, so you can scroll down and find out more or search the web and get the details.

Thanks for reading! Please write a comment if you've taken the time to visit my page and take a peek into my life. I have no idea who see this or how many people come through here. Even if I don't know you, just give a smily face or something. Thanks again.