Turkey Trot 10k - November 27, 2014

The Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 10k race in Downtown St Paul is the final "points" race in the Minnesota Running Series.  Yes, I posted several months ago that the series ended with the Minnesota Half Marathon in early August.  But they decided to add a 5th points race to the series...the Turkey Trot 10k.  I run a Thanksgiving Day race every year anyway, so when they added this race to the series, it made my Thanksgiving Day choice much easier.  Thanksgiving Day morning was not very pleasant in Downtown St Paul.  The air temperature at race time was zero, with an 8mph NW wind.  The picture below shows what St Paul looks like at 7am on a cold morning...and it's not even winter yet!

The map below shows the course layout.  The race was an "out and back" on Shepard Road, the same road the Minnesota Half Marathon took place on in early August - my hottest race of the year.  Although both races took place in the same location, the resemblances ended right there.

The picture below give another perspective on how wonderful the race conditions were.  I really feel for the volunteer police and other volunteers who stand out in the cold for several hours assisting with some aspect of the race.  At least these folks look dressed for the conditions.  

My objective in this race was simple and sweet.  Get in and get out.  With the cold conditions, I wasn't about to shed layers and run in a thin shirt.  I knew if I just finished the race with a reasonable time, I would retain my place in the series standings.   The parking ramp was a 10 minute walk to the starting line, so I kept warm in my car until 20 minutes before the race began and then made my way to the start.  The other key factor was the race didn't provide a bag drop for the runners.  Meaning you had to run in what you wore to the race unless you had someone with you to hang onto your gear until the race was over.  I wore tights, running pants over the tights, two thin running shirts, a running jacket, gloves, hat and a thin face wrap. After standing in the cold for 10 minutes with no warm-up, off we went!  

The picture below is the only one I could find of me (face-mask, red zipper jacket) just after the gun went off.  I'm a bit "bulky" with all the clothing.  I should mention that the face-mask worked great before the race, but a minute or two after this picture was taken, I had to pull it down below my chin, as it was forcing the steam from my breath directly up into my eyes and they quickly began to freeze shut.
Without any warm up, my plan was to start out easy and increase my pace with every mile.  The strategy worked, in that I did run each mile slightly faster than the prior, but my first mile (7:05) was faster than I expected, despite no warm-up.  Maybe I ran faster hoping to get the chill out of my bones.  My final mile (6:40) was just 25 seconds faster than my first mile.  I really felt myself laboring over the final two miles with all the extra gear I was wearing.  But I finished the race and immediately headed back to my car to avoid hypothermia issues, as my base layer was soaked with sweat.

I finished with a time of 43:16, a 6:58 overall pace.  My time was about 3 minutes slower than a normal 10k for me in good conditions.  Nothing to write home about, as this was my 3rd slowest among the 15 10k's I've run.  But the conditions had an obvious affect on all the runners, as I still finished 48th overall among 1,658 finishers and 3rd among 84 in my age group.  I still ended up winning my age group in the overall race series and actually finished 2nd among all men across all age groups in the series.  Of course it's a big advantage running all of the races.  Most runners miss a race or two which really hurts their cumulative point standings.  But it is what it is.

Race Results:
http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-9039?lc=en

Final Race Series Standings:
http://www.minnesotarunningseries.com/standings

This race brings my 2014 race season to a conclusion.  A year I was very pleased with because I stayed injury free throughout the year, ran every race I targeted on my calendar and ran my first national class time at the half marathon distance.  Now it's time to ease up a bit with my mileage in December, before I start to aggressively train again for the 2015 season in January.  I will also be making a race plan for next year.  I have a plan in mind, but need to lay it out on paper to see what makes sense and tweak it as necessary.  So long to 2014!

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon - October 5, 2014

There's just something different about a marathon that makes it stand out in comparison to other road races.  This will be my 8th race over the past 8 months, but my only marathon of the year.  Yes, I'm nervous and excited before every race, regardless of the distance, but a marathon adds a totally new dimension to the term "pre-race jitters".  It's the intimidation factor that comes with a 26.2 mile challenge that takes 3 hours of non-stop racing to cover the distance.  It's the fear that at this time of year in Minnesota, the weather may try to take over the race and bring me to my knees.  It's the fear that despite being 100% committed to a disciplined training routine for months, my performance may still fall short of expectations, ending in disappointment.  Or, maybe I will come down with some kind of "bug" the night before the race and be less than 100%. Yes, much of this is complete paranoia, I know.  But nevertheless, those are some of the fears that repeatedly cycle through my mind in the days and weeks leading up to every marathon.    

I typically keep a close eye on my caloric intake throughout the year, but in addition, this year I decided to follow a more regimented diet in the final 7 days leading up to the race.  After reading many articles about what to eat and what not to eat before a marathon, I disciplined myself to follow a hybrid plan for the pre-race week.  I love my sweets, but much to my disappointment, none of the plans I read about listed dessert as an essential part of a pre-race diet.  The interesting thing I discovered while following my diet, is that I felt continuously stuffed with food, to the point that I rarely felt hungry.  Yet, I actually lost a few pounds over the week, despite the fact that my mileage was also cut back considerably to allow my body to be fully rested for  the race.  With just a couple days remaining before the race, I was looking forward to my first post race dessert.  

           

The preceding days leading up to Sunday's race were cold and windy.  Very windy.  The race day forecast for Sunday morning was 35 degrees with double digit NW winds.  I've mentioned before, that this was going to be the first Twin Cities Marathon without the indoor comforts of the Metrodome for runners to keep warm before the race.  This year and next, runners will be exposed to the elements before the start of the race.  I've got my cold weather race routine down pretty well.  Layers upon multiple layers of clothing.  Full length tights, Thicker windproof running pants over the tights, two long sleeve hooded sweatshirts over a waterproof windbreaker.  The only challenge is trying to stuff all this gear in the clear garment bag before the race starts.  Since the Boston Marathon bombing, extra care is taken at these races to ensure the safety of runners and spectators.  Thus clear bags for runners personal effects, but they aren't very big.  Race officials only accept the bags they provide to the runners.  Runners drop their clothing bags off with race officials just before the race begins.  The bags are then transported to the finish line, so runners can be reunited with their warm belongings after the race.
The news was all good on race morning.  First, the air temperature was a bit warmer than expected (39 in downtown Mpls) and the wind speeds were also much lower than expected ( just 5-7mph).  In addition, I found a downtown office complex about two blocks from the start that allowed runners into their building.  Not sure that was supposed to happen, but nobody kicked us out.  This allowed me the opportunity to peel down to my race shorts and shirt in comfort, before heading to the starting line about 15 minutes before the gun.  I often keep an old sweatshirt on, as I did this morning, for added warmth.  Then just seconds before the race starts I toss it to the curb and away we go.  

            

The weather was absolutely perfect for a marathon...at least from my perspective.  40 degrees, dry and calm are the ingredients I would order for every marathon.  The first two ingredients were spot on, and the winds were as good as calm, considering the prior night forecast.
As the race began, I had a little trouble settling into my race pace over the first mile because of satellite interference with my Garmin.  Tall buildings (downtown areas) cause issues like this all the time.  I had to ignore what I was seeing on my Garmin and run by feel until we were clear of the tall buildings.
My goal in this race was to finish somewhere between 3:15 and 3:20.  Last year I ran 3:17 in conditions about 5 degrees warmer than today.  My training and racing season has gone off without a hitch this year.  No injuries, or other setbacks.  It has been full speed ahead.  I always feel like I should/could have done more with my marathon training, but in reality, I had a very good training summer and I'm coming into this race as prepared as I've ever been for any marathon.  At the same time, I'm also a year older since my last marathon and 3 years older since my fastest marathon.        

For me, the first hour of every marathon just fly's by in no time and all.  The runners are upbeat, giving high fives to the spectators along the route.  Then the mood gets a bit more serious as the half marathon checkpoint approaches.  Most runners still remain positive for the most part until the two hour mark hits.  From that point on, it becomes very quiet on the road course.  The spectators are still cheering with enthusiasm, but there is little acknowledgment of this from the participants.  I was happy with my race so far.  My pace to this point was steady as a rock.  Yes, I was starting to feel the life blood getting sucked out of me too, but with two-thirds of the race behind me, I was doing okay...at least my mind was hanging tough and telling my body I was okay.  

At the 20 mile mark, the Twin Cities Marathon has a large inflatable medieval looking wall that surrounds both sides of the street and over the top of the road.  I think the intent is to provide encouragement to the runners, by symbolizing they are running through the wall, rather than hitting the wall.  But I've always hated this inflatable contraption, because it's a visual reminder that the toughest miles are staring me in the face on the other side of this thing.  Most runners have already hit the wall, or are about to hit the wall at this point in the race anyway.  The good news for me was that my pace was still intact as I approached the beginning of a 3 mile (miles 21-24) climb up Summit Avenue.  This is where many runners (including me) have faltered in prior marathons.  I noticed that I was beginning to reel in the runners around me.  As I raced up Summit, that pattern continued.  Runners were faltering all around me, which actually helped drive me, as I passed one after the other.  I've never done this before, but I refused to look at  my Garmin to check my pace after the 20 mile mark.  I just kept forging on, as my confidence grew at every mile marker.  I sensed that my pace maybe lost a few seconds/mile along this 3 mile climb, but that's a fairly insignificant change in pace considering the uphill miles.  Having reached the 24 mile marker, my climb up Summit was complete.  The next mile (25) would be level again, followed by the last mile that provides a nice downhill finish.  I was spent, but I knew I had a good time brewing, which helped me to continue to push through these last two miles.         

I finished with a time of 3:13;19, good for 522 place among 8,852 runners and 8th in my age group among 295 men.  This was my fasted Twin Cities Marathon and second fastest overall marathon behind my 2011 Grandma's, where I ran 3:11:44 - 1 minute 35 seconds faster.  However, I think today's marathon was my best overall marathon race for the following reasons.  In 2011, I benefited by a strong tail wind blowing to our backs over the first 24 miles of the race, on an easier course than Twin Cities.  I also finished poorly in 2011 as I hit a wall at the 24 mile mark and couldn't push through it, slowing down considerably.  Today, on a tougher course, I was able to maintain a steady pace (7:23/mile) from start to finish...and that I'm very proud of.  At the same time, it's very humbling to see a few other men my age completing this race 20 minutes faster than I did.

My next and final race of the year is Thanksgiving Day morning in St Paul - the Turkey Trot 10k.  My only 10k of the year.  This gives me about 6 weeks for my legs to recover while also working on my speed training.  Something I haven't had to do since my first race back in March.  

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2569/2014_Medtronic_Twin_Cities_Marathon-Marathon

Bear Water Run 20 Mile - September 13, 2014

The Bear Water Run is one of three popular races in the Twin Cities for runners looking for that final tune-up race before participating in an upcoming marathon.  I ran Bear Water five years ago, prior to running the 2009 NYC marathon.  The Bear Water 20 mile course is two full laps around White Bear Lake, using a combination of residential streets, paved trails and county highways.  It begins and ends at a county park on the NW corner of the lake.  The course provides a variety of challenges along the way.  The south side of the lake has a number of elevation changes, while the NE side of the lake funnels runners along a narrow shoulder of a local county road.  The course also has many twists and turns along the route.

It was a beautiful day for a race with sunny skies, calm winds, with a crisp 39 degree air temperature at the start.  The air temp rose steadily over the next few hours to a comfortable 55 degrees by the time I crossed the finish line.  Today's participant field was smaller than last time I ran.  In 2009 there were 600 runners, but today's race was about 400.  With the nice weather I decided to run an aggressive (for me) marathon pace around a 7:15/mile and carry it as deep into the race as I could. 

The first 10 mile lap was no problem.  I was right on my target pace when I began the second lap.  However, the field of runners had thinned considerably as I started my second lap.  So much so, that at times I had no awareness of any runners in front of me or behind me.  This made it feel much more like a training run than a race.  It's always easier to maintain pace with other runners around to challenge you.  I lost some ground to my pace among the "hill" miles (12-16) on the south side of the lake.  

The final 3 miles to the finish along the county road shoulder was also a bit of a challenge.  Sunny temps in the mid 50's began to feel warm.  There was also a large group of troops in backpack and full gear out for a training hike along the east side of the lake.  The troops walked in small groups of 5-10 and were spread out along a 5 mile stretch.  This proved to be a bit of an obstacle course, while also trying to avoid oncoming traffic.  Many of the troops passed on words of encouragement which was appreciated and I reciprocated as best I could with a thanks for their service.  But I lost some pace over this stretch before re-entering the county park and on to the finish line.

I finished with a time of 2:25;44.  3 minutes faster than my 2009 time and my fastest 20 mile race by 26 seconds, among the four I've completed.  My overall pace was 7:18/mile.  3 seconds slower than my goal, but still a good tune-up run for next months marathon.  I finished 23rd overall among 399 finishers and 2nd among 36 in my age group.  A 50 year old guy smoked me by over 15 minutes, finishing 5th overall in the race!  I guess I'm becoming one of the old guys in races that use 10 vs. 5 year age group categories.  I was no competition for him, who frankly ran an outstanding time no matter what the age.

Now it's on to the Twin Cities Marathon on October 5th.  My only marathon this year.  Praying for good weather, as the Metrodome, which for over 20 years, provided indoor shelter for the runners to prepare for the start of the race.  But the Metrodome is long gone and the new stadium is several years away from taking it's place.  So for the first time, runners will be exposed to the elements, before the start of the race.  Should be fun!    

Race results:

http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2610/2014_Bear_Water_Run-20_Mile                 

Minnesota Half Marathon - August 2, 2014

The Minnesota Half Marathon is the fourth and final event of the Minnesota Running Series "points" event.  Participants earn points in each race based on their finishing position to determine overall champions and age group champions.  A runners top three results comprise your overall point totals with the lowest point total race thrown out as a mulligan.  I've locked up first place in my age group heading into this race, so I don't need a top performance today, plus, it's 70 degrees and sunny this morning - 20 degrees warmer than any of my races so far this year.  I'm a bit concerned about the toll the heat will take on me today which is another reason why I plan to run hard, but not push for any records, or individual achievements.  It's my fourth half marathon in just 75 days and it's really hard to stay mentally tough for so many races in a short period of time.
    
This is my first time running the Minnesota Half, but I'm relatively familiar with the course from prior races that have used this stretch of Shepard Road.  This race begins and ends on Shepard Road across from Downtown St. Paul.  Shepard Road has a wide grass median dividing both lanes, making it easy to structure a two way course on the same road without interference issues.  There are some hills to deal with between miles 7-11, with the toughest hill being the last one right after mile 11.    

The race also featured an inline half marathon skate, which began about 15 minutes before the half marathon run.  First time in a long time that I've not been wet, chilled or uncomfortably cold at the start of a race.  Sure was a beautiful morning as we waiting for the gun, but knew it was going to be a bit on the warm and uncomfortable side once we got underway.  Shepard Road is predominantly cement.  The benefits are a nice, smooth, pothole free surface which doesn't radiate heat like most Minnesota black top roads, but cement seems to be much harder on the joints than blacktop.  Of course it may just be psychological.  

As the race began, I fell in just behind the 1:30 pace team which is where I normally run.  Then with about 5 miles to go I try to accelerate and push past them to break 1:30 for the race.  This plan worked well for me at this year's Minnetonka and Garry Bjorklund  half marathons.  But as stated earlier, I wasn't looking to break 1:30 today because of the heat and humidity.  I stayed with the pace team until we got close to the 9 mile turn-around.  At that point I faded about 1 minute behind them for the rest of the race.  It felt uncomfortably hot and humid during the race and I was perspiring heavily.  Just wanted to make it to the finish line in one piece.             

I finished with a time of 1:31:17, good for 40 place overall among 1,375 finishers and 2nd in my age group among 90 finishers.  The race did take a toll on my body though.  I felt sick for two days afterwards.  Race day sickness was due to my electrolytes being all out of whack from heavy fluid loss, but the second day was more a case of my body's resistance levels running on empty.  By Monday I felt fine again.  I'm sure it was the heat, as I've experienced this before in warm weather races.   

Race Results:

http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-8960?lc=en

Now my heavy mileage weeks are coming up in preparation for the Twin Cities Marathon.  My next race will be on September 13th, the Bear Water 20 Mile Run in White Bear Lake.  20 mile runs will be part of my training diet over the next month and a half before I taper for Twin Cities.  Below are the final standings for the Minnesota Running Series.  I won my age group and finished second overall among all male participants.  The point earning scale was different for women vs. men, so an overall results comparison between male/female is irrelevant.  

Final Standings for Minnesota Running Series:
http://www.minnesotarunningseries.com/standings-2

Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon - June 21, 2014

I'm here in Duluth, MN for the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon - one of the three featured races during Grandma's Marathon weekend.  I've run Grandma's Marathon three times, but I seem to be on a half marathon kick this year.  I came to Duluth with two goals in mind.  Run my fastest half marathon to date and make the Saturday afternoon medal ceremony, by finishing among the top three in my age group.  Looking at recent age group times in this race, it seemed like a good stretch goal for me.  However, I've come down with a bad head/chest cold this week and one of the worst coughs I have had in years.  The funny thing is, the only time I don't cough is when I run.  Not sure if it's some kind of natural defense mechanism the body engages when demanding more oxygen, but the race would be out of the question if I had to cough while running, as it would bring me to my knees in no time.  My lungs are clear, so I plan to go ahead with the race despite that my health being less than 100%.

It was 80 degrees and humid back home in the Twin Cities, but the weather in Duluth is strongly influenced by Lake Superior.  As we drove north Friday morning, the temperature gauge on my car kept dropping as we came closer to Duluth.  In fact it was only 50 degrees with thick fog as we rolled into town.  30 degrees cooler than home two hours south.  The fog was expected to lift later in the day, but it never did.  The wind picked up in the evening, making it very chilly, damp and uncomfortably cold outside as we watched the 5k race before dinner - the first of the three weekend races and the official kick-off to race weekend.

I went to bed early Friday night as Saturday morning came with a 4:15am wake-up call, as shuttle buses began transporting runners to the starting line at 4:45am.  It was in the upper 40's and foggy as I woke up, but the winds had died down which helped keep the damp cold from penetrating to the bone.  They run the half marathon on the same course as the full marathon (map below), starting at the half-way point, so they can utilize the same finish line.  Over 7,000 runners ran the half marathon this year, making the start of the race a bit of a logistical nightmare.  The course is run on old Highway 61 which runs along the north shore of Lake Superior.  As buses dropped thousands of runners off at the start, the width of the little two lane highway was all we had to work with as the lake was on one side and thick woods on the other.  The highway had to support the entire process from the port-o-potties, to gear drop, to the starting corrals.  It felt like being stuck in a phone booth while others still attempted to force their way inside with you.  There was nowhere to warm-up before the race with wall to wall people everywhere.  I used the facilities and then began the slow process of forcing my way as close to the starting line as I could.  By the time I made it there, it was almost time for the race to begin.

As the race began, I had a hard time finding my rhythm and pace.  I may have been a bit tentative in the first mile due to my health, but still felt like I was running 6:45 mile splits based on the effort I was putting forth.  Yet as each mile clicked by, my actual splits were 15 seconds slower than what I wanted them to be.  Very discouraging, as I realized by mile 4 that I was already a full minute slower than I needed to be if i was going to have any chance of running a personal best today.  Things did not improve over the next 4 miles either as I now found myself more than 2 minutes off my target pace.  I was running with the 1:30 pace team from miles 4-8, but now they were starting to pull away from me and I could feel the anxiety building inside me as the gap widened.  I knew I should be able to run faster than 1:30 on this course in this weather, but I also knew I wasn't feeling well today.  A personal best was out of the question at this point with just 5 miles to go.  I was discouraged and just wanted the race to be over.  Not sure if it was the anxiety of seeing the pace team pulling away, but I somehow began to pick up the pace.  By mile 9, I was back even with the pace team.  Lemon Drop Hill was looming up ahead.  I fought my way up the hill and was now ahead of the pace team.  My mile 10 split was 6:45, the pace I wanted to run from the beginning.  With 3 miles to go I noticed I was passing other runners ahead of me and my mile splits continued to improve with each mile - 6:40, 6:35 and 6:20 in mile 13.  I was completely spent, but encouraged and motivated by the fact I was running faster with each mile.  The final stretch to the finish couldn't come fast enough.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:29:13.  My 3rd fastest half marathon among the 18 I've run, but 1 minute 11 seconds off my personal best.  I was able to finish strong, which meant a lot considering where I was after mile 8.  Overall, I finished 295th among 7,299 finishers and 5th in my age group among 186.  I fell short of both goals I set for myself heading into the race, although my age group field was very strong this year.  Much stronger than last year.  The 3rd pace time in my age group was 9 minutes faster than last years 3rd place time.  I finished a full 7 minutes behind 3rd place, not even coming close to earning an age group medal.  Yet my time would have earned 3rd place in last years race.  My consolation prize was finishing in the top 3 among Minnesota runners.  Two of the top 4 age group finishers were out state runners.  Anyway, it looks like I have a bit of a break now until my next race in early August.  I was going to run a small 5k in July, but the race sponsor pulled out and the race was cancelled.  I can probably use a bit of a mental break from racing after running 4 tough races over the last 10 weeks.          

Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2165/2014_Grandma%2527s_Marathon-Garry_Bjorklund_Half_Marathon                  

Lola's Lake Waconia Half Marathon - June 7, 2014

Today was Lola's Lake Waconia Half Marathon.  The third race in this year's Minnesota Running Series.  A new race for me, but one I was expecting to be similar to the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon I ran last month, with rolling hills throughout the course.  This race course starts with a three mile jaunt through the town of Waconia, followed by a counterclockwise loop around Lake Waconia, before finishing back where we started in downtown Waconia.  Race morning greeted us with thunderstorms which lingered throughout the morning hours.  Lightning in the area forced race officials to delay the start of the race for 30 minutes.  It was an unpleasant morning generally speaking, with air temps in the mid 50's and a strong north wind.  Mid 50's is warmer than many of my races, but the strong winds and wet conditions made it very unpleasant. 

I arrived early as usual and gained a prime parking spot just one block from the starting line.  I stayed in the car to keep dry, waiting for word on the start of the race.  I reluctantly decided to forgo my pre-race warm-up routine to stay dry and warm.  Reluctant because I was sacrificing the chance to run my normal race pace from the start.  My warm-up would now be the first coupe miles of the race at a slower than normal pace.  I also brought a cheap rain slicker to keep me as dry as possible once called to the starting line.  You can see me in a few of the pictures below.  I'm the one wearing the fashionable red hooded slicker.  My plan was to keep it on for a mile or two and then toss it once my body began to perspire.  With no warm-up and weather conditions as they were, I realized this was not going to be one of my better half marathon times.  I have a bigger race just two weeks away and I didn't want to injure myself going out too fast and cold.  

The heavy thunderstorm passed by the time the race began, but it was still raining as I waited for the start.  The rain persisted throughout the race.  I didn't like wearing the slicker in the early going, but it did help warm my body faster than if I were wet, cold, and exposed to the wind.  I tossed it in the second mile.  My early race pace was about 40-45 seconds/mile slower than normal as we wound through the small town of Waconia.  I was hoping to ease into a faster pace over the last half of the race.  What I wasn't expecting though, were several stretches that took us off-road onto soft dirt trails.  The first one in mile four was only a few hundred yards, but the second one in mile five was over a half mile long.  The heavy rain turned the off-road sections into a muddy mess.  I could feel the ground trying to suck the shoes off my feet with each stride.  When we hit the paved road again in mile six, my legs were a bit "spaghetti like."  Way too early in the race for that.      

I said earlier that I was expecting the course to have some rolling hills, similar to the Lake Minnetonka course.  I was partially right.  There were hills, but these hills were much longer than Minnetonka's.  As the race went on I realized this course was the most difficult half marathon course I've run so far.  Yes, the weather made it even more difficult in the off-road sections, but weather conditions or not, some of these hills were killers.  As we began making our way around the lake, I became aware of a young female runner nearby.  She would pass me, then I would pass her.  I also noticed the local spectators were all cheering her by name, even the firemen on the rescue vehicles.  I later learned she was a local runner from Waconia.  Runner traffic thinned out as we got deeper into the race, but we continued to run side by side.  Then it happened.  Her friends began noticing we were side by side each time they saw us and started cheering against me, or so it felt.  "Don't let that older guy beat you!"  That did it.  My competitive juices were now ignited and the race was officially on in my mind.            

After running the first nine miles around a 7:15 pace, I began to push the pace.  I improved to a 6:45/mile pace in miles 10, 11 and 12.  I was in front of her, but just barely in miles 10 and 11, then in mile 12 I thought I lost her.  I could no longer hear her footsteps behind me.  There was just one mile to go, but it was a tough mile.  The town of Waconia greeted us with a nice hill coming back into town where the race finished.  My legs were burning as I struggled up the last hill.  Suddenly and much to my chagrin, she passed me once again!  Now there were only about six blocks to go.  I caught her again on one of the final turns and managed to cross the finish line about one second ahead of her.  The race was chip timed of course and although I crossed the finish line ahead of her, I also crossed the starting line five seconds ahead of her.  So my net time was four seconds slower than hers, meaning she did officially beat me.  But it was a moral victory just crossing the finish line ahead of her!  We congratulated each other after the race and she thanked me for pacing her the whole way.  I thought, great, so when I retire I can become a pacer for younger runners!  

Anyway, my race time was 1:31:38, finishing 26th among 908 finishers and 2nd in my age group of 30.  Jim Boatman (who I got to know at a race two years ago) finished one minute ahead of me.  I didn't notice him at the race, or would have sought him out afterward.  This was a "middle of the road" time for me.  My 9th fastest half marathon among the 17 I've run.  However, I am leading my age group in the Minnesota Running Series standings with 2,301 points after three races.  The next race on my calendar is June 21st.  The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth - one of the feature races on Grandma's Marathon weekend.  Entrance into this race is by lottery only, so I was fortunate to get in.  The Duluth race will be a tough field on what can be a fast course, if the weather cooperates on the 21st.

Race results:
http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-8786?lc=en

Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon - May 4, 2014

This is race number two in the Minnesota Running Series, the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.  I ran this race three years ago in horrific weather conditions.  It was 32 degrees, with a 30 mph wind that never let up the entire race.  But today, conditions are almost perfect - 39 degrees with a light breeze from the north.  The sun was shinning at the start and finish as the pictures below show, but it was overcast during the middle miles of the race.

This half marathon is a challenging one, with rolling hills throughout the course as it winds west from the start in Wayzata and then heads south to the finish in Excelsior.  This race is also the first of four half marathons I plan to run over the next three months.  With the cool spring following a bitter cold winter, I still haven't fully transitioned from indoor treadmill running, to outdoor pavement running.  All but two runs over the past 10 days have still been indoors.  This won't affect my time today, but it will be a factor in my post race recovery.  The steady pounding on the hard pavement will likely keep me stiff and sore for much of the upcoming week and forcing me to cut my training mileage way back to avoid delaying the recovery process further.  Once I'm back to 100% outdoor training (hopefully after this race), the post race recovery process will be much less of an issue.
  

I felt good from the start today, although I always seem to have an extra jump in my step on good weather days.  Bad weather races can be just as difficult mentally as they are physically.  Particularly races of this distance when you are out in the elements for 90 minutes or more.  But when weather conditions are just right, it becomes your best friend.  An opportunity to perform well and you want to take full advantage of the situation.

    

With the very late spring, the trees are still bare, but the grass is greening up nicely.  This would be a much prettier run around the lake a few weeks from now, but we are here to race today, not enjoy the scenery.  I took it a bit easy in the first mile (6:55), which includes the longest hill on the course.  I remember being a bit intimidated by this course three years ago, because I didn't realize it had so many rolling hills throughout the course.  After the first mile I settled into a (6:45) mile pace and maintained it for most of the race.

By the nine mile mark I was entering gut check time as fatigue became a factor.  This is about the time in every half marathon when I begin to realize I need to let my mind take over my body and "will" me to the finish without fading off my pace.  This worked for the next three miles, but then I felt things slip ever so slightly, as I ran mile twelve in (6:50).  The wheels were coming off over the last mile as I tried to keep it together mentally.  I faded a bit more, but not as badly as I thought it was going to be, running mile thirteen in (6:57).  Now the finish line was in site and it would be over in less than a minute.   

I finished the race with a surprisingly good time of 1:28:53.  My second fastest half marathon among the sixteen I've completed.  My best time was two years ago when I ran 51 seconds faster.  But that course was predominantly downhill.  This course was much more challenging.  I finished 52nd overall among 2,267 finishers and 1st among 75 in my age group.  But what I was most excited about was achieving my first "national class" half marathon age group time for 57 year old men.  I beat the national class age group qualifying time by just 7 seconds.  I now have national class age group qualifiers in four distances (7k,10k, 10 mile and half marathon).  My next race is Lola's Lake Waconia Half Marathon on June 7th.

Race Results:
http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-8384?lc=en

Goldy's 10 Mile Run - April 12, 2014

In planning my 2014 race calendar this past winter, I decided to enter another race series, where runners accumulate points in each race based upon your finish, with cumulative race points from the complete series determining overall age group winners.  Much like a decathlon.  The only previous race series I participated in, was the Minnesota Distance Runners Association (MDRA) event in 2010.  The MDRA series consists of 12-13 races ranging from 1 mile to full marathon and literally goes from January to November.  It's a good series, but if you run it, you have little wiggle-room to run other races outside of the series.  The Minnesota Running Series is only 4 races (a 10 mile and 3 half marathons) that span April to August.  I've run two of the four races in this series previously (Goldy's 10 and the Minnetonka Half Marathon).  Goldy's is the first race in the series.

Of the 10 mile races I've run, Goldy's is easily the toughest 10 mile course among them.  What makes this course tough, are the location of the hills.  The longest hill climb is in mile 8, followed by a short but steep hill climb in mile 9.  The rest of the course is manageable, but your legs turn to spaghetti after the short steep climb in mile 9.  The race begins outside TCF Bank Stadium heading NW on University Avenue. It winds through the East Bank Campus of the U of M, then down along the East bank of the Mississippi River.  Then it crosses over the Lake St. Bridge and up the West side on river, before crossing back to the U's East Bank again, where it follows University back to TCF Stadium for finish inside the stadium on the 50 yard line.

It was a cool, wet and breezy 45 degree morning.  Overnight rain showers hung on long enough to make it difficult to warm up without getting soaked.  I sacrificed some warm-up time, to stay as dry as possible.  Radar indicated the showers were going to end any minute, but were lingering long enough to make the start of the race uncomfortably wet and cold.  The showers persisted through the national anthem and increased briefly during the first mile of the race.  The streets were puddle filled and by the end of the first mile, my shoes were thoroughly soaked.  My goal was to maintain a 6:45 pace throughout this race, but I never really got on track.  The short warm-up, coupled with cool, wet, windy conditions left me tighter than normal and ran the first four miles 10 seconds higher than my target pace.  Three of the first four miles were into the wind which also didn't help.  Once I crossed the Lake St. Bridge to the West side of the river, the wind was more to my back, which helped me run three consecutive 6:45 miles, but not good enough to climb back to my target pace.  Familiar with the course from two years ago, the upcoming hills in miles 8/9 were starting to fester in the back of my mind no matter how hard I tried to suppress them.  I knew the hills were not going to help me make up lost ground, so my mind flipped to more of a damage control mode, to avoid losing more ground to my current pace.

The two hills late in the race were as tough as I remembered them and the last mile back to TCF Bank Stadium was directly into the wind, but I was able to hold it together, finishing the race in 1:08:44 (6:52 pace).  My time was 16 seconds slower than in 2012, but running conditions were much better back in 2012.  I finished 37th overall among 1,993 finishers and 2nd in my age group of 59.  The below results show me 3rd in my age group, as my age group was won by a wheelchair participant.  There was only one wheelchair participant in the race, so I guess they elected not to isolate him in a separate category.

An interesting side-note is that Bobby Paxton, who won my age group as a runner, is one of the top runners in the state in my age class.  Six years ago he was a member of a 4 x 1600 meter relay team of Minnesotans who set a "grand masters" world record in this relay at the time.  Not sure if the record still stands, but here's a link to that article: http://downthebackstretch.blogspot.com/2008/03/grand-masters-set-world-best.html

Among the six 10 mile races I've participated in, this was just my 4th fastest time and was a full 3 minutes off my personal best which I achieved last fall.  But considering the tough course and weather conditions, I'll take it.  My next race is the second race in the Minnesota Running Series.  The Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon on May 4th.

Race Results:
https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-7939        
          
      

Twin Cities Get Lucky 7k - March 15, 2014

After one of the worst winters on record (actually it hasn't ended yet - sigh), I'm ready to kick off my 2014 race season with the Twin Cities Get Lucky 7k in downtown Minneapolis.  Outdoor training has been virtually impossible this winter, as sub-zero temperatures, coupled with record setting snow fall, made it more than dangerous to run outside.  Roads shrunk to half their normal width, as snow plows ran out of space to push the snow completely off the roads.  Even id snow were not an issue, air temperatures were consistently well below zero day after day.  I only completed four outdoor runs after Thanksgiving and three of those were in December.  It's been two months since my last outdoor run.  My winter training survival kit consisted of my treadmill and elliptical machines.  However, I find working out on these machines very boring...even with a TV in front of me.  But I had no other option this winter.  By Christmas, I was going crazy working out 6 days a week on my machines.  I'm so thankful I have them, but it's not like being outdoors.  Then I made a decision that dramatically changed my winter training doldrums.  I sold my 6 year old treadmill and purchased a new treadmill integrated with iFit and a 10" tablet.  This technology allows one to run a course anywhere in the world using Google Maps.  With Google "street view", you get a "visual" new picture every few seconds showing your progress as you run the course.  In addition, the integrated system automatically adjusts the incline of the treadmill up or down to simulate the actual pitch of the road you are running on.  It took the boredom out of my workouts and made them fun again.  I was able to complete longer treadmill runs of 10 to 13 miles and not go crazy in the process!  I vicariously ran courses like the Berlin Marathon, as well as exotic locations all over the world (New Zealand, Italy, etc.).  One can download free courses from iFit, or create your own.  I think I have almost 200 courses in my tablet library now.  I love it!  However, I am looking forward to getting back outside again, as real scenery still beats "virtual" scenery any day.

Back to today's race.  This will be my 3rd Get Lucky 7k race in the past 4 years.  I also ran it in 2011 and 2012.  It's a huge participant race with an strong St. Patrick's Day theme.  In fact this year's race will be the largest participant race in the state of Minnesota with close to 12,000 runners in the race.  The vast majority of participants are casual runners who are there for the fun and free beer afterward.  Virtually everyone is wearing green, with many in full costume.  I broke the mold this year wearing orange and black - no reason in particular.  Maybe I'm still stuck in late October, which is why the winter seems so long?  After all, it was only 19 degrees at race time with a steady NW breeze.  I wore black tights during the race.  Something I don't like to do in races, but when the air temp falls below 20 degrees, I break down and wear them.  The course starts and ends on the west side of the Mississippi, but also crosses over to the east side for a few miles, with a very brief spin onto Nicollet Island.

    

Not sure if it was the cold weather, or the fact this was my first outdoor run in two months, but I wasn't very confident I would run well and didn't feel mentally prepared to push myself hard to maintain my desired pace.  However, I got off to a good start and felt mentally strong throughout the race.  I still hate the cobblestone road in mile 2 (uneven and dangerous), but otherwise it's a fair race and good course for running fast times.  There were a few icy patches at some of the turns, which generated momentary anxiety, but no slipping.  I think my mental toughness was rejuvenated when I reached the first mile marker in 6:21.  Although my winter training was all indoors, I did train hard all winter, mixing in strides, quarter mile tempo runs and and a two mile up-tempo run every week.  The race seemed to actually fly by.  Maybe because I was outdoors and actually moving somewhere, rather than running in a stationary position.  I finished the 4.4 mile (7k) race with a time of 27:38 (6:21 overall pace), beating my 2012 Get Lucky time by 13 seconds, as well as 22 seconds better than my 2011 time.  I finished 21st overall among 10,917 runners and 1st in my age group of 213 runners.  I also ran a national class time for my age group for this distance.  Just the third time I've achieved a national class time in a race.  I'm very surprised and pleased with my results.  A good start to the 2014 race season.  I'm sure my body will feel the effects of today's race come Monday, but it's worth it when the results meet or exceed your goals.

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/2086/2014_Team_Ortho_Get_Lucky-7K

My next race on April 12th, is the Goldy's 10 Mile Run.  It starts on the U of M campus and finishes inside TCF Stadium.  It's the first of a four race series I've entered this year.  The other three races are half marathons.  You earn performance points in each race with age group awards to the top individual with the highest combined point totals among the four races.  If all goes well this year, I hope to run 11 races between now and Thanksgiving Day.  One down, 10 to go!