Lifetime Fitness Turkey Day 5k - November 23, 2017

The Lifetime Fitness Turkey Day 5k was my final race of the year.  I didn't run the Monster Dash 10 mile at the end of October due to bad weather.  I hate to skip races, but there is no (indoor) pre-race protection from the cold at the Monster Dash in St Paul and I knew I would be miserable by the start of the race.  I won't deny that I'm getting a bit soft in my old age and unwilling to always brave the elements like I did in my early 50's.  Yes, I feel a bit guilty skipping a race here and there because of the weather.  But if the weather is going to make the race miserable before it even starts, I likely won't run it at this stage of my life - particularly if it's a race I've previously run like Monster Dash.  I don't skip races often.  I think I've only skipped 3-4 races due to weather over the past 10 years.

This was the 3rd time I've run the Turkey Day 5k in downtown Minneapolis.  This is the perfect cold weather race because the race distance is short and they utilize Target Center as home base for the runners.  One can stay indoors to stretch and relax before heading outside to warm up and race.  If I continue to run Thanksgiving Day races, it will be this race.  The location is also great.  The race started at 8am and I was back home in my garage by 8:45am.  It was a beautiful morning for the race because the course was dry and there was virtually no wind.  It was only 24 degrees at the start of the race, but I can deal with the cold fairly well as log as the winds are calm and there's no precipitation.
 

This was my first and only 5k race this year.  The Lifetime Turkey Day is the largest Thanksgiving Day race in the Twin Cities.  With the dry and calm conditions, the race drew an extra large number of participants (over 7,000 runners).  The race is chip timed with overall and age group awards, but most of the runners are simply there to have a good time and don't take the race too seriously.  Many run the race together as a family.  With so many runners it's a little difficult to properly warm up for the race, as the streets are packed with people, leaving little space to carve out a pre-race warm-up run.

My goal today was to run a solid time, but I had no aspirations of a great time.  Late November in Minnesota is not the time of year to run great times.  If I can break 21 minutes today, I would be very happy.  Half of the 16 5k's I've run have been in the 20 minute range (plus change).  I've run just 6 5k's under 20 minutes and only 3 over 21 minutes.  I'm still dealing with 3 nagging injuries that have plagued me over the past 3 months.  My left Achilles tendon, Planter fasciitis in my right foot and discomfort in my upper right hamstring.  All 3 injuries have made it difficult to fully extend my stride - particularly in faster races like today's.  After this race I hope to fully heal these injuries by the first of the year and start 2018 training fresh and healthy.  However as I age, it is becoming more and more difficult to completely shed my body of these discomforts.  I know that if I can't heal properly, the 2016 Twin Cities Marathon will likely be my last full marathon.  To successfully run a full marathon in my 60's, I must be injury free.  If not, it's simply not worth it.     

Anyway, today's race went as well as I could have hoped for.  I finished with a time of 20:45, finishing 151st among 7,156 runners and 2nd in my age group of 146.  I also ran 2 seconds faster than my 2015 time in this race.  So now it's time to heal up in December and see where I am health wise come the first of the year. 

Turns out I actually won my age group, although the race results don't reflect this.  Got a call from the wife of the guy listed as my age group winner.  Turns out he never ran the race for some reason, but let his 29 year old son run in his place, using his BIB number.  When they received the first place award in the mail based on his son's time, she looked me up and called to apologize.  Said they had no idea there were age group awards in this race, or never would have allowed their son to run with dad's BIB number.  She then sent me the first place award via mail with a note, stating that I now have a story to tell. 

Finish Video:

Race Results:
https://www.athlinks.com/event/19140/results/Event/687108/Course/1110435/Bib/1152

Jeff Winter City of Lakes Half Marathon - September 10, 2017

The City of Lakes Half Marathon is a prize money race that always draws some of the top talent in the state among all age groups.  It is also the USATF Minnesota state half marathon championship.  Thus, a very competitive race where it's not uncommon to see several new state age group records broken, which happened again today.  The course consists of two full laps around Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.  This race truly lets you know where you stand among your peers and among the top distance runners in the state.  

    

As for me, my season began to sputter in August.  Various injuries and setbacks prevented me from ramping up my training mileage in August to prepare for October's Twin Cities Marathon.  As a result, I reluctantly decided not to run the marathon this year.  This is just the second time I've had to bypass a marathon in the 10 years I've been racing.  2012 was the other year when injuries also sidetracked marathon plans.  Even today's race has been a big question mark for me.  I'm running the race injured.  Long story short, I'm dealing with four different injuries this past month that have made training and now racing very challenging.  I know I need to ease up on my training and let my ailments heal properly.  I thought if I bypassed the heavy training mileage needed for the marathon and simply trained for my other scheduled races, it would be fine.  However, my injuries have actually escalated a bit.  It's just so hard to do the right thing and rest during the racing season.  You put so much time and energy into the training itself, that you feel like a "quitter" if you don't try to push through it.  So against my better judgement, I'm running my fourth and last half marathon on my race schedule this year.            

 

Woke up to a good race day for the most part.  A bit warmer (upper 60's) and windier than I would prefer, but still relatively good racing weather.  The parkway around the two lakes is a narrow road, making the start of the race a bit treacherous until runners begin to spread out along the course.  Most of my injury issues center around on my feet.  Planter Fasciitis, Achilles Tendon, with arthritis complications.  These injuries are most painful after non-activity (simply walking around the house).  But if I warm up properly, the pain is not as intense and I can usually manage through it on my runs.on training runs.  However uptempo racing places more of a strain on these issues, so I began the race hoping to hold it all together to the finish line.  

    

I went out today with a plan to run the early miles at a 7 minute/mile pace and see where it takes me.  The first mile began slowly with so many runners in close proximity.  The risk of tripping and getting trampled upon on the narrow parkway is definitely high until runners begin to spread out a bit.  This took about a half mile before I was able to get back on a 7 minute goal pace.  I maintained my goal pace over the first 7 miles of the race, but then my pace began to slip a bit as we made the counterclockwise turn around the north end of Calhoun and ran south into the wind.  I was experiencing some discomfort related to my injuries, but was able to forge on as fatigue began to make itself known.

    

Miles 8-10 were my most difficult miles of the race with regard to pace.  I slowed to a 7:20 pace across these miles.  With just over 3 miles left, I was in a small group of runners and noticed one of them was a guy in my age group.  I had no idea where I was place-wise in my age group in this race, but when I find myself running close to a fellow 60 year old, I become very aware of them and try not to lose touch with them.  This turned out to be a good thing, as it gave me key motivation at a time when I was ready to just go through the motions and finish the race.  Without this motivation, my best case scenario would maybe be maintaining a 7:20 pace to the finish, or likely see my pace deteriorate further.  But now I had some motivation.  A new goal to focus on.

    

My fellow age group runner began to push the pace a bit and I had to go with him.  This helped improve my pace from 7:20 down to 7:08 over the next two miles.  It also helped me stop thinking about the pain in my feet and focus on a new goal of staying with him.  I began thinking about the finish - a slightly downhill 80 meters to the finish.  The downhill finish provides a great opportunity to kick it into high gear if necessary.  I still believe I have some speed for my age over short distances, although sprinting to the finish is something I try to avoid having to do if at all possible.  Sprinting at the end of a half marathon is not much of a sprint of course due to fatigue.  But I still believe I can outrun someone head to head over the final 75 to 100 meters.  With about a half mile to go, I tried to break away from him, but he came with me and even passed me.  The last quarter of a mile is an uphill stretch that connects Calhoun to Harriet.  Uphills late in a race are really tough of course, but I had to stay with him.  Once the hill had been climbed, we made the final turn and could see the finish line about 80 meters ahead.  I threw it into high gear for one last surge which carried me across the finish line just ahead of him.  I covered my last mile in 6:59 and the final sprint at a 6:02 pace.  Goal accomplished.  

    

I finished with a time of 1:33:28.  My second fasted half marathon among the four I ran this year.  Coincidentally, I finished 2 seconds faster than my time last year.  Overall I finished 167 among 1,176 finishers and 4th among 29 in my age group.  Speaking of my age group, my time would have been fast enough to win my 60-65 age group last year.  But as I've mention before, there are a few fantastic runners my age who graduated into the 60's age group with me.  In fact the guy who won my age group set a new state half marathon age group record, running 1:24:14.  A fantastic time.  Congrats to him on a new state record.

Overall Results:
http://www.raceberryjam.com/indexrr.html

Overall, I'm happy with my performance considering my injury status.  Skipping the marathon means my next race (Monster Dash 10 Mile) wont be until late October.  I'm going to immediately modify my training program to follow the book I've been reading "Train Smart Run Forever".  The book is written by two runners who are now in their mid 60's.  It's a 7 day workout program, but only 3 of the workouts involve actual running.  Lot's of cross training, strength training and stretching.  The philosophy is quality training vs. quantity.  I know my "running only" approach is no longer working for me.  It doesn't allow me to maintain the overall strength and health of my body.  I want to believe that if I diligently apply myself to this training program, it will make me a stronger runner, a healthier runner injury wise and even a faster runner again.  I'm not ready to completely give up the idea of running marathons in my 60's, although the book strongly recommends that once you reach your 60's, you should focus on races up to half marathon distance and ignore full marathons.  We shall see!!!    

Urban Wildland Half Marathon - July 29, 2017

Today was my 4th running of the Urban Wildland Half Marathon in Richfield, MN.  I've grown to really like this race over the years even though it's one of the more difficult half marathon courses I've run.  It's also a warm weather summer half marathon, which can definitely accelerate the fatigue factor.  But it's a well run race that has an admirable theme/objective.  Reminding all of us to keep our world "green".  What I like about this race is also what makes it difficult. A two mile stretch (miles 3-4) which take us off the asphalt and onto dirt trails.  I'm not a big fan of running dirt trails, as the footing can be treacherous and uneven at times.  But it's the only race I run that utilizes both man-made and natural surfaces.  So I guess I like that challenge.  The two mile trail section has lots of narrow twists and turns which make it difficult to pass runners and difficult to maintain a steady pace.  It's important to use the first two miles to properly position oneself, so as not to get stuck behind slower traffic when heading into the trail section.      

I also like the size of this race (just over 750 finishers).  Participation is down considerably since I first ran it in 2011 when almost 1,500 runners participated.  But less runners is a good thing.  The trail section is too narrow and too early in the race to adequately support 1,500 runners at one time.  Current participation levels are far more optimal and still provides a large race "feel".

Race conditions were as good as one could hope for this time of year.  Sunny, calm and 70 degrees for a 7am start.  I got up at 4:45 this morning to start my race preparations.  At 60 years old, it takes my body a while to work out the kinks after I roll out of bed.  As this stage in my life I deal with lower back stiffness when I wake up each morning, coupled with a few other kinks in the armor, depending on the day.  Waking more than two hours before the race, allows me enough time to limber up before the horn sounds.

This is my 3rd half marathon so far this year, with one more to follow in early September.  Coming off my 1:32 performance in Rochester, I would be thrilled to run something close to that again.  However, this race represents 2 of my 5 slowest half marathons among the 23 half marathons I've completed.  So running 1:32 today may be wishful thinking, but a good goal to focus on.  

As the race began, I positioned myself where I wanted to be as the two trail miles approached, but my overall pace was about 10-15 seconds/mile slower than what I needed to challenge 1:32.  Coming out of the trail section and moving back onto the asphalt in mile 5, I realized my motivation wasn't at peak levels.  Not surprising, since my pace was slower than hoped.  But I slogged on as the miles clicked by.

The good news was despite my slower than desired pace, I was maintaining my pace as each mile passed.  This actually provided me some much needed encouragement in that other runners were not passing me by.  In fact, I was slowly but surely catching and passing one runner after another over the final 4 miles of the race.  This provided me the determination and motivation to push as hard as I could through the final miles.  Although I didn't improve my pace, I was successfully able to maintain a steady race pace from start to finish.  Any time I can do that, I feel good about my race in general.  

I finished with a time of 1:34:15.  Almost two minutes slower than my Rochester race, but I did run about 40 seconds faster than my April performance earlier this year in St. Cloud.  I'm also happy with my placement, finishing 40th overall among 767 finishers and first in my age group of 20 finishers. "Father Time" continues to tap my shoulder and remind me that I'm getting old.  Of the 24 half marathons I've now completed in my 10 year career, today's race ranks 20th overall time-wise.  That doesn't sound too good to me, but it's the reality of where I'm at as I enter my 60's.  Truth is, my effort is the same as it's always been, but slower times are unavoidable as the years go by.

My next race is the City of Lakes Half Marathon on September 10th in Minneapolis.  It also represents the 100th overall race of my career!    

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5114&rid=170

Scheel's Med City Half Marathon - May 28, 2017

This was my first trip to Rochester, MN  for the Scheel's Med City Half Marathon.  The race is relatively close to home, but requires an overnight stay in Rochester the night before because of the early race start time (7:00am).  The Med City event sponsors three races - a full marathon, a half marathon and a 5k event.  The half marathon was my race of choice today, as I limit myself to only one marathon a year these days.

The race is a point-to-point half marathon that begins in Byron, MN, heading east to Rochester where it concludes.  They transport the runners by bus from Rochester to the start in Byron.  The Med City Half Marathon is a moderately sized race consisting of approximately 600 runners.  The course consists of long rolling hills across the first 6 miles, but is relatively flat after that.  Today was another chance to try to improve upon my half marathon times, which have slipped a bit since 2014.  My best time in the half over the past three years was 1:33:30, run last year.  It was a nice morning for a race.  Clear skies, 55-60 degrees, with a steady 8mph wind.    

As the race began, I was doing okay handling the rolling hills portion of the course until I reached the last hill about halfway through mile 5.  At that point I struggled to maintain my pace and started having some doubts creep into my mind with regard to my ability to improve upon my recent half marathon times.  However, coming down the backside of the last hill, I was able to get myself back on on target pace again.  This gave me a huge boost of mental confidence which I desperately needed at the time and it really helped propel me mentally through the remainder of the race.  I now felt like I was in control of my race again.  Although battling increasing fatigue as always, I now felt mentally strong and confident that I could maintain my pace and fight through it to the end.

As the miles wore down and I approached the finish line, I was able to finish strong.  My time was 1:32:20.  My best half marathon time in 3 years.  I finished 20th overall among 617 finishers and 1st among 16 in my age group.  I don't race again until July 29th (Urban Wildland Half), as there aren't many meaningful races held in the summer months outside of local neighborhood 5ks.    

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5395&rid=2138

Award Video:
https://goo.gl/photos/8BvuA281vyj9vEieA

Medtronic TC 1 Mile - May 11, 2017

This is just my second visit to the Medtronic TC 1 Mile event.  I originally ran it back in 2010, posting a time of 5:48.  I was planning to run it last year until calf cramping issues forced me to bypass the race completely.  These short one mile races seem to be just as scary as the longer races.  Sure, it's only one mile and takes less than 6 minutes to run it compared to 3+ hours for a marathon.  But the fatigue impact of a one mile race is very different from a marathon.  It hits you immediately in the first hundred yards.  It's also a bit scary trying to run a sub 6 minute pace at 60 years of age, when in high school you thought nothing of it.  It literally feels like an all out sprint from start to finish and you just hope you don't fall flat on your face from exhaustion in the last quarter mile.

This is another well organized and well run event by Twin Cities in Motion.  Their premier event being the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon of course.  The race is broken down into seven different heats of varying abilities, so you can run in a heat that best fits the time you expect to run.  There is also a professional heat that featured Ben Blankenship, who represented the U.S. in the 1500 Meter Finals at the Rio Olympics last year.  He set the TC 1 Mile record last year, running 3:56 and won it again this year posting a time of 4:01.

The course is in downtown Minneapolis near Gold Medal Park along the river.  It's a relatively flat course with only three turns.  So good times can be had if the weather cooperates.  Today's weather was fairly good.  62 degrees and sunny.  A 10mph wind was the only drawback, as the final one-third of the race finished directly into the wind.

At my age, the only goal I have for a one mile race is to run under 6 minutes for as long as I can.  I'm at a point now where running a sub 6 minute mile will be coming to an end in the not too distant future.  In preparing for this race I did no speed training whatsoever.  To prepare for shorter, faster races, I normally add two 7 minute tempo miles, along with quarter mile repeats to my weekly training.  But this is the only speed race on my calendar this year and I didn't want to risk injury.

At least for today, I can still call myself a sub 6 minute miler, finishing with a time of 5:53:3.  Just 5 seconds slower than I ran 7 years ago.  I did run a 5:38 mile two years ago in a different race, but I'm happy to finish under 6 minutes - particularly having done no speed training in preparation.  Overall I finished 302 among 1,972 finishers and 3rd among 42 in my age group.  Last year my time would have won my age group, but I'm surrounded by some speedy runners who are also joining the 60-65 age group with me this year.

My next race is the Med City Half Marathon on May 28th in Rochester MN.  I've always wanted to get down to Rochester for this race, but until this year, it's never worked out with my schedule.  So this should be fun running it for the first time later this month.        

Race Results:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5255&rid=1108

Scheel's Earth Day Half Marathon - April 22, 2017

This was my third trip to St Cloud for the Earth Day Half Marathon, having previously run it in 2008 and 2011.  This half marathon has always been a well run event, even though participation levels have dropped over the years.  In 2008 there were 1,800 runners and 1,500 in 2011.  About 1,100 runners participated today.  Not really sure why participation numbers have dropped, as I think they run a first class event from start to finish.

I had a bit of an issue the evening before last.  I slipped on the stairs in our home and injured my left foot.  Thought it might be a broken bone at the time, but after running on it the next morning I figured it was more likely a tendon/ligament issue.  It was sore this morning, but felt I could give it a go today, hoping it wouldn't get worse.

 
My confidence level these days heading into a race is not what it used to be several years back.  Calf problems derailed my year last year.  So far this year my calf muscles have been a non-issue.  But my feet are becoming a problem.  One that I probably won't be able to overcome with time.  Arthritis in my toes, particularly my left toe, continues to worsen over time.  My running is not causing the problem, as I had minor issues with arthritis 10 years ago before I began running again.  It's age and I can't reverse that clock.

Today's race weather was virtually perfect.  Sunny and 45 degrees at the start, 55 degrees at the finish, with a mild NW breeze.  A great day to run a great time.  However my left foot was problematic throughout the race.  The injury from my fall two days earlier only bothered me when we made left hand turns.  It was my left big toe joint connected to the ball of my foot that throbbed painfully every time it struck the ground.  So much so that it was hard to relax and focus on my stride because the pain was ever-present.

I did maintain a 7 minute mile pace over the first 8 miles, but struggled after that.  Fatigue certainly factored in as it always does, but I wondered how much the foot pain issues accelerated my fatigue.  My stride was compromised and I wasn't able to run relaxed.  Going into the race I felt I should be able to run under 1:35 today with such good weather conditions, but was really hoping to run 1:33 or better.  However the combination of pain and fatigue got the best of me in 3 of the final 5 miles - the hill miles.

I did finish just under 1:35 with a time of 1:34:54 today.  But I'm really seeing some slippage in my race times compared to several years ago.  In my mind, I still feel like I should be able to run closer to a 1:30 half marathon, but maybe I've hit a wall and I need to be satisfied with the fact that my times are going to slip a bit from here on.  I just don't want to accept it, or believe it yet.  So my time today was not satisfying.  If everything goes right, on a good weather day and fast track, a 1:30, 1:31, or even a 1:32 still seems like a reasonable expectation.  I have 3 more half marathons on my race calendar this year.  So one way or the other, I will find out if my personal expectations are legitimate, or if I'm simply fooling myself with these goals.

          
As far as today's race results go.  I finished 50th overall among 1,052 finishers and 2nd of 16 in my age group.

My next race is the Medtronic TC 1 Mile on May 11th.  The only "short" race on my calendar this year with the exception of a traditional Thanksgiving morning 5k I do each year.  I had planned to run the TC 1 Mile last year, but pulled out due to the calf issues I previously mentioned, which developed during my short distance, faster races early last season.  Hoping I can run a solid/fast time next month without further complicating my battle with "Father Time."

Results and Finish video:

http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=5236&email=1&rid=197

Hot Dash 10 Mile - March 18, 2017

The Hot Dash 10 Mile race not only represented my first race of  2017, but also my first race as a 60 year old.  The past few years I've begun my season with shorter/faster races.  This year I began with an intermediate 10 mile race to hopefully avoid the calf cramping problems I experienced at the start of last season during uptempo shorter distance races.  I'm typically not in tip top shape yet in March, as most of my winter training is indoor treadmill focused and I think that may have lead to early season cramping issues last year, when attempting to run uptempo races right out of the gate.  Having said that, I'm also not in top shape to run 6:45 mile splits over a 10 mile distance either.  But I'd rather have a slower race time and stay injury free, than begin my season like last year.

It was a cool and windy morning for today's race (34, cloudy, with a 12mph NW wind).  The course followed the hilly terrain of the Mississippi River's West side, making it a very challenging course.  The final 5 miles were directly into the wind, making the course even more challenging.  I figured my goals would be very modest today.  Get my first race at the age of 60 under my belt, run injury free and don't expect to set any PR's today.

I ran an okay first 5 miles around a 7 minute/mile pace, but the hill in mile 5 took a lot out of me.  Then the hills and headwind over the last 5 miles really slowed me down (7:25/mile pace).  Just not in good enough shape yet to maintain pace for this distance in today's conditions and on this tough course.  I finished with a time of 1:12:08 (7:13/mile).  Almost 4 minutes slower than most of my 10 mile races.  But everyone seemed to struggle today, as my placement looks great if I ignore my time.  I finished 138th overall among 2,010 finishers and 1st among 21 finishers in my age group.

The Hot Dash 10 Mile was also the Road Runners Club of America 10 Mile State Championship with "Open" division and "Masters" (over 40) division champions for men and women.  What I didn't realize however, is they also have a Grand Master division for runners 60 years and older.  So believe it or not, I am now the Minnesota State 10 Mile Grand Master champion for 2017.  Had someone told me after giving up on the sport of running post high school that I would win a state running championship 42 years later, I would have thought they were crazy.    

Hoping the Minnesota spring weather cooperates where I can ditch the treadmill and run all my workouts outdoors again.  My next race is a half marathon in St Cloud on April 22.  Hoping to improve my conditioning by then and run a more respectable time next month.

Results and Finish Video:
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=4936&rid=1408