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