Swamp Stomper

I really did not particularly train for this race...I ran a 20 on thanksgiving day and a 22 a few weeks later....other than that I had a 13 miler and a 15 miler as my longest runs...

I kinda went into this race with a different attitude than I usually approach races with...usually, I'm pretty tense in the days leading up to the race...however, since I hadn't focused my training for Swampstomper, I went in to it with the mindset of "ill just got out and see what happens..."

I was surprisingly relaxed, even Saturday night...normally I start to get really tense the night before the race...however, Lauren and I cooked up a good dinner and even had a few beers, not really putting much thought into the next day's event....

my alarm went off at 4:30 Sunday (I have to get up three hours before race time) and I got up and moving and had my coffee....I was still feeling pretty relaxed, and remained this way up until about 30 min before the race started.....

My plan was to go out at a moderately hard pace and hold it for the remainder of the race...one that has worked pretty well for me the last few races...I knew this race would bottleneck hard about 1/4 mile in so I made it a point to get up front before the trailhead...I didn't want to get caught up running with the 25k sprinters so I let a few of them go ahead and dropped in behind some folks I knew were running the 50k....

First lap went pretty well...hit the turnaround at 1:23 and counted 11 runners, some of them 25k, in front of me....kept up with a pretty good pace back to the end of the first lap, hitting my split at 2:28...

I filled my pockets up with gels and picked up my ipod and I was off again...at this point I knew I was in about 5th or 6th place, which I was pretty happy with so I just wanted to maintain that position and I had this goal in the back of my mind of a 5 hour race...I knew this would be tough, as I didn't know if I could keep up the same pace on the second lap....

I got in a group with 2 guys from Missouri...we played leapfrog a few times...I didn't think I was ever going to be able to get around them for good...every time I would catch and pass them, they would catch and pass me a short while later.....Finally, one of the guys dropped off and it was just me and John from Springfield....

When we were about a mile from the turnaround, we spotted the girl that was running in 4th place...this gave me the extra push I needed to pick it up....we didnt end up catching her until the actual aid station at the turnaround, but it was here that I was able to see just how small of a gap there was between myself and 3rd place....

I hit the turnaround at 4:01 and it was on...I told John that we only had an hour left and we were going to get on it as hard as we could....we took off from the aid station hard..I was running about as hard as I could go at this point...about a mile or 2 from the turnaround we spotted the 3rd place runner...shortly thereafter, we passed him and John said to me, "I'm not going to contest you for third, you're doing all the work" which I was able to respond in between panting "we are going to catch the 2nd place guy so we can both place"....though I really didn't think this was giong to be possible as the second place runner was moving really fast when I saw him last....

but anyway, we put the hammer down, so hard that I ventured off course in the mini bamboo forest...a few expletives later, we were back on the trail and back at it....all of the sudden I saw the seoncd place runner about 100 yards ahead...he turned and saw us and then picked it up...we trailed hard for 5 minutes or so before finally catching up to him...at this point John said to me "second place is all yours"....I kept the pace up, knowing that first place was way out of reach,my goal was going to be to break five hours...I pushed as hard as I could, not bothering to stop at the final aid station....all was looking well for a 5 hour finish until I got to the final hill coming out of the woods...this hill was a beast and I could not force myself up it any faster....

Finally came out of the woods and hit the concrete...at this point I had built up a 30 second or so lead on John (though he wasn't going to contest for 2nd)....hit the road running hard but didn't quite make the 5 hour mark, crossing the line in 5:01 and som change....maybe even 5:02 (haven't sen the official results yet)....

overall, my best race to date....a big time PR and my first podium finish....

came home and Lauren took care of my sore legs before we feasted on Papa Johns and beer....

all in all a great run and a very big confidence booster for this spring....

too sore to run on Monday but I got on the trainer for 45 minutes tonite...pretty easy spinning, nothing intense....hoping to get in a run tomorrow but I have a blood blister on my toe that makes it painful to put on shoes so we will see.....

3 days, 3 runs

Continued with the running streak on Thursday, running for exactly 1 hour (6ish miles) after spinning for an hour on the trainer....

Took today off except for some bouldering on the wall at work to build some grip strength.....

Tomorrow's plan is to run a very easy 3-4 with Lauren just to keep the legs loose....

Feeling pretty good about Swampstomper despite the lack of running in the past 2 months...


its going to be cold, but at least it will be fairly dry....

I'm already thinking about my post-race pizza and beer....

2 in a row!

I ran two days in a row...I'm on a streak!

Got up this morning and ran for about 40 minutes on a heavy coffee buzz...first time I have run two days in a row in quite some time....

Plan on running tomorrow as well...at least an easy 45min to an hour run....If all goes well, combined with the mileage from Sunday's upcoming race I will hit my first 50 mile week of 2008....probably try and spin for a bit as well, though I'm not sure I'll have time as I have a lot of school work to do....

Lt. Rob and I discussed getting in some brick training for the Natchez Trace adventure race sometime in the near future...first brick day =
2 mile warmup run
1 hour canoe paddle on the lake I live on
10 miles from the house to the end of the Wolf River Trails
Ride from my house to Stanky, do a loop, and ride back
6 mile run
45 minute paddle
2 miles all out run to finish

we are racing in the 2 person any gender category and I'm pretty excited about it...in the past I have always been the strongest athlete on my adventure racing teams and pushing the pace has not really been possible because of other teammates...racing with Rob will provide the chance to really push it, as he is a strong athlete.....if we can actually read the map, we should do pretty well...

still alive...

I am still alive....I have classes until 10:15 every Monday through Friday and it is kicking my sleep schedule's ass...

I have not been running like I need to...have had no real "long" runs since early December...

I am racing Swampstomper 50k on Sunday and I'm not sure what to expect....

I have been to the Tuesday night track workout 2 straight weeks in a row....I'm getting faster in 08....

I plan on going to the track every Tuesday for the entire spring...

I am accepted and officially going to the National Outdoor Leadership School in Washington and B.C. Canada on May 19 for an Outdoor Educator course in mountaineering and rock climbing....

I'm climbing 2-3 times a week now....

I can't do all 3 days of Sylamo...I think I'm going to have to stick with the 50 miler only....

I'm coming out of adventure racing retirement on March 1 to do the Natchez Trace Adventure Race.....watch out

I want to average 50-60 miles a week for the spring....

I want to be in the best shape of my life for NOLS....

Life is good.....

Been on the trainer on the bike some too.....

New and broader focus...

Been a while since I have had a chance to write on the blogger....

after stumpjump I was really burned on running for speed...i was stressing myself out with my workouts trying to maintain a certain pace and honestly beating myself mentally when it came to my running....I took a week or so after stumpjump off in hopes of getting some rest but that really didn't change too much....By the time November got here it was time for Wade's Big Adventure and I really was not too excited about running it....although I hoped it would give me the motivation I needed to get back seriously running....

I had this big plan written out for SwampStomper training that I was going to try to follow...it was all about running long at race pace so it was very intense....I never could get amped for it so I scrapped it....the last two weeks or so my focus has been on running to enjoy running for running's sake...not to worry about my pace, not to think about my splits or anything like that...I had made running so that it was almost not enjoyable with all that type of stuff...I just wanted to run to run.....and man what a difference it has made...

I have also decided that I need to be a more well-rounded athlete...my focus has been to concerned with running...I love to ride and I have been neglecting that, I have a boat I completely have neglected paddling, I never do any upper body/core work all because I have been so focused on running....well, that is all going to change...I just needed the motivation to change it....

I have been wanting to shift my focus to be a more well-rounded athlete ever since Stumpjump but it was just last week that Lauren gave me the motivation I needed....she is doing her Physical Education program at U of Memphis and she really wants to incoporate outdoor education into her program and possibly work in the outdoor education field....so she found a course at Outward Bound specifically designed to teach youth outdoor skills....

So this brought up an old idea of mine that I have been tossing around for the last 2 years or so of doing an Outdoor Educator course at NOLS (National outdoor Leadership School)....basically, this if I took this course and got my Wilderness First Responder (medical) certification, I could teach outdoor education during my summers off....so, I researched programs and I think I found that one that I want to take...it's a 31 day mountaineering/rock climbing course in the Pacific Northwest....

This has completely changed my attitude towards my training...I want to be in the best shape possible now for this course, as it will make it that much more enjoyable.....I know I have a solid endurance base and I want to improve upon that....i still plan on running around 50 miles a week...but I'm going to make sure they are all quality miles...no longer going to go out and slog through miles simply so I can write them down in the log....I'm gonna focus on mixing lactate threshold efforts, anaerobic efforts, and endurance work so that I become more well-rounded....

the biggest change to my training is going to be incorporating upper body strength and core training to benefit my climbing...I am going to try and climb at work at least 2-3 times a week...also going to focus on pull-ups and core ball exercises....

all in all, the idea of NOLS has really helped me change my attitude and gotten me motivated to get back out running, riding, and strength training....and I think my running will probably improve just from the added LT, anaerobic, and endurance work....I guess as far as running goes, I'm still working hard at it, its just I have a whole new motivation as to why I am running...

happy running and share the road!

I run because....

I (trail) run because....

...walking takes too long
...I love the reaction I get when people say "how far do you run"
...those 26.2 stickers make me laugh
...there is too much to see in this life and not enough time to see it
...I find new things that make me smile every time I run
...I find new things that make me cuss every time I run
...running is the only time when I feel like I can actually slow my life down as one minute can feel like an hour whereas one month can feel like one hour in the rush of life...
...I can let me mind wander
...pavement sucks
...I can play Laserquest without getting winded...
...it makes my music sound that much better...
...the thought of being obese disgusts me....
...I see people sitting in traffic on Walnut Grove and think about how bad that must suck to be in their position....then I smile that I'm not
...I have solved the world's problems 10 times over
...I feel much better about sitting around doing nothing after a good run...
...the visitor center at Shelby Farms has pretty nice facilities
...I love to explore new places...
...passing a biker on the trail....
...I love to experience the transition from darkness to daylight on the trail
...I have yet to answer my question to myself of "how far can I go"
...post race pizza and beer...
...the good company I have met through running
...the solitude I sometimes find through running
...the dream of the Grand Slam
...the thought of being a good example to my students
...it helps bring meaning to my life...
...it helps define me as a person...
...my bike riding buddies wouldn't have anything to make fun of me about if I didn't...
...giving "the wave" to runners I see all the time yet don't know at all
...turning new people on to the trails...
...the continuing search for experiencing "a full range of life's emotions in one race"...
...I love the outdoors
...you really appreciate solid food after 5+ hours of gel
...it makes me a much more positive person
...a "singlet" is for wrestling
...it heavily influences my attitude in a positive manner in other realms of my life
...I couldn't imagine life without it...

How weird is this?

So apparently mother nature has it out for me during the month of October...

It all started 2 years ago (10/3/05 - I remember the date cause there was a Panic show the next day) when I was out riding my mountain bike on the Tour de Wolf...while I was cruising along I ran into a bee and it stung me in the forearm....no biggie for the rest of the day, but that night my arm swelled up big time...the sting was on the inside of my forearm about halfway down and it swelled all the way to right below my shoulder....made me look like I worked out...on one side at least...I went to the doctor as I had been stung a number of times before and never had a reaction like this one....he said everything was fine, that I am just a little more sensitive to stings than most, but it probably wouldn't hurt for me to carry an epi-pen just in case I got stung again I had a reaction that affected my breathing...


Almost a year to date later...I think the date was like 10/4/06 (the wednesday before I raced Stumpjump last year) and I was out running at Shelby Farms and somehow a bee got in my shoe and stung me....I was pretty freaked out as this was the first time I had been stung since the year before when I had that massive reaction....I rushed home and held off on poking myself with my epi-pen because I wasn't having any reaction to this one...turns out this one never really swelled up or anything

So yesterday I'm out cruising around the Buddy when I feel something smack me in the forehead....I thought it was probably a rock or something the car in front of me had thrown up...shortly thereafter I came to a red light and I noticed something crawling around inside my sunglasses....I ripped them off as fast as I could and right about that time I felt the sting in my eyelid....It hurt pretty bad but I was able to keep on riding...shortly after I stopped at Fleet Feet to take Lauren some lunch and looked at my eye for the first time in the mirror...it was starting to swell up....I rode from Fleet Feet to Outdoors and when I went in everyone's reaction was "what the hell happened to your eye?"....I could tell it was getting harder and harder to see so I called it a day on the buddy and went on home....by 6pm I could no longer open my eye due to the swelling...I was worried I was going to have to use the epi-pen but I wasn't going to as long as the swelling stayed local and did not spread from my eye....

so for the 3rd year in a row I got stung within the first 2 weeks of October...how weird is that...I woke up this morning and had to call in to work for the first time since I cracked my face open over 2 years ago because I could not open my eye at all...the swelling is still just around my eye, so I'm not gonna use the epi-pen...just poppin' the the benadryl and icing it....

here is what it looked like last night around 8pm..

note in this picture I am trying as hard as I can to open my eye as wide as possible.....

Also the first time I ever got stung when I was like 5 or 6 it was within the first couple of weeks of October because I remember my parents were getting the house ready for a Halloween party...strange...

As far as the rest of life is going...I did not run one time this week...I was planning on running today but needless to say that didn't happen...

I am super pumped about the Buddy....my mom was all about it, cruisin it up and down the street and what not...Lauren was a bit timid at first but she it is growing on her ...she still hasn't driven it yet....but then again we came from very different backgrounds..I grew up riding dirt bikes and my dad rides a Harley so I'm used to motorcycles....

check it out though....

rides like a dream....at 100 miles per gallon too!

happy running, share the road, and watch out for those bees...the are vicious in October...