Winter season racing, the second half

The first half of my winter racing season was to test my body's ability to physically recover from repetitive intense racing. The second half, beginning in January will test my ability to suffer mentally and physically over longer periods of time. 

My schedule as it stands:

Tough Mudder, Arizona on January 14. 

Super Spartan, Southern California on January 28.

Super Spartan, Arizona on February 11.

Goruck Challenge, Phoenix on February 18

Super Spartan, Miami on February 25. 

These challenges are uniquely dependent on philosophy, location, weather, course terrain and in the case of Goruck, personal preference of the cadre running the class. It will combine intense running with ballistic movements to navigate obstacles and prolonged physical and mental stressing to maintain certain exertions as long as possible.  

As someone who doesn't normally think about age but exertion, I am finally starting to come to terms with my own abilities. I can and will always improve, but I realize I am moving farther away from when I could have learned proper technique and used it for many decades instead of just a couple. I am living myself out of the most competitive age groups, rather than looking forward to entering them. I realize I can still compete and in fact beat a high percentage of people regardless of their age, but I can't also dismiss that my first marathon was in 1992. 

I get so excited looking at my entire winter racing season, what has occurred and what is to come. I am learning it is sometimes best to train smarter not harder. Something I have not historically been good at. I am trying to comfortable in my ability and recognize the glory in the improving and doing, and not comparing myself to athletes half my age. 

It's not enough to exist. I am going to live. 

Mid season break

Last Saturday I ran two races in one day, a 5k and 12k, different city's, different courses. It was a good mid season finale to my winter racing season that began 7 races and 5 weeks earlier. For this first half I pushed my recovery phase by doing one hard race at least every week and in some instances raced twice in a day or on consecutive days. 

This week did not begin with any intention of letting up the training cycle. Funny how things work out for the best, if you just get out of the way and let things unfold. After a few days of active stretching and limbering, by Monday I was still not physically or mentally prepared to hit my training hard again. It took me two more days of internal struggle to just call the whole week a recovery, put my feet up and pull out the cheat food. 

This wasn't an easy decision. I had momentum on my side. I am in two social media groups that required a certain amount of activity or specific exercises every day for the month. To take this whole week off would essentially remove myself from these friendly challenges. I was reviewing endless photos and video of my racing the last few weeks and created a specific plan to address what I considered weaknesses needing my attention. To decide to step back from activity and acknowledge that with even a week off I would gain some off season weight back, was not something I wanted to relinquish. 

The timing however could not be ignored. A window of opportunity to step back from the edge instead of balancing on it. A chance to fully recharge and kick off the last half of my season completely 100%

Its not enough to exist. I am going to live. 

Race Report: Sally Meyerhoff 5k-inaugural

I had several friends come from out of town to participate in Ironman Arizona. While walking around the expo area and observing people riding and running the course, I was asked many times, "What's with all the guys wearing pink knee high socks?" 

Like any big city it's cultures are sometimes defined by its localized tragedies. In our case, we had a fast rising star in endurance sports, a rarity to be sure, a female to boot, whose life was cut short in a cycling accident. Her name was Sally Meyerhoff. For those that saw photos of Sally or saw her in action, or knew her as a person, you were affect first by  her penchant for wearing bright pink accessories and second an infectious positive attitude. You could not help but like her. 

After her passing, family members and closest friends created a foundation to celebrate her life and create the opportunity to help young women achieve in athletics. Immediately local, national and international endurance superstars agreed to help. Along with a 5k to be run later in the year, it was announced that to support the memory of Sally buy her trademark pink compression socks at a local vendor or buy a pink bracelet sold by the foundation and wear it proudly. Thus in Phoenix, pink became the new LiveStong yellow bracelet. 

I am friends with the face of the Sally foundation, Steve Rink, who was Sally's mentor and close personal friend. We communicated many times while he created the run event. He expected 400 people to attend. He wanted 500 which would be an amazing attendance for any inaugural 5k. As that goal was expressed there came an outpouring of support from Sally's friends from around the world. There started to become an amazing swag bag for the first 500, which I was, and for the award winners, which I was not. As I stood in the start chute race morning, I was surrounded by over 1,000 people. Two times a amazing attendance. 

The run itself was very fast, you could not help but run fast. The sun barely peaking over the range to the east. Some of the fastest runners in the country coming to pay respects for a woman who accomplished much but had so much more to do and give. 

I ran so fast I was immediately torn from my group of personal friends and was sucked into a great draft created by amazingly fleet people.  I ran as fast as I could I think simply because sometimes to run fast with reckless abandon reminds you of what living is all about. So I ran, faster than I expected, faster than I wanted, but I did not stop when it hurt. I stayed in the moment and enjoyed a blessedly beautiful morning running with people like me who just wanted to feel alive and keep the pink torch burning for a flame that burned out much too quickly. Instead of one bright pink flame representing Phoenix, there  is now Phoenix representing one bright pink flame, thousands of times over.

I love making my Christmas List

I love Christmas. I am very vocal about disliking most holidays but Christmas is special in my heart, my soul and my mind. Aside from the connection it has to my religion, I truly do very much enjoy giving to others. All year long I enjoy doing and giving things with nothing expected in return. But at Christmas everyone seems to be in this frame of mind which makes it fun to share this sentiment with a group consensus.

And let’s face it, who doesn’t like getting presents, especially when you’re giving out a list  for things that you want. It’s like annually registering for wedding gifts that you don’t have to share with a spouse. Christmas lists are full of possibilities. Yes there are going to be those Big Ticket items that you know most likely you’re never going to get, but it may give the Gifter inspiration for a gift you did not expect.

 

Its depressing to think that for most people, creating a Christmas list is a chore. The person creating the list doesn’t really remember all the things they wanted through the year and suddenly feel pressured to create a list that is both humble and cost effective, but satisfying and usable in their life. They are afraid that what they receive will not specifically be what they wanted and therefore incompatible with your intended purpose.

Conversely, there is pressure on the Gifter to comply with the list as best they can. Hastily created lists are made more difficult to fulfill when there are generational considerations, novice internet family members, Gifters who in another state and mailing packages. 

As a serial research shopper I have developed a few key tactics to building a bomb proof Christmas List all year long. While geared more towards your benefit for next year, if you are a dedicated web surfer and can delay presenting your list for a few more weeks, this will certainly help this go around.   

First, in this digital age you would be a fool to not have a folder on your web browser titled ‘Wants’, ‘Possible Buy’, ‘Wish List’, ‘Christmas List’ or some such term.  All year long as you come across something online that you want, bookmark it to this folder. It might include several URL’s leading to the same item offered at different online stores. Later on it might be that one of those URL’s has broken, sold out or the price changed. It is also pleasantly surprising to review bookmarks and see where your mind was at earlier in the year; as the things we like, fads, ideas always seem to slip our consciousness so quickly. 

In this photo: item, price & store. 

Second, if you have a mobile phone with a camera, take pictures of actual items you see in the store, such as a new book, DVD or tool, A video game for a specific player, an exercise accessory or article of clothing.  Take a photo of the item on the shelf with all the pertinent information that shows the brand, model, size and price. Sometimes another photo is required to get this information from a price tag. Then email these to yourself and place in a folder listed similarly to the one you have on your web browser.  This is also a really good way to shop with children when you are out with them.

When it comes time to create your Christmas list, head straight to your two folders and start cutting, pasting and hyperlinking your wish list to an email or word document. Part of each written summary should include a make and model, size, color and cost of the product,  name of the website the provided link leads too and if the item is also available locally. This last note helps members of the family living abroad coordinate buying and giving gifts without shipping charges. I will also sometimes include photos of the item so there is no confusion.

Make creating your Christmas list something that is as enjoyable as opening gifts Christmas Day.   

Race Report: Mesa Turkey Trot 10k

The Mesa Turkey Trot 10k is one of the oldest races in the state of Arizona. There is also a 1 mile and 2 mile event, so lots of families, kids and strollers come out. It is not far from my house and it seems every Thanksgiving I am somewhere that morning seeing event shirts and bibs on people after they have finished. I’m told it is largest 10k race in the state, but that’s not confirmed. This year, well more specifically two days ago, I decided to sign up and finally see what all the fuss is about.

always cool to see the kids race

I’ve been racing pretty steady the last two weekends and thought a 10k would be good to work on lactate threshold and high heart rate pacing. Then I decided that I have been racing that way already, time to change things up. Instead of a road race pace, I would run there and back and run the 10k race wearing a 30lb backpack.  This would actually benefit me in some of the obstacle course racing that I do.

My goal was to just not stop running with the ruck on my back. Otherwise I thought a good pace would be around 11 minute miles, at least to start. I figured after the run there and into the later miles I would start to fill some tweaks and I would slow to shuffle step.  As I waited the last couple minutes for the run to start I did 50 body weight squats and 50 pushups with the pack on. I got some funny looks.

damn iPhone camera. I am not THAT wide

The course itself revealed nothing new to me.  As a local runner, I have put sole to pavement all over the route many times.  I realized a mile in that other than a cup of coffee, I forgot to eat breakfast and got concerned I might bonk. I had a bunch of beef jerky and energy bars in my pack, but I didn’t want to stop and pull them out. I did have a full 3L of water and sipped the tube as often as I could. I just kept going and finally ate at the finish line.

My Garmin 310 didn’t charge overnight so I ran with my Timex ironman and would figure pace splits off the mile markers along the course. As I started way back in the chute, I wasn’t sure exactly how the clock would read as hit those markers and sure enough when I saw the first mile marker with a race clock on it, they were way off. The race clock read 10:50, which felt closer to my pace so stopped looking at my watch.

I just kept plugging along feeling good. I passed a few people but people passed me too, so I started to think my pace was slipping away from me. I was able to see a mile marker and clock up ahead but couldn’t read it yet. I looked at my watch and figured based on the time and my notion that my pace was slipping back I would be coming up on mile 3. As I got closer the sign read MILE 4, and the clock read 38:08.  Whoa. I was running 9:30 miles. I was way ahead of my estimation and I felt really good. It was at that point that I realized I could break an hour with the heavy ass ruck on my back.

As I crossed the finish line, the clock read 57-something. There is an official chip time coming later, so we will see where that ultimately puts me time wise.  But I was sub 1 hour for sure and several minutes ahead of my project finish time.

I called the family to celebrate another race done and one of the kids asked, as they always do, “Did you win, daddy?”  I told them, “I did win. I was first in division, the heavy backpack division.” There was lots of cheering and laughing over that.

It’s not enough to exist. I am going to live.

1 weekend in Texas, 3 epic races

Loving the mud

I decided over the last weekend, at almost the last minute it seems, to fly to Texas on the weekend of December 3, for the chance to obstacle race at the Super Spartan event in Glen Rose. Spartan Racing puts on premier obstacle course events all over the world but mostly in America. They have a range of distances that are comparative in basic terms to considering a triathlon distance like, Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 mile and 140.6 miles. Spartan racing uses the following to describe their events; Sprint, Super, Beast and a very select few are allowed to do what is called Death Race, an event where participants are only told what to bring, not what they will be doing or how long it will take. Lasting from 24-40 hours without stopping, the finish rate is less than 25%. The Super I will be doing is their version of the Olympic triathlon, an 8 mile obstacle course with around 16 obstacles. Terrain is certainly an obstacle to consider. 

What made my last minute decision to fly to Texas so special is Spartan has made Glen Rose, their last race of the year, a real festival or celebration to obstacle course racing. Instead of the usual amount of obstacles over the 8+ miles, they doubled it to almost 40 obstacles. Plus they have added some interesting bonus events that are pure adrenaline and possibly one of a kind, certainly first of its kind.  

 Saturday is when all the normal heats (or waves) of runners attack the course every thirty minutes with the usual excitement and hoopla expected of people having fun, getting muddy and challenging themselves. Obstacle racing is becoming so popular that for some people this will be the first race they have ever done, most running it with a group of friends. Most obstacles are physical like climbing over, under or threw structures, but also mud, water, strength and endurance challenges are included. There is also some form of mental challenge to throw you off. At the Arizona event earlier this year, racers had to complete one side of a rubic cube or suffer a penalty of push ups or burpees. In fact for every obstacle if you can not complete it or wish to bypass it, you are given the option of completing some form of calisthenic. I will be participating in the morning waves like everyone else. I will be doing it as part of a team, and while this will be the first and only time most people will go through this course, it will be mine and this teams second run through and it will be the easiest opportunity we will have to do it all weekend.  

The first time I run the course will take place between the time that the course is completed on Friday and the first wave on Saturday. It is called the Hurricane Heat.  The Hurricane Heat is a commemoration of Hurricane Irene that destroyed much of New England and Spartan Headquarters located in Killington, Vermont earlier this year and in the process interrupted a Spartan Race due to safety concerns by the city. Undeterred, one of the owners and a couple intrepid racers did the course during the hurricane, by themselves, no volunteers, no aid stations, just because the hurricane added another level of hardship to the already tough course. Now the Hurricane Heat is offered as a special event at most Spartan races where the founders and athletes tackle the course with no thought to competition or a clock. Its about camaraderie and taking the course to a whole other level of extremism with constant opportunities to make everything more challenging. Now that this specific course has twice as many obstacles as normally offered its a maybe once in a lifetime opportunity for someone like myself. 

Finally, after the last heat has been run Saturday and all the participants have enjoyed the course, I will run the course one last time. A special heat will be taken though the course by a company called GORUCK.  They put a unique twist on obstacle event management by not creating a challenge out of wood, rope and tubes but utilizing the unique nature of the landmarks, terrain and layout of whatever urban city they are in that weekend.  Their events always start in the middle of the night and last 15-20 miles and 8-10+ hours. Each participant must wear a weighted GORUCK manufactured pack in their ultimate definition of product testing. As the company was created by and run by former and current Special Forces personnel, the way in which each class traveses the city is a unique team building experience. Who knows how long this last run will last. Who knows how these men of unconventional warfare will instruct us to go through it.

My attempt at javelin toss obstacle

In a nutshell, I see the opportunity and will be doing one eight mile supercharged course, three completely different and unique ways over a 24-hr period. .Something like this may not happen again in a way in which I can attend.  The added benefit is that I will be attending this weekend as part of a unique group of people called Storm Chasers. This group is comprised of people who travel around the country to participate in the Hurricane Heats at each Spartan event. It is a unique group of fellow athletes who love obstacle course racing  and I can not wait to spend an entire weekend, a Spartan marathon if you will, with them. 

As part of a shameless plug, if you are interested in participating in the Arizona Spartan race in February 2012, as part of a team and getting a discount on your entry fee, contact me here or on Facebook. 

It is not enough to exist. I am going to live. 

Thanksgiving Stuffing Muffins

Stuffing is always one of those turkey day side dishes that never seems to please everyone, even after going back for seconds and thirds. Most people like it moist, but everyone enjoys the crunchy sides of the baking dish and fight over those crispy baked on tidbits long after they have said, "I'm so full." My wife, frustrated at the lack of crispy, crunchy stuffing on the table has created her own type of stuffing presentation that guarantees everyone will be happy. Stuffing Muffins. 

Rather than baking the stuffing in a large deep dish in the oven where only the top gets the coveted crunch, use a muffin tin. Using a muffin tin, guarantees that everyone will get some moist stuffing and a crunchy top. Furthermore, for those looking for a bit of portion control eating one stuffing muffin (at a time) will keep you honest with your nutrition and still keep the host pleased.  

It also saves space in the frig for leftovers. Just put them in gallon zip lock bag and over the next couple of days, you can pop it in the microwave without having to waste spoons and bowls moving from one bowl to another. Less clean up of dishes is always good on this weekend. 

While I don't have her recipe handy to provide you, I found a similar recipe off the food network website. If your interested. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/apple-and-onion-stuffin-muffins-recipe/index.html