Goofy or Dopey?

As you probably know, my lil' sis Jen is here with me in Orlando for the Walt DisneyWorld Marathon weekend.  This four day event features races of various lengths for all ages.  The littles ones get to "run" distances up to a mile on the ESPN Zone track, and the bigger kids can participate in the 5K (which was Friday), the half-marathon and the marathon.

All the longer events wind their way through some or all of the main amusement parks:

5K:  Epcot
Half: Epcot and the Magic Kingdom (the equivalent of Disneyland for those from the West)
Full: Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, ESPN Zone & Hollywood Studios

Fireworks Kick off the 5K!

Jen and I walked the 5K on Friday which was a lot of fun. We stopped to take a ton of pictures and generally strolled through Epcot.  We then wore our 5K shirts (you get one of those with your entry fee) and lots of people asked us about how it went.  They then inquired if we were running more this weekend.

Nearing the finish of the 5K.  Time for an Epcot photo op!

Those that sign up for the half and full are participating in Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge.  This 39.3 mile weekend includes both races, a special medal for finishing both races (as well as the normal medals for each) and 3 shirts.  The park cast members and resort staff are all very knowledgeable about the events, and marathon runners get a special pin to wear saying they are running the marathon.  This cues cast members to wish you luck on the upcoming races.

I am doing 3 races, so anything special for that?  Not officially.  But...

What inspires you? - A Guest Blog

in·spire 
verb \in-ˈspī(-ə)r\

Definition of INSPIRE

transitive verb
a : to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration
b : to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on <was particularly inspired by the Romanticists>
c : to spur on : impel, motivate <threats don't necessarily inspire people to work>
d : affect <seeing the old room again inspired him with nostalgia>

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I am heading to Florida tomorrow to join my "Big Brother" Laird for the Walt Disney World Goofy and a Half Marathon.  As I was thinking about this trip and what it means the word "inspiring" kept coming back to me.    But I realized I didn't really know what INSPIRE meant.  When I looked up the definition what stuck with me was "B: to exert an animating, enlivening or exalting influence on"...  fitting since we are head to the 2nd Happiest Place on Earth (can't beat Disneyland).  Then "A, C and D" took hold and I realized that to inspire means many different things.  I was inspired to ask Laird if I could guest blog on his Page "Run Laird Run" and try to identify what it is that inspires you and drives you to be better than you were just moments ago.  So please join me on this journey as I chEAR on one of my greatest inspriations as he tackles a 5k, Half Marathon and Marathon over the course of 3 days.  (I'm just along for the fun).  

And please take a moment and tell us "What inspires you!"

Smiles,

Jen (Laird's Lil' Sister)

50 Miles is a long way

Hi all -

Just a quick post to update that I successfully completed my first (and potentially only) 50 mile race - the JFK 50 - yesterday.  Just over 10 hours and a lot of running.  Feeling good today and flying back to LA shortly.

State 14 in the bag as well.

50 Miler Go Go!

Hmm.  My last post occurred in September.  The calendar shows November over half complete.  Did I give up running?  Nope, just have not written about it for a bit.  Actually, I have penned a number of partial posts that I just did not get around to finishing yet.  But I will.


After tomorrow.

With my friend Thomas Riddle during the Spinx Greenville SC Marathon -
just one of the awesome experiences I have not written about yet!

For tomorrow, I will attempt the JFK 50 - a 50 mile run through rural Maryland including a piece of the Appalachian Trail.  This is the 50th running of the event.

From the website, the course description sounds intense - particularly the beginning part:

The first 5.5 miles (starting on road surface and joining the Appalachian Trail at 2.5 miles) gains 1,172 feet in elevation. The course from 2.5 to 15.5 miles is on the Appalachian Trail (except for two miles of paved road between 3.5 and 5.5 miles). This section of the AT is very rocky in sections as it rolls across the mountain ridge. At approximately 14.5 miles the course drops over 1,000 feet in a series of steep “switchbacks” that then crosses under Rt. 340 and connects with the C&O Canal towpath. The “Canal” section of the JFK 50 Mile is 26.3 miles (from 15.5-41.8 miles) of almost totally flat unpaved dirt/gravel surface that is free of all automotive vehicle traffic. The JFK 50 Mile route leaves the C&O Canal towpath at Dam #4 and proceeds to follow gently rolling paved country roads the last 8.4 miles to the finish. The Boonsboro start is at an elevation of 570 feet. The Williamsport finish is at 452 feet above sea level.

That 1000 feet drop over a mile seems daunting!  The rest just sounds long.  Note that a section of the course is a full marathon in length on the C&O Canal.


And of course my excitement level measures off the charts.

During a recent training run over the Golden Gate Bridge

So, instead of writing about my running (which I feel bad about skipping as I do like writing the blog), I have been just running.  A lot.  While not violating my plan of running only 3 days a week, I created a series of challenges to get me ready.  This plan is not based on any official ultrarunning text book; I just cooked up distances and frequencies of running marathon that I hope have prepared me.  I started this journey in May in Fargo and completed the following:

• May 19, Fargo Marathon - 3rd marathon in 28 days (following London and a small one in Playa del Rey)
• June 23, Niagara Falls 50K - 31 mile ultra in my best time at that distance (4:34:57)
• July 28-29, Bad Bass half marathon and San Francisco Marathon in the same weekend (39.3 miles)
• August 19, Turkey Swamp 50K + 4 miles -  first 35 mile run
• September 15-16, North Face Wisconsin Trail Marathon and Fox Valley Marathon - back-to-back marathons in 2 days in 2 states (Wisconsin and Illinois)
• September 30, Wabash Heritage Trail Marathon, West Lafayette, Indiana + 14 miles - first 40 mile run
• October 14, 20 and 27 - 3 marathons in 3 states in 3 weeks (Road to Education, Mason City Iowa, Hercules Part 1, Santa Monica CA and Spinx Running Festival, Greenville South Carolina). 
• October 20 was a 45 mile day as I added 19 more miles beyond the marathon
• Plus a handful of other marathons scattered in along the way.

The past three weeks have featured slower, shorter runs to keep myself from burning out.  I've run trails and dirt paths and grass.  Here, there and everywhere.  And all of this running has been a blast.  I've now completed 13 states on my 50 state goal and 34 marathons or longer - 19 in the past 52 weeks.  I've gotten to run with friends and see new sites all in anticipation to my first race at 50 miles.

My 13 Completed States Map Pending the JFK 50 in Maryland

Hopefully all of this prep will find me smiling after about 9-10 hours of running tomorrow.  I think it will.  Wish me luck and think good thoughts.

Laird


PS
I am going to try to tweet during the race with my status if you are interested in following along.  @runlairdrun is my twitter handle.

Finishing a trail marathon in Wisconsin, September 15, 2012

A Capitol Run

Preamble
Few city runs can match the experience of running around the National Mall in Washington DC.  I have run in the area as often as my travel the Capitol City would allow. The Marine Corps and DC National Marathons both offer races including this area.  I bet any number of smaller races are staged here too.

Where else can you be surrounded by monuments, museums, memorials and massive government buildings?  Big and small treats unfold over the miles of paths and tree lined walkways.  A good run (or walk for that matter) probably requires 5-8 miles to take in the breadth of the area.  I turned my 7 mile run into a photo exploration on August 23.

Equipped with my handy iPhone, I hit the street at my hotel at 14th and H Streets at 6:10 AM - about 25 mins before sunrise to ensure I would have wonderful morning light and not too bright a sky.  I hope you enjoy this Photo Run. Really, there is no right or wrong way to run in the area, and I hope if you journey here, you will bring your trainers.

The Photos
Here's the map of my run and the photo locations.

Bounding out of the Washington DC Hilton Garden Inn, I headed south on 14th Street until I hit the Mall.

1. The Washington Monument by its height is fairly visible anywhere in the main DC area.  I hit the Nation Mall just in front of the obelisk and shot this facing west.  Without trying, numerous of my photos find this iconic spire in the background.  Sadly, the viewing deck is still closed from the 2011 Earthquake.

2. The Smithsonian Castle anchors the string of museums lining both sides of the Mall.  A fellow runner enjoys the dirt and gravel paths available for all sorts of exercise.  As my run unfolded, I saw more and more people out stretching their legs.  This image was taken facing south.


3. This post is called a Capitol Run, so next up are a few shots of the Capitol building which sits at the east end of the Mall.  It forms a line with the Lincoln and Washington tributes, and one of the diagonal avenues (Pennsylvania) has a direct via of the White House (and vice-a-versa of course).  The District was laid out with all of this in mind.  The sun was still not up, but this pre-dawn sky made for a nice background.  My flash fired which illuminated the street signs as you can see the street lights are still on.


As the Capitol sits on a hill, I had a small rise to navigate which I did around the north side.  I could just glimpse Union Station.  This led me up to my next photo location.

Training for the 50 Miler Part 2: 35 Miles Into the Woods and Fields

Triumph after finishing my first 35 mile day and my 4th 50K

(This is the second of an ongoing series about training for the JFK 50 this November - my first run at the 50 mile distance.  Part one can be found here)


13 weeks to go until the JFK 50 on November 17 - part of my personal 50/50 Challenge.  Having run any number of marathons, mainly on roads, I know how to prepare for the 26.2 distance. Even now with three 50k (31 miles) ultramarathons, I have a sense of being ready for those.

The JFK 50 will feature 19 more miles and almost all of it on trails and gravel roads.  Both this longer distance (and longer time) and newish surface to me require training.  Sunday, August 19 offered me a chance to practice them all at the Turkey Swamp 50k in Freehold New Jersey where I cycled through is lovely county park twelve times.

A fellow runner in the woods.  Note the white arrow indicating our path.

My trusty Marathon Maniacs website helped me locate this New Jersey Road Runners organized race.  And in fact, soon after arriving at the event, I quickly found fellow marathon maniacs out for a trek over dirt roads, through forest single tracks and across open grass fields.  Fortunately, the weather stayed around 70 and cloud cover moved in after an hour of running to keep us from too much sun.

Maniacs attack!

For me, my added challenge was pushing my longest run up to 35 miles from a previous high of 31.  I started about 40 minutes before the race and put in 3 miles at an easy 10 minute pace.  Then after a 20 minute gap (the race started late), I attacked the race which ultimately measured 32.6 miles for me.  These field and trail runs often are longer than advertised. So, in the end I ran 35.6 miles.  Slowly. In total, I was out just over 6 hours - a new max for me as well.  I finished 10 out of 25.

Would your cheat in a race?

I've just read an interesting article in the August 6 issue of The New Yorker.  Thanks to Emily for pointing it out to me.  "Marathon Man" by Mark Singer chronicles the story of Kip Litton, a Michigan dentist on a quest to complete a marathon in all 50 states. (Hmm, that goal sounds familiar.)  More people summit Everest than complete their 50th lifetime state during a year.  Kip Litton has run a running website (that all sounds familiar too) and is supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation since his youngest son suffers from the disease.  He dropped 30 lbs when he discovered running.  (Check.  Been there.  Done that.)

And he seems to be a fantastic cheater. (Now that, happily, does not sound familiar.)

You can find an abstract to the article in the following link, and subscribers should be able to find the article in full via their web account or iPad app. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/06/120806fa_fact_singer

In brief, Dr. Litton appears to have been faking a number of race results showing him finishing under the magical 3 hour mark.  In fact, he has been disqualified from various marathons and nearly dq'ed from others.  His fraud came to light because he was listed as the winner or a top finisher in a few marathons, but the people "behind" him have no recollection of him passing them.  His times are fast for a 50 year old, and a smoking gun is that he does not seem to appear in photos early in the races.  Yet, he tends to hit the timing checks on the course meaning he is present at the race when mid-run times are recorded by the electronic systems.

He even faked a marathon in Wyoming going so far as to put up a website, list other runners (29 total, and of course winning the race).  He later admitted to creating the race and the fake race director but actually running the "race" that day.  Yet he also faked a post on www.marathonguide.com reviewing the race.  The blogosphere has bashed him about, and he claims ignorance (making the wrong turn here, starting late there) as reasons for his "cheating."

I Like to Watch (Marathons on) TV

No one doubts that running a marathon is an incredible achievement.  Some react with envy of being able to run that distance.  Others shake their heads and wonder at the insanity of enduring 26.2 miles, but they respect the accomplishment thanks in part to 116 years of the marathon's existence and mystique.  A handful truly think the feat requires a white coat and hospitalization.  (And those nominally informed about health assume the only result will be a wheel chair and numerous replacement surgeries.)  This is all better than when the marathon started and people assumed runners would collapse and die at the end or that no woman could ever run that distance.

The London Olympic Marathon Course

Yet without much exception, the reaction from friends to me watching a marathon on TV basically borders on incredulity.  Why in the world would I want to subject myself to 2+ hours of a race that is usually decided in the final 15 minutes - if it is even close at that stage?

This past week, I have had the opportunity to watch two exciting and enjoyable races - the Women's and Men's Olympic Marathons from the streets of London.  For the Women's race, I streamed the UK coverage a few hours after completion via the NBCOlympics.com site.  (Getting up to watch live at 3 am was crazy even for me.)  Today, the last day of the Olympics, I got up at 6 am to watch the Men's live (about half of which I watched from the exercise bike in my hotel's workout room).

If you did not see them or even pay attention, the top finishers were:

Women
1. Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) 2:23:07 (Olympic record)
2. Priscah Jeptoo (Kenya) 2:23:12
3. Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova (Russia) 2:23:29 (personal best)

Top American: 10. Shalane Flanagan 2:25:51 - Super solid finish

Men
1. Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda) 2:08:01
2. Abei Kirui (Kenya) 2:08:27
3. Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich 2:09:37 (no relation to the winner)

Top America: 4. Meb Keflezigi 2:11:06 (who moved up from 20th at one point)

The course in London ended up being excellent.  Yet on paper, a twisty city marathon built of basically 3 loops seemed just plain wrong.  And the marathon, instead of finishing in the Olympic stadium as the closing ceremony begins, was run no where near the East London Olympic Village.  Instead it concentrated on the the landmarks of London and ended at the site of the London Marathon finish in the Mall near Buckingham Palace.

But we needed have seconded guessed the LOOC.  Crowds were out in full force during both marathons - the women's being mostly run in the rain while setting an Olympic Record.  I think the repeating nature of the course actually helped the competitors plan their strategies.  I have to say from experience that running the same route and course a few times does matter.  I have found that with both the LA Marathon and the NYC Marathon - the only marathons I have run more than once.  I suspect I will experience that when I run London again next April.

One reason I watch marathons is to see how the best run them. The back 4 miles or so of the Olympic marathon was pretty much the same as the last 4 of the London Marathon.  That was very interesting to watch because I had just run them myself.  I knew that there are a few steep uphills and downhills as the embankment part ducks under bridges.  In the men's marathon, the winner, Kiprotich, used one of these sections to pull away from the Kenyans who finished 2nd and 3rd.  That was incredible to see.  This all happened at mile 24.  In the women's marathon, the top two were battling back and forth in the final few miles.  Could I power up those hills late in the marathon?  I will have to put that to the test.

Both races included some early moves as well.  The Kenyan Kiprotich, who claimed bronze, surged ahead for 10 miles.  Yet he was eventually caught and passed.  Was it a mistake to surge?  I guess so from the result, but who knows how he was feeling.  In a marathon, you have to go with it sometimes.  The Russian woman in third pushed the speed too, but a pack of women stayed with her.  She eventually couldn't hold with the winner from Ethiopia.  What's remarkable about Gelana is that she actually fell at a drinks station. Yet she got back up and got into the race again and then won by a few seconds.  The marathon is forgiving in that manner.

Tiki Gelana wins the Women's Marathon

Meb Keflezigi

It is not forgiving if you are not feeling up to par.  The top American runner, Ryan Hall, looked lousy from the start and eventually dropped out.  Interviewed by Lewis Johnson from NBC just afterward, Ryan said his hamstring never felt great.  He tried to work it out during the race, but ultimately it beat him.  I suspect Ryan could have finished the race in a slow time (for him), but that's not what this event is about.  This disappointment follows Deena Kastor, the American female record holder, breaking her foot early in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon.

Most surprising and exciting for me was seeing Meb Keflezigi move up from way back to 4th.  Meb was a silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Games, and the 37 year old has been battling injuries.  He won the NYC marathon a few years ago in a surprise 2:09:15 (his PR), and to catch Don Santos from Brazil (who ended up 5th) in the last mile was awesome.  I wish the TV coverage had shown more of this.  Meb was born in Eritrea and moved to the US as a refugee when he was 12.  He is a wonderful personality and a great ambassador for the sport.

It is easy to focus on the top runners, but over 75 runners ultimately finish the race.  Due to the qualifying standards, you can find personal best times over 20 minutes slower than the top runners.  Still, finishing a marathon at any point is incredible, and for some, like Overall of britain who came in 61st, this is still their Olympic moment as anguishing as it looks.

61st Place but still a finisher for Team GB

Trust me, watching the marathon was far easier than running it in sub 3 hour times.

Weekend Report: San Francisco Races

I picked up some serious hardware this weekend.  My goal of nearly 40 miles over two days went off pretty much as planned and today, while not as spry as usual, I'm feeling ok.  My calves are probably complaining the most, but my energy is good.  First off, check out these cool finishing medals!

Bad Bass Half, SF/LA Challenge (for completing both in 2012) and SF Marathon

On Saturday, I ran the Bad Bass trail Half Marathon.  My goal of 2:00 was just missed at 2:01.  The terrain was a great mix of loose and hard dirt and featured numerous ups and downs.  I found the downs the trickiest part as it was so, so easy to sprint them.  However, knowing that the SF marathon the next day would feature a fairly hilly first half, blasting my quads to pick up a few more seconds seemed stupid.  So, with every trick I knew, I focused on taking the hills in an easy manner.  My goal was to use the gravity assist to let my heart rate decrease from the strain going up the previous hill.

And speaking of previous hills, I have learned in my ultramarathon running that you pretty much walk the steep bits.  Everyone on Saturday - even in a half - was doing this.  The difference in speed in walking and running them is negligible, but the savings in exhaustion is huge.  I suppose the best and speediest of ultra runners do run them, but that's why they win medals and belt buckles.  I found that shortening my stride, keeping on my toes a bit and just plain holding back worked.  And in fact today, after the two races, my quads feel pretty good.

The race itself was beautiful.  We traversed lovely hills above Oakland and a lake/reservoir.  Finding the location was easy (I was an hour early so no stress there).  Temps were in the 60's.  The race staff was on top of it, and everything really just went well.  I had some nice chats with other runners along the way, and they had a great selection of food and treats.

You can see me in the yellow shirt as we start up this hill

I did also find the race director and ask why "Bad Bass?"  (See my previous post for the confusion.)  It turns out there is no real reason.  The lake has bass in it. And when he started this race (he puts on 20 different ones a year), he just picked Bad Bass.  He sort of does not like it, but he feels compelled to keep it.  Frankly, I think this finishing medal is the coolest of the three.  There is a Scottish Tartan thing to these guys too - they all had some sort of tartan clothing, and the race shirt had a subtle pattern to it.  The women all had tartan skirts on.  Brazen Racing is the organization, and if you are in the Bay Area, I recommend their events.

The Brazen Racing Race Director decked out in the kilt

Training for the 50 Miler Part 1: San Francisco Treat x 2

Training for the 50-Miler Part 1:  San Francisco Treat x 2

A SF Room with a View

How does one actually train for a 50 mile race?  Well, clearly, one runs a lot.  However, for me, I try not to run more than 3 days a week.  Instead, I cross train with cycling and swimming and (although I have been very absent) CrossFit.  In a good week, I complete 5-6 workouts.  If I am not traveling, I might go for 10 days in a row.

So, short of running marathons for training runs during my normal days, I have planned a series of weekend events to challenge and push me.  The thinking is:  If I can do these, then I can survive the 50 miler on November 17.

And I am sucker for achievements - both my own created ones and external ones.

That combination has lead me to one of my favorite places: San Francisco CA.  I called the Bay Area home from 1991 to 1994.  I rented my first apartment in Larkspur and lived in my first house in San Rafael.  And I got married there too.  I still have friends from the area, and work brought me here regularly.  As I type this, I am looking out my lovely hotel room at the Bay Bridge and the Embarcadero.  Earlier today, I went to the Wharf Market to buy food for my weekend here.

So, as you might have surmised by now, I am going to run the San Francisco Marathon on Sunday.  This long hosted event features a double traverse across the Golden Gate Bridge which celebrated its 75th birthday this year.  Indeed, the goodie bag given out with the bibs and race information features this iconic landmark.  Two years ago, I ran the first half with my college roommate Steve.  (The race is available as a full marathon, either the first or second half and a brand new Ultra Hurt where you run the course twice - once backwards at midnight and once forward with us mere mortals doing the full.  See, there are crazier people than me.)

Destination Running: Lewisville Lake

Today's 9 mile run in Frisco, TX

This week finds me in Frisco and Plano TX teaching the final week of SMU's summer module.  My friend Elizabeth Stringer, full time faculty at SMU's Guildhall video game program, invited me to teach their first publishing production class.  The experience has been a blast in terms of working with some great students and learning to teach mostly remotely via Google Hangout.  With the final project of the class requiring me to be in person for the student presentations, I planned to stay here the entire week. Happily, Elizabeth and her family provide an excellent bed, breakfast and dinner, so I am able to enjoy hanging out with my friends.

With the Dallas area approaching 95 each day (actually below normal for this time of year), I only planned to run one day while in town and to visit the gym for other workouts.  I left the run for today, my birthday, since I always run on my birthday.  That starts the day off right in my opinion.
Today I planned to do 9 miles.  (20% of 45, my age.)  Next weekend, I will run and bike 45 miles.  Next year, I hope to be able to run 46 miles.  I see from looking back that I set out to run 45 and bike 45 this year.  Oh well.  Good thing I didn't make a big deal about that goal!  (In fact, I better be able to do 46 next year if I am going to complete my 50 mile goal later this year.  See 50-50 Foresight for more on that.)

But where to go today?  I poked around the internet to see if any good trails or running places popped out at me.  I know of the Katy Trail and have run part of it before, but that's over 30 minutes drive from Frisco down into Dallas.  A 90 minute run isn't great when you add in 1 hour of driving.  Mapmyrun.com showed me some local running on streets in Frisco, and what caught my eye was a lake west of Frisco - Lewisville Lake.  I could not tell if a path near the lake existed, so instead I decided to see if I could at least run to the lake and back.  The lake is huge, so I could just reach a finger of it.

50-50 Foresight

When I completed my goal of running a marathon on all 7 continents last October, naturally many people asked what running challenge would I tackle next.  I hemmed and hawed on that, and I even promised to write up something for the blog when I knew.  However, I did not imagine so many months would pass before I finally brought forth an answer.

And of course, one goal alone cannot satisfy me, so I am setting three - one short term, one medium term and one crazy one.


50 Miles
Ever since I ran my first 50 kilometer (31 mile) race in 2010, I knew I wanted to try for 50 miles.  In ultramarathon running, the standard distances are 50k (considered a short ultra), 50 miles, 100K (63 miles) and 100 miles.  I suspect 100 miles is outside my ability or at least my desire to train for that length.  100K might be doable, and I would love to try the Comrades marathon in South Africa (89K/56 miles).  50 miles in any case is the next step up.