Lake Clinton 30

So Chicago came and passed. Tecumseh was a no-go after I messed up my knee mountain biking, forcing me to take a complete month off of running. Besides all that, training had been going fairly well for this race. I had a couple of set backs, including a lower back injury that forced me to take 8 or 9 days off. That put a damper in my training, but at the same time, it provided a perfect time for rest from which I came back with renewed motivation. For about 3 weeks, I was following a very detailed training program which had me up to about 50 miles per week. I got in some long runs at Clinton that actually were at a solid pace. I ran at the Chilly Chilli 4.37 mile run and ended up finishing 2nd in about 26 minutes.

After a pair of 20 milers @ Clinton, I ran 25 miles at Darien in 3:08. I ran the first 10 miles with Kelly at about 8:15 pace, but ran the final 15 by myself around 7:00 pace. Near the end, I got a few under 7:00, including one at 6:40 and another couple sub-6:50. It was this run that had me feeling quite confident about Clinton.

The week before the race, I ran one loop of the course in 1:13:50, a personal record for myself and a time that had me considering going after the course record the following week. I definitely had self doubts as last year’s winner and course record holder, Logan Martin, was returning and appeared to be primed for another win. Also in the race were Joel Lammers (winner of countless 50k’s and 50 milers), Matthew Condron (Illinois Ultra Grand Slam Winner), and Christine Crawford (course record holder for the women). Also, Patrick Berger, the winner of the fall Chicago Lakefront 50K run was there so I assumed that the pace would be fast from the get-go. This was encouraging because it meant that I would have somebody to run with, but at the same time, I knew that there would be a fast pace from the start and that we would have to run the hills hard to finish well.

Kelly and I drove to the race, arriving around 7:00 am. Sam, Nonno, and Nonna also were coming to watch and pulled up about 10 minutes before race start. I felt incredibly spoiled because I never get a crowd for these races and now I had 4 present with Mom and Dad on the way. I was especially motivated to run well for Sam as he is a young soccer player that is interested in running. I hope that one day he will run long distances himself as I consider him to have plenty of motivation and talent for him to do well.

In the meanwhile, I joked around with Kelly near the start, warmed up, and tried to get comfortable before the start. The RD made a few final announcements and pointed out Logan Martin (who appeared very confident and looked very strong) along with Christine Crawford (whose resume is pretty intimidating by itself), who were last year’s champions and current course record holders. After a final countdown, the gun went off and us runners were on our way.


Immediately, Logan shot to the front, followed closely by another runner that I did not recognize. Both of these two were moving pretty fast so I decided to follow them closely. We took a left out of the parking lot and started straight up a steep uphill that was on the road for about 200 meters. From there, we hopped onto the single track trail. Entering the course, Logan led with the 2nd place guy just behind him. I was about 10 yards or so behind the 2nd place guy and when I checked to see who all was behind us, I noticed that we had already created a considerable gap on the rest of the pack. It was a bit intimidating, especially knowing that there were at least 4 very good runners that had either beaten me by considerable margins in the past or I had not raced against before, but had some very respectable races to their resume.
As we got into the woods, Logan quickly moved out of sight while I managed to keep an eye on the 2nd place runner. As we reached the 3rd mile, I started making up some of the distance he had originally put on me and passed him soon afterwards. Meanwhile, I noticed Patrick Berger lurking behind us in the woods and I expected him to make a move on us very soon.

However, I was feeling incredible by now and had no problem running these familiar hills. I didn’t really stop to walk any of these hills and although this frightened me, I moved up them with such ease that I did not think that running these sections would come back to haunt me. Also, it felt good to already be in second place and to be closing in on the former course record holder.

As I was coming into the first aid station at mile 5.5, I was “welcomed” by Logan’s sister, who strongly encouraged me to slow down. I laughed at her and told her that I would do my best to take it easy out there. I scooted down a steep downhill where Sam and Kelly were waiting for me at the bottom. I shot a quick joke at them, but did not stop. I grabbed a BOOST from Kelly and drank a couple sips before getting rid of it and grabbing my water bottle. I also took this time to rip off my shirt as I had forgotten to take 2 of them off before the race start! Off course, absent-mindedness plays its role once again. I felt really good at this point and glanced ahead, noticing Logan heading back into the woods, figuring he could not be more than 40 seconds ahead of me. Knowing that he was so close, I once again took off after him.

The guy I had just passed appeared to not be as beat as I figured and he caught up with me soon afterwards. We did not talk much, but I learned that his name was Mike Christensen and that he was relatively new to ultras. He was actually doing the run to train for a sub 3-hour Boston, which was coming up in 3 weeks. He was training for the hills and figured that Clinton would be suitable. I have never run Boston, but can only imagine that Clinton’s single track trails were a tad bit steeper than those on the roads of Boston.

At mile 7, the course crosses a field where you can see a little less than a quarter mile ahead of you. We spotted Logan scampering across the field maybe a minute ahead of us. Again, this was very motivating because I assumed that by working together the two of us would have little difficulty making up this ground. We kept at it even as we lost sight of him as the course turned into the woods. Soon after we pulled into the end of the first loop, and came out of the woods. Just as we popped out, we saw Logan leaving the parking lot, probably about 1:30 in front of us. Mom and Dad were here now and it was motivating to see them. I was in high spirits and joked around with them for a little bit. I also heard Logan’s sister telling us to slow down, now with even more intensity. I joked around with her for a second, but stayed in stride. Mike took it easy at the aid station, re-gathered himself and took off after me. I grabbed a BOOST from Kelly, but only took a couple more sips, giving me a total of about half a BOOST in me. I left with a gel and took off up the hill to start loop #2. We finished the first round in 1:15, only a minute off my PR for ONE loop on the course. This had me a bit worried, but my legs were still feeling good enough for me to keep going. I felt exactly as I had hoped to at this point and my pace proved it. I felt some warning signs at mile 12 and 13, but I honestly was not concerned. It was so minor that it was not worth slowing for.

I pulled into mile 15 still moving quite fast. I still felt great and although we could no longer see Logan, his sister was right by the entrance to the next part of the trail so I knew that he was still close. She was still giving me a hard time, which further enforced the notion that he could not be far ahead. I don’t even remember if I even drank a BOOST at this point, I’m really not sure what I was thinking, but somehow forgot how much I needed to consume while on this course. During my training runs that were just 2 loops instead of 3, I would take a full BOOST and some gels after EACH loop. By now, I had barely consumed one full BOOST and because this was a race, I was obviously expending more energy now.

Whatever gotta catch Logan. That’s all I’m thinking. Mike and I are talking less and now I’m walking a few more of the hills. Still moving at decent pace, but I could feel it slowing just a bit. Around 17 ½ miles, I told Mike to take over the front. I had been in front of him since mile 3 and was a little frustrated with myself for having him hang behind me the entire time. Of course, I can’t blame him, I wanted to lead, but its frustrating to think just how much of a difference something like that could have made. Of course, Logan was out front all by himself, but by now I knew that he was the better runner and that I would need to run with somebody else to at least keep him close.

I kept Mike fairly close for the remainder of the loop, but his 10 yard gap quickly became 15, 20, 30, and eventually 50 yards as we came into 20 miles. I figured that I would gut it out, but told myself that I needed to regroup if I was going to finish respectably. I hadn’t quite given up on a strong finish, but I walked a considerable amount around the aid station. For some reason, I hardly took any food again and tried to move quickly on to the next lap. I had some pop, but that will only do so much. Sam and Dad were waiting at the top of the first hill, but I was hurting so I didn’t say much and honestly couldn’t really hear what they were saying at this point anyways. I had run the 2nd loop in 1:20, only 5 minutes slower than the first loop. I was at 2:35 at this point and still figured that I had a shot at the course record, whether or not that meant beating the current race leader. 4 hours was a lofty goal, but I thought I could still do it. Plus, I had to have been a decent ways ahead of the next runner. At the top of the hill, you can pretty much see a half mile back and despite my slow pace, there was nobody close to me.

Once I got into the woods for the final time, I started to really fall apart. I almost considered going back to get food, but I was already a half mile into the course. I walked up a hill, got to the top and just fell down. I pretty much collapsed. I sputtered around for a bit and got in a bit of a haze. I was low on fuel and knew it. I wanted to just stay on the ground, but I knew that was not a viable option. After resting for about a minute or two, I regrouped and started running a bit slower down the trail. I was very tired and was obviously hitting the wall pretty hard. After lollygagging for a couple miles, Matt Condron passed me at about mile 23. I was still struggling considerably and was actually quite surprised that it took so long for him to catch me. But he showed no signs of weakness and I lost sight of him just a few minutes later. I had to take a knee for a second just to regroup. The hills were killing me and I was barely making it up them this time. I figured that I would be mentally strong enough to hang on, but my fuel tank was just too low at this point for me to get anything going. I had a gel but that wasn’t enough.

I could do little else but walk the uphills, while jogging the straight sections, and surviving the downhills—which were becoming increasingly difficult. At mile 24, another runner passed me. He was certainly running strong, but a mile later he was walking on the trail. As I passed him, he told me that his IT band was toast and that it was the end of the race for him. I struggled into the aid station barely moving down the hill. Sam, Kelly, Nonno, Nonna, and my parents were waiting at the bottom and as soon as I got there I started stumbling a bit and my vision got blurry. I honestly thought I was going to collapse again, but I leaned onto Kelly to keep me stable. Of course this was the worst possible time for this to happen to me. Mom was not too excited and immediately urged me to drop out.

I got into the aid station, where the volunteers were very supportive and offered to help in every possible way. I had to sit for a minute to wait for my thinking to clear up before I responded to them. When I did talk, it was a little slow and probably a bit slurred. One volunteer asked me if I wanted some type of sandwich, but said it would take 5 minutes to make and I really did not have that time. In a very worried/bewildered/slightly comical (at least for me) tone, she asked me if I had ever run this far before. I started laughing and explained to her that I had run 100 miles before so I think that this I had the basic experience.

I ate an entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with some other random candies. After about a minute, I started feeling considerably better. I saw Joel Lammers come in and pass me while I was sitting. Just as I was finishing my food, Christine Crawford was pulling into the aid station. I knew she was going to pass me, but wanted to at least have her push me a bit so that the last 4.5 miles were not at a complete walk. Plus, with the food I felt so much better than before and was able to start running again. Christine passed me about a quarter mile after the aid station.

Despite how I was feeling at mile 25.5, my condition was improving. I was running slowly, but at least I was running again. And luckily I knew the course because it made the past couple miles go by faster. I came in through the field around mile 27 just ready to finish. With about 2 miles left, another runner came behind and passed me. I tried to keep up, but was not quite as fast at this point. He slowly pulled ahead of me, but I did what I could to keep him in sight. At a mile left, I saw Sam waiting for me on the trail. I had always hoped that he would finish this race with me, obviously in much better condition, but it was nice that he was there anyways. I did what I could to run up the remaining hills and finally reached the downhill leading back to the parking lot. The fam & Kelly were there waiting for me and it was nice to see them. I mentioned to Kelly that I was so ready for post-race Olive Garden. I jogged across the finish line in 4 hours and 36 minutes.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed as I ran my slowest lap ever at Clinton over the last 10 miles. I suppose that I gave it a shot, but my mind was in all the wrong places and was unable to focus on important things such as nutrition and minor pacing issues. Looking back on the race, I believe I would have done much better had I consumed many more calories and hydrated a bit better. Also, I should have taken it a tad easier during the aid stations to allow my body a brief rest before going out and chasing the eventual course record holder. Blah blah blah blah. Wow, that was boring. Just had to throw that out there. I guess its best to write about my mistakes now so that I learn from them in the future.

Going into the race, I wanted to see if I could break 4 hours, 2nd goal being sub-4:05. Now I know for certain that sub 4 is possible (barely), but I will have to be smarter if I give it another try.

Another pre-race goal (although I was not banking on it) was to win. This was pretty foolish looking back on it and I now realize that Logan was not going to be beaten. Great job to him for setting the record (again) and to Christine for her run.
Me and Kelly post-race @ the Olive Garden!

Race results @ http://www.secondwindrunningclub.org/RaceResults/2009/Clinton09.htm

Chicago Marathon!!

Ok, this report is well overdue. About 6 months overdue to be exact. But I had spent so much energy and given such a time commitment to this event for the past few months that this version of the Chicago Marathon meant so much to me.

I had run the Kettle Moraine 100 mile relay(31 miles) over the summer and the Ragnar Relay in August, but Chicago was the big race of 2008. In fact, it was my first big race since Tecumseh of 2007. So, 10 months without any racing! After racing nearly every month in 2007, this was quite a bit of time off for me. Of course, I had the IT/hamstring issues that had stuck with me since the past winter—this being the main thing that kept me out of competition. However, this did give me time to reevaluate my training and develop myself a bit more as a runner.

Training pretty much began in May when I started “preparing” for Kettle. Matt and I ran a 20 miler at Clinton 2 or 3 weeks before Kettle and then did the race. June training was moderate with a couple long runs, but things did not get really interesting until July. During July, I put in two 70+ mile weeks, only took 4 days completely off, and started doing work on the track—mostly mile repeats. Unfortunately, all this effort led to shin splints and a near stress fracture to start off August. Matt got me back and running in September when we started pounding out 20 milers. We did 3 of the in a span of one week and I also managed to fit in a few track work outs with the rest of the tri club.

From this training, I could feel the improvements. I had more energy on longer runs and my short distance speed was certainly improving. I had a significant amount of pep in my stride and covered short distances running the majority of the distance hard. Some of the training may have been a bit excessive and may have led to further shin splints, knee issues, and other IT problems, but . . . I certainly felt ready and confident on race day.

Matt, Jon, Travis and I all met in the A Corral for race start where we joked around with each other and did our last minute prep for the race. We caught up with Zach Gingerich, who once again claimed to be using Chicago as a training run. At this point, I was unaware of just how fast Zach actually was and figured that I could keep up with him for the race. Had I realized that he would go on to run a 3:12 50K (Chicago Lakefront ‘09), I would have not given keeping up with him a second thought. The fluke of Tecumseh last year was not going to happen again today.

With 5 minutes to our race start, the elites were lined up and sent off. Shortly afterwards, it was our time to go. It was really something to be situated in the ‘A’ Corral as it only took me 10 seconds to get to the starting line, compared to the 8 minutes in 2005. We took off at what I thought was a conservative pace. Due to the weather, I had changed my pre-race goal from 2:45 to 2:50, meaning that I would be shooting more so for 6:30 miles than the original 6:18 pace.

Although Jon and Travis had planned on to run with the 3 hour pace group, they were right next to us as we crossed mile 1. We crossed exactly as 11:00 showed up, meaning that our clock was at 6:00. Take the 10 seconds it took us to get to the start and we had just run a 5:50 first mile. 40 seconds too fast. Ouch.

At this point, Matt and I pulled ahead of Jon and Travis and took over the lead (for the club). I knew that we might be going a bit too fast, but we both still felt really good. After all, Matt and I started out too fast for all of our 20-milers so I figured those runs would have prepared me. Of course, I did not take the heat into account. Bank temperature readings were already showing temps in the low 70’s.

At the 5K mark (18:56, 6:07/mile), I felt that we may have been going too fast. I was getting warm and although my legs still felt good, I knew I would have to slow down if I wanted to cross in under 2:50. I mentioned this to Matt, but he said he was still feeling good so shortly afterwards, he started putting distance on me. This was so tough for me to do. The two of us are extremely competitive with one another and it killed me to let him get ahead of me so early. But the thought of catching up later kept me motivated.

For the next couple miles, I was able to keep Matt in sight and passed the 10K mark (38:30, 6:13/mile) only 20 seconds behind. Although I still felt strong, runners were passing me at this early stage in the race. I caught up with another runner and we both agreed that we would save ourselves for later in the race and allow people to pass us now. We worked with each other for a bit and from time to time, one of us would pull ahead while the other would catch up later.

Soon after, I heard somebody shouting my name and looked over to see Annie in the crowd! It was great to see her there since I had not even talked to her @ ISU in some time. Of course, now that both of us were over 2 hours away from campus we were finally reuniting. At least for a few brief moments.

From here to the halfway mark, I really screwed up any chance I had at going under 2:50. I was so concerned that I was not going to catch Matt that I let it get into my head and affect my race. Once he left my sight, it was very difficult for me to stay motivated. I felt as thought I would catch him, but as the miles passed and I grew more tired myself, the doubts kept creeping up.

Also, this part of the course went through many neighborhoods and everybody seemed to be blasting their music. Plus there were many sections that were heavily crowded and the noise + the people got me overly excited. I would start running harder in these sections and be winded further down the road. I also let this get the best of me and left the runner I was with earlier fall off behind me. I crossed 15K in 58:33 (6:31/mile) only 1:01 behind Matt, but that was enough distance for me to be unable to catch sight of him and still had no idea where he was on the course.

By the halfway point, it was getting real warm and I could feel the heaviness start to sink into my legs. There was one last crowd that really pushed me up the hill to the halfway mark (1:23:36), but by the time I reached the top I really could feel my body starting to lose it. I heard my friend Hannah call my name and was really excited to see her at that point, but at the same time the disappointment from the way my race was unfolding kept me from enjoying that as much as a I normally would have. I could run the final half in 1:26:24 to reach my goal—a time that should have been more than attainable, but by starting out so hard, I knew that there was no way I still had that finish in me. By now, I was setting my sights on 2:55 and eventually 3 hours flat.

The next couple of miles got really tough. I remember slowing down around mile 16 and feeling completely spent. I kept running, but by now people were regularly passing me. Some of the women from the top 100 spots now moved past me—and it looked as though they were in for a very close race. Of course, they were not with the elites, but this was the second group of female runners and they were looking at a sub 2:50 finish.

I saw my old friend Margaret, who was an old member of the Tri Birds. Her cheering was very encouraging and it was great to see another familiar face. By now, however, I knew my goals were out of the question and was seriously lacking motivation. I kept running however because I knew that walking would put me considerably behind and would be the final step in the deterioration for the race. I caught Shauna soon after, but barely noticed her. I was too out of it to really give anybody much attention. I just had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

Around mile 20, the guy that I had been running with earlier finally passed me. He was the one who properly paced himself and would pull ahead of me (along with hundreds of other runners on the course). Finally, just after mile 21 I started walking. My legs were so heavy that I thought I might collapse if I kept running. Besides, I was barely lifting my legs when running and any efficiency I had from earlier was out the window. Also, temps had reached 80 degrees and I was boiling! I started looking behind me, expecting Travis to catch me at any moment. I tried running every so often, but could not get back into a rhythm.

On top of all this, my IT band, hamstrings, and knees were becoming issues. I had to run a lot of the course on the side of the road earlier in the race, which is severely slanted for drainage purposes. I had to do this to stay in the shade as the sun made runners quite vulnerable in the center of the road, but was now paying the consequences for the cooler air.

Around mile 22, the 3 hour pace group caught up with me. I started running with them, but this only lasted for about 30 seconds. They were moving fast and no matter how badly I would have liked to salvage a sub-3 finish, it just wasn’t in the cards for me. Plus, the little running I did with them left me feeling dizzy and completely unmotivated. With 2.5 miles to go, I was walking in a daze, searching behind me, waiting for Jon and Travis to come flying past me. At least then I could see a friend on the course. As I was looking for them, I caught sight of a familiar face, Michael Davenport. I had stayed with Michael during our trip to the ’06 Western States and we had also shared rooms for the Ice Age 50 and McNaughton Park run. I had not seen him since I caught up with him during 2007 IM Wisconsin on the bike section so it was quite a surprise to see him at this point. He shouted to come with him and I decided this was not a terrible idea. He was stronger than me at this point, but seeing an old friend was motivating and I decided to keep running. The final 2 miles were very brutal as it is basically a straight shot back to the finish line. I passed mile 25 feeling relieved that there was only a mile to go, but still wondering if I could actually make it that far while maintaining a sub 9:00 pace. A half mile from the finish, I saw the guy I had run with pre-13.1 miles and who had passed me around the 20-mile mark and it looked like he was out of commission. Two spectators were holding him and helping him to the finish, but it wasn’t looking like he was actually going to make it there. In fact, it seemed like he was barely conscious and I am pretty sure he did not recognize me as I shouted his name once I passed him, but I really hoped that he was OK. Both of our “strategies” apparently failed miserably, but he definitely made a stronger effort than myself.

I left him with the two other guys and made my way to the finish. The marathon finishes up a minor hill (didn’t seem minor then!!) and then follows with a 200 meter straightaway to the finish. I was so thrilled to be finishing that I pumped my fist as I crossed, despite being well behind my goal time. I was done and did not have to run any more. Finish time was 3:09:40 meaning I qualified for Boston! But really, the race does not mean very much to me so qualifying really was just a minor perk to an overall disaster of a race.

My legs were absolutely cashed so I took my time in the finish area. On top of my legs, everything else in my body was completely useless. My stomach was not feeling too great and breathing-wise, I was way out of wack. I laid down in there for probably over an hour—too exhausted to even care about finding the rest of my group.

I ran into Zach who had a “bad” race with a 2:47 or 2:48, but he looked like he had just finished a pleasant jog. Jon came in shortly afterwards and we sat down on the sides-both of us were in some serious pain. Jon came in 5 minutes behind me at 3:15—a great time for his first (organized) marathon.

The rest of the day was just as interesting as the race. Because I had failed to make plans to reunite with anybody from the club that had my belongings, I was forced to ask random people to borrow their phone to call mine so that I could get a hold of either Liz or Justin. I spent two hours of searching for the group (this mostly included me walking 100 yards, sitting down for 15 minutes, complaining, and then resuming the search). After what seemed to be a lifetime of looking for everyone, I randomly ran into everyone. It was just as relieving as finishing the race as I did not have the money to catch a train ride home nor the energy to walk (don’t want to think about that one). I took the train back early, showered up, and relaxed. Chicago ’08 had reached its conclusion.
The misery ends!!

Chicago Marathon(pre-race) Training Recap

Well, this was it. My one race for 2008. McNaughton, Ice Age, and Kettle were all skipped due to injuries and here I was on Michigan Avenue, as ready as ever to start the event I had been trainig for all year.


It had been quite a long ride, to say the least. I was so motivated for this race, but the training did not quite reflect it. My ITB injury from December carried well into the summer and did not fully heal until I started tapering for the race(3 weeks out). To add to the IT problems, my right knee caused a considerable amount of pain during the summer when I started increasing mileage. That was not too bad as it went away after a couple weeks, but running became quite frustrating.


Then came the shinsplints. This came up right after my best month of training~ 250 miles in July(during which I only took four days off completely from running). I was right on track for where I should have been for Chicago, but got completely screwed over by this. I took 5 days off to start August(more than all of July), but the shin pain continued to bother me until about 2 weeks before the marathon.


To cap things off, 10 days before the race, I did 8 mile repeats on the ISU track at sub 6 minute pace. The next couple days, my right IT band was flaming up, forcing me to take it back a bit and have just one more thing to worry about for the race.


All these injuries made training shaky, to say the least. I had a decent month in June and even better month of July. I only ran about 100 miles during all of August, but then laid it back on in September. I ran five 20 milers in September alone, 3 of which were in a period of seven days. I can't help but think that I may have overtrained for the race.


For Chicago, I did track work for the first time ever, although this may not have been such a good idea so close to the race. It was largely responsible for IT, knee, and shin problems(Wow! You think I should stay away from the track?).


I prefer having consistent months of training, but the way things are looking, this does not seem to be possible for me. Oh well, Chicago here I come!

Frontier Days 10K Stampede Run

The night before the race, Matt & I met at the Waterfall Glen trail in Darien, IL to get a run in on the XTreme 10 course. The 18 mile run that was supposed to be taken easy turned into an 18 mile race between the two of us and we really wore ourselves out. We must have covered some of the miles in under 6:30 as we were really cooking out there. I will humbly add that I pulled away from Matt after 16 miles or so and sprinted over the last mile. Competitive? Maybe just a tad.

When we got back, we had to make some last minute errands and by the time we finished and ate dinner, it was already 11:30. We fell asleep almost immediately.

I woke up to the alarm at 6:15 a little tired, but ready to run. OK, maybe not excited to be running, but whatever, I was up. We ate some breakfast and got everything we needed together. I was concerned about my right knee and left IT band a little bit as both were a little sore.

We got to the race and had to park about 1/4 mile from the start. The jog to packet pickup was disheartening to say the least. My knee was hurting and I was exhausted from the previous night's run. I was sweating while standing in line and was beginning to really question why I had decided to race 10 kilometers as I should have been satisfied with the "race" from the previous day.

There was a 5K that was also going on, so we tried to position ourselves away from these runners to not get caught up too early on. Soon enough, the gun went off. It was not long before I realized that today was not a good day for me to race. Not even a mile into it, Matt started to move ahead. We passed mile 1 just over 6 minutes, I want to say 6:03, something like that. Very unimpressive considering that I was already dying. Had I been feeling good, I still would have been moving slow. This was going to be one long 10K

Of course, Matt seemed unfazed by the pace. He was still talking regularly, joking around, and pretty much cruising. Just after the first mile, he was out of talking distance so I had to yell for him to hear me. I was pretty beat and was really feeling the effects of the heat and the prior day’s run. My legs were just real heavy and I couldn’t get a whole lot out of them.

Around 2 ½ miles, we split with the 5K runners. While it was encouraging to see that I had a decent position, I no longer had the pull from a large group of runners. I was by myself with Matt just a bit ahead of me. A guy wearing gym shorts and headphones passed me! Now that was embarrassing.

Around 4 miles, we passed a sprinkler and some water stops, which was encouraging, but all I could think about was getting the damn thing over with. It was hot and a little sprinkle didn’t do much for me. Plus, I had already screwed up the pace. For an endurance runner, you would think that I would be a bit better at controlling pace. Maybe it was just my ego that needed to be controlled.

A little while later, there was a turnaround where we passed other runners. I was seriously considering giving Matt the finger (very appropriate I know, something is probably wrong with me), but there were other runners around him and I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea.

We reached a slight uphill, which was followed by a ½ mile straightaway that led towards the final turn and eventual finish line. I made a strong push to catch the damn guy in the headphones, but couldn’t manage it. I ended up sprinting into the finish to record a time of 39:00. Pretty disappointing, but I guess I could only be so upset given the circumstances. Matt finished over a minute and a half ahead of me. I guess I’ll just have to catch him another time. . .

http://www.frontierdays.org/results/2008%20STAMPDEDE10O.HTM

Kettle 100 - Relay Style

The Kettle Moraine 100 is a group of trail runs that take place on the Ice Age Trail in LaGrange, WI. There is a 100-miler, 100K, 100- mile relay, and the 38-mile "fun run"(I know, doesn't quite fit in with the standard idea of fun). The trail is mostly single-track with a total elevation change of 24,000, pretty substantial for a runner from Central Illinois, but apparently a cakewalk for Westerners. Last year, I ran the 100 mile option, my first (and so far only) 100 mile run. I had a solid race, but really slowed down after the 86 mile aid station and lost a couple hours(I know, so close to the finish!). Nevertheless, I finished in under 24 hours and was bit with the "Kettle" bug. So this year, when fellow Tri-Birds Matt, Jon, and Travis expressed interest in the race, I had to do it (especially since I couldn't do the 100 miler as a result of a nagging IT injury from December).

Matt, Jon, and I met up on Friday, the day before the race and drove into Wisconsin to embark on our version of the Kettle 100. We pulled into LaGrange around 6, picked up our packets, got a 15 minute warmup on the trail, and caught up with last year’s 100-mile winner Mark Tanaka. After that, we grabbed some dinner at a wonderful diner(with a pretty cute waitress), drove out to our hotel, relaxed in the hotel’s hot tub and called it a night around 11.

I woke up around 3(everybody was as excited as me as Matt didn’t seem too happy about my moving about), but couldn’t really go back to sleep until our alarm went off around 4. Matt and I grabbed some breakfast, talked race strategy and drove off to the start witnessing a 5 am sunrise.


Matt, Jon, and myself after our pre-race jog, getting pumped for the race!

We pulled up to the start of the race with Matt blasting some heavy metal/screaming music on his radio. We must have looked pretty ridiculous to say the least. Matt hit the bathroom a couple times (being on a very high fiber diet has its setbacks) and I chatted with some of the other runners I had met in years past, including Bill Thom, who was a part of our Western States crew(not to mention 2006 Grand Slam finisher) and another runner that I had met in the medical tent at the finish of the 2006 Ice Age 50.

Around 5 minutes til 6, race directors Timo Yanacheck and Jason Dorgan gave last minute race instructions and warned of the potential for storms later in the evening. With that and a friendly reminder to not litter on the trails, the countdown for the start began and at 6 am sharp the runners took off. Matt started off near the front, but was not quite with the leaders.

I drove over to the Bluff aid station(mile 7.5) in anticipation of Matt’s arrival. To my surprise, when I heard the aid station captain announce the first runner, Matt came around the corner by himself. I had expected a competitive relay race or an overzealous 100 miler to be leading, but Team Psychic Mary was in the lead!

I caught him again at Emma Carlin(mile 15) where he was still looking strong and extending his lead over the rest of the field. He stopped for a minute to fill up his camelback and took off into the meadow portion of the course, the section with the least sun cover. I stuck around to see Tanaka pull in, who was about 10 minutes behind Matt. Not much later came 2nd place runner Zach Gingerich and last year’s runner up, Joe Kulak.

Matt seemed tired at Hwy 67(mile 24), but I suppose running nearly a marathon in warm weather through pretty hilly terrain will do that for you. He took his time and pulled out only minutes before Tanaka came through.

At Hwy ZZ(mile 27), Matt came in looking strong and I encouraged him to gut it out to the finish. The very last section of his leg is hilly and it would not be easy. However, it was almost time for me to start running and I was pumped!

I waited around at Scuppernong(mile 31.5) in just shoes and my running shorts. I may have looked a little ridiculous, but with the warm weather, I believe I was justified. I was sweating just standing around and tried to relax as much as possible before starting my leg. The people at the aid station were very friendly and one of the guys there showed me a great stretch for my worthless IT band. After 4 hours and 36 minutes of running, Matt pulled into Scuppernong in first place! He handed over the bib and I took off running.

I was so relieved to finally be running, it had been a pretty tiring morning driving around and crewing! About a quarter mile after leaving the aid station, I saw Tanaka running towards me, still leading the 100 mile run. Soon after, I ran into Gingerich, Kulak, and the rest of the pack.

Throughout the first miles, I was running to my own rhythm. I felt great and was trying to put as much distance between me and the runners behind me. I also was planning on running faster than Matt. I ran up most of the hills, rarely walking so I would make up as much time as possible. I flew through Hwy ZZ and 67 feeling great and at about 10 miles into the run, I reached the meadow.

This is where things started to take a turn for the worse. It was now a little bit after noon and temps were in the mid 80’s, not too mention the incredible humidity that is accompanied with the swampy conditions. I was also drinking a Gatorade/Pedialyte mixture, which didn't quite agree with my stomach. I still felt strong and was moving at a solid pace and figured that if I kept things up, I would be running a 4:30 or faster. Every couple minutes, I looked over my shoulder, half expecting to see a couple of the stronger 100 milers right behind me. I must have really underestimated my pace, because I now realize that I was moving a lot faster than what they could have managed after 31+ miles.

As I kept going, the Pedialyte solution tasted worse and worse. For a little while, I stopped drinking and would fill up my bottles with Wisconsin well water, which is also not the best idea, considering that you can taste whatever the hell else is in that concoction. After approximately 2 hours of solid running, I pulled into Emma Carlin where Matt was anxiously awaiting my arrival. Coming into Emma Carlin is a great feeling, because once you are at this point, you know that you will have tree cover for the rest of the race. I still felt that I could pull off a solid time, but did realize by now that it would be a difficult finish, considering I was only halfway at this point. I was only briefly in the station before leaving.

As soon as I started onto the trail, I had flashbacks of the year before when I was at this point in the race. The trail becomes pretty hilly at this point and this is where I had the most trouble in ’07. You're by yourself for quite some time and the sun is at its highest point. Well, this year was pretty similar as '07. Except worse.

I started to slow down at this point, but was still not moving too slowly. I was walking the uphills, but making decent time on the flats and descents. However, by the time I reached Horseman's aid station(i believe just after mile 50) I was pretty gone. At this point last year, I opened up the water faucet and laid underneath it to cool down. I was so excited to do the same this year, but unfortunately I couldn't open the faucet! Quite convenient. Waterless, I continued up the trail, which was now quite a steep climb. All I was doing at this point was hiking up the inclines.

With approximately 2 miles until Bluff(mile 55), I ran across a group of people who cheered me on, saying i was in first. I explained to them that I was just a part of the relay, but they still expressed support. That was the first human contact I had made since Emma Carlin and it definitely was uplifting even though it was shortlived. Finally, after mile of brutal hills(and passing the point i nearly got lost at the year before), I reached the top of the last hill and started the steep descent into the Bluff aid station. I shuffled down the hill and ran into the aid station, where Jon, Matt, and now Travis were enthusiastically waiting for me.

They were pretty upbeat even though I was moving really slow. Despite my condition, I got out of the aid station pretty quickly. I knew the last 7 1/2 miles of my leg would be pretty long as it was and i figured that staying in the aid station would only make them longer. This section was one of the worst of any race i have done before. I started getting bad stomach cramps so bad that I had to walk the downhills(my strongest point). To make matters worse, i was not drinking anything at all because my stomach was in such bad shape.

The section from Bluff to the Tamarack aid station(57.5) is only 2 1/2 miles, but it felt like it went on forever. I went up hill after hill, turn after turn, just expecting every turn to be the last. A couple of times I even shouted out to see if anyone could hear me. The thing was that I was moving so slow that the normal time it would take me to cover 2 1/2 miles was more like what I would normally run 5 miles in. Throw in the humidity, heat, isolation, and some annoying f****** bugs and this was one tough section.

After coming around the 100-something turn, I finally pulled into Tamarack. The aid station volunteers were relaxing and seemed a little surprised to see a runner(again, I was part of the relay, so they were only so excited). As soon as I got there, I took a seat. Immediately, they were asking what I needed, how things were going, and tried to help however possible. I explained the stomach cramp issue and how I couldn't drink anything. They informed me that all of the runners were slowing down and that the heat was really taking its toll on everyone. While they were explaining this, I eyed a can of LaCroix soda water and started sipping on it. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to fill my water bottle with it and take it with me on the trail. Now, I have done many stupid things, but this tops the charts.

When I left the aid station, my stomach felt good. . . for about 100 meters. Then, things got ugly again and from there on out, I would shuffle 100 steps, then walk 100 steps. The cramps were so bad that I could barely move. I tried to run it out, I really did. But my stomach wouldn't agree with me. I knew I was dehydrated when I peed a darker color than I ever had before. Definitely not a good sign. As I reached the sign announcing there were 4 miles left, I started to really question what I was doing out there. Dehydration is what led me to the ambulance during my last Ironman attempt, the difference here was that I still had 4 miles to go on my own before I would come into contact with anybody that could help me. Kinda scary. At the top of one hill, I laid down for a minute and considered napping. Then I remembered Matt making fun of me for doing that last year so I quickly got up. Great motivation, right?


Well, I was still pretty warm and really needed to cool down. I looked at my water bottle which was full of soda water and decided it would be a good idea to pour it all over me. Why not, I mean why waste your liquids on hydration? Now, I was hot, sticky, tired, delusional, and just about fed up with this whole damn race. Luckily, when I was 3 miles out, the clouds decided to come out, relieving the heat from the day. Had this not happened, I don't know how much longer I would have been out on the course.

Finally, I reached the 2 mile mark and shortly(relatively speaking) afterwards I only had 1 more mile to go. I started running(9 minute mile at fastest) and planned to run the entire mile without stopping. About half a mile out, I saw Matt who was waiting to run in with me. Together we shuffled into the finish, where I handed my bib to Travis and immediately laid down. My time for the 31 miles was 5:06:45 which was a 9:54 pace. I don't know how I even managed to get under 10 minutes, I don't even want to know how slow the last 10 miles were.




Myself looking awfully ridiculous at the finish of my run







But now our team was at 9 hours, 42 minutes and Travis was out there running. He took off, making me very nervous, but in all honesty I was just happy to be sitting down.


We saw Travis next at mile 70(7.5 miles for him). He was looking good and seemed to be having a blast. He was caught in a little rain and came in a little wet, but that just added to his excitement. However, a larger storm was starting to come in and it was looking pretty rough. We heard from one of the guys that dropped that he could have sworn he heard the tornadoes, which were only miles from portions of the course. I saw Joe Kulak come in at 55 miles and he looked pretty beat. Not to mention just about every other runner on the course.


After leaving this station, the weather got worse. It started pouring, the winds picked up and just got real nasty. Travis was out there all by himself for the next 8 miles and he would be running without seeing another human in middle of this incredible storm. We were just hoping that he would make it to Highway 12(mile 77) in one piece(and without getting lost).


We got over to Hwy 12 to find the aid station in pieces. The aid station captain showed us a tent that was destroyed by the storm, the metal had actually been bent by the incredible winds. He also notified us of a couple tornadoes that had passed by, one being very close to where we had stayed the night before.


After chatting with him, we saw Travis come through, still looking strong considering that he had run a hard 15 miles through a very hilly section. He was out just as soon as he got in, and headed to the last 4 miles of his leg, and probably the most difficult on the entire course. The hills from Hwy 12(77) to Rice Lake(81) and back to Hwy 12(86) were what killed me the year before. There are a couple steep hills that really work you.


When we got to Rice Lake, I went onto the course just to do a little post-storm inspection and catch Travis over his last quarter-mile. As soon as I took about 20 steps onto the course, I realized just how much the storm had done. One of the small bridges was submerged and the water level had definitely rose. To add to that, the greenery was overgrown and I had to duck quite a bit to make it very far. After about 15 minutes of thinking I heard a runner coming up, Travis came charging by. A few seconds later, I heard the yelling from our party, marking Travis' entry into Rice Lake. Then I caught Jon, who was charging back towards me onto the trail to run the final leg of the relay. You could tell he was pumped to finally be running(Can't blame him, he had been waiting around all day long!).


We caught up with Travis, who was looking very good all things considered. He was pretty excited about the run and kept mentioning how tough the hills were over the last section. He had almost gotten lost at one point because the storm had done some damage to the course markings. After getting him a shirt, we drove back to catch Jon at Hwy 12(mile 86).


Jon came in looking strong, yet a little winded from the past 4 miles of hills. He was only there momentarily before taking off again into the woods. Soon after coming in, the lead 100 miler, Joel Eckburg(2:33 marathoner and '08 McNaughton 50 Mile winner) came in. He was definitely tired, but when I saw him heading out to Rice Lake, he was still moving very well. He was putting together quite an impressive performance and had really done a good job of pacing himself in the heat. We waited around for a while to see who was in 2nd place, but apparently he was way ahead of anybody else.


It was beginning to get dark when we arrived at Bluff(the 4th time that day). There was a lot more coming and going from this point and the aid station was fairly active. I kept thinking how nuts it was, seeing people heading back to the 100K, knowing that 15 miles later they would still be in the exact same spot. Brutal. All of a sudden, we saw Jon cruising towards us. He was running very strong and actually looked better at this point then he did 8 miles prior. I ran alongside him to give him his light.


I have never seen anybody hungrier/thirstier at an aid station before. He ate just about everything he could get his hands on--sandwiches, fruit, m&m's, you name it, he ate it. He even took off with a half gallon of water!


Well, after 15 1/2 hours of running/crewing we made it to the finish line to catch Jon. After standing in the woods and being eaten alive for mosquitoes, we saw a fast moving flashlight(it had been dark for quite some time). We called out Jon's name, but we got no response. As the runner went by us, i mentioned to Matt that the runner looked like Jon. We said his name again, to which we heard a "mghmph". "Jon!" we all cried. We took off after him and crossed the finish line in 15 hours, 48 minutes, and 44 seconds.


It was great to finally finish off our crazy race, but it was even better knowing that we were finally going to get some sleep. We drove to Jon's house in Arlington Heights, put down a few beers, ate about half of the food in the house and crashed. Day over.


Results for the race are available at http://www.kettle100.com/Finisher%20Results%20for%20Website%202008.htm.

Joel Eckburg and Darla Brader won the 100 miler while Christine Crawford and Matt Aro won the 100K(Christine was the overall winner). Congrats to everyone that made it through the brutal conditions, finishing was quite an accomplishment today.

Holy Half

The Holy Half Marathon is a 13.1 mile run (obviously) divided into two loops around the Notre Dame campus. The course is very scenic, circling the entire campus as well as looping around a small lake, which takes you through a forested area. I was very hesitant about running this race on an injured IT band, but a lot of people from ISU wanted to do the run, so I figured that even if I had a poor race, at least the weekend would be enjoyable. The night beforehand, some of us got together at Ashley’s for a pasta dinner, movies, race shopping, and a last-minute attempt at fixing up my car.

I woke up before everyone else the next morning (as I always do before races) and went over to Watterson to pick up my friend Annie, who was coming along to check out the Notre Dame campus and do a little spectating. She went out the night before and since we had to leave around 4:30 am, she had not yet fallen asleep and planned to catch up on her zzz’s in the ever-so-comfortable backseat of my car.

I think that everyone met up around 5 and started the long drive shortly thereafter to South Bend in the dark. We pulled in about an hour before the race start, picked up our packets, stretched out our legs, and did some last minute race prep.

At about 15 minutes till 10, we headed off to the start of the race. Travis, Matt, Jon, and I all lined up at the very front, making sure that we were in contending position. The race was a little behind schedule, giving us plenty of time to talk with some of the other runners. We chatted for a bit and wished each other luck. About 10 minutes after the race was supposed to start, the RD gave us last minute instructions that I’m sure only the very front of the pack could hear. Finally, with a few more indiscernible words, the she made the countdown and the race was on.

A runner in a bright yellow triathlon jersey took off fast to quickly establish a lead over everyone else. Travis and Jon also sprinted off of the line like they were gunning for the top two spots. Matt and I laughed with each other and even yelled at them to slow down. We also started making predictions as to when the guy in the yellow was going to crash(I figured mile 2). For the first mile, Matt and I talked back and forth with one another. We were joking around and passed Jon and Travis about ¾ of a mile into it. They were still looking alright, but Matt and I were running a bit faster. The course markings had to have been off since we passed mile 1 in 5:30-something. I’m not sure if I have ever run a mile that fast in my life.

Matt and I were now leading a pack of about 10 or so runners with about 15 runners in front of us. We were chatting back and forth with the pack and joking around with each other. Soon enough, we stopped getting responses from everybody else running. I’m pretty sure that our casual attitude psyched them out. To be honest, they probably hated us, considering that we were having a good time, joking around, acting like we were just out for a causal jog, while they were already huffing and puffing.

Around the 2 ½ mile mark, we got a chance to see some familiar faces. Annie and Kate were both out there cheering us on, which was quite uplifting. I'm not so sure how much fun it was for Annie, as she really isn't into the whole running thing(she was also running on about ½ hour of sleep), but it was still nice to have her out there.



Matt(left) and myself(right) around mile 3

At 3 miles, we got our splits from another runner at 18:30(6:10/mile). We both felt great and were still laughing and joking around. Here, the trail took a turn off the roads and into the woods, which provided a smooth limestone path for the runners. We slowly separated ourselves from the pack we had started with during a loop around a small lake. We passed a few runners here and there—it was obvious that a few of the original frontrunners had underestimated the length of the race. However, our original plan of winning was also out of the question.

I was worried because a decent amount of the course was on sidewalks. My IT band was getting a little sore and I was not sure if it would hold up the entire distance. At 5 ½ miles, it started to irritate me to the point where I was seriously considering dropping. Everything else felt great, but I could not get my leg to cooperate.













Jon(left) and Travis(right) near mile 3.

I don’t know what happened, but when we finished the first loop of the race, the pain went away. I have no idea why or how, but the pain that had nearly forced me to drop was gone. Without the pain, I was finally able to concentrate on the race, which was turning out to be a duel between Matt and myself. At about 7 ½ miles, Matt told me that he could not run any faster. I really wanted to pass him, but I did not want to push to early and crash over the last few miles.
Near mile 9 ½, I decided to make a break for it. Matt seemed to be struggling and I figured that I could gut out the final 3 miles. I narrowed my eyes and picked up the pace a little, moving a couple steps ahead. Just as I was passing Matt, I also moved ahead of another runner, who we had been chasing for the last couple of miles. Matt and I moved into 7th and 8th place. I was hoping I could maintain the pace until the finish.

Unfortunately, I had made my move a little earlier than I should have, because no more than a mile later, I really started hurting. Matt caught up to me and at a hill not much further down the road, he powered past me. I lost a lot of energy on the climb and pulled about 25 yards back over the next quarter mile.

Ashley & Drinie havin' a blast around mile 5?

I was doing everything I could to hang on to him, but running was not getting any easier and keeping any sort of tempo required considerable effort. At about mile 11 ½, I pulled it together and managed to get back on pace. Matt was about 75 yards in front of me and I hoped that I might be able to catch him.

I kept looking over my shoulder, hoping that nobody would catch me, but a few glances back revealed no other runners were in sight. I turned around, kept my eye on Matt and started the 12th mile, which heads towards the campus for about a quarter mile and then right back to the 12 mile mark. This was so tough, but I still tried to speed up. I made the turnaround (app. mile 12 1/3) and started running hard to catch Matt. In the meantime, I could see Travis heading towards the turnaround. Just as I was heading towards the final straightaway, Jon came around the corner, about a minute behind Travis.

I had expected to see the finish line when I made the final turn, so I was understandably confused when I saw two runners well ahead of me still running the race. I kept trying to see where the damn thing ended when I finally realized that it was about a half mile past where we had started. This last stretch was brutal; the entire time I saw Matt ahead of me and despite running as hard as I could, I was unable to pick up ground. After the longest half mile of my life, I crossed the line in 7th place in 1:20:52. Doubled over, I went straight to soft grass to lie out and catch my breath.

Shortly afterwards, I heard Matt hollering for Travis, who was pulling in, finishing 11th in 1:23:01. Jon came in shortly afterwards, in 1:24:37, warning Travis that the next time, the race was his. Nothing like a little friendly competition. The rest of ISU pack finished in the following times:
Ashley - 1:45:45
Steph - 1:49:28.
Pajor - 1:55:48
Sylvia - 2:27:50.

Unfortunately, I really needed to use the bathroom and did not get a chance to catch these finishes. However, I was very happy with how things went and my 6:11 pace provided the confidence I needed to get me through the training for Chicago. Plus, I got a sweet pair of Crocs for my 7th place finish.

Picking up my sweet ND crocs @ the finish. At this point, I was quite relieved(more ways than one) to be finished.

** By the way, the guy we thought was going to drop early ended up winning the race in 1:11:14. He sure showed us.

Race results are available at http://www.nd.edu/~class08/holyhalf/Holy%20Half%20Results%202008.pdf

2007 in review

Right now I'm at the library doing some serious reminiscing. Here's a little recap of '07 . . .
Best Race: McNaughton Park 50 Miler
Tie between Tecumseh and McNaughton, but I'm going to give it to McNaughton since I have another section for Tecumseh. I trained my ass off for McNaughton, putting in a couple 30-35 mile training runs and some back-to-back 20 milers. I really pushed my training harder than the year before. The race went great. I felt very strong throughout the first 30 miles and was able to stay strong for an 8:50 finish. The course was muddy as hell, making the downhills dangerous and the uphills miserable. I was in second the entire way after the first 10 mile loop and hung on to finish 17 minutes(I think) behind winner, Jared Milam and 50 minutes ahead of third place. It was incredible to run in such a good position for the entire race.

Biggest Surprise: Tecumseh Trail
At Tecumseh, everything went well. I started off hard and just kept moving. I knew the race was competitive and expected to finish around 3:40 and about in 20th place. As the race went on, I kept passing people and eventually moved up to 6th place and finished in 3:21. I never even thought I could have done that well so everytime they announced my position, a rush was sent through me. I also felt so strong throughout the entire race. It felt like I ran faster as the race went on. Awesome, absolutely awesome.

Best Experience: Kettle Moraine 100
Whew! That race was an absolute blast. I have such good memories of the race, UI could write pages and pages about it. The course was incredible and it was really something to run a full day. I had some incredible highs—I felt great over the first marathon portion and really got something in me from mile 65 – 81. And the lows—crossing the marsh and the hills in the heat of the day(miles 40-55) and crashing hardcore over the last 15 miles were pretty brutal. It was a full emotional experience and although I fell short of my goal, I crossed the finish line quite happy. Of course, as soon as my head touched the seat of our van, I fell deep asleep.

Best Worse Race: Ice Age Trail 50
I am still not quite sure what I thought I was doing, but I really put together a bad strategy for this race. First off, I ran McNaughton 50 4 weeks prior to this run. That, in itself was not bad, but I never gave myself time for adequate recovery. 2 weeks after the run, I ran a 15 miler, followed by a 10 miler the next day. I was pretty beat from the 15-miler and the 10 miler gave me hell. I did not fully recover from those runs, as my legs were still sore going into the race.

Also, the week before the race was finals week @ ISU and I had to make sure that I had fun with everyone before we all left for break. I got pretty wasted the Friday and Saturday one week before the race and felt the effects pretty strong. I had this one huge project that I stressed out about up until Thursday night before the race, working on it until 10 pm. I finished it and got a good grade on it, but screwed up my sleep schedule considerably and often did not go to bed until 4 in the morning. On top of that, once the project was over (Thurs b4 the race), I went out, got really wasted, and did not get back until 3 in the morning. I had to wake up four hours later to catch a train into the city, from where I would take a train into Arlington Heights, where Michael Davenport would pick me up and drive me to the race. Needless to say, by the time that I arrived at the race, I was exhausted.

The morning of, I felt exhausted (another 4 hours of sleep the night before), and it seriously took me 20 miles to warm up. My legs were so stiff and sore (lack of sleep is my best guess)! I felt good from miles 20-30 or 35, and then started to feel the effects of the distance once I reached this point. Nevertheless, I finished in 8:18—a Ice Age Trail 50 PR. Not bad considering I had the race of my life the year before and finished 9 minutes slower.

Biggest Disappointment: IM Wisconsin
OK, so I only really had 2 ½ months to prepare for this race. More like 2 since I needed a little bit of time to recover from Kettle. Still, I trained hard for this race. I really pushed myself on the bike and got a few solid runs in to help the cause. Swimming was a little slow, but I felt that I was really working hard in this area.

The swim was pretty miserable, but turned out alright as I came up a minute ahead of my goal time. The bike was an absolute blast. I finished in 6 hours, 29 minutes, and 30 seconds—30 seconds ahead of my goal time!! That’s .1% off my goal time. Doesn’t get much closer than that.

The run was where things got ugly. I had never been in better running shape, but I didn’t hydrate properly on the bike and this really came back to bite me. I expected to feel great on the run so when I started out feeling bad, I knew something was wrong. Ending up in an ambulance 11 miles into the run capped the whole race off. My first DNF made this run my biggest disappointment.

2007 Races

McNaughton Park 50 Miler 8:49
RSO 5K 17:59—1st place!
Ice Age Trail 50 Miler 8:18
Kettle Moraine 100 Miler 23:19
Racine Half Ironman 5:25
Ironman Wisconsin: DNF
Farmdale Trail 33 miler: 4:59
Naperville Turkey Trot: 17:49
Tecumseh Trail Marathon: 3:21