Tecumseh Trail Marathon

After getting lost at Farmdale, I figured I needed to redeem myself with a decent trail run so I signed up for the 2007 version of the Tecumseh Trail Marathon. After about a week of rest, I started back into my routine, logging anywhere from 50-65 miles a week and getting some 20 mile trail runs at McNaughton Park in Pekin and Clinton Lake in, well, Clinton. The running was nothing over the top and I was able to train at a solid level without ever wearing myself out. By race week, my legs felt strong and very fresh.

The night before, I drove from ISU to Bloomington, Indiana. Before leaving, my friend Kym swiped me a ton of food from the food court. Everything I needed for the weekend-cereal, water, powerade, bagels. . . if it had carbs in it, it was in the bag. I got a little lost on the drive down on a side road that looked like a shortcut on the map. (A word of advice: never take shortcuts that are over 60 miles) After speeding down backroads and zigzagging through towns, I finally made it to Bloomington, raced into the packet pickup right before they packed up and drove to Indiana University to meet up with my brother Mike. We went to some wrap shop, got some dinner and caught up a little bit, and then I left Mike to get to my campsite. I was under the assumption that the place we were staying at was right outside of Bloomington, but I had to drive about 40 minutes to get there. Nothing like being prepared.

When I arrived at the campsite, I realized that I had also forgot any sort of blanket. To top that off, the bed I was sleeping on had a plastic cover and was fairly uncomfortable when all I had were clothes to sleep in. Needless to say, I was still pretty tired when our alarm went off at 5 am. I left the group and went back to Indiana University to pick up Mike and then drove back to the finish line of the race so we could follow the shuttle buses to the start.

As we soon found out, the shuttle buses drove right by Indiana University, meaning I had just drove about 20 miles out of my way. Then, since we had missed the earlier buses, we found ourselves nervously looking at the clock as it grew closer and closer to the 10 am race start. We finally pulled in at 9:55. I was so nervous that I practically ran to the starting line. Fortunately, the race was a little behind schedule and we had to wait for one or two more buses to arrive. I caught up with Marla, Zach Gingerich, and my running buddy from ISU and first time marathoner, Travis right before the run. At about 15 minutes til, they lined us all up and gave us final race instructions. I turned to Marla and told her that I was going to go for it and see what happened. We were pumped for everything to unfold.

And Bam! The gun went off. We took off at a pretty good pace and the people up front were really moving. We ran down the road for about a quarter mile, just trying to position ourselves so that we didn’t get stuck behind slower runners. When we got onto the trail, the pack I was in consisted of about 40 -50 runners led by the lead group of 5. I moved up a little bit during the first couple miles, but not much. Everybody was running hard and I knew I was really testing myself by moving at this pace.
Running in a group of so many people was very difficult because I couldn’t attack the downhills as I usually do. I had to slow down every time we went down them because I was always on the heels of the runner in front of me. This was very frustrating, but I figured it was one way that forced me to pace myself. By the 5th mile, the pack had thinned a bit and the group I was running with was at approximately 15 people. We passed a spectator who rattled off our places, “14th, 15th, 16th,” and for me “17th. . .” This news shocked me. I had expected that the best I could do was pull off a top 20 finish and I had planned to reserve my strength for the end of the race. I was worried that I was moving too fast, but continued forward hoping that I wouldn't crash at a later stage in the race.
Travis was with me in the pack as well as some other good characters. I ran with a guy named Hank Risley, a competitive trail runner who finished 4th in last years Huff 50K. Hank was a great guy to run and his uplifting comments and frequent chatter kept the atmosphere loose. The rest of the pack was also talkative, which made the run rather enjoyable for the early sections.

The first half of the Tecumseh course contains the majority of the 3500' of elevation gain and to my dismay, the pack did not stop to hike up any of these hills. I had planned to run very conservatively through the hilly sections, walking whenever necessary. Everyone else had another agenda. The continued to bound up the hills and I decided to take a chance and stick with them. The hill sections were very long and I was very worried that I was expending more energy than I should have been running up them. At the 6.5 mile aid station, we were clocked at 45 minutes, which is a little under 7 minute miles. Again, faster than planned, but I felt that it was manageable. No sign of Mike at the aid station, I figured I would just have to catch him at the next one.
Shortly after leaving the aid station, we caught up with a runner wearing a blue bandana who fell back and became a part of the pack. As the race continued, we eventually would catch up to one runner after another, moving forward one position at a time. We were really making ground on the flat sections and Hank announced that our pace on these sections was 6:30. Hank was really fast and pushed us hard on these sections. The runner in the blue bandana was a stronger runner on the hills and would push ahead on these sections. After a while, I glanced behind me and noticed that the pack was thinning and down to about 10 runners, some of which we had caught in recent miles.

An enormous hill at the end of a brief section of paved road marked the 13 mile mark of the course. Halfway up, we were forced to hike, marching upwards with everything that we could muster. At the top, one of the volunteers announced that the difficult section was over, that the course was all downhill the rest of the way. The group took to that well, but there were a few more hills to deal with.

About 2 miles later, the pack finally seperated for good, leaving Travis with some of the other runners. For his first marathon, he was really doing well. I just hoped that he would be able to finish strong. At this point, the runners consisted of Hank, myself, and the runner in the blue bandana. After being forced to retie my shoe, I lost sight of these two, but knew that I had to catch back up to them if I wanted to maintain a substantial pace.

I ran through a tricky section where smaller trees lined the sides of the trail and forced runners to weave in and out to stay on the path. I sped up to catch the group ahead of me and soon I was able to see them running through the trees, now with another runner. As I got closer, I realized this runner was Zach Gingerich. I caught up to the group and on a long uphill, the three of us passed Zach, moving into 7th, 8th, and 9th place as a group.

After the uphill, leaves covered the trail and navigation became just as difficult as the running. Luckily, the course was very well marked and we just had to find the next pink ribbon in the trees. At about mile 18 we left the trail and ran along a road after another long climb. I took off down the road and although I thought I was running fast, Hank sped past me, forcing me to speed up. I could not believe that I was moving as fast as I was at this point and hoped that we could maintain the pace we were at. My hope was to maintain the pace and not lose my position in the race.

We continued to run fast through the woods and soon we reached the mile 2o mark, according to Hank's GPS unit. I still felt strong, but knew that I only had so much left. As we approached the next aid station I noticed two runners in front of us, leaving the aid station. I couldn't believe it! I never expected to be in position to contend for 5th place in the race, at best I figured I could hit the top 20. I quickly grabbed something to drink, downed a gel, and sped off. Hank, myself, and Mr. Bandana took off after them and on a flat open section, me and Hank moved past them. At this point, we were running faster than at any other point of the race. I knew I was moving fast and was running the way I usually do at a 5K.

At the next aid station at 23 miles, Hank and I sped through the aid station while the runner in the blue bandana stayed back. There was little distance left in the race and I knew that if I wanted to have a shot at 5th, I needed to make a move. I flew down the hills and started to really move. I felt like a badass when I flew past spectators after a downhill section. Hank lost a couple steps to me and I started to think that I was going to leave him behind me.

However, not more than 200 meters after this section, my legs started to really fatigue and I had to push to keep moving. Hank announced the 24 mile mark and not long after that, he ran past me. Now I was struggling to hang on and the minor hills were turning into quite significant obstacles. I was giving it everything I had, but was barely moving. Shortly after Hank left me, a long hill(which seemed like a mountain at this point) rose in front of me. I ran/walked most of the way up and by the time I reached the top, I was able to see the guy in the bandana closing in.

The rest of the way was an absolute struggle. I was barely running, just trying to finish the race running. I ran into the 25 mile aid station where the volunteers' words of encouragement motivated me to keep going. After I ran past them, I saw the finish area on the other side of the lake as well as the rest of the course. The finish was so close, but I knew there was still a lot of racing left to do. Shortly afterwards, I left the woods and went on to a road section. I saw Hank and another runner about a quarter mile ahead of me, but no matter how badly I wanted to catch them, I could not force myself to pick up the pace. I kept looking behind me, waiting for the bandana guy to come out of the woods, paranoid I would lose a spot. Soon enough he did and he started to close in. A short uphill section in the road took even more out of me and it was just a struggle to put one foot in front of the other. However, I was able to see the finish after this and ran onwards. The adreneline kicked in and now I started sprinting the last quarter mile. As I approaced the last turn, I recognized a car pulling into the parking lot. It was Mike! He finally found me. From this point on, I sprinted in with Michael running alongside me and crossed the finish line in 3:21:17. Whew! I felt so good! I was pretty beat from the last section of the race, but I was on such an endorphin high and my solid finish capped the entire race off.

My finish was good enough for 6th place overall and 2nd in the 20-24 age category. Mr. Bandana came in about 20 seconds behind me. Had the course been another 100 meters he would have surely passed me. The race was incredible and one of my greatest running experiences off all time. The run was exhilirating from start to finish and I came away having an absolute blast.

Congrats to Travis, who came in not even twent minutes later in 3:40:37, 22nd overall and 1st in the 19 & under age category for his first marathon.
Also, a major congrats to Marla, who won the race overall for the women in 3:47:05, posting yet another impressive trail victory.

Race results are available at http://www.dinoseries.com/2007TTMresults.htm
and I hope to post pictures soon!

If you are considering a trail marathon, do this one. The organization is great and the course will provide you with a lasting experience.

Naperville Turkey Trot 5K

Finally, a 5K! I had done one since last year's Turkey Trot and was a little curious to see what I could run it in. I was hoping to break 6 minute miles and really wanted a 17:30 5K(5:38 min/mile). My brothers Mike, Dominic, and Sam were also running along with my aunt Laurie.

There were over 4500 runners that ran the race so packet pickup was a little hectic. We finally got out of there and made my way close to the front. It was pretty packed so when the race started at 8:00 am, I had to jam my way through a bunch of runners to stay at the pace I wanted to. After getting off to a moderate start, I started passing people. At about the half mile mark, I had passed up just about everybody that had overestimated their speed and were already starting to look bad. I kept passing people up and passed the first mile in 5:40, just slighltly off of my ideal pace.


I still felt really good, better than I usually do at this point in a 5K. I picked up the pace a bit and passed quite a few more runners. When I got to the halfway mark, I was starting to feel the effects of moving faster, but still was moving well. I passed up the leading women and a couple others at this point. I reached mile 2 in 11:15, posting a 5:35 mile, putting me right on pace.

However, the next mile got really tough. I knew I was on pace and really wanted that 17:30, but my legs were toast. I wasn't passing anyone up at this point, but at the same time nobody was passing me. My legs were in such bad shape that the thought of being physically unable to run to the rest of the way crossed my mind. However, I just grimaced my teeth and remembered some of those tough miles in my 50 and 100 miler runs and figured that about 3 minutes of pain probably wasn't so bad after all.


Finally, we came to the home stretch. Usually, I have something left at this point, but there was nothing left for a final sprint. The two top women passed me at this point and I just kept my pace for the rest of the way in. I crossed the finish line in 17:49, off my goal, but a new PR for the 5K. I was just happy to finish. The overall pace was a 5:45, meaning that my last mile was just under 6 minutes. I managed to finish 34th overall and 7th in my age group.
Overall results are available at http://www.chicagoaa.com/results/searchable.html.

Stay tuned, next week is my first trail marathon, here I come Tecumseh!

Here are some pics. My bro Sam is on bottom and Mike's on the right.

2007 Farmdale Trail Runs

The Farmdale Trail Run is a 33 mile race in East Peoria, consisting of three 11 mile loops through the Farmdale Reservoir. The race is 100% trail and mostly single track. There are hills throughout the course, however the terrain is very runnable. It was just what I needed considering that it had been a pretty rough time since it had been four months since my last ultra. I had been training quite a bit for Ironman Wisconsin and I was itching to get back out onto the trails and get out of that damn pool!


I chose to run this race for three reasons. First, the race site is not even an hour from Illinois State. How could I not run an ultra that was so close to me? Secondly, the event was not too long(at least for an ultra) nor competitive and I needed a break from the intense Ironman atmosphere. And finally, (this kind of contradicts objective #2) I had noticed that if the same field came out from last year, I would have a legitimate shot at winning the race. However, this was last on the list and I figured that it was something to keep in the back of my mind.

I drove out to the race with good friend and fellow runner Marla Luckey. Marla is a very good ultra runner who has won a bunch of ultras, including last year's Farmdale Run. A little ways into the drive she mentioned that her friend Zach from Aurora was coming up to the race. All of a sudden alarm bells went off. "Zach Gingerich!?" Yes, it was Zach Gingerich, one of the top ultra runners in the area with a record of impressive runs including top ten finishes at the Ice Age Trail 50. I guess there was always second place to look forward. Marla mentioned that Zach thought that I had a shot at beating him. I was shocked that he even knew who I was but came back down to earth pretty quickly when I realized my chances.


We got to the race at about 6:45, checked in, ran into Andy Weinberg(helping coordinate the race and RD of the McNaughton Park Trail Runs-does an incredible job)and made last minute race adjustments. At five minutes before the race, we all lined up and got ready to roll. The RD made last minute announcements and soon enough we were off.

For the first couple of miles, it was difficult to tell who I was racing. There was an eight mile race going on at the same time and they ran the first portion of the course with us. I tried to take it easy but I didn't want to let the leading 33-milers get out of sight. I stayed well behind the top eight milers, but still near the front of the pack. By the time we got to the point where the eight and 33 milers split(around mile 4), I learned that I was in 4th place.

The start of the race, you probably can't see me, but I'm the one on the right side with the white shirt and white hat.


Soon enough we got back on the same course with the eight milers and me and another 33 miler named Rob got behind two of eight mile guys. The trail took a strange turn and headed towards a gravel road with no directions. We took a left onto that road and ran down it for a little ways. Soon we passed a trail marker that was facing the opposite way with no sign of any runner ahead of us. After another sharp turn, we were at the start of the race! Crap! Running an ultra is always more difficult when you run more than you are supposed to.

We turned around, dejected that we no longer had a legit shot at winning the race, but we decided to make the most out of our situation and get back on the course. We sped up quite a bit, backtracked for a a little under a mile and finally found where we missed the turn. The eight milers that we followed were in front of the sign we missed, blocking it from our view.


Rob and myself -just after just getting back on the trail.



Rob and I played catch up for the rest of the
loop. We ran pretty quickly, trying to make ground on some of the runners ahead of us. We rounded out the first lap in 1:41 and we were told that we were in 11th and 12th place. Pretty disheartening since our goal time was almost 15 minutes faster, but we stayed upbeat since we still had a chance to place. Rob took his time in the aid station; normally I would have kept running, but I figured that since we were just out there having fun that I should just wait for him. We lost a couple of minutes off of our overall time throughout the course by doing this, but since we winning was out of the picture I wasn't too concerned. I found out that Marla was only four minutes ahead and although I hate to admit it, I hoped to catch her. There's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right?

The second lap went pretty smoothly. I stuck with Rob and we got into a nice rhythm. We passed a couple of guys here and there, but other than that, we were alone on the trails. I barely felt like I was breathing, my legs still felt strong, and the temperature was now perfect for running. I was really feeling good, better than I usually do at this point in a 50K.

Perhaps things were going too smoothly, because on one of the tricky downhills, I took a nasty tumble on the trail, nearly missing some rocks. I ended up with minor scrapes and a dirty shirt, but nothing major-could have been much worse.

The rest of the lap was pretty uneventful. We passed some guys here and there, and enjoyed the scenery. By the end of the second lap, my legs were starting to get a little on the sore side, but as should be expected considering I had run over 23 miles.

We came into the aid station, expecting to hear that we were in 7th and 8th place, but instead we were told that we were still in 11th and 12th. Needless to say, I was a little frustrated. Apparently, they mixed up the numbers the first time around and we probably were closer to 15th. However, they did tell us that there was a pack of runners not far ahead.

Angry about our positioning, but motivated to catch the guys ahead of us, Rob and I took off for the final loop. We got about a quarter mile when we passed a runner that was barely walking, in real bad shape. Shortly afterwards, we passed another guy.

By now, I really wanted to make some progress so I started moving a little bit faster. I slowly, but surely pulled ahead of Rob; it took about 3 miles to fully lose sight of him. In the meantime, the course led us through a scenic portion of switchbacks. Every turn I made, I could have sworn I saw the next runner through the trees. But everytime it was just my imagination playing games with me. I got to a decent uphill around the marathon mark and saw two more runners ahead of me. I passed one of the guys pretty easily, but the other woudn't get passed without a fight. To lose him, I stared pushing the hills. I figured it was time to give everything I had, but at the same time I hoped I wasn't overdoing it with 6 miles to go.


Soon enough, both of them were out of sight and I was alone again on the trail. Pushing some of the hills that I did had left me pretty beat and made it tough to keep a good pace. Soon enough, I ran into the only real long steep uphill section and this time it really took its toll on me. I walked most of the way up and was pretty beat by the time I reached the top. Definitely lost some time here. After the long climb, there was an aid station. I quickly downed some Coke which put a little wind into my sails.

There were only about four miles left in the race and by now I had given up on catching anyone in front of me. Throughout this section, I recapped the day. Had I known I would have gotten lost, I am sure I would have been incredibly disappointed. But all I could think about was how much fun I had out there. This was less of a race and more of an enjoyable couple of loops. I had cruised throughout the day at a comfortable pace in a beautiful forest. I had paced myself fairly well, ran a good race(besides getting lost), and made some new friends. But now, I was ready to go home.

I reached the last mile of the course, which was through somewhat of an opening. All of a sudden, I started feeling much better and I started running pretty hard. I made a final run through the forest, then popped out to see the clock reading just over 4:59. I sprinted in, just making it under my 5 hour goal for the race!

Here's a link to the results

http://www.farmdaletrailrun.com/docs/2007results_33mile.pdf

Congrats to Marla on (once again) winning the race and breaking her own course record!