Peak & pique

The weather gods blessed us here in Hog Heaven with decent weather for yesterday's Bix 7-Mile road race.  It was sunny and seasonably warm.  In contrast, most of this summer has been unseasonably hot.  I used the Bix as a training run in my preparation for the Pikes Peak Ascent (now only 20 days away!) and the North Face Endurance Challenge (48 days away).  While I didn't race, I did have a time goal, and I fell a scant 10 seconds short of it.   So, I was pleased with my effort and the outcome.

With only three weeks left before Pikes Peak, the coming week will be my last hard week before the race.  My schedule calls for a couple of maintenance runs (60-90 minutes), a hill workout, and a long run (I'm shooting for a minimum of 20 miles depending on the weather). 

I'm doubly excited right now.  I've begun the countdown to my "big" races--Pikes Peak and North Face--and the Olympics are underway in London.  I watched some swimming yesterday and plan to catch more swimming and some women's gymnastics today.  But, the "good" stuff--the running and jumping--doesn't start for several more days.  Stay tuned.

I miss the old days when ABC covered the Olympics.  ABC put the competition first.  NBC can't see beyond entertainment.  I guess that explains the prominent roles of such sports experts as Ryan Seacrest and Meredith Viera on the broadcasts. 

Okay, I get it.  It's not always easy to get outside and moving--especially at the height of summer heat or the depth of winter cold.    But, here's a good reason for any season:  Regular exercise not only adds years to one's life but it also enhances the quality of those years.  See here for inspiration: http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/07/23/exercise-adds-almost-4-years-to-life-span/

Running coach and Competitor magazine contributor Jeff Gaudette questions the efficacy of the 20+ mile long training run here:  http://running.competitor.com/2012/07/training/are-you-overemphasizing-the-marathon-long-run_55719

Jeff (and others) might be right, but I'm not convinced.  So, I'll keep doing what I'm doing.  For the time being anyway.   During most of the year, I do NOT do 20+ mile training runs.  But, during the build-up to a marathon or ultramarathon, I try to do as many as I can.  That's usually 4-6 during the peak weeks of training.   It's nice when toeing the starting line to know that you can run the distance.  The great unknown for me is how quickly I can cover the distance.

All That Jazz

I've beginning to sound like a broken record, but so is the weather here in Hog Heaven.  Continued hot & humid and bone dry.  Most of the state (Iowa) is now officially in a moderate drought.  I know that farmers are suffering mightily, but it's not easy for runners.

Nonetheless, I've managed to get in most of my scheduled runs this month.  I've cut back a bit on my long runs, but that's the only concession I've made so far.  This week is an easy week for me:  no long run but a hill workout (Tuesday) and a race (the Bix 7-Mile) on Saturday.  The Bix is a big deal locally.  (Its namesake, Bix Beiderbecke, is a Jazz Age musician from right here in the Quad-Cities.)  The race draws upwards of 20,000 runners including some of the world's top distance runners.  Past winners include Olympians Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, and Lisa Uhl.  (Lisa, who made the U.S. team in the 10,000 meters is an Iowa native.)  I haven't decided how to approach the hilly race: as a race or a training run.  Right now, I'm leaning toward training run. 

I've run one ultra marathon: last fall's North Face Endurance Challenge 50K at Madison, Wisc.  I tried to go out slowly, walk strategically, and avoid any hydration or blood sugar issues.  It worked fairly well and the race didn't seem much harder than a marathon.  Of course, I suffer in marathons because I refuse to do the same smart things.  But, that's another story.

This fall, I'm registered for the North Face 50-Mile at Madison.  With the extreme weather here in Hog Heaven, I'm not sure that my training has been/will be up to the task.  So, if necessary, I'll drop back and run the 50K again.

I love trails and I like the idea of ultras.  But, I know my limits.  Imposed mostly by my age.  And, as much as I find iconic ultras like the Western States 100 intriguing, it's not likely that I'll ever run them.  My goal is to pace my son at Western States or another biggie someday.

Anyway, two of the country's most iconic--and grueling--ultras were contested in the past couple of weeks.  If you weren't paying attention, here's what you missed. 

The Hardrock 100 is history.  Hal Koerner won the men's race in 24:50:13, the third fastest time in Hardrock history.  Darcy Africa was the first woman finisher in 29:09:47.  See more results here: http://www.irunfar.com/2012/07/2012-hardrock-100-results.html

Here's a brief race recap of the race from UltraRunning magazine: http://www.ultrarunning.com/ultra/features/news/koerner-and-africa-winner.shtml 

Hardrock winner Hal Koerner reprises his race here:  http://www.irunfar.com/2012/07/surprising-myself-and-others-hal-koerners-2012-hardrock-100-race-report.html

Another of the country's masochist magnets wrapped up this week: the Badwater Ultramarathon.  Badwater runs 135 miles from Death Valley, Calif.--the lowest point in the U.S.--to Mt. Whitney, Calif.--the highest point in the Lower 48.  This year's run saw relatively cool temps with a high of "only" 109 degrees.  Here's a brief recap:  http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/07/17/2912087/oswaldo-lopez-of-madera-finishes.html

London countdown

Another hot & humid week here in Hog Heaven.  Despite the humidity, we can't seem to squeeze out any moisture in the form of rain and most of the state is suffering moderate drought.  And, the long-term forecast for August thru October calls for above-average temps and below-average rainfall.  Not good for runners, but a disaster for farmers.

I've had a decent week of training that included a hard hill workout on Tuesday.  My most important run of the week is tomorrow's long run.  I need to do at least 18 miles, but if the conditions warrant, I'm going to try and stretch that to 20 or more.  Right now, the forecast is for an overnight low of 65 degrees.  That would be the coolest morning this week.  I plan to rise at 3:40 a.m. and be out the door by 4:10.  Stay tuned.  

Check your calendars.  One week from today, the 2012 Olympics open in London.  Having waited four years, I'm getting more excited by the day.  Of course, everybody doesn't share my enthusiasm for the Games.  German publication Der Spiegel, for example, predicts "an Olympic-sized fiasco" for London:  http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/london-and-the-2012-olympic-games-a-match-made-in-hell-a-844599.html

Distance-running insiders--like Bill Rodgers and Craig Virgin--handicap the distance events at the London Olympics:  http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=26566

Here's a nice piece on U.S. marathoner Shalane Flanagan.  I've been picking Shalane for a Olympic marathon medal since before she won the U.S. Olympics Marathon Trials back in January:  http://running.competitor.com/2012/07/news/rivals-are-key-to-flanagans-confidence_55538

And, here's another piece on Shalane from Outside magazine:  http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/running/road-running/Win-or-Die-Trying-20120801.html

Here's one of my early blog posts heralding Shalane's Olympics prospects:  http://runningthrutwenty12.blogspot.com/2012/01/training-for-colorado-and-thinking.html

Chasing the Moon

Despite another ghastly hot week here in Hog Heaven, I managed to get in a decent week of training.  The best day was Thursday, and I took advantage by rising at 3:45 and getting in a 24-mile long run before the worst of the heat.  On Saturday evening, I toed the line at the Moonlight Chase, a local 4-miler that starts at 9:00 p.m.  The late start didn't protect us from the heat though as it was still 83 degrees at the start with plenty of humidity.  Despite the conditions, a record 2100+ turned out.  I managed a third place finish in my age group and another trophy.  I've raced four times this year and captured age group awards in all four: two firsts, a second, and a third.  I have four more races scheduled this year: Quad-City Times Bix 7 (July 28), Pikes Peak Ascent (August 18), Run with Carl 5K (September 3), and the North Face Endurance Challenge (September 15).  For the Pikes Peak Ascent and the Endurance Challenge, my goal isn't more hardware.  It's simply to finish! 

This week promises to be hot and humid again with daytime highs in the mid- to upper-90s.  My schedule calls for another 40-mile week: a hill workout, a couple of maintenance runs, and an 18-mile long run.  Looks like another week of 0 Dark Thirty wake-ups ahead. 

If you're still looking for a reason to start running, take a look at the findings of Paul Williams, a a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who runs the world's largest study of runners' health, known as the National Runners' Health Study.   For example, after studying over 100,000 runners for over 20 years, Williams reports that "One of the things that pleases me is how broad-spectrum the results are. Nobody in our cohort really gets sick at all until they're about 60."  For more see here:  http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Scientist-has-only-good-things-to-say-about-3700504.php  

I'm not a big fan of the 1500 meters, but I am a fan of Jenny Simpson.  And, Jenny runs the 1500.  So, I was watching the Olympics Trials 1500 at Eugene, Ore. and will be watching at London.  Morgan Uceny won the 1500 at the Trials with Shannon Rowbury and Simpson neck-and-neck in second and third.  If you didn't catch the race at Eugene, here's an account:  http://running.competitor.com/2012/07/news/morgan-uceny-leo-manzano-win-1500m-finals_54917

I'm also not a fan of beer, but I know that lots of runners are.  So, here are the results of a study that shows that moderate--key word here--beer consumption is good for runners:  http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/07/09/benefits-of-moderate-beer-consumption/

A new countdown begins . . .

Okay.  It's approaching mid-July.  It's been eight weeks since the Colorado Marathon--my first target race of 2012.  In the weeks and months prior to Colorado, I blogged 4/5 times a week.  Unfortunately, since then I've been lucky to post twice a week.  No excuse.  But, I can do better.

I have two more target events scheduled this year:  the Pikes Peak Ascent and the Madison, Wisc. North Face Endurance Challenge.  The Ascent is now only 40 days off.  The Madison North Face event is only 68 days away.

So far, my training has been adequate.  I hope.  The very hot and humid July weather (lots of mid- to upper 90s and a few days of 100+) has curtailed my longer runs though and slowed my hill workouts.  Still, I've managed to get in three 20+ mile long runs and a hard hill workout every two weeks.

This week, I have a long run (20+ miles) scheduled for Wednesday morning--according to weather forecasts, the coolest morning this week.  On Saturday, I'm running a quaint local race: the Moonlight Chase 4-Mile.  It's an annual event held in a small town on the northern edge of the Quad-Cities.  It starts at 9:00 p.m. and the route is lined with luminaries.  Despite the dark, it's still warm and usually humid.  Last year, it was 80 degrees at the 9:00 p.m. start.  I do it for fun and count it as speed work.  Coming only three days after a 20+ mile effort, I'll need to be careful about pace though.   

This year's Western States 100 is in the books, but for all you masochists out there, there's still Hardrock.  That would be the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run.  See the website here:   http://hardrock100.com/index.php

Western States is tough.  Hard Rock is tougher.  It's run in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado and there's 67,984 ft. of elevation change along the 100 mile route.  The average elevation is 11,186.  The cutoff for finishers at Western States is 30 hours.  It's 48 hours at Hard Rock.  In 2011, 140 runners started and 80 finished.

To hear what some of them have to say about the experience, see the video here:  http://www.irunfar.com/2012/07/the-voices-of-hardrock-part-1-adventure.html

The heat is on

The past week has been a tough slog here in Hog Heaven.  We've consistently had temps in the mid- to upper 90s along with ample humidity.  Running has been a challenge to say the least.  Unfortunately, it's not going to get any better in the short term.  The Weather Service is predicting that similar conditions will continue over the coming week.

Despite the conditions, I've managed to get in all my scheduled training runs including an 18-mile long run on Monday.  (As it turned out, eighteen was about my limit.  Unless the weather breaks, I don't know what will happen week after next when I have twenty-four scheduled.)  I've stayed on schedule by getting up at 0 Dark Thirty to beat the heat.  I was out the door on Monday morning at 4:06 a.m.  This approach works for me because I'm able to take a nap in the afternoon.  Others aren't so lucky.   It could be worse, of course.  Unlike those poor folks on the east coast, we have power.  And unlike the people of Colorado Springs, we aren't battling wild fires. 

I spent quite a bit of time over the past week watching the Olympics Trials: track & field, swimming, and a bit of gymnastics.  I'm now primed for London.  As we get closer to the Opening Ceremony, I'll have some comments on my favorite competitors and their events.  Stay tuned.

Here's more good news for us coffee freaks.  A new study shows that regular consumption reduces the risk of heart failure by 11%.  See more here:  http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/06/29/drinking-coffee-may-lower-heart-failure-risk/

Okay.  So, I'm a dirty old man.  Anyway, isn't minimalism all the rage in running circles these days?  If minimalist shoes work for many runners, why shouldn't minimalist shorts work for those who can wear them?  If that's you, check out these styles:  http://blog.runningwarehouse.com/ruap/bootyful-short-shorts-for-fearless-femmes/