Running in an Icebox to start 2017

There's something exhilarating about throwing on tights, cold-weather running socks, a couple long-sleeve shirts, gloves, hat, and a buff (or a balaclava) and hitting the roads and trails during sub-zero temperatures...at least I think it is exhilarating. Our bodies are amazing machines and it is incredible how much heat our bodies can produce running, and even in such extreme cold temperatures, survive 3, 6, 10+ miles...as long as no skin is exposed to frostbite!

I'm excited for the 2017 race season to start! The race calendar is slowly filling up, and while I initially had a goal of training up for a 100 miler this year, due to my last 50 miler being in 2014, I will train up for a 50 miler this year, and plan for next year for my first 100 miler. A significant goal this year is to both include more cross-training and to stick to more regimented training schedules for running 50k and 50 mile trail races. As a starting point and inspired by folks with the Upper Midwest Training Running Group (UMTR), I'm participating in the Leadville Treadmill challenge. By the end of February, the goal is to complete 3 miles at 15% grade on a treadmill (and my best speed). Working up to this point over the next month and a half, I will continue to improve on three benchmarks of the total distance ran in 15 minutes at 15%. My base starting from 1/4/2017 is 1.11 miles in 15 minutes at 15% grade. I admit I hiked some, and then fluctuated between 10 min/mile and 15 min/mile, simply because I had not clue where my baseline could be and wasn't ready to injure myself 4 days in to the year. This, along with improved nutrition, regular hydration with water, plenty of Nuun, and a more moderate amount of whiskey and beer, I see this year starting off strong and am committed to a stronger year than 2016.

2016 I fell off the horse for some time. Became distracted with life transitions, graduate school, and international travel, but am excited for 2017.

While I would love to jump out to an early season race here in January, having a 5k and half marathon in February (and another half marathon in March) are far enough away to work my conditioning and strength back up to feel comfortable running those stretches before working on being more competitive as the year progresses. Lastly...you'll read it here, I'm committed to making this blog, whether anyone reads it or not, a place to share, be inspired, be curious, and for anyone willing to take a leap, ask questions (about anything really...why not bring strangers together for the joy of spontaneity).  I'm ready 2017..bring it!

A few missteps and stumbles, but not out of the race

About 8 years ago, encouraged by my fellow Pace Corps Volunteers, I discovered a talent that had eluded  me for nearly two decades, the ability to run. Growing up swimming, playing soccer, and shootin' hoops, I was no foreigner to sports and athletics, though running as a  means of exercise (or enjoyment) was never in the cards. My training for the Kampala Marathon in Uganda lasted all of one month with a gluttonous week of eating and drinking. A year later, in late 2009, I found myself choosing to wake up at 5:30am for regular 4-10 mile runs before teaching at my 7:30am Biology lectures. These regular runs for all intents and purposes were my conditioning runs motivating me to register for complete my first race ever, the 2012 Portland Marathon. Horrible shin splints aside and the realization that Nike Frees were not the shoes for me, I was happy to finish my first race ever with a time of 4:02:25--especially for never having been a runner.

The next few years I found a niche in trail running, in many thanks to my running partner Brendan Soulé. Working up to trail marathons, 50ks, and finally a 50-miler, often at elevation, I couldn't help but to wonder how I ever became an ultra runner. Well...my swimming coach in high school made me swim the 500 meter freestyle my sophomore year. I would energetically perform as my alma mater's school mascot, at times for more than 4 hours straight or in 100+ degree weather, sweating profusiouly, yet I rarely tired. Friends and family have made fun of me for years at my inclination to walk places as my ideal form of transportation-even if it means that I am walking 10 miles in relatively extreme temperatures. So, am I somehow preconditioned for endurance activities? Maybe, but that doesn't mean that I'm not without missteps and stumbles in fulfilling my potential.

2016 has been an incredibly tough year. Prior to moving to Minneapolis in August 2015, I felt on top of the world in regards to my running success. Hard work paid off and I became part of Team Nuun as an amateur athlete. I was and am incredibly proud of the amazing community of people and athletes that believe in and live Nuun, and proudly sport my Nuun kit at events (and training) so I can speak to its benefits. Being sponsored for a second year in a row as, to me, another sign of the hard work and attention my success had garnered. I discovered the power of Altra shoes, and how well my fit feet and my legs respond and heal after putting them through so much, which I do partially attribute to Altra Instinct 2.0s and Lone Peak 2.5s. PRs in the half marathon (Race for the Roses), 50k (Surf the Murph), and breaking out the Yak Traks for some icy, winters running, I was prepared for anything. So I thought. While I immersed myself in to some amazing running communities with Mill City Runnung and the Upper Midwest Trail Running Club here in Minneapolis, the demand of graduate school, changes in employment, months of international travel, and the overall impact of a major life transition curtailed my aspirations to build on my past success and toward a goal of prepping myself for a 100-miler. It took some time to come to terms with my slump, but upon that realization, and an unfortunate DNF in the 2016 Surf the Murph by choice (halfway through I felt as I should at the end), I knew I had to get back to the basics. Weeks went by when it was mentally exhausting to even get out for a 4-mile run. Now I feel anxious and stressed when I don't get out for that 4-mile run. I'm excited to be out there again; it's where I'm meant to be. Bring it 2017, I'm ready to f!$* sh%? up!

All that said, 2016 wasn't without its successes:

• As mentioned above, I have both been fortunate to within the Team Nuun community for a second year running, and have spread the Nuun love with so many strangers, friends, and family. Even the pantry of my girlfriend and her housemates is well-stocked and Nuun has become part of their daily, morning routines. Nuun has been a regular part of my daily diet and rehydration, with Nuun All Day each morning., and Nuun Active and Energy to keep me going through the day.
• PR in my road marathon time with a time of 3:34:35-nearly 30 minutes faster than my only other marathon time!
• Finished 3rd in age group and 5th overall in the 2016 Frozen Feet half marathon on ice/snow in Champlin, Minnesota.
• Completed 37 miles at the Icebox 480 endurance run in November 2016 in River Falls, Wisconsin. I was nowhere near the conditioning I expect myself to be at, but two weeks prior I DNFed at mile 22 of a 50k...this was also a race in which I stopped at 21 miles in 2015 due to knee pain.

I'm so excited for 1017! With friends, family, Altra, Nuun, and who knows what other little gem finds it's way in to my running heart this next year, I can already feel the confidence and motivation growing. With a 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon, 50k, and a 12-person relay already on the schedule, the surface is only scratched with events to continue my growth in the running community. What is my big next step? 50-miler PR? Triathlon? 100-miler? I don't even know, but I'm so excited to continue being part of such an amazing community of people all striving to surpass their own potential.

NEW POST COMING

This past year brought an abundance of both fantastic, amazing experiences, and plenty of challenging moments and periods of time. Lack of inspiration, low motivation, limited training opportunities, frustration, and heaps of deprecating and self-induced embarrassment piled on to me this past year in regards to my running life.  I humbly and meekly expressed to Bekah at my favorite running store and crew at Mill City Running (the very store that made me feel at home here in Minneapolis with the running community) that a combination of graduate school, work, and low motivation threw me in to a running funk. Like any amazing support network she totally understood, and was excited to see me back out on the road again soon. That was a few months ago. I've still been withdrawn, but I'm back...well I'm coming back. I've been back on my feet. Slowly putting on more miles. All along the way (and even while not running), Nuun has had my back keeping me energized, and has been a constant reminder about how much time and energy I put in to running the past few years. I owe it to myself to come back out to the world.

Keep your eyes peeled for a new post here in the coming week with an update on a few end of the season races coming up here in Minneapolis that I'll be running at!

Mill City Running + Wilson Kipsang

Former Marathon World Record Holder Wilson Kipsang and myself at Mill City Running

Arguably the greatest contemporary marathon runner, Wilson Kipsang from Kenya visited the Mill City Running store after our morning Flapjack Run on Friday, November 6th.  Kipsang set the world record in the marathon with a time of 2:03:23 in 2013 at the Berlin Marathon.  While we had only a few minutes for Q&A and some photos, Kipsang's calm yet jovial demeanor held the attention of 50 Mill City runners at 7:30am.  Such an inspiration meeting this world-class athlete.

Race Report: Surf the Murph 50k

Going in to this past Saturday, October 24th, 2015 for the Surf the Murph 50k I was hoping to have a strong showing but I wasn't selling myself on the thought of any sort of PR.  Since starting graduate school while still working and moving, my time had become limited to get in many of the short mid-week runs that are so incredibly important in balancing out the volume of miles and stress put on the body during a training regiment. I had scouted the trail a couple of times but hadn't been feeling especially prepared. 

Most of my other runs had been early Friday mornings with Mill City Running which has been a fantastic in becoming introduced to the running community here in Minneapolis. That said, during my shorter to mid-range runs I had been pushing the pace, and I do believe the use of my Altra Instinct 2.0 training shoes played a huge role in this. That said, as stated in my previous post, I purchased and broke in a pair of Altra Lone Peak 2.5 shoes for the race. I must say, that these were the best, most supportive, and spacious shoes that I have used on a trail thus yet. I believe this too had an impact on my finish in the Surf the Murph 50k.

At the race finish of Surf the Murph 2015
with my wood cookie medal!  Thanks to Nuun for
hydrating me along the way.

Race Day- Surf the Murph 2015 (10/24)Having gone out to Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve twice the month prior to the race gave me a relatively good idea what to expect.  While I never completed a full 16.8 mile loop (about 2000 feet of elevation gain/loop) during my training as I took many alternate turns here and there, the race trail systems combination of horse-trails, single-track, wide-open prairies, and forested hills provided for a beautiful and challenging Saturday morning. Unlike the previous training runs when the trails were dry, we had a significant amount of rain the day before (and a pleasant mist during the start of the race) which made for a sloppy, slip-n-slide mess at some points along the trail. While challenging, this can be fun at times to just let gravity to the work.  The clock hit 7am and over 100 participants were on their way for the 50k. I jumped out with the front 10 sans headlamp and was fortunate not to take any spill in the first 40 minutes when the sun finally rose.  The first few miles had most of the steep climbs, and once we (the first 10 or so) made it through the aid station at 2.9 miles. The course had aid-stations stocked aplenty about every 3-4 miles.  

By the time we were at the 5 mile point I took off from the pack, and to my knowledge was 3rd behind two frontrunners that had taken the lead.  Coming through the Horse Camp Aid Station at mile 5.5 I discarded my long-sleeve shirt to Becky and Tonks, my amazing crew and cheerleaders, and kept going on my way...having made it to the 5.5 mile mark about 10-15 minutes earlier than anticipated.  

The aid stations were well-stocked, but in races like this I do prefer to depend on my own hydration and nutrition regiment.  I carried 2+ liters of Plus for Nuun, Nuun Energy Cherry Limeade, and Nuun Active Watermelon (and an extra sleeve of the above to add to my hydration pack for the 2nd lap).  While I will take water at the aid stations, Nuun powers me through the hills and keeps my electrolyte levels where they need to be.  I've also found increased benefits to Plus for Nuun in these longer endurance races. While I continued to consume Clif Shot Bloks, or Stinger Waffles, a handful of pretzels, or the Oreo Cookie peanut butter sandwich at the end make their way in to my belly.  

After mile 5.5, some relatively flat terrain allowed for an increase in speed up until mile 13 when some larger hills finished up the loop.  A challenge for many runners, especially between miles 11 and 12, as well as miles 15 and 16.8 were missing the course markers and making wrong turns. I had personally seen runners take the wrong route between mile 11 and 12 which would cut off somewhere around 3/4 mile, and again between 15 and 16.8 which would cut off nearly a mile. 

Whether a runner was running 25k, 50k, or 50 miles, that distance, and time subsequently, is significant. I commented in my first lap back at the Horse Camp Aid Station that folks were missing the turn, and again, at the Start/Finish prior to taking my second lap that someone was needed there to mark the turn better. Fortunately this was taken care of the second time around by some of the wonderful volunteers and organizers Surf the Murph involved.

Part of the course taken a few weeks prior to the actual race.

I had completed the first 16.8 mile loop in a time around 2:25...much closer than anticipated.  By the time I was on my second loop I began to pass by more of the 50 milers that had started an hourly, and bless their hearts, were clearly chugging along a brutal and battered trail.  I've been there on the 50 mile runs before.  The second lap the hills took much more effort to power climb, and even the flats took more convincing to keep up an agreeable pace. I kept look back, expecting to see some other 50k runners on my heels, but they were nowhere to be seen. Was I really going to finish 3rd? Maybe 4th or 5th? That doesn't matter, this was clearly becoming a race for me to set a PR and finish much higher than I was used to.

With about a mile to go I approach an open area and see, from my left, a group of about a half-dozen runners coming from a trail that they must have taken a wrong turn on to. During a moment of confusion and one runner asked where I came from, I said from the race route, and kept going. I felt bad for not stopping and discussing more...but I was done. My body hurt, and I wanted to be done.  I cruised in to the finish with a PR of 5:09:44, good enough for 4th place!

While training throughout this year has allowed me to retain the ability to come out and run these distances, I believe the road-running I have been doing with Mill City Running supported my increased speed.  Nuun Hydration has been, hands down, the most supportive sponsor throughout this past year. Aside from the benefits of Nuun itself, the entire company and all of their athletes are so amazing in their support of our activities and achievements. Lastly, I thank Altra Running for continuing to make fantastic products, even one's that can be worn and broken in on a 50k, giving my feet plenty of room to achieve a PR.  The Lone Peak 2.5 shoes provided the perfect amount of cushion for 50k, the broad toe-cup that allows my toes and feet to spread, and traction that allowed me to grip on even the muddy terrain that was experienced on the trail.  

Part of the course taken a few weeks prior to the actual race.

Post-Race

One thing I have appreciated immensely since joining the running, and ultrarunning community, has been just that. The community. The support that each and every runner, volunteer, and crew member provides is incredibly genuine, and makes the experience even more powerful.  While I am new and slowly getting to know the Midwest trail running and ultrarunning groups, Surf the Murph was a fantastic introduction in to a scene that seems to be as holistically supportive as I experienced out in the Pacific Northwest.  Thank you to the Upper Midwest Trail Runners group for all the support they provide regionally to the trail running scene.

Race Gear/Nutrients:- Nuun Active, Energy, plus for nuun- Clif Shot Bloks- Stinger Waffle- Nathan Hydration Pack (w/ 70oz bladder)- Altra Lone Peak 2.5

Race Rating (1 low-5 high):
- Communication/organization: 5- Communication of race day info and any other pertinent information was provided well in advance.  Race day activities seemed to be in order and nothing out of sorts. The website could use some improvement. Confusing to navigate.
- Course: 4-Overall a solid course. Beautiful terrain in the park. This is not a true 50k, or about 31.1 miles, instead the route was 33.4 miles. Many trail races are not 100% accurate with distance, but this one is known to not be accurate.
- Aid Stations: 4-Volunteers were fantastic at each and every aid station. The costumes were a plus. Some of the aid stations were out of salt (for potatoes), and also, I'd recommend real potatoes over preserved potato halves from a can. Other food stuffs was good. The quesadilla at the start/finish was a fantastic addition!
- Course Markings: 2- This is an area that needs improvement prior to the next year. While many runners took wrong turns unknowingly, and many expressed to the race organizers that they had done so, this can be frustrating for both those who took wrong turns and those who didn't.
- Scenery: 4- While I have not been on many trails around the Midwest, for being just 30 minutes out of the Cities, this park reserve and trail system offered up forested canopies, prairies, lakes, and various types of trails to be enjoyed on foot, bike, or horse.
- Post-Race Food: 4-While no designated post-race food existed, the start/finish aid station was well-stocked. Again, the quesadilla was fantastic, as well as the soup, and the Oreo Cookie-peanut butter sandwich!- Overall: 3.83

One of the coolest medals I've received! At the finish, you picked your preferred
wood cookie and they branded it right there with your distance.

And now I'm a Midwesterner?

About two months ago, my Subaru Forester and I traversed over 2000 miles across the western United States to my new home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The journey here, in some way or another has lasted 10 years since I completed my BS in Biology from Oregon State in 2006.  Computer store geek, mascot, Peace Corps Volunteer, Student Success Coach with InsideTrack, and now graduate student and Academic Advisor at the University of Minnesota, my journey really has taken me tens of thousands of miles around this globe.  I'm excited to be in a new town, with new people, pursuing Comparative and International Development Education within the College of Education and Human Development here at the U, and I'm excited to have an opportunity to explore new trails, midwest winter and all (though we'll see what kind of winer it will be after the mild winter of 2014 I've heard about).

For those who don't know, I didn't begin running until late 2008. A Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda, Michelle, had suggested that anyone could run a marathon, therefore, training commenced. Training ended a couple months later with a week of gluttonous behavior during an inservice conference, but my curiosity of the activity didn't diminish. Seven years later I find myself looking ahead to 2016 to run my first 100 miler if I get selected in a lottery.  That said, I have been absent from this blog over the past few months, partially due to my transition from Portland, Oregon to Minneapolis.  I'm providing a brief overview of the events I've participated in since the Beacon Rock 50k, which I posted about June 19h, and will be posting soon on my next race which is tomorrow, Saturday, October 24th, the Surf the Murph 50k in Savage, Minnesota.

June 20th: White Salmon Backyard Half Marathon
The White Salmon Backyard Half Marathon was a beautiful, well-run, half marathon in the Columbia River Gorge with some brutal hills, panoramic views, and more than rocky terrain. When I say rocky I do not mean small pebbles, I mean I initially begrudgingly wore my Montrail Mountain Masochists, but in the end may have been one of the happier runners along the course as I powered through the rocky terrain.

Ultimately, I love this race because it is donation-based. That does NOT mean that one should not pay. That means one should pay. The proceeds go to the White Salmon Columbia High School Cross Country Boosters, and the majority of the race volunteers are the high school cross country youth and/or their family.  I'd run this in the future if I were you.

July 31st-Augst 1st: Cascade Lakes Relay

A staple of mine over the past 3 years, the Cascade Lakes Relay is heading in to its 9th year in 2016 with its 216.6 miles of Eastern Oregon beauty from Diamond Lake to Bend.  12 people, 2 vans, a lot of BO, and plenty of fun. I'm already looking forward to 2016 when we bring back our team name More Cowbell after a two year hiatus being Cool Runnings.








October 2nd-3rd: Ragnar Relay Cumberland, Maryland - Washington DC
My first Ragnar Relay and it definitely won't be my last—and that's not just because nuun is a sponsor for Ragnar Relays! I flew in to DC and soon our first Ragnar team headed northwest toward our hotel for the night. I hadn't realized that none of the other 11 runners on our team had run a relay race such as this before. I tell you, they were all rockstars and am excited to jump in with this hodgepodge team again. I say hodgepodge because I was the dude flying in from Minneapolis, we had a couple others drop out and had to find replacements last minute, and the team came together like glucose/fructose-electrolyte mixture burst to the inside of a pocket.

It was great seeing nuun at the start/finish/major exchange(s) and to also introduce nuun to a lot of my team. Many folks hadn't heard of it, and nuun definitely powered many of us through the nearly 200 miles of horrible weather that Maryland and DC had in store for us as Hurricane Joaquin was debating making landfall.






October 24th: Surf the Murph 50k
Tomorrow, I will be running my first official race since arriving in Minnesota (aside from the Ragnar Relay). I'm excited to be jumping in to the Surf the Murph 50k in Savage, Minnesota, just about 30 minutes outside of Minneapolis.  I've scouted the trail for this 50k a couple of times and I tell you, if you haven't been out to Murphy-Hanrehan Park before, you're missing out.  The race tomorrow is comprised of two 16.7 mile laps, each having just about 2000ft of elevation gain. Many of the trails are generally shared with cyclists, hikers, horses, and folks just out for a stroll...it's been raining all day today though, so we'll see how the trails are tomorrow.

I will be breaking in a brand new pair of Altra Lone Peak 2.5 which I am excited for. Oddly enough, I'm not concerned about never having worn them before. I will be bringing along my trust ol' Montrail Mountain Masochist II for my drop bag though. My selection of food is not what I'm used to. While I will have my nuun and plus for nuun with me on the trail, I failed to purchase any Shot Bloks or Clif Shots, which are typically my go to...I guess I'll just have to stomach a random assortment tomorrow.

I admit that I have not been training as well as I would have liked. Moving to Minneapolis, working, at times, nearly full time, and being a full time student, the time I devoted to training was not as great as I would have liked it to be. That said, I do feel prepared for tomorrow, and I am excited. And I am supposed to hit the trail in 7.5 hours...so I should probably get some shut eye.  Race report on Surf the Murph will be coming in the next week.

Please excuse my absence...but #nuunspiration is coming...

I apologize for my absence for nearly 4 months. Life took me from Portland, Oregon, to Minneapolis, Minnesota to explore the field of Comparative and International Education at the University of Minnesota. That hasn't stopped me from hitting the trails though or finding myself becoming acquainted with new trails and new runners out here in the Midwest. My hat goes off to Mill City Running though. What a fantastic group of individuals.

That said, look for some updates here in the next week or so on my most recent past events, and the next 50k and 8 hour endurance run I have coming up in the next month.

As fall is approaching though, it can be tough to get outside with the cooler and darker days...it doesn't mean it is impossible though. Get out there. Stay hydrated. Get that heart pumping. Find your #nuunspiration.