Running Through 2018

2018 has been a great year for my running so I felt the need to update my stagnant blog before starting another year of racing. Prior to this year the most miles I have ever run in a year was 1800 in 2016. This year I ran 3169 miles. The past few years I have felt that I needed to keep down my mileage between long runs on the weekend for my body to feel up to the next run. The main reason for this was my plantar faciitis. This year I switched back to running in Hokas and added an orthotic (Tread Labs) to help combat my overpronation. This combination seemed to do the trick and I was able to recover from long runs MUCH faster and put in more miles. And I can sure tell on race day that extra training miles really helps me keep moving at a good pace late in races.

Jackpot Running Festival 12 Hour Race - February 17 2018 - Las Vegas

I spend a lot of time training and making a plan for my ultra marathons. Then during the race more often than not at some point things fall apart for one reason or another and I need to make major adjustments to my original plan. At the Jackpot 12 Hour Run this year no major adjustments were needed.

Eleven of the twelve weekends leading into the race I went for a long run of a marathon or longer culminating with a double marathon three weeks before my race. I ran that double marathon at 8:34 minutes per mile which was faster than my goal race pace and it felt great.

I had some tiered goals for the race. First, the prior course record was 69 miles. At this race there was a cash prize if you win and set the course record, so this could be a minimum to fall back to if the race did not go to plan. My previous best at 12 hours was 76.88, so I wanted to surpass that total. Next, 78.6 miles marks 3 marathons. And my reach goal was 80 miles, which is a round number and a qualifier for Desert Solstice if I am interested in racing it in the future. I wanted to make an effort to not start too fast since I knew my training run at a bit faster pace should leave my body in good shape a couple of marathons into it.

Once again, Elvis and the showgirls were there to kick off the race.

Most races start at the same time, marathon, 50 miles, 100 miles, 6 hour, 12 hour, and 24 hour. There is a 48 hour that starts the day before. I focused on keeping my pace down but still started plenty fast with miles around 8:30 - 8:45. There were plenty of runners going faster, but I did not know which race most of them were in and I felt good that if I stayed on my 80 mile pace that I had a good chance of finishing ahead of folks in my race.

About 15 miles in I could feel some rubbing on my pinky toe where I had taped it to prevent blisters. I have done this most weeks for my long training runs, but today it did not stick for some reason. It had already started to develop a blister so I took it off which made it feel better. I continued running my miles between 8:25 - 8:50 pace and everything continued to feel great. I drank a bottle of tailwind every 2.5 mile lap and I felt spot on with nutrition the entire day. I did not take a single bite of anything over the 12 hours. 

Somewhere around 40 miles I did have a first for a race, I got a nosebleed. So I ran half a lap holding a napkin on my nose. If that is the most eventful part of my race I consider that a success. Later Bryan, Abbe, Max, and Emma all came for a while to cheer for me. Just like last year it was awesome seeing some family out there and I had Abbe do some jobs for me, thanks again!

As I started reaching 60-70 miles into the race it did start to require more effort to run the same pace I had been going up to that point, but it was manageable. At 73 miles I even got to run a quarter mile or so with Jon Olsen (2013 24 hour world champion) who was running the 100 mile at this race and was three laps ahead of me. This gave me a boost for a couple of laps and then I was able to hold things together through the end at sub 9:00 pace. I finished with a total of 81 miles which surpassed my goals and also got me the win and a course record with a $250 prize to cover part of my trip!

Overall I did a much better job at keeping a consistent pace than most of my races. Every mile on my Garmin was between 8:18 and 9:01, and that includes my minimal downtime. I only sat the one time at 15 miles to fix my tape. I also paused to get bottles out of my cooler every three laps after getting through the first 12 or so I set out. My Garmin showed 11:54:51 of moving time out of the 11:57:35. So I had less than three minutes of stopped timed. My marathon splits were pretty even:

Marathon 1: 3:43:05
Marathon 2: 3:45:08
Marathon 3: 3:49:16

When I sat down my body realized what happened and it locked up. One giant cramp. When I took off my socks I also realized the damage done to that pinky toe that had rubbed earlier, one huge blood blister.

Things that went well

Pacing: Every mile within 45 seconds of one another is the best I have done at a race of this distance.

Minimizing Stops: Less than three minutes of downtime is very good for me.

Taping Big Toes: I had problems in training with blisters on my big toes, but my taping method worked well.

Nutrition: Did not even have to think about it. Just grab a pre-mixed bottle each lap. No Solid food.

Things that did not go well

Pinky Toe Taping: Somehow I ended up destroying a toe that usually has minimal issues.

Bloody Nose: Not sure I can do anything to prevent this, not that big of an issue.

Sunburn: I was fried in select areas. I applied sunscreen three times but I rushed it. An extra 10-15 seconds each application would have been a good use of time.

Corn Belt Running Club 24 Hour - May 5 - Eldridge, IA

My 24 hour personal best is from 2014 and I wanted a good chance to surpass that and really push my limits to see what is possible for me in this event. This race is in lane 2 on a 400m high school track and at the beginning of May which is typically ideal temperatures for running.

Leading into this race my mileage was higher than ever and the body was feeling great. I had put in a run of 40 miles or longer 6 of the 7 weekends leading into my taper week for the race. I had never had a streak like this before with the body feeling so good. I even had my first 100 mile training week.

While most people think the idea of running on a track for 24 hours is boring, I disagree. While I love trail running, think about being 20 hours into a race with these options:

1) Being in the dark woods on a trail and you have not seen another person for the last hour.
2) Being on a lit track seeing everyone you have been racing with for the past 20 hours.

Before the race the forecast kept calling for higher than usual temperatures, which I knew would not help. At the start of the race it was perfect, but would rise to the upper 70s. That may not sound too hot, but when most of my long runs for training were between 25-40 degrees, it can make a big difference.

My table that I would have access to every quarter mile.

When the race started I settled into a pace right around 9:00 per mile. Things were feeling good and smooth as expected. I hit the marathon mark (103.75 laps) at around 3 hours and 58 minutes. By now it had already heated up though. Upper 70s and sunny with no shade on our oval. Kendra was at the track with me and she was doing the most work she ever has at a race for me. She was giving me a hat freshly dunked in water every couple of laps and another bottle to drink every 8 laps or so. I kept my pace even and hit the double marathon mark of 52.4 miles (207.5 laps) at 7 hours and 59 minutes. So my second marathon was only 3 minutes slower than my first. I took a 3 minute break to change shoes and lubricate my toes before starting marathon number three.

Tossing bottles into my bucket for my wonderful crew (wife) to refill.

At this point it felt natural to run at a pace closer to 9:20-9:45 so I slowed down a bit. After another 10 miles or so however my stomach started to become uneasy and my head was getting woozy. I knew my hydration was out of balance from the heat. Salt was not tasting good so I thought I needed to get some plain water in me. After half walking some laps while drinking by lap 299 I could barely stand up because my head was spinning. I figured at this point I had evaluated my situation incorrectly and needed to get some electrolytes in me. I got some chips and my electrolyte drink and things started to feel better gradually. It took 31 minutes to cover two laps during this time.

Now I had ability to move, but my stomach was pleading me not to. So I got moving alternating running and running to just keep moving forward. I eventually hit the 3rd marathon mark of 78.6 miles at 13 hours and 14 minutes into the race. This marathon took 5 hours and 15 minutes to complete. I continued at this point alternating running and walking while eating chips and pizza. My pace was not fast by any means.

At 19 hours and 27 minutes I finally finished my fourth marathon (104.8 miles). At this point my body slowly started to feel better as then sun had been gone for a long time and I think my electrolyte levels were getting closer to normal. I would run some quicker laps sprinkled in until around 22 hours into the race when I really started to feel better. At this point my legs were way more fresh than they should be due to my other issues so I managed to keep sub 9:00 average pace for the last 11 miles. Here is the pace of my last 5 miles:

8:51

8:34

8:05

7:18

6:35

Through everything I did manage to finish with 128.3 miles which is only 5 miles short of my personal best. This was good enough for first overall at the race, I was not the only one affected by the heat. While this was not my best race, I felt like I had toughed it out as best I could and learned a good amount in the process.

Post-Race with my Excellent Crew Chief

Things that went well

Legs seemed to be in very good shape

No blisters on feet

Things that did not go well

Hydration

Reacting to hydration needs incorrectly

How would my race had gone if I knew from the start that I needed more electrolytes? I will not know until I get into a similar race situation. But I will learn and move on. A special thanks goes out to Kendra for all her help at this race and also to the race staff for the race. They were great in attempting to revive me in this race.

Ahnapee Summer Solstice 50 Mile - June 23 - Luxemburg, WI

Kendra and the kids were heading out of town for the weekend so I did what any dad with a weekend to himself would do... Find an ultramarathon to run! With just the one weekend I did not have much to choose from, but luckily there was a 50 miler just north of Green Bay that looked like a good option. It was only the second year offering an ultra marathon with the larger relay event, though the entire race is very small.

I was excited to speed up my training a bit and focus on a shorter race compared to my 12 hour and then 24 hour training. I got in a couple of relatively quicker marathons (3:20 and 3:18) and then a couple 50k runs (3:51 and 3:45) and felt ready to get a big PR on this flat course that is located on an old rail bed. My current PR was 6:47 on a hilly course in the Kettle Moraine, so I figured 6:30 or under should be doable.

At the start of the race my legs just felt like concrete. This usually subsides when I get loosened up 15 miles or so into my runs, but with the quicker pace they never loosened up. I held onto 7:30 pace through 35 miles leap frogging back and forth with the first place relay team. But then things quickly deteriorated. My legs started cramping. I would run as far as I could at about 9:00 pace until my legs cramped and then walked until they got back to a point where I could run again. 3 of my miles ended up over 10:00 during this stretch. I held it together just enough to squeak by with a 50 mile PR of 6:45, an average just over 8:00 per mile. I know I was capable of something faster, but this just was not my day. Since there were only three runners in the 50 mile this was good enough for my third first overall finish of the year.

Mines of Spain 100 Mile - October 17 - Dubuque, IA

After a less successful attempt at a short race I was ready to slow down and increase the mileage once again. As the years pass I seem to just enjoy the slower longer miles more and I think my body actually reacts better as well when not pushing the pace. A really good result at a 100 mile trail race had eluded me through my first few attempts, so I decided to sign up for the inaugural Mines of Spain 100 mile in Dubuque. Don't let the fact that it is in Iowa fool you, the race has five 20.2 mile loops that include a total of 14,000 feet of both elevation gain and loss.

Training for the race went very well as it did all year. I went for a long run between a marathon to a double marathon every week until the last weekend before the race. I focused my weekday runs on the Ice Age Trail while keeping most of my long runs on flatter roads and trails. I also did a three week strict low carb high fat diet leading into the race so that I could start the race in full fat burning mode.

The course is beautiful at this race. But this year was a very wet year in the region and the creeks that feed the mighty Mississippi River were overflowing across the trail in a few spots. I was anticipating ankle deep water in spots, but at the beginning of the race we were told those levels were now higher. So we had some decent water crossings, more to come on the later. It was drizzling at the start and I believe it was in the low 50s or high 40s, so people were eager to get the race started.

On the first loop we ran around the monument to get the view of the river.

 Right from the beginning I walked all steep hills. My focus was on a consistent moderate effort. There are plenty of hills, so I got some good walk breaks once we were into the Mines of Spain recreation area. Several other runners were ahead of me at the start, but I was purely focused on my pacing. Most of my miles were over 9:00 per mile pace even at the start. The course was very muddy, which did help keep my pace down. Then during mile 15 I entered what I thought was "the water section". It was probably just over ankle deep at this point in two 20 yard sections. I had to pass back through it a mile later on my return. Then shortly after I realized I had not yet reached the water. The water was actually knee deep and slowly rising with the rain.

The creek and trail had become one.

I made it through and the feet seemed to dry decently well within a few miles. I was glad I chose my medium weight merino wool socks for today, they dry well and still provide some warmth when damp. By the end of the first loop I had moved up to second place just a few minutes behind first. I filled up my Tailwind bottle and immediately left for my second twenty mile loop just ahead of the other lead runner. He passed me on the downhill section of paved trail at the beginning. The second loop went smoothly for me, I moved into first place about 6 miles into the loop. I continued to walk all steep hills while running the flats and downhills. When I got back to the wet section the water was a bit higher. Lap three was smooth as well until I once again got back to the wet section and this time it was now half way between my knee and hips.

I felt bad for runners with shorter legs since this cold water could not have felt great on parts I kept above water.

I am not sure how wet these other sections are most years, but I expect these are normally smaller.

The rest of the race is pretty boring to write about. I drank Tailwind, walked hills, and kept trucking along at a fairly even pace through all five laps. This is the longest race where I have managed to stay so consistent with no nutrition or hydration issues whatsoever. I finished in 17 hours and 45 minutes. Second place was 22 hours and 38 minutes. My previous best effort through three 100 mile trail race attempts was 23 hours and 47 minutes.

Lap breakdown
Lap 1 - 3:27:45
Lap 2 - 3:31:46
Lap 3 - 3:35:13
Lap 4 - 3:40:58
Lap 5 - 3:29:38

My average pace was 10:33 per mile which considering the course condition and all the water is a very good 100 mile pace for me. I credit getting a lot more miles on my legs this year and also being able to rely on fat to power my race. I consumed less than 2000 calories of Tailwind during the race and no food. This seems to be the best formula to keep my stomach happy.

Things that went well

Nutrition - Stomach was 100% the whole race. No food consumed.

Hydration - The cooler temps help, but my head was clear and stomach happy the whole race.

Feet - Even though being soaked all day, my feet were in good shape. Just one very small blister. My merino wool socks once again were a great option for a wet day.

Pacing - My fastest lap had an average pace of 10:17 per mile. My slowest lap had an average pace of 10:56 per mile. My last lap was my second fastest lap (really the same when you subtract filling my bottle at the beginning of it).

Things that did not go well

Nothing. Maybe I could have gone slightly faster on lap 4 when I was still holding back to prevent from running out of steam at the end of the race. Really though, this was likely the best race I have ever ran.

2018 Statistics

A couple of my races were smaller, but I ended the year with 4 first overall finishes and three course records. More importantly though, I had two out of four races that went exactly to plan. Before this year I had zero races over 50 miles that went exactly to plan.

Over the course of the year I had 46 unique runs of a marathon or further. The only weeks I did not go for a run of at least a marathon were the weeks immediately before and after a race. A couple weeks I ran more than one marathon. 23 of those runs were 40 miles or further. If a 52.4 mile run counts as two marathons then I ran 57 marathons this year. 

Keeping it consistent, a slower overall pace, and keeping my feet happy should hopefully be something I can build on in years to come.

What's Next?

Well, since I have had some success I decided to sign up for something I am more likely to struggle with. In February I am returning to the Jackpot Running Festival to do the 48 hour run this time. The longest time I have spent racing is 28 hours, so this will present some new challenges and I am ready for a learning experience. I am focusing on a long miles and even some practice walking since that will be a big part of the race. I also just started a 44 day low carb high fat diet to really get prepared for the caloric demands of this race.

I also signed up for the 24 hour race at the 6 days in the dome in Milwaukee in August. Some of the nation's best runners will be running the 6 day race there and it will be ideal conditions guaranteed in the Pettit Center for another shot at setting a 24 hour PR.

I am sure I will find another couple races to fill in the year, likely on trails.