Early Ski Race...

Saturday October 23rd:

The first ski race of the year takes place in Traverse City, MI. Now that looks fun!

They brought the ice shavings in from two local ski rinks and created this 70 meter loop. I guess it took about 15 seconds to ski around. In case you are wondering: Ross Williams beat Milan Baic in the finals.

A Good Omen Indeed!

Snow on the Birkie Trail and it's not even November!

Four Months ... and a Setback

Tonight we are hunkered down. It's too windy to venture anywhere. Yesterday we had 30 mph winds with gusts to 40 and 50. Today the winds are blowing consistently at 40 mph with gusts between 60 and 70. Its windy, winds like I've never seen before ... and there is no place to go. Carri and I are both off work tomorrow and Friday.  It's our annual late-October teachers' convention. Two non-contract days to do as we please. This year we are staying in Madison and are caring for Chloe. She had a tonsillectomy last Thursday and we are just trying to keep her comfortable. Lots of ice-cream, lots of love, and lots of movies. And I'm getting a bit stir-crazy. One can only take so much Spongebob.

I haven't run in a week. Between Chloe's surgery, a 36 hour stay at the hospital helping Chloe get hydrated, a horribly wet Sunday, and now the worst windstorm in over 60 years... I've been a bit sluggish. I lifted weights a couple of times and last night went out back to work on some sport specific lunges. It felt good. Tonight the winds are supposed to calm down, and tomorrow morning I'm looking forward to getting into Elver Park. Gotta make it happen. Wind or no wind.

As of yesterday I am four months out from the Birkie. After my run at Indian Lake I was feeling pumped and primed for the race. Feeling like I was making terrific gradual progress. Now after a week of inactivity, I am worried that I can't afford the unexpected time off. Hopefully the layoff won't set me back much. After the race my legs were feeling a bit tired and then last week the two runs were both struggles. Heavy legs mainly. I gotta believe that tomorrow they will feel a refreshed...and I'm certain I will be motivated.

And yet as I worry about having a set back, the daunting reality I face is that the Birkie is slowly creeping closer. The weather is becoming a bit more unpredictable, daylight is shrinking, and my opportunities for exercise are more limited than they were this summer. I know we are still a ways out from snow, and yet now I am beginning to dream about it a bit. I know that seems crazy to many, yet I also realize that my most important training lies on the nordic ski trails of Dane County. My initial goal was to build a base before the ski season so that I could spend December, January, and February working on my ski skills. I have definitely built the base, and now I ready to hit the trails and strengthen the form.

In the meantime I will continue to find opportunities for fitness, dream of snow, and sign up for another race: the Berby Derby, a local 10k run on Thanksgiving morning.

Ice Age Trail Misery

Saturday's Indian Lake Trail Run was simply brutal. Fun, but brutal no less. The race, organized by The Friends of Indian Lake, took place in one of my favorite places in Dane County. Indian Lake is a little used gem on the western edge of the driftless area. The small kettle lake sits in a small valley surrounded by wooded hills and is a part of Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail system. I anticipated a challenge, yet did not expect at all what I had to endure.

This 12 km race turned out to be incredibly difficult. After all the hill training I did at Elver I figured I would be ready. Little did I know that these trails would make Elver seem flat and easy.

The race began with us running up a small incline. Then within a half mile the course turned to the left and headed straight uphill. At this point the runners were still bunched up and there wasn't much room to operate. I tried to hold steady, yet runners all around me were gasping for breath, bitching about the hill, and hogging the middle of the trail. Still feeling strong and feeling prepared by Elver I looked for opportunities to bounce by the slow ones. It felt good to launch myself up the hill and past the struggling runners. Then after a few hundred yards more we turned down the hill and headed back towards the lake and the flats. We followed the flat lake-side trail around the lake to the western shore and then headed off into the prairie. All total we had about three miles of flat running.

But the flats were only a momentary relief as at about the four mile mark we went back into the hills. After being passed by many runners on the flats, I was again able to make up some ground during the elevation gains. I kept working, kept breathing, kept striding, kept my confidence and eventually made my way to the top.

Yet the hills never stopped. At each turn they seemed to go higher. Occasionally we would get a small little downhill sprint, only to find ourselves climbing once again. The trails were made even more challenging because of all the leaves on the path. Several times throughout the run I tripped on an exposed root running atop the ground. On the downhills I would need to simply prance gingerly, trying not to trip and fall. Yet still I continued and still I slowly began to pass more people.

After about 63 or 64 minutes of running we passed the sign that said 1k remaining. The small pack I was running with all picked up the pace. Each of us appeared to find a new step. We were running down a gradual downhill, we were running back towards the lake, and an easy stroll to the finish was all we had left.

And then we saw it. As we left the woods and headed through a small gap that led towards a treeless prairie, I saw runners not heading towards the lake, but instead heading up yet another hill. As I got closer I noticed that the runners were switching back twice. Restocking my energy I climbed towards the first switchback. Upon arrival I realized that the trail was replaced by stairs, and that those stairs eventually turned again, this time into a tiny little trail that cut straight up the hill. Brutal. So close to the finish and yet so cruel. They saved the worst hill for last.

 Yet eventually I made it to the top, and then back down again, and then around the parking lot and to the finish. My body beaten, my legs exhausted, yet my goal met: 7.5 miles in 1:13:03 (a 9:46 pace). Not bad for an old guy. When the results were posted I learned that I came in 111 out of 184 and 16 out of 20 for the 50 and older crowd. A beautiful run on a beautiful day on a beautiful trail. Beaten but happy. Just another day closer to the birkie!

Doing Hard Things!

I have now come to realize that over the years, as I let my body soften, I also let my mind soften. Sure I kept my mind active. Read a lot. Wrote a bit. Worked hard in the classroom. Prepared practices and game plans. Went on a few hikes. But over all I never really challenged myself to have to fight through things. At least not physical things.

Now during my seventh month of training it has become so very obvious that a tough mind is critical to doing hard things. Back in March, as soon as I got fatigued, I would back off, or walk, or even head back home. Now when I get tired, I am confident that I can fight through the pain. When my heart rate jumps, I focus on my breathing. When a steep hill slaps me in the face, I concentrate hard on my form (and of course my breathing). At the end of a long run, and my legs grow weary and heavy, I simply push all pain out of my thoughts and focus on staying strong ... on staying in the moment. It works! Now when I run I am empowered at the amount of pain and misery I can fight through. It has been so very long since I have felt this fit, not just the physical end of fitness, but also the mental end.

Besides being mentally fit when I run, I have also noticed that my overall focus level is as strong as I can remember. Day to day I feel less fatigue. My energy level appears to run much deeper than even just a few months ago. My lesson plans are sharper; my mind is more aware, and active and creative. Even after long runs I maintain the ability to come home and finish projects. I do admit that I still can't keep up with my six year old, but the reality is that very few of her friends can keep up with her either.

So as I move into these last few months of training I realize that I must continue to push the envelope. I must continue to put myself in places where I must fight to finish. I must seek discomfort and pain, and then center my attention to the other side. On February 26th, during my 50 km jaunt, I know that it will not simply be my physical stamina that will get me through. Just as important and just as crucial will be my mental stamina.

With fitness comes endurance, and with endurance comes pain. With pain comes pleasure, and when I feel the pleasure of misery ... then it is assured that my mental state is strong and sturdy!

Short, Sweet, and Fast

Took a break on a long run tonight. Because of a prior commitment I am not home long enough to take a long leisurely run through Elver Park. And since Thursday is a night in which I schedule a run, I knew I couldn't simply dismiss it. So I grabbed Ezra and took the quick 2.1 mile dash through Greentree Park. Beautiful night! Felt great! And kicked it the whole way!

New Record: 2.1 miles in 17:35.

Getting Faster...

Sterling September

When I started back to school I was concerned that finding time to work out was going to be a challenge. It appears I was wrong. Upon the advice of my wife I began to schedule runs into our calendar. Every Tuesday and every Thursday I would come home from school, grab Ezra, and head to Elver Park for a five or six mile run. On Saturdays I would go for a short run, mainly to loosen up, and then on Sunday I would leave the dog home and head to the trails for a long, slow and methodical run--twice going as far as 9 miles. It's been a great month.

On September 19th I also switched things up and ran in an organized run at Elver Park. Besides being a fund raiser for pancreatic cancer, it was also an opportunity for me to test my fitness level. Since it was at Elver, I was obviously comfortable with the trails and the hills. Probably my favorite part about the run was that each mile was marked--something I normally only guess at. So on this day, as I came over the first big hill I reached the first mile marker in about 9:40.  Usually my first mile is the slowest, and often coming in at about 10:00. I was happy ... yet worried that I was going to fast. My other concern was that my heart monitor was registering my heart rate at about 155 per minute...way above normal. My initial thought was to back off on the pace, yet the reality is that I was feeling great.

I hit the two mile mark in less than 19:30, my heart rate still running above 150, and still feeling great. Just before the two mile mark I really hit my stride, found a partner to run with, and spent the last miles flying through the course ... all the while having a conversation with a fellow runner. I finished the five mile run in 46:15 ... a 9:15 pace, far exceeding my expectations. When the results came out I learned that I finished 39th out of 137; 27th out of 57 males; and amazingly in 2nd place for the old guys (50 and older): Obviously a weak field of runners.

Fired up about how well things went, I came home and immediately signed up for a 12 km race at Indian Lake County Park (on October 16th). That 7.5 mile trail run will take place in one of the more beautiful parks in Dane County.

On Thursday September finished much like it began...me running through Elver with the dog at my side. The difference is I finished with my biggest month yet ... 75 miles...and a great deal of confidence in my fitness level, and in my ability to finish the Birkie.