March 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

Avidkeo wrote: »

I went out for 5k this morning. Left leg was aching a bit before I went out but eased around 3k. I did the squat rockers @rheddmobile suggested and no pain since getting back - though only been an hr. I'm worried it's my shoes - the ache got worse when I out my shoes on this morning but then I've been bare feet all weekend hanging out St home. but then it's not my usual pain. It "feels" like it's in the ankle but when I massage it's definitely along the tibia with no pain on the tendon in the ankle and foot, suggesting referred pain. So I think I've just ramped up too fast, I had that 23k run/walk without training 2 weeks ago and then I've kicked into running 5 days regularly and minimum of 5k, where the few weeks prior I was doing 3-4 km with the occasional 5k.

Am I over thinking this? I really don't want it to be shoes because that means I have no choice but to make a 2hr drive to town. And these are brand new. I honestly think its overdoing it and I'll just run gentle 5ks for the next few weeks and stretch/massage to help it settle...

7lenny7 wrote: »

Finally, my race report from last weekends race. Sorry for the delay but I blame the blizzard and work. This will be photo heavy because they had a couple of great pro photographers there. I think I need to learn how to be more concise.

Pyscho Wyco Run Toto Run
20M trail race (2 x 10 mile loops)
Kansas City, Kansas

The weather loomed dark over this race, both during and after. The area had 6+ inches of snow the weekend prior to the race and temps were forecast to be in the mid 40's F during the race. There were also forecasts of heavy rain and thunderstorms during the race. The threat was there for a mud fest even more historic than last year. The forecast which concerned me, however, was the one for Saturday night into Sunday morning. There was blizzard warnings out from Ames, Iowa to Owatonna, MN, about 150 miles of my route home, from late Saturday through 6 pm on Sunday. I wasn't sure how this would affect my trip home, but I was hoping it would just mean I'd get home later Sunday than planned. More on that later.

Kody & I headed out Friday morning for the 6+ hour drive to Kansas City, KS. It was a very easy, uneventful drive down. Packet pickup was at a motel near the race site. Last year we got a really nice, thick hoodie and I was looking forward to getting another one. I was disappointed to find that the one we got this year was a thin one, like cotton t-shirt material. I was also disappointed we didn't get as much swag as last year, such as a beer mug with the race logo and a buff with the log of the Trail Nerds, the trail running club associated with the race. In retrospect, I'm ok with all of this. I don't use the mug I got last year so another one doesn't do anything for me. I have 6 or 7 buffs already, so I don't need another one. As far as the hoodie, I decided it's nice to have one of a different weight, so I'm back to liking it. And finally, the RD was generous enough to transfer my registration for the December race, which I had to skip due to surgery, to this race so I have no reason to complain.

After that I checked into my Airbnb about 20 minutes away, then called up my daughter who lives in KCMO and told her I was on my way. We had a fabulous night. We went out to eat at an tapas restaurant, stuffed ourselves with food and drank sangria while Kody hung out at her apartment with her roommate. I made it an early night and was back to my place by 10:30. After a long day driving and good food and drink I had no trouble falling asleep.

The alarm went off at 5:30 and I made coffee, ate a couple of protein bars, upset that I forgot to buy my usual bag of Thomas mini-bagels. I lubed up my toes and nether regions, got dressed, got my hydration vest, running belt and drop box ready to go, one last stop in the bathroom and I was off. Kody was bouncing off the walls, knowing we were going running.

it had rained the night before and was sprinkling when I headed to the race but by race time it stopped. The forecast must have kept a lot of folks away because the field for the 50K and 20M was only 60% the size of last years race. I was surprised at how much snow was still on the ground.

I got to the church parking lot to get on the shuttle bus to take me to the start. It was then I realized that I still had to register Kody for the race and thankfully I keep spare cash in my running belt. Canine "pacers" were $10 with registration day of race only, which I thought about when setting my alarm but it only took an extra 5 minutes. I paid the man, got Kody's bib and went to put my drop bag (a box, actually) in the designated area.

I was mucking about with my gear when I heard the horn for the start of the race. OOPS! Not a big deal, I was treating this as a long training run, both for my sake and for Kody's sake, since his long runs before this was 20 miles, so the extra 10 to 20 seconds added to my time didn't matter.

Kody saw the big crowd start running away and he wanted in. He normally doesn't pull on his leash when we run but he was so excited about all the commotion that he was pulling for the first couple of miles before taking his usual spot right behind me. There were several other dogs in the race and, like Kody, they all seem thrilled to be out there.

I knew from last year that we were going to get our feet wet right away. We started at a park pavilion, traveled across open field, then over a small bridge, then a bigger, lower open field with standing water..well icy slush in this case. The crowd split mostly in two while trying to skirt the slushy mess but knowing me feet were going to be cold and wet regardless I splashed right up the middle. Holy *kitten* that was cold!!

Then we crossed a road and made a sharp turn on the bridle trail which made up most of the course. With Kody leading the way, we made it up the rocky trail in the conga line. We has to stop twice for poop breaks and by now if I wasn't at the back of the pack, it was very close to it. We just did our thing and our pace and enjoyed the run.

With Kody done with his typical early run stops, we were finally able to get into a rhythm. We were quickly into icy, slushy, muddy trail and my feet were soaked. We hit the first water crossing around the 2 mile mark. I could probably jump across it but with the ice and slush I didn't want to risk falling on my *kitten* on the other side, so I stepped across it. Around the corner was another stream to cross and another cold, icy foot bath.

By three miles my toes were starting to go numb. Thankfully the rain had quit and and the thunderstorm never materialized. We ran with other back of the packers, including one woman with a dog named Malcolm who was running the 50K. She let her dog off its leash soon after the start and he kept running off on his own, often running up from behind us an dive bombing Kody. He just wanted to play but every time this happened it distracted Kody and I'd have to stop and get Kody moving again.

At 3.5 miles we hit a spot called the Wyanndotte Triangle, a mile section of single track switchbacks that had your head spinning but was a blast to run. If you weren't careful you'd slide right off course on the switchbacks, which I did a few times. After that was the first aid station.

Kody was a hit at the aid stations. I'd have him sit off to the side and drop the leash while I gave him water, grabbed food and drink for myself, then give him a small banana piece. The aid station volunteers were more than happy to help me water Kody and hold his leash while they gave him plenty of attention.

At 4.5 miles we hit the section called Fall Down Hill. This was bridle trail on a steep decline with sharp switchbacks and slick as snot. I kept sliding off the trail and had to struggle to get back on it. After this you hit the bottom of the dam and run flat open field for a couple hundred yards before turning and running UP the steep slope, appropriately named Dam Hill. After that there was an steep uphill climb on the road to the second aid station which was the halfway point in the loop. I stopped and enjoyed a couple shots of Fireball, chatted with the volunteers and continued on up the road. We finally turned off the pavement after a half mile on to a flat, easy running section called Speed Demon Ridge. It was nice to open up the throttle and go for a while, but it quickly ended at Broken Leg Turn (yes, someone broke their leg here in the past) and then Misery Ridge, where we had steep drops and climbs. Some climbs were so steep that they had knotted ropes on the course so you can pull yourself up. Kody, with his 4 wheel drive did not need the rope.

The next section was called Fester's Wander, which they say was designed by the RD's dog. Maybe they put a GPS on him and let him wander? It was another beautiful section with many steep climbs and drops. In spite of the slushy mud and constantly wet, cold feet I couldn't help but love being out in these beautiful woods. Somewhere in there we were going down a steep, very slick decline and I decided it was too hard to hold on to the leash and keep myself upright so I let go of the leash and soon took it off and let him run the remaining distance off leash. He never left my side, other than to mark a tree or bush, for the rest of the race.

The last aid station had the usual ultra aid station fare, hot soup, and...a bar! Bottles of bourbon, tequila, vodka, rum, and other assorted spirits. I had two shots of bourbon, neat, while chatting with the volunteers. The hot soup really hit the spot and I had two cups of that. From there it was just over two miles to the finish, but over three big hills they call the Three Sisters.

Just before the finish of the first lap it started raining fairly heavily and I briefly contemplated ending it after one lap. My feet were numb, I was completely wet, and I could always use the excuse that I was quitting out of caution for my foot. Two things kept me from quitting. First, my daughter said she was going to be at the end when I finished. I haven't had anyone waiting for me at the finish since my first summer of racing 4 years ago and I was really looking forward to that. Second, and even more of a consideration if I'm honest, without real concern for my foot (it was doing just fine) I didn't want deal with the feelings of a DNF again. One thing nice about this race is that if you go out for 20M but quit after one loop, you still get credit for finishing the 10 mile race. The same applies for the 50K...you can drop down to 10 or 20 mile distance and still get the finishers swag. I didn't want that though. If I'm going to work my way up to a 100 mile race, I need to work on my mental toughness as much as, if not more than, my endurance. By the time I got to the end of the loop it wasn't a question. I kept going.

I did stop briefly at the start of the second loop to get under the pavilion to text my daughter. My first lap was a slow 2:45 and I was feeling pretty good so I told her to be there 2:30 after that. I knew I'd slow down somewhat, but that would give her a cushion if she was running late.

Off I went on my second lap and thankfully the rain eased up quit a bit after 15 minutes and just sprinkled the remainder of the race. The second lap was much like the first with a few exceptions. While the first lap was just a mix of slush and mud, the course continued to thaw leaving deeper slush over very uneven, frozen divots from people running in mud in days past, and having the divots freeze up. This caused my foot to twist and turn in many different ways upon landing on these. This really sucked and it took all of my attention to try to avoid these ankle twisters as much as possible. With the additional melting, now ever hill had a river of icy, muddy water to splash through.

Second, on this second loop I started passing fire fighters...about 16 in total...who were hiking the 10 mile course in FULL gear. Most even had their air tanks on their backs. They were doing it as a fundraiser to help out a firefighter who was diagnosed with cancer and was in the late stages. I have no idea how they got up and down some of those steep slippery hills with all that gear on. These guys and gals are amazing and I have much respect for them. I was moved by their efforts and donated to the cause after the run.

I stopped a couple of times to text my daughter to give her updates on the estimated finish time. The first half of the second loop was actually a faster pace than the first loop but soon cramping in my hip adductors really slowed me down. I had to stretch them out and walk off the cramp a couple of times before I could start running again. All the slipping and sliding was taking a toll on all of my support muscles.

Kody was did great. Previous to this race his longest run was 16 miles and that was just about the point in the race where I could finally see he was getting tired so for both our sakes, I slowed it down. We eased through the rest of the course, spending plenty of time at the last aid station with the bar. In the last quarter mile before the end I could here noise and music at the finish and i was relieved it was just about over. I was tired, Kody was tired, and my feet were completely numb.

Coming into the finish I looked towards the person making the most noise and sure enough, it was my daughter. It was awesome to have there!

My official finish was 5:39:36 which was about 8 minutes slower than last year, also a race where I was coming back from injury. According to Garmin I my moving time was 40 minutes less than my total time so I really wasted a lot of time on the course, but again, I didn't care.

I finished 41 out of 65 who started the 20 mile. 14 of those dropped after one loop.
I didn't realize it before hand but they ranked all dogs for their first loop (their bibs were chipped) and Kody finished 4th out 11 dogs, just 2 minutes away from a podium finish!

We took a few finish line photos, I got some of the awesome chili and beer they had on hand for racers and started changing out of my wet clothes as much as I could and put on clean, dry clothes. I started getting the chills and just wanted to get out of there. We took the shuttle back to my truck, drove to the Airbnb, I showered while Kody stayed in the truck, then went to my daughter's apartment where there's a dog spa for the residents and we gave Kody a warm bath before going out for some killer barbecue.

Sunday was time to head back and I checked the weather, hoping they were wrong about the blizzard but not only was there a blizzard on the way home, the interstate was closed for those 150 miles. I booked a motel room in Des Moines at a Ramada Inn which allowed dogs and spent the night. I set my alarm for 5am thinking I'd get up early and hit the road before the Des Moines rush hour, only to find that the interstate was still closed and would be until late morning. A half hour past the noon checkout with no indication yet when the highway would be open, I booked the room for Monday night. The highway eventually opened at 5pm Sunday but I had already paid for the room and didn't want to fight the traffic back north, in the dark, on roads of unknown condition, in wind chills around -25F. I thought about going for a run outside while I was there but much of what I'd need for an outdoor run was either wet or frozen. It finally dawned on me that I could use the treadmill in the fitness center and got about 6 miles on that.

All and all a great trip. Number one, Kody & I came out of it without injury, or aggravating old injuries. Two, this gave me confidence going into my 50 mile race in April, that my foot will hold up fairly well. I still don't know if I can't finish it within the cutoff, but I should be able to do a large portion of it. I did have some knee pain in my left knee later that day and the following day but it quickly subsided. Kody lost his appetite for a day and a half and seemed to be sore that evening but was fine the next day. Next year I hope to finally run the 50K in which case I'd leave Kody with my daughter. I think 20 miles will be the limit for Kody, particularly considering he's almost 11 years old.