Saturday, December 10, 2011

Red Bull Trail Daze Race Recap

A few weeks ago it was pretty warm still, like short sleeve and shorts running weather. So when a friend told me about this race it was a no brainer.  Look at the flyer below.  Looks like a riot right, trail race in the woods, choose your path, easy, medium or hard.  Heck ya Im down!  And Abby being the blasty fast perpetual running spirit she is was all over it too.  So I plunked down the 70 bones for us and signed us up, what else is a loving father/fellow running looney gonna do?


What failed to register in my easily excited head at the time was this is early winter, in Chicago, and the temperature is subject to really crazy swings, overnight.
Feels like 1. What?!?


Well,  that didn't quell our spirit, we are badass runners yo! Off we go!  Nice drive to Pulaski Woods in Willow Springs. 

When we got there, cars lined the road for hundreds of yards. 'Look hun, there's lots of lunatics like us'  "COOL!"   At the starting line everyone was hoppin up and down,  pretty sure jacked out of their skulls on the unlimited free Red Bull. But it might have been the frigid cold?

Pre-race:  Why are we an hour early?


The race itself was a riot.  There were no land speed records broke, it was crowded, and in sections in the beginning the trail necked down to a single track and we nearly stopped.  After a bit tho the decision point came up.  Easy straight, Hard turn right and Medium turn left.  Turns out Abby and I both turned left, great minds.. (by then she was light years in front of me).  The people started to thin out and the trail got interesting,  very hilly, single track, roots, rocks,  frozen over muddy sections that were like lumpy cement.  Everything you'd want a trail race to be.  Great fun!  It was about then I realized I was really overdressed for running a race. Bone rattling cold and freezing before the race, and sweating like Blago at his sentencing hearing during the race,  yup that's how cold winter races go :).  The course was great tho, definitely coming back here to run again.  In the summer.

There was a turnaround point somewhere in the woods because at about 3 miles blasty fasty types started streaming past headin back. Abby passed me in this section.  Go Abby!,   Hi Daddy come on! Pick it up!  I then hoped the turn around was just ahead.  It wasnt.

The medium course ended up being 4.7 miles.  I finished and found Abby already cooled down and getting cold.  I was dripping and felt 135 degrees.  Thats a weird sensation in the bitter cold but the clouds of steam coming off your body is pretty freakin cool.  Here's a pic after the race.

Ya, its Red Bull foo, what clued you in look at the damn camera.





Nice assortment of schwag from the race.
Anyone wanna guess who put the race on?

All in all we had a riot and plan to run it again next year!  Thanks Red Bull and Saucony!  Very cool race, altho I could run anywhere with my baby girl and love every second.  Life is good. :-D


Cheers!
 
Run like the police are chasing you. 

 


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

NYC Marathon Weekend Sugarfest

"He seems to have the persistent endurance of a zombie."  Appropriate words from a good friend, Running Bird after checking the race time for my 9th marathon in 13 months, the 2011 ING NYC Marathon this past Sunday.

No Im not fast, hovering around 4 hours for these races, nor am I getting much faster running so many without proper recovery time. But thats fine, consciously choosing instead to cave to my addiction follow my passion, and run as many as my legs will cooperate for.  It's depressing to finish a race and not have another to look forward to.  I dunno if that's healthy, or the definition of masochism, but I know a lot of my fellow runners share the sentiment.  At some point I'll slow down, maybe, to focus on speeding up, and work on qualifying for and running Boston :)  With more and more people running, the qualification times are not getting any slower.  In the mean time, "you're building a monster aerobic base" says another friend.  Cool!,  I like that.

New York City!  I freakin love New York. Against better judgment I walked and explored a ton before the race. And ate, A LOT,  and it wasnt all good healthy proper pre-race balanced nutritional type health nut food.  It was unadulterated, mitochondria fueling, glycogen replenishing beautiful pure carbo loading! 

There may have been a lot of cupcakes consumed. But these are Crumbs Cupcakes!  If you've ever had a NYC Crumbs cupcake you understand.  Pure.Racing.Fuel.



 
 Is it wrong?
 
OK On with it already, Race Recap, pictorial style... cause that's how I do.

Step 1:  Jump on the Staten Island Ferry at Battery Park, lower Manhattan.  The NYC Marathon is a course through all 5 boroughs of NYC, starting in Staten Island, through Brooklyn, Queens, over to Manhatten, up to the Bronx and back to finish in Manhatten in Central Park. Very very cool race course.

Lower Manhattan, just left the docks.
Hi Lady Liberty, all is well!
The Verrazano Narrows Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn. 
We'll be running across that mother in a few minutes.


 Step 2:  BANG!!!  RUN DAMN IT!!!! 
  
10 minutes after the gun, about ready to reach the start line finally
The Verrazano Narrows Bridge.  8000 people below, 8000
more on the upper deck.  And this is only Wave 2 of 3 Waves.
Ya, its a zoo.  47,000 racers,  2.5 million spectators.  Awesome!
Fire Boat, showing the marathon colors.

Step 3:  Keep running damn it you're not done yet!  And enjoy the sights, you're in New York foo! 

There were a few bridges!  Very Cool.  Not so cool on the knees.
 After summiting the Queensboro bridge at mile 16 parts continued to fall off on this long stretch up 1st Ave in Manhattan.   Does this road ever end?  Are we done yet?  Why the hell am I doing this again?  Mile 18ish

Willis bridge,  Manhattan to The Bronx

Robert F Kennedy Bridge over the Harlem River
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Conspicuous lack of pictures from mile 20 to 26.2 - Ya,  sorry, whatever, I was a little grumpy by that point and not in much of a picture taking mood. So? Wanna make something of it?!?  ;-)
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Step 4, You're done idiot, put that stupid hat on Dunkin Donuts gave you and smile big for the camera.    



Short Short Summary:  This was my 3rd marathon in 7 weeks, not terribly bright I sometimes, so knew there was a fair chance performance wouldn't be the best. Really? See, I smaht. I was feeling strong through the first half, on pace for a sub 4 time, 1:59 at the half.  But then the Queensboro bridge at 16 was brutality. Parts started falling off on that bridge and continued to fall off for the remainder of the race.  The last few miles of any marathon is pure mental.  This one was no exception.  I held it together and finished in 4:16 and change. It's no PR for me but that smile isn't on my face because Im upset :)  I love this stuff.

The rest of the pictures below are shots I took while roaming New York.  Enjoy :)  
Central Park Ice Skating Rink

Central Park
Central Park

Central Park

Welcome to NY, leave your wallet at the door.  12 bucks
for the 2 minute ride over the George Washington Bridge.  Cool. Not.
Pretty much sums up parking in NYC.
  

Times Square
At one point I took to walking across the cars.  Ok not
really but it wouldnt have been a stretch. Times Square.

This one's for my baby girl.  Hi sweety!

Random

This one is for my running bud EMZ

Duuude, you guys look so cool upside down.
Random yoga spirit enjoying the moment.


Goodbye Gotham. Till next time.  I'll miss you.

Cheers!

Run like the police are chasing you. 

 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

I Hate Bikes.

...ok not really.  I enjoy a long bike ride as much as anything, the beautiful passing scenery, quiet serenity pedaling through the countryside, wildlife frolicking, flocks of geese overhead, wind blowing through my hair....


Sometimes however, bikes are just a royal pain in the ass and I am eternally thankful my running shoes don't require tubes and air compressors.

2 rides in a row now the serenity was broken with the gnashing sound of an expensive alloy rim grinding on the pavement.  Really?, again?!?    Both times about 5 miles out.   First time no repair kit, so I ran back with my bike, no problem I'm a runner right?.  Except it was less than 3 days after running a hard personal record  finish time at the USAF Marathon in Dayton and my legs were thrashed. Suck it up cupcake, you're the looney with masochistic tendencies.  Fine, I survived. 

Today I head out with a couple friends for a quick 20 at lunch, but my bike has a flat when I take it out of the car. Really? Crap. Friend has a spare tube, YAYYY,  not crap. Quick change and we're off.  Awesome!  5 miles out,  flat!!!,  Not Awesome!.  I borrow friends little 6" emergency pump and bid them peace and a nice ride, pump up best I can and turn around to head back.  1/4 mile later that damn gnashing sound again, wank wank wank wank wank wank wank wank on the barbie size air pump again until my arm is numb, and Im off.  This ridiculous comedy continues every quarter mile until at one point I catch myself looking up at the heavens. Suck it up cupcake, you're the looney.... ya ya.  I made it back, of course,  and even managed to get a hell of an arm workout in, for a bike ride. 

Didn't take any pictures on this ride,  but here's a few from a great 70 miler a few weeks ago out to Shabbona.



 

 
    Does the corn get hot? 

Cheers!

Run like the police are chasing you. 
 




Monday, October 24, 2011

20 Mile Recovery/Taper Run (?)

Oh joy, another freakin blogger in the world.. :P. Welcome to my inblogural post...

I've enjoyed reading so many friends blogs about running, life, food, etc that it's compelled me to get off my arse and join in.  Im not sure where this blog is gonna go, but you prolly shouldnt look for a consistent theme,  this mindstream is likely to meander a little, or alot, about my running adventures, food, friends, family, beer, biking, music, travelling, my dog, or whatever else seems at the moment worth immortalizing in words.  I also like to run with a camera so there will be lots of pics too.  Occasionally I even have a moment of clarity or perverse perspective on some mundane facet of life,  Ill try my best to remember those and write about 'em.  I hope you find my babbling interesting, or least amusing enough to check in once in a while.  Cheers friends.

On to it.  So what the hell is a recovery/taper run? A friend of mine coined that since there's been so many marathons on the calendar this year I'm never quite sure if a given run is recovery from the last race or tapering for the next one. Its a fun place to be, I like it.  My legs not so much.

This month the race schedule allowed me to squeeze one 20 miler long run in between Chicago Marathon 2 weeks ago and NYC Marathon 2 weeks from now.  Yesterdays 20 was a great run though the countryside (40 miles west of Chicago, it's the edge of civilization out here) on a beautiful fall day. My legs were feeling good so they needed to be punished, I pushed it and finished 20 under 3 hours for the first time ever,  2:57 and change,  8:52 pace  (disclaimer,  I took some breaks, isint that why there's a pause button on the Garmin?, but who's counting, pictures must be took'd.).  The last half mile home I carried 3 pints of beer, in my belly, (the neighbors were out in the garage with a keg and the medicine beckoned, Im weak that way).

Some pics from the run....



 

 

 

  Cheers!

Run like the police are chasing you.