Mile 4, CheeseTime: 38:00

At the 4 mile marker, Ben is at 38 minutes flat and said the fans out here are awesome. Go Benj!

Dressed and Ready to Run

David and Ben are about to make their way to the “cheesiest” starting line in all of marathon running. Weather is a bit cool, but should be great for the race.

Two days away!

My second attempt at the Wisconsin Marathon is this Saturday. I will probably be wearing a cowboy hat AND a cape. It should be a fun time.

My brother will be posting real-time updates every so often during the race, which starts at 7 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Wish me luck!

Trailbreaker Recap (the second time around)

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I toed the line in Waukesha. I felt like I was in pretty good shape, but I had two things working against me. First, there was an extended period of time during winter (when my daughter was born) during which I was not running. Secondly, the longest training run I had in the weeks before the race was only 16 miles. My preference is 20 or more. Still, I set a reasonable goal of improving on the time I ran four years ago, which was 4:14:44.

The temperature was above freezing, so I probably could have survived without tights, but I wanted to be comfortably warm. Another highlight of my race attire was a new long-sleeved green shirt that I found on clearance for $3 at Target. I really don't need more running shirts, as I get one at every race I run, but sometimes a new look means a new attitude. Either that, or I collect dri-fit shirts the same way others collect shoes.

Anyway, I felt pretty good in the early going, averaging about 9:15 for the first ten miles, which was about fifteen seconds per mile faster than my 2007 effort. Mom and Dad were following me around the course with the same expert navigational skill that has benefitted me at past races. Mom was on the ball with my goody bag full of Accelerade, GU, and sport beans. Jenelle and Eliana were getting some extra sleep and having a relaxing day at home.

I reached the Ice Age Trail portion of the course feeling pretty good. Even though I had run this exact course before, I was surprised by the difficulty. There's a lot of fairly steep hills, and it's silly to run up them. It's best to walk and conserve your energy. And of course, take your time on the steps leading up to the tower and the steps on the tower. I recorded a movie of my climb up the stairs, and Dad was waiting for me at the top to take a picture. Nice work.

After a very short break at the bottom of the tower, I made my way back toward the Glacial Drumlin Trail and the main section of the course. I was eager to be done with the Ice Age portion, but I still wanted something left for the remaining 10+ miles of the race. When I finally got back on the nice, flat, crushed gravel surface, I was still feeling it. I took it easy for miles 16-18, hoping that I could somehow regain some energy.

As I was about to accelerate and get back on track towards my goal, I passed a runner in distress. He was still moving fairly well, but I could tell he was in pain. I asked him if he was okay. I'll summarize his response by stating that he had a chafing issue. I asked if he could use some Body Glide (an anti-chafing lubricant), and he nodded.

I ran ahead of him a little bit as I pulled the cell phone out of my jacket and called my parents. At the next aid station, which wasn't too far ahead, they handed me my container of Body Glide, which I had stashed in the running bag in the trunk of the car. The distressed runner was not that far behind me, so I slowed down until he caught up to me. When I held the container up to hand it over, he seemed very surprised, exclaiming, "Are you serious?!" "Oh, yeah, don't worry about it -- it's yours now." He thanked me as I zoomed on ahead. I saw him after the race, and he said that my gift "saved his life." Wow.

That last bit of running at a relaxed pace gave me the strength I needed to fly to the finish. I completed mile 19 in 8:17 -- my fastest mile of the race. Each of the next three miles was also under nine minutes (8:58, 8:30, 8:48). There is an amazing thrill to having the energy to go fast in the latter part of a marathon. It may have something to do with the excitement of passing runners one after another, or perhaps it's just the relief of knowing that you didn't go too fast early on.

With a mile or two to go, I could tell that I was going to beat my time from four years ago. The final pleasant surprise was when the finish showed up about a quarter of a mile sooner than I thought it would -- apparently the mile 25 post wasn't quite accurate. I finished in 4:08:53. Given the challenge of the middle portion of the course, this feels just as successful as a four-hour marathon on any other course.

Miles 1-5	8:54	9:01	8:55	9:11	9:03
Miles 6-10	9:16	9:24	9:30	9:22	9:34
Miles 11-15	9:40	8:56	10:28	14:21	10:48
Miles 16-20	9:50	10:08	9:08	8:17	8:58
Miles 21-25	8:30	8:48	9:34	9:12	9:10
Miles 26-End	8:57	1:58

• Average Pace: 9:30/mile
• First half: 2:02:48 Second half: 2:06:05
• Fastest Mile: #19 (8:17) Slowest Mile: #14 (14:21)
• Race Photos

New course personal best!

I finished the Trailbreaker in 4:08:53, beating my time from four years ago by nearly six minutes. Yay!

Trailbreaker Again

Thanks to my new treadmill, I've been able to get a fair amount of running done, despite the late arrival of spring in my neck of the woods. I'm not in prime marathoning shape, but I'm planning to run the Trailbreaker Marathon tomorrow. After 24 races of marathon distance or greater, this is the first time that I have run the same course twice. It's hard to say if I will be able to challenge my finishing time from four years ago (4:14:44), but I'll give it a whirl. I'll probably decide if a new Trailbreaker PR is in reach as soon as I start heading back from the tower at Lapham Peak State Park. Wish me luck!

Run @ Home

I've spent a fair amount of time running in the past few months. There's been a few nice days mixed in with blizzards and deep freezes, so I have been outside on occasion. Mostly, I've been running on treadmills at work and on the elliptical trainer at home.

Yesterday marked an exciting new development. I now have a treadmill at home as well! I purchased it from the company where I work. They often sell used equipment to employees for a pretty good price. I always knew that I'd want a commercial-grade treadmill, as I fear any home-based item would not last once I start training for something big. I still need to make sure it's on a perfectly level surface and adjust the belt so that it is perfectly in the center, but a five-mile run this morning shows everything to be in good working order.

Now I just need to install a TV. :)

Winter Baby Fun Times

What have I been up to lately? I haven't been running much, but there's plenty of excitement. On December 7, Jenelle and I welcomed our baby daughter, Eliana, into the world at 7:56 a.m. CST. She's by far the highest priority for me right now.

Still, I am doing my best to stay fit. The weather is keeping me inside, but I did go running with some work buddies on the day of the company holiday celebration (picture above). A small heat wave at the end of the year brought me outside on three consecutive days for 4-5 mile efforts. Other than that, I'm trying to spend half an hour a day on the elliptical trainer in our spare bedroom.

I don't think I'm in shape to run a 50-miler, but there's still a chance I can pull it together for a marathon sometime this year. We'll see!

Turkey Day Run

There's a 10K race in Kenosha on Thanksgiving Day. I had been considering signing up since last week. Since race day registration was available (though it won't be next year), I decided to make a game-time decision. The weather was a bit cold, but with rain and snow out of the forecast, I got the tights out of the drawer and made my way to the Kenosha Lakefront at 8 a.m. this morning. I had plenty of time to sign up, warm up, and be ready to run. I chatted with SCJ running buddies Gerry and Ken before the race. I also talked with Pastor Dean, the senior pastor at KBC, where I attend on Sundays. He was walking the 2-miler, but his son, Luke, ran the 10K.

My last 10K race was in 2007, when a crazy course mix-up resulted in me being the first person to complete the entire course. I finished in 49:22, a personal best despite covering a small portion of the course three times over. Though I haven't been doing much speed training lately, I knew that the strong cardio base from training for my 50-miler would make it likely to break that record.

The race started a minute or two after 9. My plan was to start out at 8:00 / mile pace and gradually speed up throughout the race. As we headed north from the downtown area, I clocked the first mile in 7:59. Mile two continued north on trails in parks along the lake. I saw Luke and passed him -- he was targeting to run between 8:00 and 9:00 pace, so he was doing great.

As I approached the turnaround near Carthage College, I counted the runners in front of me. This was a pretty popular race -- when I made the turn, my count was at 137. I did not feel tired at all, so I decided to see how many I could pick off before the finish.

My pace quickened a little bit in miles 4 and 5, and I passed about 8-10 people. Looking back, I probably should have gone even faster, because I had more than enough left in the tank for the final stretch. ZOOM! For the last 1.22 miles, I was running at 6:47 pace, including a final quarter-mile sprint at about 6:11 pace.

I finished in 47:28, taking about two minutes off my personal best. Congrats to Luke, who finished in 49:08 (7:56 pace). Well done!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My mile splits:
7:59, 7:55, 7:51, 7:43, 7:39, 6:58, 1:23