Afton A.M. Run

I made it out to Afton State Park this morning for a 15 mile run. I was out there early enough to caught the sun rising over the bluffs. I must have seen over 10 deer on my run. Next door at the ski hills they were busy making snow. It was an enjoyable peaceful run with not too many others out.

My running has started to become more consistent, running 5-6 days a week and trying to get a longer run in here and there. I plan to continue to increase my mileage over the winter months in preparation for some spring ultras. I was planning on trying to run Chippewa 50k this year but will have to change my plans due to an apparent cancellation of the race. Does anyone know why it was cancelled, and is it cancelled for good or just this coming year?

Back at it

This past week I made it out running six out of seven days. I have not been going far but rather just enjoying the nice fall weather and getting in a few miles each day. It feels good to be back running and it is nice to start to get into a running routine. My headlamp has become my best friend during my weeknight runs because it has allowed me to run on some trails. I plan on continuing to run on trails throughout the winter months as much as I can. This week I am continuing to do short daily runs and will soon gradually start increasing my mileage.

Mike Reneau Interview

Check out this interview of Mike Reneau after finishing NYC Marathon yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/letsrundotcom#p/u/7/UqXuz1IdkeI

NYC Marathon

The 40th running of the New York City Marathon was today as local Mike Reneau ran a 2:16:45 for a 15th place finish. I know Mike from his days at UWRF and the weekly summer runs a few summers ago out at Willow River State Park. Meb Keflezighi had an impressive win (2:09:15)being the first American since 1982 to win the race. Ryan Hall also had an impressive showing running a time of 2:10:36. This race is one that is on my to do to list.

This week I plan to start running on a regular basis again after taking about 3 weeks of basically no running. I went for a 6 mile run this morning, which felt good.

A look ahead

It seems like we didn't really even have a fall this year and its already November tomorrow. Its daylight savings time tonight so don't forget to set your clocks back. This also means that it will now be dark when I get off work and I will be running five days a week in the dark.

The past three weeks I have done little running, and I have enjoyed taking the time away from running, but I am about ready to start training again. I am trying to figure out what races I plan on running next year and am really looking forward to some new races and new challenges. I am quite certain that I want to run my first 100 miler in 2010. I am thinking that Kettle Moraine would probably be the best timing for me. Leading up to this race I would likely do a few local 50k/50 milers and a marathon with Kristen in preparation for the 100. Depending on how things work out I am also thinking that I would like to see what kind of a time I could run in a fall marathon with proper preparation. I have really not had proper preparation for a marathon since my first marathon at TCM in 2004 (2:54).

I know the 100 is a whole new world compared to a 50 miler so I would appreciate any advice or recommendations as I begin to prepare for my first 100 miler.

Glacial Trail 50

Its already been a week since I was running through the Kettle Moraine Northern section in the Glacial Trail 50 miler with my brother Eric. It was a beautiful crisp morning at the 6 a.m. start with temperatures around 25 degrees with no wind. We started the race out conservatively both knowing that this was a long run and we could always pick it up on the way back if everything was going well. The first half of the race seemed to go by quickly. We didn't wear a watch or ask what time if was until we accidentally found out what time if was at the 43 mile marker where we were 7:33 into the race. The footing throughout the race was definitely a challenge with leaves covering lots of roots and rocks in places which kept my eyes busy scanning the ground below. I only fell once and ended up flying forward head first, but fortunately I landed in a relatively soft spot with no rocks and was able to get up right away and continue on. From the last aid station (43 miles) to the entrance of town was a mentally challenging part of the course for both us because we were looking for a certain road crossing where we would have 5 miles left and we never came to it. We were pleasantly surprised and we saw the trail sign that indicated that we have roughly 2 miles left in the race. Once we entered town with less than a mile to go it was all paved roads to the finish which felt weird to run on after running over roots and rock for the last eight plus hours. We finished in a time of 8:49 which was faster than we both anticipated going into the run. This was a well organized race and I enjoyed being a part of it.

Twin Cities Marathon

Sunday was a perfect morning for a nice run through the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul as I enjoyed running along side Kristen in her first marathon. The good news is not only that she finished but I think she is hooked.

It doesn't matter how many times I cross the starting line at TCM I always get chills as I cross the starting line and hear all the beeps from everyones race chips. Kristen's goal for this first marathon was first of all to just finish and secondly to break 4 hours. We went out a little too fast for her as its never easy to hold back with all the excitement and energy in this race. She started to feel the early fast pace around mile 9 or 10, but we still came through the half in 1:49.

We slowed down a little the second half of the run but still maintained a good pace. I knew the last 6 miles would be interesting as Kristen had completed a 20 miler in training but anything beyond that was new territory. She said she really wanted to walk about mile 23, but she continued to push and was as tough as nails to the finish. We finished in a time of 3:49:15 well below the goal of a sub-4. One of the best parts was watching her go down stairs for the next couple days. By the end of the day on Sunday, Kristen was already talking about doing another one.Congradulations to everyone that ran on Sunday including some of my friends, Kyle (2:54), Brandon (3:06), Jason, and Angie. Up next for me is Glacial 50 miler on Sunday with my brother Eric.