The Rogue Marathon

In the last year or so I have ran six or seven marathons.  Most of them with a finishing time between 3:20 and 3:30.  In other words I started to get demotivated with my finishing times and quit writing on here.  I use to be a sub 3:05 runner and I wasn’t even getting close to that.  But now I’m feeling back up to it and I’m going to start trying to write again.

                   

This past Sunday I ran in the inaugural Rogue Marathon in Medford, Oregon.  I had done the half before and it was always one of my favorites.  I hadn’t entered a race since June, but I had been putting a lot of miles in.  Over the summer I was averaging around 45-50 mile weeks.

Morning of the race woke up and ate a bagel and cream cheese and some leftover pulled pork from the night before, put on a pair of shoes that I had only worn for four miles and caught a ride to the finish line with a friend that I was sharing a hotel room with so we could take the bus to the start.

My friend Bre and I after the finish line.

This race has a pretty decent pay structure for top three ($1000, $500, $250), so I wasn’t sure what kind of competition there would be.  Hanging around the start were a lot of really fast looking runners, but it turned out they were all volunteers.  When it came time to start it was only me and another guy that were brave enough to toe the line.  Some other people ended up joining us but they seemed hesitant.

Me and the other guy took off in the lead, but he pulled away in the first mile and I settled into a pace.  After a couple miles I started to think that I might actually win $500.  Then around mile 14 somebody passed me, but I was still at the $250, and was pushing harder than I wanted to.

Around mile 17 I got passed again and I turned to the guy and said “You’re in third, I can relax now”.  And that I did.  I stopped and peed, had a snack and slowed my pace a bit.

At mile 21 my wife and daughter were there to greet me with a banana and some encouragement.  It was perfect timing and always great to see them.

Briar cheering me on.

Around mile 22 I saw the guy that was originally in the lead, but he looked like he was hurting and would alternate run/walk.  I wasn’t sure if it was him because we had caught up with the half marathoners at this point. As I passed him I realized I was back in third and I would need to keep up the pace.  The last four miles were some of the most difficult I have ran, because I knew there was probably somebody right behind me.

I did stop at the notorious beer tent at mile 25 though.  Had a couple ounces of Coors Light and was on my way.

Passed mile 26, turned a corner and saw the finish line 100 meters ahead of me and promptly puked all over my shirt and shoes.  Looked behind me, didn’t see anybody else and walked in.  Turned to the medic and told him I need a garbage can and a water and he nicely wiped my mouth for me.

finish

Finished in 3:12:13, third overall, second in my age.  Picked up my first cash prize for a marathon

They gave me things.

Shoe Testing

Shortly after running the Portland Marathon I applied to be a running shoe tester for a major American shoe company.  About a week later I got accepted.  I’m not sure what criteria they were looking for, but I think the big thing was that I wear a size 10 shoe.

They sent me a pair of shoes that are not to come out until 2016 with the instructions to run at least 320 miles in 10 or so weeks, tell them what I thought of the uppers, and to not tell anybody that I’m testing for them.  I wasn’t to wear the shoes to major races or announce on my blog what the company is.

Anyways, I would encourage people to apply for this.  Most shoe companies have a place on their website.  You get free shoes to borrow for ten weeks (you have to send them back at the end), it encourages you to run a lot more because you have to get your miles in if you want to do it again, and you feel a bit elite when you hear people talking about how awesome the 2015 models are supposed to be when you are already wearing the 2016.

My first test run is now complete.  I’m not hoping that they pick me again for another shoe.  In the meantime I have to put miles on my own pair of shoes.

Winter

168

For the past couple years I have made a habit of weighing myself on the morning of Thanksgiving.  I will do the same a couple days after New Years.  The goal is to make it through the lazy holiday season without gaining any weight/fat.  This is surprisingly difficult.  As it gets cold my running gets more sporadic, I end up going to a lot of holiday parties, and my eating habits are terrible.

This year will have its own unique set of challenges.  My first child is due any day now.  I’m expecting this to cut into my running.  On the other hand, I won’t be drinking as much and probably not eating out a lot.  So exercise out, healthy eating in.

On Thanksgiving I did a couple Turkey Trots.  The first was a 5k in Stevenson, Washington.  Last year I won it in 19 flat.  This year was a little slower, but I still won in 19:35.  I think the fast, younger runners in town go visit family elsewhere and so I have a great opportunity to win.   My wife doesn’t know it yet, but I’m guessing our new child will win this race next year (assuming I can push a stroller that fast.)

Columbia Gorge Running Club Turkey Trot 5k

That race was at 8am.  At 10am there was a 12k in Hood River, Oregon.  This one was hillier and with better/fresher competition.  I’m not sure of my time or my results.  I think I ran fast.  I did finish first in my age.  I think around 7th overall.  The results of this race have not been posted.

Finally.  I have to show this picture.  It is my sister’s youngest son running with my brother’s dog in Stevenson.

Klickitat Trail Marathon

It has been over a week since I ran the Klickitat Trail Marathon so it is probably about time that I say something.

Both Klickitat and Lyle, Washington are tiny towns in the Columbia River Gorge.  They are connected by the Klickitat River and the Klickitat Trail.  The trail is a rocky and technical in most spots, but it is also mostly flat and exactly 13.1 miles.  In past years they have used this to host a point to point half marathon that starts in Lyle and finishes in Klickitat.

This year however a past participant convince them to host an out and back full marathon as well.  The full marathon was a bit of an after thought and not well advertised so it only had 13 participants.  The fun part about it though is all 13 were local runners and we all kind of knew each other.  It is nice having the whole field be there to support each other.

Marathon runners

The race itself was well volunteered with aid stations every 3-4 miles that included water, gatoraid, soda, and food.  I’m a big fan of races that are put on by ultra runners because they know how to stock an aid station.  I think the aid station at mile 10 didn’t expect me there so early because they were still hiking out when I got there.

The trail was as advertised, flat and technical.  I don’t think the bottoms of my feet have hurt more the day after a marathon than they did for this one.  It was a lot of running over large rocks and a few spots that you couldn’t tell exactly where the trail was, but you assumed that if you followed the river you would be on track.

The half marathoners started an hour after us so I crossed paths with the first of them around mile 11 or 12.  They were all super respectful and cheerful.  There were a few narrow spots with them, but I think they realized that I have been running for a bit longer and was probably a little more tired so they yielded to me.

I did end up winning with a time of about 3:30 which met both of the goals I set.  And I ended up winning a bottle of local wine in the raffle which I promptly drank when I got home.

Overall, this was one of the best organized races of the year with the best people.  I will do it again.

Portland Marathon Recap

I had a doctor’s appointment on the Friday before the race and luckily the nurse was also running on Sunday.  If not for that I would have not known that the marathon wasn’t doing bag checks.  This slightly altered my plans for race day.  Originally I planned to park at Gateway and take MAX into downtown.  But wanting to have a fresh set of clothes right after the race meant I had to get there a little earlier so I could park downtown.

Sunday morning I got up super early, had the usual bagel and eggs sandwich with some coffee, and left for downtown.  Found parking right away, went to the bathroom, found my corral, and relaxed.  Soon after a buddy from Klamath Falls showed up to race and we passed the time catching up.

I had a goal of finishing sub 3:15.  I had a plan of running with the 3:00 hour pace group for as long as I could and then not getting passed by the 3:15 group.  This worked for about 18 miles.  At that point I just bonked hard.  Ended up walking a mile, and then jogging the rest of the way, with a few walk breaks up hills.

After the 3:15 group passed me I told myself that I would run in with the 3:20ers.  I must have missed them though, because around mile 24 the 3:25ers passed me.  At that point I knew I wasn’t going to make any goals and figured I might as well just finish.  I did that around 3:27.  Still not a bad time, but not at all what I wanted.

After relaxing for a week I ended up signing up for another one.  Klickitat Marathon on November 2nd.

How to pack for a Marathon

Portland Marathon is this weekend.  While I live close enough to drive to the race in the morning (about 45 minutes), I have a lot to do in Portland every day this weekend and my in laws live in the suburbs.  We will be staying with them.  This means that I have to think about packing now.  For my own benefit I thought that I would type out what I pack so that I can reference it for future marathons.

I start with the clothes that I’m actually going to wear during the race.  I start with my feet and work my way up.  Also, I lay these clothes out as if I was going to wear them.

Starting from the bottom:

• Shoes
• Two pairs of socks (because I’m paranoid that I’ll lose a pair)
• Calf sleeves
• Two pairs of shorts (because I’m not sure of my mood the morning of)
• Fanny pack
• Tank top
• Arm sleeves
• Road ID bracelet
• Sunglasses
• Headband
• Hat

Clearly I won’t wear all of these things.  On Sunday I’ll probably choose the head band instead of the hat, and I probably won’t wear the arm sleeves unless the weather looks gloomy.

Next I pack the outfit I’ll wear before and after the race.

For this race:

• Flip flops
• Shorts
• Long sleeve short
• Beanie

Other races it might be long sweat pants and a sweat shirt.  If the weather before hand looks really bad I’ll buy a jacket from Goodwill as well as a pair of little kid cotton gloves that I’ll plan on throwing away in the first mile.  If this is the case the clothes you see here will go in my drop bag for afterwards.

Next is medical type stuff.

• Vaseline (this gets spread in my armpits, thighs, buttcrack, really all over)
• razor (not pictured, I will shave around my nipples the day before and for some reason I shave my feet, but I don’t have a good reason why I do this)
• Band-aids (to go over my nipples)
• S-caps, ibuprofen, and sudafed (not pictured)
• Drug bags for the above mentioned items (little ziplock bags, you know, the type that you get from your neighborhood drug dealer)
• Gels
• A drop bag

The drugs and the gels will go in my fanny pack to carry while I run.  I will also some ibuprofen and sudafed before the race.

And then it all goes into a suitcase.

And now I have to find space in that suitcase for the rest of the clothes I’m going to wear during the weekend.

I also have a few things that aren’t pictured because I still need to buy them.

For breakfast on Sunday I’ll have a bagel sandwich with bacon, eggs, and cheese.  Before the race I make a concoction of coconut water, gatoraid preworkout mix, and chia seeds.

In my drop bag I will also keep a snickers bar, a coke, and a beer.  I’m always craving sugar when I’m done and a beer is a nice little reward.

I have a feeling I will edit this post on Monday because I’ll realize I forgot something over the weekend.

Bunker to Bonneville 50k

I always figured that I would do a 50k someday, but wasn’t sure when. I had just finished my three marathons earlier this spring/summer and I’m signed up for another in October (Portland). Knowing that I needed to get a long run in this weekend and also knowing that my local running club was hosting a 50k I figured I might as well see what happens.

I had never done one before, and I especially had never done one without putting any thought into training. The week prior to the race I went out for a 20 miler just to make sure that was possible. I did come up with a plan for the course though. I was going to be very casual about it. Stop at the aid stations, walk when I need to, and listen to podcasts the whole time. I typically do none of these things during a race.

Start

So that is what I did. Every aid station I stopped to talk to the people and filled up my water bottles (that’s another thing, I never bring water with me). I would also have a bit of food at each station.

There was two significant hills. The first one was from mile 5 to 10 with a little over 2000 feet of climbing. I was able to power through this hill and then it was cruising downhill until mile 14. From mile 14 to 18 we had another 2000 feet of climbing. This one I walked probably two miles. I also realized I need to learn how to walk fast. Two guys passed me walking during this portion, but their walking was with purpose. Mine was not.

Early flat portion

At mile 18 we got to three corners rock. This was about the highest that the course went to. There was an extra challenge to actually climb up the rock which takes approximately five minutes. If you do this you get a logo pint glass. I wasn’t going to win anyways, plus no matter what time I get is a PR so I figured I might as well start climbing. I got to the top. Came back down and asked the aid station how to get my pint glass and he said there was a card at the top for me to bring to the finish. Oops. So I climbed it again. At least two people passed me during this time.

It was also running like crazy by this point. The view from Three Corners Rock includes all the mountains, Hood, Adams, St Helens, Rainer, Sisters. On this day we were in a cloud. You could almost see 10 feet in any direction.

After this aid station the course flattens out for two miles and then is down hill for the last 11 miles. These 11 miles went quick. It was a steep technical downhill, but you can’t help but to run quick down the hill.

I crossed the finish line in about 5 hours and 26 minutes. I like to take at least 10 minutes off of that for the pint glass climb. Either way I’m super happy with the result. I finished in 10th place overall and more than that, I did it.

Just finished, my mom in the background

Afterwards there was delicious Hawaiian food and a table of swag. I ended up getting a free growler and fill from Backwoods Brewery.

Apparently this is a tough course, so now I want to start looking for an easy course to do. Although I’m not sure if I could have done it without the 11 miles of downhill at the end.

After every marathon for some reason I send my brother a picture of myself in the bathtub, so here it is.

It’s been awhile

I haven’t posted in here for quite sometime now. I met my goal of joining the Marathon Maniacs on July 4th and then took a bit of a break from running for a bit. After about a week and a half off I realized I needed to get back out there. I planned on taking two weeks off, but I couldn’t handle it.

Whenever I take an extended period of time off I come back running a short distance every day for a week. I usually don’t run every day. Instead I do longer runs 3-4 times a week. This time though I did four miles seven days in a row. It was a short mile week, but got my back into the groove.

A lot has happened since I last posted. I should probably post a bunch of new entries, but I think I’ll try to post a little of each.

I’ve been doing a lot more trail running then before. I’m traditionally a road runner, but there are so many good trails near me that I’ve been having to check them out. I did this one today.

Dry Creek

I started doing weekly triathlons with the Columbia Gorge Tri Club. They do sprints every Tuesday and then drink some beers. It is nice to change up my training a bit. And I’m not too shabby. Or I might be the only one going all out.

I’m also riding my bike a lot more. I found some shoes/pedals at Goodwill that were my size and matched my bike so I had to get them, now I have to ride my bike.

I also, put up most of my old race bibs on my garage wall. I’m liking how it is turning out.

Race Wall

I did a 10k last weekend. Finished second with a time of 39:30. I’m not sure if that is a PR, but it is probably close. I’ve never really paid attention to my PR in anything but the marathon. I should probably write them down.

I have a half marathon on Sunday. It is in my hometown of Cascade Locks and most of my family is coming to town to do it as well. Should be a decent race.

I’m going to try to stay on top of this now that I’m running again. We will see if I do.

Foot Traffic Flat

Instead of writing up a recap of the marathon last Friday, I will direct you to a guest post I did for Run Oregon.

Guest post: 2014 Foot Traffic Flat recap

Goals

I accomplished one of my goals for 2014 yesterday. My overall goal and the reason I started this blog was to run a marathon in under three hours. This is not the goal I accomplished.

At some point earlier this year I decided I wanted to qualify for the Marathon Maniacs. I looked up their criteria and realized that their lowest level of membership (Bronze) requires that you finish three marathons in 90 days.

On April 13th I ran the Vernonia Marathon in 3:28. Five weeks or so after that, on June 6th, I ran the Green River Marathon in 3:17 which was good enough for a 4th place finish. And then yesterday on July 4th I finished the Sauvie Island Flat in 3:19 for a 31st place finish against some crazy good competition.

I say competition like I was actually competing. The winner finished in something like 2:22. I was happy to be in the top 50.

I have a lot to say about yesterday’s race, but I’m going to leave that for another post reviewing the race. Overall I felt good at the beginning and still was doing okay at the end. I was happy with my results and happy with the race.