Today was a challenging but fun trail run with Gregg out on the Superior Hiking Trail. Gregg and I started at Magney Snively and headed west for a little over an hour before turning back and heading home. The trails were in great shape, but as anyone who has ran on the SHT knows, there are some very challenging sections and as we approached Ely's Peak, we were in one of those challenging sections.
Steep ups and downs with continuous rocks to watch for and tip toe around makes for some very difficult running, especially on the downhills where it becomes important to control your speed as those jagged rocks, like teeth, lie waiting to take a bite out of your feet and ankles.
Gregg headed home after 2 hours but I was planning on going farther, so I took off again from Magney to try to add on some more miles. Yeah, that didn't really happen. I was pretty drained from the hills and more or less running on empty anyway, so I called it a day soon after. Even though we weren't running very hard, it was a real effort and that will be some great training ground for Voyageur and other races, but not every week.
So upon coming home, after a nice, warm shower, I discovered one of the great post run recovery foods; a Cadbury Creme Egg. It was delicious!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
23
I headed out to Jay Cooke yesterday for some trails and time with myself, with my thoughts. Both were much needed.
I started in Carlton, basically at the start of the Voyageur 50 and ran along most of the trails of the course. The rain has certainly made for a lot of mud and wet areas along the trails, my shoes were pretty much covered in mud by the time I got back. My socks were soaked, my feet were cold and wet. My legs were sore and I was HUNGRY! But at the same time, I felt great.
It was a lot of fun being out there, the trails are beautiful, the St. Louis river was quite a site to see as I crossed the swinging bridge. I kept thinking what it would've been like to discover that area. To be one of the first humans to lay eyes on that gorgeous river.
So I headed out for about 11.5 miles, getting out along the Grand Portage trail, which was awesome, before turning back and essentially retracing my route. It was a great day of running and seeing. Thinking and being.
I started in Carlton, basically at the start of the Voyageur 50 and ran along most of the trails of the course. The rain has certainly made for a lot of mud and wet areas along the trails, my shoes were pretty much covered in mud by the time I got back. My socks were soaked, my feet were cold and wet. My legs were sore and I was HUNGRY! But at the same time, I felt great.
It was a lot of fun being out there, the trails are beautiful, the St. Louis river was quite a site to see as I crossed the swinging bridge. I kept thinking what it would've been like to discover that area. To be one of the first humans to lay eyes on that gorgeous river.
So I headed out for about 11.5 miles, getting out along the Grand Portage trail, which was awesome, before turning back and essentially retracing my route. It was a great day of running and seeing. Thinking and being.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Bagley Hamsters
An easy 11 at Bagley today with Gregg and Schuney. And when I say 11, that means about, oh I don't know, 8 or 9 loops around the park. I felt like a hamster on a wood chipped wheel. That's not to say that it was bad, because to be honest, it was my idea.
I've been desperately wanting to get on some trails lately and away from the lake walk. Not only will this be necessary for the trail races I plan to do this year, but it will be very necessary for my sanity as well. There really is something very soothing about running through the woods. No cars rushing by you, no exhaust fumes, no concrete pounding your bones. It's such a basic and beautiful way to run.
So we chugged out 11 by simply running the Bagley figure 8 loop in different directions, sometimes taking a left at an intersection and sometimes taking a right. Any time you run a trail in a different direction, you're basically running a completely different trail. This helped brake up the monotony of the park but of course more than anything, having Gregg and Dave there to chat with made it much more enjoyable.
Also, the run was made enjoyable by the shoes I chose to wear, my Inov8 x-talon 212s. These are simply the best trail shoe I've ever worn. I used them last year for the Voyageur 50 miler and didn't have a single issue with them. Today I was able to get great traction on the snow covered trails because of the shoes' aggressive outsole but because they are also very light and flexible, I'm able to be very agile in spots where agility is necessary. (Actually, agility comes into play more often on trails that are more technical, like the Superior Hiking Trail)
However, the vaunted shoes were not quite perfect, for just as I was stepping onto one of the bridges for our penultimate crossing, my left foot slipped out from under me and I went down like I'd been shot.
Now in my football playing days they used to tell me not to cut with my inside foot, always cut with my outside foot. Actually, that's a lie, I stopped playing football when I was about 12 because it was then that my 8 year old brother got bigger than me and I could no longer beat him. Anyway, so maybe no one ever told ME not to cut with my inside foot, but I know that when I was at Iowa State as a "student" that I lived in a house with guys who were on the football team and they knew to always cut with your outside foot, so that you're less likely to slip and fall. I can attest that that is correct.
So, as I was stepping onto the bridge with my left foot, I cut hard to make a left turn (that was my inside foot) And with the snowmelt and the wet wood and my overall dumbness, I crashed down on the bridge, and to steal a line from Morrissey, "the pain was enough to make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder." (that's a helluva lot of pain) My butt took the worst of the fall, but my right foot slid under the side wall for the bridge too, and I bruised the top of that foot.
I'm really not looking forward to waking up tomorrow as I'm concerned that I'm going to tighten up and things will feel even worse. Anyone want to come over and give me a butt massage? (Please say no!)
I've been desperately wanting to get on some trails lately and away from the lake walk. Not only will this be necessary for the trail races I plan to do this year, but it will be very necessary for my sanity as well. There really is something very soothing about running through the woods. No cars rushing by you, no exhaust fumes, no concrete pounding your bones. It's such a basic and beautiful way to run.
So we chugged out 11 by simply running the Bagley figure 8 loop in different directions, sometimes taking a left at an intersection and sometimes taking a right. Any time you run a trail in a different direction, you're basically running a completely different trail. This helped brake up the monotony of the park but of course more than anything, having Gregg and Dave there to chat with made it much more enjoyable.
Also, the run was made enjoyable by the shoes I chose to wear, my Inov8 x-talon 212s. These are simply the best trail shoe I've ever worn. I used them last year for the Voyageur 50 miler and didn't have a single issue with them. Today I was able to get great traction on the snow covered trails because of the shoes' aggressive outsole but because they are also very light and flexible, I'm able to be very agile in spots where agility is necessary. (Actually, agility comes into play more often on trails that are more technical, like the Superior Hiking Trail)
However, the vaunted shoes were not quite perfect, for just as I was stepping onto one of the bridges for our penultimate crossing, my left foot slipped out from under me and I went down like I'd been shot.
Now in my football playing days they used to tell me not to cut with my inside foot, always cut with my outside foot. Actually, that's a lie, I stopped playing football when I was about 12 because it was then that my 8 year old brother got bigger than me and I could no longer beat him. Anyway, so maybe no one ever told ME not to cut with my inside foot, but I know that when I was at Iowa State as a "student" that I lived in a house with guys who were on the football team and they knew to always cut with your outside foot, so that you're less likely to slip and fall. I can attest that that is correct.
So, as I was stepping onto the bridge with my left foot, I cut hard to make a left turn (that was my inside foot) And with the snowmelt and the wet wood and my overall dumbness, I crashed down on the bridge, and to steal a line from Morrissey, "the pain was enough to make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder." (that's a helluva lot of pain) My butt took the worst of the fall, but my right foot slid under the side wall for the bridge too, and I bruised the top of that foot.
I'm really not looking forward to waking up tomorrow as I'm concerned that I'm going to tighten up and things will feel even worse. Anyone want to come over and give me a butt massage? (Please say no!)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
A Declaration
Having woken up at 3am ish on Saturday morning to get ready for our group run and then following that up by working a busy day at the store, I was concerned I'd have trouble arising this morning for our scheduled run. Sure enough, my alarm went off at 7:30am and the next thing I remember was Schuney calling me at 8:30 and asking if I was going to make it.
I really did want to run, despite the sights and sounds of the nasty weather and my overall feeling of lethargy, so I got my sorry butt outta bed and drove down to meet Dave, Clint and Gregg at Dave's place.
We took off up Seven Bridges and headed out towards Maxwell and the gravel roads out there. And while some of the roads were a little slushy, the weather wasn't really too bad. To be perfectly honest, I rather like running in the rain.
We ran 11 miles of gravel and hills and blacktop and slush. As usual, the conversation was good and the pace was controllable. I really felt like I could've ran for another 11 miles, but I knew that with my lack of sleep that my body would revolt. I have been fighting a head cold lately so I didn't want to push things too hard.
I am looking forward to being able to get on the trails pretty soon and I will need to as it's been now publicly stated that I plan on running the Sawtooth 100 in September. (Gulp) I've been thinking about it for months now and made my decision around January but I hadn't told anyone until recently. So....if any of you would like to pace me for a bit, Friday evening, September 9th will be a great opportunity to spend some time with a bitchy, whiny and utterly annoying Tony! Consider yourselves warned!
I really did want to run, despite the sights and sounds of the nasty weather and my overall feeling of lethargy, so I got my sorry butt outta bed and drove down to meet Dave, Clint and Gregg at Dave's place.
We took off up Seven Bridges and headed out towards Maxwell and the gravel roads out there. And while some of the roads were a little slushy, the weather wasn't really too bad. To be perfectly honest, I rather like running in the rain.
We ran 11 miles of gravel and hills and blacktop and slush. As usual, the conversation was good and the pace was controllable. I really felt like I could've ran for another 11 miles, but I knew that with my lack of sleep that my body would revolt. I have been fighting a head cold lately so I didn't want to push things too hard.
I am looking forward to being able to get on the trails pretty soon and I will need to as it's been now publicly stated that I plan on running the Sawtooth 100 in September. (Gulp) I've been thinking about it for months now and made my decision around January but I hadn't told anyone until recently. So....if any of you would like to pace me for a bit, Friday evening, September 9th will be a great opportunity to spend some time with a bitchy, whiny and utterly annoying Tony! Consider yourselves warned!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Reflections
Last weekend was the USSSA National Snowshoe Championships in Cable, WI. Dave S., Jen, Meg, Chris, Erik and I went over for the weekend and had a great time. Meg's parents (though her father was out of town) were gracious enough to host us in their beautiful home and provided us with wonderful hospitality.
On Saturday morning, we woke up to see a landscape freshly painted white as 2 to 3 inches of new snow fell during the night. It created a beautiful scene and made for a perfect backdrop for the Championship races that took place later that day.
The Senior Men's race was a fun but challenging 10k over the hills and through the woods of Forest Ridge Golf Course. Duluth Running Co. showed well as Chris finished 16th overall, Erik finished 18th, Schuney was 32nd and I trudged in at 38th. Jen rocked the citizen's 5k race later in the day, finishing 7th for the women, but my vote for most impressive DRC performer of the day was Meg who finished 8th overall in the Senior Women's 10k!
I was pleased with my race, I started slowly and passed a lot of people throughout. I probably passed about 15 people in the last 5k as my plan was to run the first half relaxed. It's always nice when you're able to race your plan well, and still know that you gave everything you had. I feel like I did that but of course now is the time that I start to look back and wonder if I should have gone out a bit harder. Overall though I'm proud of my effort and since I'm not one to worry about the past, I simply won't worry about the past.
On Saturday night we were treated to a nice banquet (where Erik tried to steal some cake) and an overly long awards ceremony. It was great to see Meg and Erik up on the podium and really nice for me to see an old running friend of mine from Iowa also on the podium as he won his age group.
After a relatively calm Saturday night by the fire we woke up eager to race again! Okay, we barely crawled out of bed and dragged ourselves back into town to take on the team relay race, a 4 x 2.5k. Erik led our team off with a great leg, finishing in second before handing off to me. I took off like a turtle and slowed down from there! My legs do not like to go fast under optimal conditions and a day after a hard 10k with snowshoes on are certainly less than optimal conditions. I lost two spots to a couple of guys that I've decided were probably on EPO. That put us in 4th place overall. I tagged off to Dave as he bailed me out and gained some ground on the guys ahead of us. I don't remember if he passed anyone back or not but I'm sure he ran a faster split than at least one of those guys. Chris then anchored our team with a terrific effort. Catching and passing one guy and biting the heals of the 2nd place guy before running out of room. Overall, the DRC team finished in 3rd place and I have to say, it was a blast!
All in all, it was a great weekend of racing and hanging out with friends. We can't wait to go out to Frisco, Colorado next year for the 2012 Championships!
On Saturday morning, we woke up to see a landscape freshly painted white as 2 to 3 inches of new snow fell during the night. It created a beautiful scene and made for a perfect backdrop for the Championship races that took place later that day.
The Senior Men's race was a fun but challenging 10k over the hills and through the woods of Forest Ridge Golf Course. Duluth Running Co. showed well as Chris finished 16th overall, Erik finished 18th, Schuney was 32nd and I trudged in at 38th. Jen rocked the citizen's 5k race later in the day, finishing 7th for the women, but my vote for most impressive DRC performer of the day was Meg who finished 8th overall in the Senior Women's 10k!
I was pleased with my race, I started slowly and passed a lot of people throughout. I probably passed about 15 people in the last 5k as my plan was to run the first half relaxed. It's always nice when you're able to race your plan well, and still know that you gave everything you had. I feel like I did that but of course now is the time that I start to look back and wonder if I should have gone out a bit harder. Overall though I'm proud of my effort and since I'm not one to worry about the past, I simply won't worry about the past.
On Saturday night we were treated to a nice banquet (where Erik tried to steal some cake) and an overly long awards ceremony. It was great to see Meg and Erik up on the podium and really nice for me to see an old running friend of mine from Iowa also on the podium as he won his age group.
After a relatively calm Saturday night by the fire we woke up eager to race again! Okay, we barely crawled out of bed and dragged ourselves back into town to take on the team relay race, a 4 x 2.5k. Erik led our team off with a great leg, finishing in second before handing off to me. I took off like a turtle and slowed down from there! My legs do not like to go fast under optimal conditions and a day after a hard 10k with snowshoes on are certainly less than optimal conditions. I lost two spots to a couple of guys that I've decided were probably on EPO. That put us in 4th place overall. I tagged off to Dave as he bailed me out and gained some ground on the guys ahead of us. I don't remember if he passed anyone back or not but I'm sure he ran a faster split than at least one of those guys. Chris then anchored our team with a terrific effort. Catching and passing one guy and biting the heals of the 2nd place guy before running out of room. Overall, the DRC team finished in 3rd place and I have to say, it was a blast!
All in all, it was a great weekend of racing and hanging out with friends. We can't wait to go out to Frisco, Colorado next year for the 2012 Championships!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
New Spaces New Places
This weekend was a good one for my running as I was able to discover some new terrain with the help of some friends of mine.
Saturday, Schuney, Henry and I ran at Northland Country Club, taking on the hils of that golf course. Dave and I ran in snowshoes while Henry stayed in his road trainers. The course was amazing to run on, full of long, grinding hills and some absolutely amazing views of Lake Superior. For the most part, the snow was packed down pretty hard, as there's a groomed ski trail throughout most of the course. This made the snowshoeing easy but we did hit a couple of sections where we were post holing a bit. It's definitely a place I'll be returning to next winter for some hill training.
Sunday I ran with Gregg for just under 9 miles at a nice, easy pace. We ran mostly along the Hartley trails, which may not be new terrain for many Duluth runners, but I pretty much never go up there. I was impressed with the evenness of the snow packed trails, they were nearly perfect to run on. I was in my road trainers and never once slipped. It was really nice to have Gregg lead the way and show me some of his regular route, I'll be hitting those trails more often.
All in all, I'm feeling pretty healthy right now, my legs are pretty fresh, I've gotten a bit of speed work in but I'm still keeping my weekly mileage rather low. I have the USSSA Snowshoe National Championships next weekend in Wisconsin and I'm feeling ready for that. I've no idea what to expect, how I may do, but I'm certain that I'm at least physically and mentally ready to race. The unknowns are how fast my competitors are and what the snow conditions will be. I can only go and do my best and see where that takes me.
Saturday, Schuney, Henry and I ran at Northland Country Club, taking on the hils of that golf course. Dave and I ran in snowshoes while Henry stayed in his road trainers. The course was amazing to run on, full of long, grinding hills and some absolutely amazing views of Lake Superior. For the most part, the snow was packed down pretty hard, as there's a groomed ski trail throughout most of the course. This made the snowshoeing easy but we did hit a couple of sections where we were post holing a bit. It's definitely a place I'll be returning to next winter for some hill training.
Sunday I ran with Gregg for just under 9 miles at a nice, easy pace. We ran mostly along the Hartley trails, which may not be new terrain for many Duluth runners, but I pretty much never go up there. I was impressed with the evenness of the snow packed trails, they were nearly perfect to run on. I was in my road trainers and never once slipped. It was really nice to have Gregg lead the way and show me some of his regular route, I'll be hitting those trails more often.
All in all, I'm feeling pretty healthy right now, my legs are pretty fresh, I've gotten a bit of speed work in but I'm still keeping my weekly mileage rather low. I have the USSSA Snowshoe National Championships next weekend in Wisconsin and I'm feeling ready for that. I've no idea what to expect, how I may do, but I'm certain that I'm at least physically and mentally ready to race. The unknowns are how fast my competitors are and what the snow conditions will be. I can only go and do my best and see where that takes me.
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