Friday, September 2, 2011

2nd Annual - 31 Day Hill Challenge


It all started last year when I ran some hills on the 1st of August. Later that night or the next day I thought to myself I wonder how many hills(the hill) I could run and power hike for the whole month - everyday and no other running except on that hill for some different training. Maybe I could hit 100 ups I really didn't know. I finished last years challenge with 155 ups/346 miles/104,240 ft of accent and had a great time. This year I asked my wife if she would be ok if I would give it another try this year and she said yes....I think. ;-) I'm not getting any younger but I don't feel like I am getting old and right now I can't hike the whole Appalachian Trail - to much time away from the family this year so this hill is close and works perfect. Right from the start my goal was to hit 200 ups. I knew if I was going put the time into it I had to be up there all the time to hit that number. In 22 days I tied my record from last year and after 31 days this year I hit 214 ups/466 miles/142,000 ft. of accent. It was a great adventure again this year with snakes, 1 bear, squirrels, chipmunks, tons of grass hoppers, rain, wind and heat. My family and friends were very supportive and I can never thank them enough - family Karen, Karyna, Alyssa, Mom, Dad, Mary, Dave. Friends Donny, Trish, Paul and Tim Peters and family(Tim ran 50 hills for the month of August) you are the best support crew and without you this would not of been possible! There were plenty of other runners/hikers/walkers out there to that I met and made it really fun. With over 97 hours in the 31 days on that hill it was nice to taper for the last 2 days with no hills or running planned. Tomorrow it is off to the 4th Annual Hamburg, Hills and Hamburgers Run Saturday and Labor Pain 12 hour run on Sunday. Keep moving forward my friends;-) 


Below are more of the details by the day. From where the parking lot is it is a 1/2 mile to the start with 140 ft of accent  then the 1 mile up has 640 ft of accent. I had 4 double days which added and extra 4 miles and 1 - 3 mile run on a track that added 3 miles.



Totals: 

Days running/power hiking - 31 
Hills (1 mile up) – 214 ups 
Miles – 466 (includes 3 miles on a track) 
Time - over 97 hours 
Accent – 142,000 ft.
Descent – 142,000 ft.
Bottles of water/Cytomax - over 90 
Gels - many 
Snakes – over 10 (black,copperhead,rattle) 
Blisters – 1 
Black bear – 1 (day 3 – not easy going back out on day 4) 
Ice cream - gallons 
Hammer Recoverite - almost 1 - 32 serving bag
Coca-Cola - to much
Advil/Ibuprofen - none
Fun - 31 days
Next year.....hmmmm....not sure(I bet I know what my wife will say)

Day 1

Day 21

Day 31



The hill in MapMyRun




Friday, June 24, 2011

Charlie Horse 1/2 Marathon - 5-29-2011

I was debating if I really wanted to do this race. I wanted to run but wasn't sure if my legs were ready after a hard run on Tuesday and Thursday. I got all my running stuff ready to go, ate some breakfast and headed out the door. It's a 30 mile drive for me and I had it planned that I would get there right before the buses started to leave at 9:15am. The race is a point to point run and they shuttle you to the start. I made it just in time to fill out my application and the buses were ready to go. My friend Shaun and his wife gave me a ride to the start so I didn’t need the shuttle ride. The race was suppose to start at 10 am but finally started around 10:10 am. The start of the race was crazy fast for me and you cross a creek that can't be avoided in the first 100 yards. Then the was single track trails for the first 7 or 8 miles. The first two aid stations I pass on because I was carrying a 26oz. water bottle filled with 3 hammer gels already mixed in the water. The first aid station I filled up at was at mile 8 or 9. They aid station worker Anna filled my bottle up very fast and I was on my way. The next part of the course was a steep mile down on road and then back up a mile and a half on road. The last mile or more was run through some great water holes and mud that could not be avoided. It was a fun day and I gave the race everything I could.

5-29-2011 - 13.1 miles - 1:45:13 - run

Photos below by: Derek Schultz















Sunday, June 5, 2011

Third Thirsty Thursday 5k - 5-26-2011

It was a very warm night so I took some eletrolytes before the race. I opened the capsules and drank them with water about 20 min. before the race. Within a quater mile my mouth dried up and I had no saliva left. It was kind of funny trying to run with your mouth that dry. Not sure if I will do that again for a 5k. It got a lot better after the first mile. I hit the halfway in 9:06, finished with a 18:21 and was very happy with the way I handled the last half of the race. Last month my time for the same course was 18:08 - a PR for me and it was a little cooler out. My next goal is to break 18 on a 5k sometime this year.

Hills, Hills and more Hills....

Today I went to do hills. I don't have any long events coming up but I continue to do them. I guess once they get in your blood you can't stop doing them. The temps were perfect and not to much sun early on. Today had to be one of the best days of the year to go for a hike or run and there were only 2 cars in the parking lot a little after 7a.m. 

My first lap was a little slow because I was carrying 4 full bottles half way up until I ditched 2 of them. I'm not sure why the first down was very slow. I went through all 4 bottles (3 Cytomax-1 water, 5 gels and 6 electrolytes). After lap number 4 I put some music on and it gave me a boost. The last 2 laps I got really sore and keeping focus was a challenge but I made it through. Another fun day of hills;-)

Below are my splits/map of hill and some photos. The last hill number 11 I walked to the top and back down to the car.

        Up      Down
  1 - 15:42...9:30
  2 - 14:47...7:50
  3 - 14:39...7:41
  4 - 14:12...7:53
  5 - 13:59...7:37
  6 - 13:34...7:02
  7 - 13:09...7:25
  8 - 14:07...7:30
  9 - 14:05...7:50
10 - 14:20...7:19
11 - 21:25...24:56


Date: 6/4/2011
Total time: 4:31
Elevation: up 7,180ft. / down 7,180ft.
Distance: 23 miles 

The map below is the hill I use:


Bug on my shorts
Copperheads

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

5 Months for what.....


Sorry for the delay in this post. Things have been crazy in other areas of life after the race. I would like to thank my family and friends for all the support over the last couple of months – wow time flies!

My wife and I dropped the little ones off at the place that watches them before school. Then we came back home packed up the last of the stuff and headed out to pick up Beth. From there we headed down to VA. After arriving near our hotel we made a quick stop at Wal-Mart for some last minute supplies and a bite to eat. We checked in at the hotel and relaxed a little before heading over to the race meeting. It was about a 20 min. drive from the hotel to the race headquarters. Once arriving at the race headquarters I picked up my race number and shirt. We talked to a lot of friends that were helping or running the race and then went for supper. When I got back to the room I went through all my stuff I would need for the race and went to bed.

Waking up around 2:30 a.m. it really felt early for the 4 a.m. race start. I had some coffee, banana and banana bread on the way to the race. Once arriving there we had to check in to let them know we were there and starting the race. I talked to a couple of people and in no time we lined up and we were off running.

Right from the start of the race if felt very warm. I was sweating going up the first road hill. My plan from the start was to take a gel every 23 min., 2 electrolytes per hour, and drinking a bottle of Cytomax every hour. It seemed to work for most of the race and I will stick with that plan next time but maybe try a different electrolyte and maybe go to every 20 min. with the gels. My crew had all my stuff ready for me every time I came into the aid stations. The day seemed to be going by really fast. Everything was feeling good up until around mile 56 or 57. The aid station before I changed my socks and shoes which I normally don't do. My feet were wet and I could feel some blisters and I thought it would be a good idea to change. I ate some food and got some ice in a bandanna to put around my neck. It was a long climb right from the aid station to the top of the mountain. Right before I got to the top I took my bandanna off and started to eat the ice. I just wanted something cold and my warm bottles were not cutting it. After making it to the top of the mountain I felt some cramps in my right leg. I tried running slow and that wasn't working. Walking felt a little better. I tried sitting down a couple times and I would cramp worse when I did that. Keep moving forward is what I kept telling myself. It wasn't working really well. I just wanted to sit down which I did after a while and the cramps were not as bad. It felt like the cramps were going to come back so I decided to walk and I wound up walking that whole section - over 9 miles. Coming into aid station I felt like I had no energy. I sat there trying to eat and drink and nothing was looking good. My pacer - Stephan was waiting for me and ready to go. I really didn't think I was going back out but I managed with the help of my crew and pacer. I started power hiking at a fast pace but at this point I really had no interest in running. I know that sounds really weird to some and I am still trying to figure it out but I couldn't even start to run. I could hike but the drive to run was lost on that day. Stephan and I had some good conversation in those 5+ miles and I am glad I got to end the day with him. When getting to the 68.7 mile aid station I sat down for awhile got some food in me and I pulled the plug on my running that day. My crew, pacer and all my friends at that aid station tried everything in the book to get me to go out but I knew I was finished - DNF(did not finish).

"5 Months for what....." I picked this title for this blog post to remind myself what I accomplished in the last 5 months. It was not all about the one race but the effort that I put into 5 months of training. I learned a lot about how consistent training paid off for my other races. Sometimes you have good days and not so good days but the not so good days are still good because you are running. And one last thing that I will always think of before I start any of my races: If I never take a chance I will never know how fast I can go!

So what is next? I am going to keep training like I was and find some another event. I am going to keep posting in this blog off and on because I had a great time sharing my adventures with everyone. So until next post…..

Picture by Miriam Wilcox

Picture by Teresa Sukiennicki


Picture by Aaron Schwartzbard

Picture by Aaron Schwartzbard

Picture by Aaron Schwartzbard

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Race report soon....

I will be posting a race report of my run in a couple of days.


5-19-2011

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Day 162 - Last hike

Today was my last hike. That just sounded really weird. It was my last hike before my race. The last couple of days the weather has been perfect. It was a little windy and that keeps the bugs away. There was no one up at Pulpit Rock when I got there. Then a hiker came through and we talked for a few minutes. It is always nice talking to local hikers and learning more about the trails in the area. We wound up walking back to the parking lot talking about - what else - running and hiking. I really can not wait to do a long day hike after my race. Another great night on the mountain - any day or night you can get to the mountain it is a great day!!!


5-11-2011 - 3.2 miles - 1:20 - hike/walk/stopped to enjoy view


Chipmunk



The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

Hawk

Hawk

Hawk





Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Day 161 - No running

No running tonight. I did go to the local track meet with the little one to watch some events. I might do one more hike but no more running until race day. Below is a picture of a spider taking care of a stink bug that was on the fence at the track meet.

Spider and Stink Bug
5-10-2011

Day 160 - Easy hike

Tonight I went for an easy hike up to Pulpit Rock.

5-9-2011 - 3.2 miles - 55:00 - run

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Day 159 - Another easy run

Today I ran to the Pinnacle and back from the parking lot. Not to much action out on the trail. This will one of my last runs before my race. Everything is really getting green. A nice easy day on the trail!


5-8-2011 - 9 miles - 2:10 - run




View from Pulpit Rock


View from Pulpit Rock


View from Pulpit Rock


View from Pulpit Rock


View from Pinnacle


Copperhead





Day 158 - Slow run

Today I was just running for time on feet. These runs are nice because you can slow down and enjoy the views more. It was warm when I started and then when I hit the top of the mountain it really cooled off when the sun went in. When I got to the Pinnacle the sun came back out and warmed up fast. You can see the rain in a distance in the first picture. Another great day to be in the mountains!

5-7-2011 - 8 miles - 1:40 - run


View from Pinnacle


View from Pinnacle


View from Pinnacle


View from Pinnacle


View from Pinnacle


View from Pinnacle


View from Pinnacle


View from Pinnacle


View from Pulpit Rock


View from Pulpit Rock

Monday, May 9, 2011

Day 157 - Friday night run

Tonight I went out for a nice paced run with my friend Donny. We ran into my dad out on the run. He was just finishing up a bike ride. After taking for about 15 min. we headed back to town. Then ran back to Donny house then I had to run home. When I had 2 miles to go I thought I am going to run as hard a I can. I wound up running 13:29 for the last 2 miles. It was a fun night of running.

5-6-2011 - 11.6 miles - 1:40 - run


Day 156 - Easy run

I ran from home up to Pulpit Rock and back. Nice easy pace run with some walking on the steeper hills.

5-5-2011 - 7 miles - 1:10 - run

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Day 155 - No run day

It was a busy night with the children and I wasn't making any time to run. The taper is slowly starting.
5-4-2011

Day 154 - Fast run

Tonight I wanted to get one more fast run in before I really start to slow down for my race. I picked a 7 mile course that I run quite often when I want to see where I am at with my speed. It was a lot warmer out tonight which was good for some last minute heat training. I pushed the whole run until mile 6 where I was stopped in my tracks to a loose dog. I think is was a pit bull mixed with something but I wasn't sure. Someone left their house door open and the dog came out to someone that just pulled up in a car. The dog didn't come near me but I wasn't going to make any move towards it. After the owner got the dog and went back in the house I was on my way for the last mile back home. I had a good run and was happy with the time.

5-3-2011 - 7 miles - 47:00 - run

Day 153 - Easy walk

Tonight I went for an easy hike or I guess it was more of a walk. It was really nice going a little slower and hearing all the different birds. After I made it up to Pulpit Rock it started to rain a little harder than I thought it was going to. I quick put my camera in a plastic bag and stuffed it in my back pack. Then I ran the rest of the way back so my camera wouldn't get damaged from the rain.

5-2-2011 - 3 miles - 1:00 - walk





View from Pulpit Rock

View from Pulpit Rock

Monday, May 2, 2011

Day 152 - Snake & Bat

Today I did the same run as yesterday - from home to the Pinnacle and back. Today is the second day in a row that I saw a snake. Today it was a copper head and I didn't have my camera. I guess I better start carrying a camera if I don't want to see any more snakes:-) When I got to the Pinnacle someone said watch out for the snake or snakes and I thought they said that just to be careful because they are in that area a lot. I said to them did you see any snakes today? The guy said yes right near where you just ran. All I can say is welcome back snakes it has been a quite winter without you - now lets just get along for the next couple of months;-)

A couple hours later I went for a hike and did my regular 5 mile loop. With only about a mile to go a bat flew over top of me. I kept an eye on it while it was flying in front of me. I kind of had a feeling it was going to be heading back my way. In about a minute the bat turned around and was coming right back in my direction. I had my video on my camera ready and it flew right over top of me and I could see it right above me on the video screen. Bad thing was I didn't push the button to record so I didn't get any video. Maybe next time. I had a good hike and my car was the only one in the parking lot.

5-1-2011 - 12 miles - 2:06 - run
5-1-2011 - 5 miles - 1:13 - fast hike

View from Pulpit Rock


View from Pulpit Rock


Hamburg Reservoir 


Hamburg Reservoir