October 8 - 21, 2012

Vacation and long work weeks have limited time for updates. The SI joint in my back finally fell into place after therapy with Dr. Nolan on the 8th. For 2 weeks I ran pain free until slipping on a rock while vacationing at the North Shore. After one visit back to Dr. Nolan and Rapp chiropractic it's feeling better but not the absolute perfection of movement I had been enjoying.

October 8, 2012
2 miles 18:38, 6:30 am Jensen Lake
3.6 miles 35:00 6:30pm Neill Lake (2 laps)

October 9, 2012
2 miles 20:25 6:30am Jensen Lake
3.1 miles 28:15 6:00pm Jensen and 2 Ponds

October 10, 2012
OFF

October 11, 2012
2 miles, 20:00 6:30am Jensen Lake - felt worn out after the hard 3mile yesterday.

October 12, 2012
3.6 miles, 29:33 5:00pm Neill Lake (2 laps) felt good so went pretty hard.

October 13, 2012
8.0 miles, 1hr 20:13 Hyland Park - Hills!
First run in my new Altra's went well but the ironman socks were bad and had to stop and take them off the last mile due to chafing. AAANNND, speaking of chafing - it was cold but I was sweating heavily and the stiff wet polyester rubbed into my chest I had blood spots where my nipple were bleeding. Awesome! I've read about happening but thought it would only happen if one were to wear an all cotton shirt. Now if I'm going any further than 5 miles I band-aid up.

October 14, 2012
OFF

WEEK TOTALS
24.3 miles, 3hrs 52:04 elevation ~2000'

October 15, 2012
5.4 miles, 1hr 05:00 Tofte, Temperance River TH to overlook
Running on the Superior hiking trail was awesome while my back was feeling good. 1300' feet of elevation gain in 2.5 miles was tough but so enjoyable.

October 16, 2012
8.0 miles, 5hrs 30mins Lutsen Cascade River Loop 
Hiking with Jen. Just sick hills up and down along the river up to highway 45 and back. Got my ass kicked on the return loop when Jen picked up the pace and I was lumbering over tree roots and down hills. Female endurance, what can ya do?
I'd like to have some long runs that go for 5 hours - epic!

October 17, 2012
6.4 miles, 1hr 15:24 Tofte, Temperance River to Carlton Peak
Awesome last day run to the overlook Jen and I hiked to last year on our Honeymoon. "Where's the Lake?" She was pretty tired after I dragged her all over the North Shore for 3 days.

October 18, 2012
4.3 miles, 37:52 Duluth from Motel to Lincoln park
Running on concrete again was agonizing. Cut the run short when the left lower knee had a sharp pain. Initially this was supposed to be an easy run. But like all routes in Duluth any turns to the west go up steep hills.

October 19, 2012
OFF

October 20, 2012
8.7 miles, 1hr 43:00 Hyland Lake in Reverse
This was a lot of fun getting to the ski jump quicker. Wasn't a great run, forgot my watch and stopped back at the car after 4 miles for a drink. Then at 7 miles that sharp pain in my knee returned and I walked for a half mile until it subsided and jogged back to the car. I'm fairly confident the time I actually ran was much less than what I estimated.

October 21, 2012
6.6 miles, 58:33 running intervals at the track ~ 7:30 miles x 4. 1 mile warm up, 1 mile cooldown barefoot on the infield.

WEEK TOTALS
31.4 miles, 5hrs 40:19 total elevation ~ 5500'

Trails up temperance river were fairly technical but not to the point where one might feel they will trip every step.  Many of the sections where the trail is washing out have plank bridges that felt bouncy and give the slightest bit of nerves while crossing. Near the trail heads of many routes to the Superior hiking trail are maintained by a hiking club and are extremely well maintained.

I already miss the runs up north, though the mpm drops so much, the views the feel of the dirt,and bouncing around all the technical parts with each step were exciting. I'd like to take a few camping trips up there next summer for more!



October 4 - 7, 2012

Work has been extremely busy so time for logging runs has proportionately decreased.

October 4, 2012
2 miles (22:14) at Jensen Lake  6:00am
2 miles (22:10) around Neill Lake 6:30pm (With Jen)
Legs destroyed, and just did a couple recovery runs after the hard/hilly 5 miles at Lebanon hills. A strange click started in my left leg hamstring tendon. Stretched out really good after and it went away.

A small narritve I wrote about it.
Ow. Ouch. Damn, my foot hurts.  Same one, the right; same place, the top. My legs ache. And I'd like a nap.  But I feel the need to run more!  Trails are fun, and just going to become exhilarating one day! This day, my foot hurts from 210lbs + gravity pounding down dirt hills for 7 miles yesterday.  Going out this morning I knew would be slow and the lower half of my body so tender I walked up the two big hills. Easy run indeed.

Long runs share much of the after effects of an all night drinking binge. The next day you don't want to move. Instead of your head pounding your legs are throbbing and feet swollen. Rays of light and noises above the normal speaking tone make you wince and retreat when your brain is embalmed in liquor. A pace faster than


October 5, 2012
2 miles (19:24) at Jensen Lake  6:30am
2 miles (17:21) at Jensen Lake 1:30pm
2 miles (16:54) at Jensen Lake 6:00pm
Started out slow in the morning still feeling the 5 mile fast tempo run deeper into the east side of Lebanon Hills park from Wednesday. Later in the day I felt good enough and fell in behind another runner to push a PR pace around the lake.

October 6, 2012
OFF - knee was stiff, body extremely worn out. Just recovered.

October 7, 2012
8.5 miles 1:27:00 at Hyland Park 8:am
Set out for an intended leisurely and 6 mile length run. In addition to some lessons learned I found my way around for hopefully a smoother run next time. Downed a GU just as I jumped out of the car as a test to see how it would hold as opposed to the 15 minutes prior to workout the packaging recommends.

Lesson 1: Fall leaves covering the ground are the deceptive epitome of a picturesque run.
Tree roots are hidden under those beautiful piles and make for bad tripping hazards.  Somewhere around mile .25 I was attacked by a lurking tree root, incognito in the colored fauna that landed me straight to the ground. While it was a jarring surprise, I rolled out of it nicely and had only very minor scuffs on my hands. Within the first 2 miles, two other hidden roots tried to take a hit out on me and I finally put the effort into higher steps as I went.

Everything was feeling good, the first two miles clicked off quickly due to the minor familiarity from the last outing.  Coming upon that split in the road with the sign that  sent me the wrong direction last week I went around the now closed fence into the northern most part of the park. 

Immediately the trail turned into several steep downhills through some denser softwood trees and burst out onto a lower slope of a ski area. I knew the trail went around the back area of some kind of recreation area but didn't realize it would be steep ski slopes. Instead of wearing myself out I power hiked up to the center lift and wandered around the back side to the furthest part of the slope. Unfortunately there wasn't any obvious sign of a trail leading out, just a bulldozer,some churned up topsoil and a fully dressed man walking away from the tractor. As I stood there trying to determine the a new route, the guy walked up the hill on a small single track trail and started to crest it when I realized he was a hiker and this was probably my road through.  Quickly I cruised past him on  a very steep downhill and tried to set into a tempo again until I reached the base of the hill and saw a small side road, interstate 494 and several huge corporate buildings. Turning away to get my bearings the next thing I spot -

Near the bottom of that grassy hill is where I found myself gawking back up a 60+ degree slope. Gauging the "No public access" signs to the right  I decided the fastest way out was to hike up to the ski jump hill and find my way back. Trekking up that incline had my thighs burning and huffing heavily. At the top a road split again and I noticed a truck coming up from the right I assumed was some official park vehicle, so decided take the left route right away.

A trail ambled it's way down to the northern section of the park to what should have been return road to the parking lot where I left Blue.  Navigating this small section was difficult if one tries to use the posted maps.

Lesson #2: Not all maps are oriented to point north.

After deciding on a route which showed returning to the parking lot I set off  on some very padded wood chip paths that kept trying to loop back in the direction I began.  Despite my effort to move in a southern direction the non-navigational road sign was suddenly coming up on my left and tacking on a full mile to my trek. Realizing the route I was now on was heading back to the ski jump I cut through a trampled section of woods and emerged back at the bulldozer and top of the ski slopes. Running back the same direction doesn't appeal to me as a new trail or scenery will and I chose to tackle the highest point of the slopes for another route to my destination.  Some random park worker must have spotted me earlier and just as I was starting to descend back towards the trail that led me onto the hill a fella with a CB radio squawked he could "see me" and headed in my direction. A game trail plummeting down the hill was the first thing I saw and really didn't want the hassle of listening to someone go on about private property and making an this run any more tiring.

Single track down hill is extremely technical especially for me, so walking made more sense. Finally I found some familiar sights and set out to finish strong after so many tiring ascents that morning. A forethought before leaving that morning was to bring 2 bottles of Gatorade which I quickly dispatched to my stomach in under a minute after an hour and half of running without any hydration.

This coming weekend I plan to incorporate a lot of the ski area into my long run and hopefully find a way through the dead end on the west side of the park.

WEEK LOG:

33.5 miles 5 hours 27 minutes

By far this is my highest single mileage in my life and I will be looking to top it next week.

October 2 & 3, 2012 (Updated)

October 2
2 Miles, 18:41  Jensen Lake Loop
Much colder today, but still running in just t-shirt and shorts tryin' to keep it Krupicka style.  Low 40's isn't bad after a half mile and after 1 mile it's hardly noticeable.  Had planned on a good 4 mile after-work run but some friends were leaving town and needed some last minute repairs and buttoning up on their new RV, so I just canned it.

October 3
2 miles 18:00 Hyland Lake Loop
With an appointment at Premier Sports this morning I wanted to get in a good 4 miles before hand to try intentionally aggravating my knee but only had to get 1.5 miles when it began feeling really tight. Add that to the lower back pain I thought was on its way out, making movements this morning difficult due to the stiffness.  So, we worked on the back and knee today and both went well.  I was told that SI joint (?) on my back may flare up occasionally but will continue to get better and should be longer between episodes with time.  Left feeling much better and plan to push a hard 4 miles tonight, possibly 6 if I have the energy and no discomfort.

5 miles 38:25 Jensen Lake Long Route (yes another new one)
Trying new trails almost everyday is  an exciting exploration of Lebanon Hills Park. Mostly it keeps any run from becoming mundane even though I run the same 2 mile stretches at the onset and end of every run. Yesterday I decided to loop around the far lake about 2/3 towards the back of the park, my knee be damned. Several insights about the knee pain developed as I ran, and proved beneficial when assimilating into my form. I'll post a separate discussion on it another time. There's a lot of detail to explain.

October 1, 2012

2 miles, 19:46 Jensen Lake 6:30am
October temperatures began wonderful this morning at 58 degrees. After leaping out of my car and stashing the keys I was bounding down from the trail head in a less than a minute. Great thing about warmer days with high dew points are the lack of fog on my glasses that obscure my view of the trail. At 0-dark thirty that is a double impairment.  By the time I got back to the car it was 7:05 leaving me 25 minutes to drive to work, change and open the store.  Quite often I overestimate my pace and think I'll be back at the car in 15 minutes like I was some kind of pro trail runner, and then end up late to whatever appointment I have. 

4.2 miles, 38 minutes 6:00pm Lebanon Hills west and Jensen Lake (backwards)
Really had a hankering for some pain this afternoon. I still love attacking that steep Horse trail at about the half way point on LH west, despite my tightening knee and occasional foot stings. When I got back to the trail head I walked across the parking lot to Jensen lake TH and decided to take an easy run the reverse direction I have always gone. More slow inclines or possibly the steep horse trails made the legs drag on the last two miles. The final mile my knee really stiffened up and I was dreading the walk back and rethinking the extra 2 miles I added on until I noticed my left leg was bowing out. Simply trying to straighten the outward flex helped mitigate the discomfort and I employed my new "hurry up strategy" to increase my pace and in turn decrease the time weight sits on my joints. My split times aren't accurate due to the lack of landmarks for me to gauge the miles but I am fairly certain the final mile ticked off ~7:30.

When I use MapMyRun on the two separate trails they both show about ~287ft of ascent but together it barely has 516ft. Many blogs I've read say the same thing; elevation gains on MMR under value the ascents. Anton has a watch with a barometer to track changes very accurately, something that would benefit a high altitude runner but with only rolling hills in Minnesota I could never justify the purchase.

September 29, 2012

4.5 miles, 42 minutes 8am Hyland Lake Park
Much of what I expected today came true. Not due to sabotaging my run by being negative, more what I've experienced in the last couple weeks taking on hills and new routes.  Following the trails wasn't difficult and I always try to take note of any warning signs posted to avoid running up a section that turns out to be closed;  expending more energy than I have for a "good" outing and most importantly not end up walking back from exhaustion.

Hyland lake is picturesque as the trail rounds the lake, ground covered in woodchips for soft foot placement under a tunnel of softwood trees. I was surprised that first mile ticked off very quickly and I was rounding the lake in only 8 minutes, heading north for the next 5 miles.  Plenty of steep downhills were available to practice speed descents I watched on one of Anton Krupicka's blog Friday.  It looks like a blast cruising down hills like a deer. 

Just at the north section of the trail I see a sign that reads something about going out of the park and assume it's not where I want to head.  So I turn left and at the next trail marker am pleasantly surprised how "fast" I'm heading back to the parking lot.  By mile 4 my left knee is noticeably becoming an issue and that's when I realize the car is about a half mile out.  Now the stiffness is too much and I walk the last of the distance back.  My watch kept running so the pace I recorded is grossly understated. 

Interestingly the last time first time my knee stopped me I was just a half mile from home while on a long run.  A mis-turn on Saturday ended up saving me from hobbling 2 miles in shame past the dozen other runners I had already seen ambly traipsing along the paths this morning. Sunday's run will probably not happen because I don't think my knee will even make a 2 mile loop at this point.

Optimistically, I believe Dr. Nolan at Premier Sports and Spine Clinic will figure out the root cause of this new ongoing pain.. Instead of finishing up the successful treatments to my lower back that has hindered being active over the last year, this week we started looking into my knee pain on Friday and  have a follow up visit this Wednesday.  I sincerely hope it's something treatable while I can continue running. Taking days off when I don't want to just bums me out.

September 28, 2012

4 miles,  40minutes 5:00am Jensen Lake and South of Holland lake
Frustrating new route today. I assumed when I added the horse trails on the run it would be like the steep climbs on the west side of Lebanon Park, but alas, they are extremely sandy and reduced me to plodding along uphills. Wearing a headlamp in the wee hours didn't help either as I had never navigated the middle stretch of today's route. I must have stopped at least a half dozen times to figure out my next turn and could not establish any kind of a rhythm for a good quality run.

Crossing the twisted bridge at "damn it's dark" a.m., wasn't as exciting when I considered it collapsing and me going for a swim in 40degree weather; possibly maiming one of my extremeties enough to end up crawling back to my car. An empty parking lot when I arrived assured me I'd be hobbling along unaided and was a little concerned when I heard a quiet "crack" about mid-way across. But I survived for a crossing another day.

Despite my prior nights planning to pack a running kit and work clothes, due to a small oversight I am hardcore commando today. Hardcore is appropriate as it's been 16 years since my last free-balling moment, when I was out of clean clothes (twice worn underwear) and had to walk a mile on-base to the laundromat in Norfolk  belting out my rendtion of Tom Petty's hit, "Free Ballin!" (I know you're singing it too).

With back to back long runs of 6 miles each this weekend I'll need to find a good course that doesn't have so many new turns.  Being new to trail running, that is going to be impossible and I'll probably end up wandering all over Hyland lake park for an hour. That will be awesome! I ain't scared!  It's trail running - it's soooper fun!

September 26, 2012

2 miles (?) 20 minutes 1:00p - Lebanon HILLS Horse Trail (west)
2 miles, 19 minutes  6:00pm - Jensen Lake
Trail running has made running fun. I love the horse trail at LH, for it's steep climbs and forgiving terrain that has been easy on my feet and knee. Next week, following the horse trail I am going to try and continue under the bridge (the starting point of the horse trails) and do the 2 mile around Jensen lake as well. I'll try and bring my camera phone with me sometime and get some pictures of the hills and that oddly twisted bridge.

Yesterday, a mile in to what was supposed to be a longer 4 mile run, my knee started to get a twinge of pain and I was afraid of being debilitated 3 miles away from my car and limping back for an hour, before I could drive home. So I upped the pace and within a 1/4 mile it faded to where I was feeling good except I could tell my energy to go 4 miles wasn't going to happen.  When I thought about it last night, moving my pace a little faster may alleviate all the pains I'm having completely. Especially if I stay on the softer trails. Naturally my runs will be a little shorter and I'll have to incorporate some kind of extended warm up. In order to do weekends long runs I will still have to slow it down, but I see them as a possibility again  if the faster tempo results in less stress.

Instead of getting into a cold bath at home after my evening run, like my legs were asking, Jen and I went out for some games and pizza with friends/performers from the renaissance festival. Good thing I decided to take today off, all that tasty grease would make for an uncomfortable run today.

September 25, 2012

2 miles (?) 20 minutes (?), 2:00pm Lebanon HILLS west(Bold for emphasis)
Awesome hill run today! Horse trails dominate this course but Google earth, nor any other map I found, even recognizes them so I had to make due with the hiking paths for the distance and elevation climbs. Starting off, a very slight incline turns quickly into a descent that requires putting on the brakes or you'll likely lose control. After about 3/4 mile of treed in wide sand and dirt path, a horse trail diverges from the hiking path, marked by a large definitive No Hikers symbol. The hiking route probably follows along a slight incline back towards the trail head. Screw that! When I peered UP the horse trail it had an inviting look at about 30 degrees so I accepted and was promptly welcomed to a 45deg. incline after the first bend; just why I came this way -  fun climbs with the side benefit of increasing leg strength and begin inching my way to ultra trails with their technical terrain and steep, leg deteriorating inclines.

The hill was probably only 50 yards up, but manageable to my surprise. Better yet, two more good inclines followed before I reached the summit and ambled along a flat section before an easy long descent near the beginning of the trail. Unfortunately there are no breaks in the trees for viewing from the "summit."

3 miles, 27minutes, 5:45pm Jensen lake + 2 small lakes
Tried to make this a recovery run of sorts, worrying the hills this afternoon may encourage cramping later on tonight, but ended up cruising it at 9 minute miles despite taking all the extra hills one can detour off the main trail.  Right about the half way point a bridge spans the two small ponds on the new route I added to the run at the last minute, that could have been right out of Alice in Wonderland.  Imagine a twisted wood planked structure that teeters at each step. Damn that was fun! Trail running has me hooked. Those kinds of things won't likely be encountered on asphalt paths and concrete roads in town.  I'll be back again tomorrow!

Septermber 21 - 23, 2012

September 21, 2012
2 miles,  time??(No watch),  6:30pm Friday night I was itching to get in a run after being completely pain free all day, and my wife was gone so I sent her a text with a picture in my running gear that read "You can't stop me now!"

Almost immediately I felt some twinges in my right foot so changed my stride to a shuffle until reaching the dirt trail around the dike where it would be better to put weight on it.  Had a few more uncomfortable steps, but mostly where the trail turned back to asphalt before getting back home.  Both legs felt okay, but unaccustomed to running after doing 60 miles of biking since Sunday.

September 22, 2012
2 miles, 18 minutes 10:30 am
2 miles, 17:50 minutes 6:00pm
The road out behind the Renaissance festival in Shakopee is all rock and dirt and seemed like a good idea for the initial jaunts on ramping up mileage again. Today I also decided to alter a couple of things for all runs to prevent further injury, based on the two pains I developed last week. 1)Pronate on my right foot and supinate on the left. This may open up an avenue for more injury shift the weight of each step to another side but has been working so far. 2) Split all runs into to equal, (for now) distance runs of morning and afternoon and allow the body to rest/recover some.

Again, both runs felt  extremely sluggish, but are by far more hilly than I'm accustomed to in 2 miles. Then there was the traffic creating dust clouds on both outings that was distracting and really kept me from gaining any focus and I expended a lot of effort as a result. Out of the hundreds of cars creeping along on the narrow weed lined road I did get one drivers encouragement to keep it up, giving me a glimpse of the "crowd engergy" many runners say keeps them going.

September 23, 2012
2 miles, 18:14 minutes 9:30 am
2 miles, 14:46 minutes 7:30pm
Morning traffic at the festival gets diverted to the overflow where I start my run, immediately after opening, I have discovered, as the first cars came through almost right after I departed.  Nothing to note expcept the hills are great for training.

On the evening run  my legs felt fantastic and easy. So I settled into very smooth gait that felt fast but manageable.   I would have loved to do an interval session and slowed down to some 9 minute miles and then ramped it back up again but my form started to feel like it was difficult to maintain and the right foot was disagreeing with the pouding so I cut it short.

September 20,2012

9-19-2012  12 miles(?) 50 minutes 5:30am

Morning rides pre-dawn are exhilarating, especially when your headlamp fails on the way back. Still trying to maintain some level of  aerobic exercise for Sunday when I will try out the lower extremities and see if any parts are still bothered. 

Wildlife has been abundant early in the morning. Deer, raccoons and rabbits seem to be everywhere when I riding near Highland lake park.

I'm starting an online e-log that has a route map and it isn't agreeing with google maps, plus my wife says the route we took was 9 miles according the the app on here phone so I'll have it hammered out in a couple days.

9-20-2012  8 miles,40 minutes 5:30am

Same route to Highland Park but got up too late for a the long route, opting for the quick extra half-mile loop near the entrance.

September 18, 2012

Biking - 7.5m 45 minutes 5am (Wish I could run that fast)
             9 m 60minutes 7pm

Foot has been feeling better each day, with a lot of icing last night I didn't really notice it was a problem until today sitting at work and the blood draining down has been making it swell again. I'll keep icing it and riding bike everyday then go for a moderate jog on Sunday and see how it goes...

September 16, 2012

8 miles, 1 hr 16 minutes 12:00am (Staring Lake and back)

A great start ended in a terrible run.  After my kick-ass wife paced me the first 2 miles for a great warm up at 11 minutes each, I took off on my usual 8 mile route with the intent to put in a 10 miler.  After 3 miles I was already feeling sluggish but kept on a 9mpm pace. That was probably the only satisfying part, my splits were all within 5 seconds at 9 minutes each.

By 4 miles my upper back near the inside shoulder blade was really tight. Pretty sure this is from carrying the water bottle and not having developed those muscles yet.  Right about reaching mile 7 my left knee was feeling painful but not debilitating though I had a noticeable hitch in my gait. Finally at mile 8 I decided to walk for a minute and see if the pain went away, just as I got ready to round the Neill Lake near home. Within 8 steps I knew I was finished for the night, and later decided for at least a week. The walk home wasn't painful but I couldn't move with a normal stride.

After getting home I did some stretching and had a sudden sharp pain in my right foot when I shifted all my weight over during a squatting hamstring stretch. My cold bath was waiting for me (Thanks Jen), so I jumped in and shuffled off to bed shortly after. 

Sunday morning the knee was sore but totally manageable. Putting weight on my foot was painful, and occasionally throughout day there was a severe sharp pain that made me stop mid-stride. Visiting the hospital doesn't seem warranted for the time being but to be safe I've decided to do some cross training this week and ride a bike for my aerobic exercise. I'll have to skip the long run this week, which just depresses me, and repeat the 2nd week of my work out again: 5, 5, 5 and 8 mile runs. Putting in some shorter runs at a faster pace or just doing trails for a week after I'm up again may also help the healing - I don't want to be down for any more that 2 weeks at a risk of going backwards in my endurance training for the marathon.

September 13, 2012

3 miles, 24 minutes 6:30pm

Flying cloud route. Splits of 8:14, 8:17, 7:22 (It's down hill on the last mile)

Running was an outlet for me when I moved to Minnesota a few years ago after my divorce and the aftermath that followed. Mornings were a quick lift and on Friday and Saturday around 11pm I'd take off for a 4 mile run to think and process things that kept getting pushed into the back of my head. Last night was supposed to be a recovery day but after receiving a bad email I just had to get out and went pretty hard for where I am in training.

The great thing about yesterday was knowing what my 5k time would likely be in a race which gives me a base for figuring much of my other training time tempos.  Bummer is that means my marathon pace will be 10 minute miles. Given where I am on long run distances and how long it will be to go 26 miles straight, I'm looking at next year before I'll actually be entering a marathon and want to get that below 9 minutes. In fact, if running is so much more fun for me at night and I have way more energy in the evenings anyway, it just makes sense to go with it. This is supposed to be enjoyable so that I will want to keep with the program and I'm going to make the switch.

Anton Krupicka

After reading about Scott Jurek in Born to Run and then his book, Eat and Run, that was published June of this year I've read up on his career, his techniques, and diet. While I had a bit of a man-crush (that's what my wife said) on him and mimicked a lot of his daily routine hoping it would allow me to quickly up my distance running in a short period, it's been rough with the adjustments my 220lb body is putting up with as I train. Scott's disciplined approach to training and diet are refreshing in a sense compared to many people I meet that do little else except self-indulge in acquiring wealth, gorging on food and generally trying to be a douche-bag any chance they get. 

(Changing my diet this July has been the single most important health choice I've made. That's an oversimplification, I know, but the lack of beef or chicken and minimizing my dairy intake not only allows me to run without indigestion and bloating from staying in my system for so long, it really helps recovery time decrease. )

Getting to know more of the hardcore ultra runners in the sport is exciting and the third one I stumbled on was Anton Krupicka. (His friends call him Tony, but I don't have that familiarity yet).  First impressions were some hippie/weirdo guy with a beard New Balance decided to throw into a commercial who puts in some good distances. Turns out the hippie really is part of the persona, though not in the dramatic sense- it's just who he is, but his legacy is being one of the top 5(?) long distance trail runners in the world. You could ask everyone you know if the name sounds familiar (pronounced crew-pitch-ka) and would likely get "no's" and "why, whats he do?" I couldn't help but notice the similar body shape to mine and was encouraged that I may "genetically" be able to be a great ultra runner. A stretch maybe, but we find motivation in different places and it was encouraging to think about.  I've been impressed enough that it's worth some discussion time here.



Weekly he logs over 150 miles and has long runs over 30 miles.  Of course his races are anywhere from 50 - 100 miles in a single day. Reading through his blog, I'm up to the first few months after an injury kept him down for two months, but just two months later he was back up to 150+ mpw, (miles per week). 

His running form is perfection if not close to it and like the stories of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, he just glides over mountains like so many other great athletes making it look effortless. Unlike most big sport athletes he's an intelligent sort with two bachelor's degrees (one a double major)  in physics and philosophy with the second in geology, for which he also received his Masters in 2011. We as humans are physically designed to run long distances and have the most developed brains in the animal kingdom, both of which he uses as they were designed. Just awesome.

Another huge similarity we share is making things more difficult for an advantage later. In an interview back in 2010 he said:

"During training I think it is good to be almost borderline bonking to get your body used to metabolizing fats and your legs used to feeling like crap. But during a race, it is all about meeting your body’s nutritional and hydration needs. I don’t skip out at all during a race."

When it comes time for the real thing, you've worked harder than necessary and there's little chance of fatigue or poor conditions slowing you down.

One has to admire his purist approach to running and I am enticed to embrace it. Most days I feel he wants just his shorts and shoes without even a water bottle or gel as they are too cumbersome. It wasn't even until last week I started carrying a bottle because I feel the same way, but with the increasing distances it was going to become necessary. Ahead, I see a long road that disappears off into the distance filled with the solitude and calm of the long distance run, and it will be exciting for me as I transition into better racing form and experience some of the same joy Anton has so often.



September 12, 2012 (update)

2 miles, 19minutes 6pm

Snuck in a quick 2 mile trail run around Jensen lake at Lebanon Hills Park near Rosemount on the way home.

*Remember that note yesterday about spending too much on running gear? Tuesday night I bought the New Balance MT1010 minimalists size 12.5, upgrades form the MT110 designed by Anton Krupicka, one the worlds best ultra trail runners. $100 seemed a good price for a new model, the design made logical sense and the forefoot has a ton of room for my wide step. Anyhoo, I've tried out 4 other pairs that weren't wide enough for my foot and didn't have a minimalist design but thanks to REI, (and one pair I wore around the house for day from a privately owned running store), their outstanding return policy allowed me to put a few miles on them and not worry about any grief over some mud on the sole.*

After the 5 miles in the morning I felt tired but trail runs are so much fun with the changing terrain and it follows the lake closely for nice scenery. It wasn't any kind of ache or something I couldn't overcome, just fatigue from this morning which I am sure will subside as my endurance builds. 

Only two days until the long run!

September 12, 2011

5 miles, 50 minutes 5a.m.

Drizzling out when I was leaving, wasn't in the forecast yesterday and still not this morning but it rained none-the-less.  Ran back in to grab my windbreaker in case it picked up though I don't like the extra layers as I tend to heat up quickly and end up shedding it later. Trying to tie it around my waist and not fall all over is always a pain, so I should try to find one that will fold up and be tucked away in the distant future. (I've overspent on running gear the last two months and will have to wait for some of it to wear out before upgrading)

Google maps showed the route at exactly 5 miles, but it was a rough go. The route takes me straight out Anderson Lakes pkwy to Flying Cloud drive, a dimly lit road with some easy hills that I get to turn on my headlamp for a bit and pretend I'm on a trail as I pass under the hardwood trees hanging over the road. My V02 capacity felt good after doing my 1/4 mile intervals on Monday but legs felt like under inflated tires. At mile 4 I walked for about a minute that carried me through the rest of the run.

I haven't been running through town early in the morning that I can recall over the past 20 years, so seeing those glowing eyes reflecting off my light keeps me attentive until I'm sure it's just a cat and not some other angry varmint that'll try and chew my ankle off.

Today was the first time I've run this route, though most of it I have been over in different sections. Having more hills than I've done on one outing, add that to being up so early with just a slow jog as a warm up probably contributed to the sluggish feeling. But downhills have become my favorite! After trying to maintain control using my heels while my quads were pounded I've despised going down hill and actually preferred the ascent.  Switching to a forefoot strike and kicking up my knees was all I had to change and now I just fly down hills and even have some momentum to keep it up for another half mile if the course is relatively flat before slowing back to my natural pace. Just before getting back on the trail at Neill lake, the new route I took today has a longer faster down hill that I've been on and is the perfect transition for a good kick the last half mile to home.

After a visit to the Sports Therapy and Chiro, the muscle tension in my back calmed down and he reminded me to keep up the strength exercises and stretches even though I'm feeling better. Dr Nolan has been great after so many visits to the General Chiropractor (multiple different clinics) and no long term relief, I can feel the progress and holding on to an optimistic outlook that I'll be back to 100% by the end of the year.

One more 5 miler tomorrow morning or Friday and I'll be on to my long run Saturday - 9 miles! Plenty of time to warm up and then get a good rhythm for a relaxing outing.  Although I felt worn this morning the anticipation of getting up to 20+ mile runs is exhilarating just thinking about it!

When I can, Wherever I can

Thinking of the time I intend to invest in running, single mile runs up to Ultra's, I made a few notes on the distances I've been gaining and liked to see my lengthening times and mileages.  After realizing I've been through some growing pains in the first two months of trying to seriously increase my endurance, I didn't want to wait any longer to begin my story.

Like the book I'm currently reading Running with the Mind of Meditation, when I ran just over an hour and a tad shy of 8 miles last week, as I drive on -I feel there's not much happening in life anymore. Not much stress, no pressure except where I push to increase my distance, the discomfort in my back subsides as I maintain good form; there's nothing but my concentration and constant self evaluation of how I'm feeling and the distance I feel like I could cover.

I took off over lunch yesterday and put in a quick 3 miler. After changing into my running gear I felt like sneaking in and out of the back shop so not to be spotted in my sleeveless top, skimpy shorts and bright yellow and orange Newton Distance shoes.  One of the mechanics here just continually gets my goat and I am not interested in giving him another reason to smart off about what he perceives as my faults. Getting out in the middle of the day was exciting and I went out way too fast putting down almost a 6 minute mile (faster than I've run in 17 years) and had to taper off to 7 and half minutes for the last two. It reminds me of a book I read about a runner trying to work up the stamina to finish the Spartathalon in Greece. Three times a day he would put in 6 miles around his life and work schedule.  Both of the parts outside his running suffered, but like my wife, his was supportive of what he felt was driving him and gave him the time he needed.

Tomorrow I am excited to be up before 5 am and put in a 5 mile run. I am not excited about my job and the time I spend there but I try not to complain because the salary is good the atmosphere tolerable. Morning runs energize me as I glide through the darkness and listen to my steps and watch the luminescence of the day override the night.  I romantically imagine an early morning commuter leaving the apartment complex and seeing me off in the distance, just a light bouncing around the lake, quiet and alone.