Trailbreaker Marathon recap

On vacation for a while starting 3/30 so probably no updates until after I'm back.  

Running:
First a recap of the Trailbreaker Marathon 3/27.  Here is a link to the race results.
My time for the race was 3:36:18 which put me 19th overall and 3rd in my age group.  I got an award for 2nd place because the person who finished first moved up to grab the Sr. Masters award.  For those who don't know this award is given out to the first runner 50+ years old in some races. 

I knew going into this race my speedwork had been lacking.  My time for the race shows this.  The 3:36:18 is my worst marathon time ever out of 16 tries.   I can't feel real bad about my time as it is within minutes of where I thought I would finish and this race is a very difficult one.  Another comforting thought is that probably 80% of all marathon runners of any age on any course wish they could run 3:36.  About 6 miles in the middle of the race are on very rugged trail with lots of roots and rocks and some portions are very steep.  The turn around point is the top of the Lapham peak tower which is 60 feet tall and yes, you have to climb to the top.   I met my main goal of finishing with a decent time and uninjured.   

The day of the race everything started pretty well.  I did feel a slight tweak in my calf which had me a little concerned.  I spend a bit of time with the foam roller and rubbing it out before I left the house.  Never turned out to be an issue which I'm real happy about.  I had all my stuff laid out the night before so I didn't need much time getting ready.  Got through my usual pre-race eating and drinking routine and headed out a little after 6am.  The race started at 8am.  Got to Frame park plenty early and got a close parking space.  Checked in and ran into my friend and coworker Bill.  We talked for a bit then headed to our cars for final preparation. 

The race started a few minutes late.  They just started giving information and then signing the national anthem at 8 so it was at least 10 after before we started.  My goal for the race was to try and run 7:3x pace on the way out, do the best as possible on the trail portion, and then see what's left for the return trip.  I tried to keep the 1st mile under control, but still ran 7:10.  From here I backed off a bit and hit the target pretty close for a while.  I hit 4 miles right at 30:00, hit 8 miles in 1:01:xx, and 13 miles in 1:41:xx.  In the 14th mile is the steepest part and the tower climb.  This mile took me 12:31.  Returning to the Drumlin trail and the blacktop after the trails is a difficult transition.  The legs just start to scream at you.  There is a drop bag location at the aid station right after returning to the trail.  I stopped for about half a minute to examine the condition of my  shoes and decided to not change them or my shirt.  I grabbed an additional glass of water and just kept going.  After eventually getting used to the transition and feeling consistent again I noticed my pace was much closer to 8 minutes than 7:30.  I knew this was about as good as it would get on the way back.  I tried to pick it up for a while, but didn't feel comfortable.  I decided to just dig in and see what I could do.  At the half marathon turn around point (approximately 6 miles left) I started passing the half marathon runners.  I was still running pretty good, but starting to have to dodge and weave through runners got to be annoying.  You just want to keep your head down and run straight and focused not zigzag and pass.  Looking back at my watch I did pretty well until 23 miles.  My last few miles were in the 8:50 range.  Didn't crash or hit the wall, just couldn't pick it up.  It was after mile 23 where the guy who eventually finished 2nd in my age group passed me.  I figured he was as old as me and I tried to respond.  I'm disapointed I couldn't keep up.  You'll see from the results if I could have finished 1 minute faster I would have been 1st.

After the race I ran into several other runners I knew.  Many of them ran the half marathon.  Congrats to Bill who finished 9th overall and first in his age group and to my friend Jerry who ran a pretty good half marathon and also received an age group award.  It was good to see him and share a couple beers over the stories.  All in all it was a pretty good day.  

Hunting:
Finally after 3 years, 3 months, and 16 days I have my deer head back from the taxidermist.  It's a beautiful job, but absolutely ridiculous it took that long.  If anyone wants to know where not to go for this service let me know. 


Gardening:
Spent some of Sunday out in the yard cleaning up the flower beds.  It felt good on the legs to be out doing something.  Lot's more to catch up on when I return from vacation.   

Game on

Running:
Well I finally pulled the trigger Thursday and signed up for the Trailbreaker on Saturday.  The weather really turned cool again.  So tomorrow morning will be cold to start.  Otherwise the weather and wind direction (south) will be pretty good.  Still questions about what to wear for the race though.  I don't have any real expectations for this race other than to finish in good shape.  It's almost like I have to run this race since it's so close to home.  Tomorrow afternoon/evening I have a good friends 50th birthday party to attend.  I might need a nap after the race and before we head over there. 

This week has been all about resting the legs enough while still getting a couple marathon pace runs in.  Monday was the usual off/cross training day.  Tuesday I did 5 miles in 38:09.  Wednesday Kevin from work went out with me again and we ran 5 in 37:36.   Thursday was another off day.  I took it completely off and went to lunch with a few people to carbo load early.  Today I might run just a couple miles to loosen the legs and stretch a bit.  Nothing major.

Next update will likely be a race recap. 

Seeds bought

Running:
Still haven't signed up for the Trailbreaker.  I looked over the weekend and online sign up closes 3/25 at 10:00am.  I'll probably sign up Thursday morning if I continue to feel good.  The weather looks to be OK. 
Friday I actually ran with some company.  Kevin from work went out with me for 5 miles.  He's going to run his first half marathon in a couple months.  We ran at a good pace, completing the run in 37:11.  Saturday I got out for 12 miles in the morning.  I wanted this run to be a trial marathon pace effort.  I felt good and completed the run in 1:29:10 or about 7:26 pace.   This would seem reasonable for the non Lapham portion of the marathon.  Sunday I got out for another 8.5 miles in 1:6:25.   

Looking at my Parrot number from last week I was able to drop it to 3:21 with the shorter faster runs.  We'll see how close this is.  Also looking at my numbers from my run log my easy run pace, that is what I classify those runs where I just run, not long or no specific purpose dropped to 7:59 pace in March.  So the numbers through Sunday.
WTD 40.5
MTD 163
YTD 648
ODO 25,814    
Hunting:
Finally some good news from the taxidermist.  On friday I received a call that the deer I brought in December 2006 will be finished this week.  It's actually done now and needs to dry until mid week.  Can't believe it took this long.  I'll be so happy to finally get it back.
Gardening:
Ordered all my garden seeds yesterday.  This year I ordered everything from Jung's instead of from a couple different places.  I was satisfied with this company last year.  I still may order a couple unique or interesting items from other places, but at least all my usual/common items are bought.  I will pick out some plants when they become available from local stores. 

Quiet week

Running:
It's been a quiet week.  This will be just a short recap entry.  I have been tapering this week as if I will run the Trailbreaker Marathon on 3/27.  I likely will not sign up until the last day of online signup which is 3/24 I believe.  3/25 will be the anniversary of when I had the stress fracture last year.  I've been taking steps to avoid it, but it's the exact timing of when it occurred last year.  That is, while in the taper for running in this marathon.  My runs this week so far have all been 5 miles in length and all during my lunch break at work. 
It was great to have the weather warm a bit and actually be able to run in shorts a couple times.  Monday was my usual no running day.  As usual did weights, some bike, core work, and stretching.  Tuesday my run took me 40:12, Wednesday 38:50, and Thursday 38:45.  So for the week only 15 miles.  Somewhere around 40 for this week is the plan.  Today will likely be 5 again, 12 to 14 Saturday, and another 6 or so Sunday.   

Gardening:
Been getting an hour or so each day to rake the lawn a bit.  All the snow this winter really matted down the grass, and the last spots with snow have a bit of mold.  It's always good to lift the grass in these spots to get some air flow.  Seems early, but my tractor will be coming back next week from the winter storage program. 

Lapham Peak

Running:
A wrap up of the weekend.  Friday I got out for my lunch break at work.  I ran 7.5 miles in 59:31.  It felt so nice to be able to run without multiple layers.  Temps were mid 50's with no wind.  I'm sure this was responsible for the faster time.  Saturday morning I had intended on doing my long run, but I woke up to pouring rain.  I had things to do later in the day, so after watching the radar for a while I just decided to get a shorter run in on the treadmill.  I ran 10 miles in 1:21:00 and got to watch a couple hunting shows.  Better than not getting out at all.  Sunday was pretty windy, but I headed out into the wind towards the Lapham Peak tower.  I really wanted to see what the trail looked like before I decide on a run at the Trailbreaker in a couple weeks.  The trail was still very muddy and had ice in a couple spots.  I only fell once which was quite an accomplishment.  Luckily no damage done.  The run from home to the top of the hill took 1:07:03.  The portion from Hwy 18 to the top took about 22 minutes.  It also took 22 minutes on the way down.  The entire trip back took me 1:05:20.  I caught up to and ran with a couple other runners for a while.  That's part of the reason for the faster return trip.  A little motivation on the trail never hurts for a training run.   Still not sure about running the Trailbreaker, but I'll start to taper as if I will and will continue to watch the weather.
WTD 62
MTD 122
YTD 607
ODO 25773

Hunting:
Late last week the Journal Sentinal ran an article about the DNR boosting deer population goals in many areas of the state.  Great to see they are finally listening to hunters.  One draw back could be the elimination of bowhunters being able to take a doe in some of these areas.  It had always been OK for bowhunters to fill their tag with a doe anywhere in the state. 
Gardening:
Felt good to get out in the yard a bit over the weekend.  I found out that my fish still live.  As mentioned before I wasn't sure what happened to them since the muskrat invaded my pond.  I was happy to see they were just hiding.  Cleaned up the winter mess from the dogs and raked up the main area they mess up all winter.  Got down to the garden and was surprised to find that I actually had some edible carrots survive the winter. 

Slow Parrot

Running:
Just a pretty normal week of running so far.  Monday was an off day for cross training, weights, and stretching as has been the case most Monday's this year.  Tuesday was a lunch time run of 7.5 miles in 1:1:56.  The sidewalks along my usual paths are now clear of snow so it feels better than being so close to traffic at times.  Wednesday looked like the afternoon might be a washout, so I ran 6 miles on the treadmill at home in the morning in 47 minutes.  Turns out the rain lifted and since I brought my stuff I ended up heading out during my lunch break to run hill repeats.  I ran the usual 8 repeats plus out and back in 1:8:12.  Slower than usual, but I'm sure the morning run had something to do with that.  Thursday I again got out at work for another 7.5 in 1:2:9.  That brings my WTD number to 28.5, MTD 89, and YTD 574. 

I noticed on my run log my weekly average this year is 57.4.  I also noticed how slow my Parrot predictor number is this whole year.  I really need to start doing more faster work.  My fastest Parrot week is only 3:28.  If I run the Trailbreaker I'd take a 3:28, but in 2007 my Parrot number was closer to 3:15 and my trailbreaker time was 3:30.  I know I've put in plenty of miles to finish, just not sure what I should use as a pace to start the race at this point.

The warmer weather and rain the past few days has cleared the trails.  I'm sure they are sloppy and still have some places with snow or ice but at least it's looking more realistic to get some trail practice in.  Maybe this weekend I'll attempt the Hwy18 to Lapham tower portion of the Trailbreaker route.

Hunting:
With the melting of the snow it's time to try some shed hunting.  It's always fun to scout the hunting areas and find shed antlers.  It's a sure sign that big one from last year made it through the hunting seasons.  I have to make it out in the woods to take my stands down yet too.  No hurry really, just want to get them out of the elements until it's time to hang them up again. 

Gardening:
I can finally see the grass in the yard and the flower beds.  It's time to make some exploratory trips into the yard to see how things made it over the winter.  The field mice and/or voles have really done some damage in past winters. 

Muskrat fry anyone?

Running:
Saturday morning I got an early start.  I knew it was going to be a nice day and warm up later, but I had to get going early to get the run in I wanted to do.  Temps were probably in the low teens when I started out before the sun was over the horizon.  I ran three loops of one of my normal training routes for a total of 21 miles.  Running these three loops allows me to drop water about a mile out, then I pass this same place two additional times.  Makes the logistics of the long run fairly easy.  Each loop is nice mostly through portions of the state forest and quiet rural subdivisions.  Lots of rolling hills and varied terrain.  I ran the 21 miles in 3:00:22 or about an 8:35 pace.  On Sunday I ran in the morning again.   I ran 8.5 miles in 1:7:59.  This is the fastest I've run this loop in many months.  I was pleased with this considering the 21 miles the day before and the big totals over the last 4 weeks in particular.     I managed 60 miles for this week.  Not bad for a cut back week.  Through today.

WTD 60
MTD 60
YTD 545
ODO 25711

Gardening:
Saturday afternoon I managed to complete all my fruit tree pruning.  I also cleaned up a few branches on some other trees that were broken over the winter.  Glad to have this chore completed.  On an update to my muskrat story of a few weeks ago.  I haven't seen any fish in the pond the last several weeks.  I wasn't sure what muskrats eat so I looked it up on the internet.  As I suspected they primarily eat vegetation, but will sometimes eat frogs or fish if they are easy to come by.  I don't think he could have eaten all of them, but I'm worried.  Hopefully they are just hiding well.  I did notice this interesting detail on Wikipedia about muskrats.  Hence the title for this posting.

"Muskrats have sometimes been a food resource for humans. Muskrat meat is said to taste like rabbit or duck. In the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, there is a longstanding dispensation allowing Catholics to consume muskrat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent (when the eating of meat, except for fish, is prohibited): because the muskrat lives in water, it is considered equivalent to fish.

Lenten dinners of muskrat are traditional in parts of Michigan. The meat is occasionally consumed in Belgium and The Netherlands, and is traditional dish on the Delmarva Peninsula and in certain other areas and population segments of the United States."

100th post

100th post milestone today.  When I started this blog back on 7/1/10 I had every intention of posting something of interest every day.  I really thought it would be easy.  I quickly found out that life gets in the way sometimes.  Also the number of interesting things to post isn't easy to come by in the normal daily stream of things that happen.  Anyway it is a milestone and I hope you have enjoyed some of these 100 posts.

Running:
A little quieter of a week for me.  I purposely am cutting back a little bit this week after posting big numbers the previous three weeks.  On Monday of this week I took an off day.  Did some biking, weight lifting and some extra stretching.  Tuesday I got out for a 7.5 mile run during my lunch break.  I did this run in 1:1:55.  On Wednesday I ran my hill repeat workout.  Eight repeats again, plus warm up and cool down for a total of 7.5 miles.  Ran this in 1:5:22.  On Thursday I ran during my lunch break again.  I ran the same route as Tuesday in 1:3:23.  This morning I got out for an 8 mile run before work in 1:6:09.  So for the week and month I'm up to 30.5 miles.  For YTD I crossed 500 and am up to 516 through today.  I'm hoping to get another 20 mile run in this weekend and then have to consider tapering for the 3/27 Trailbreaker marathon if I'm going to do it. 
Gardening:
Still haven't ordered any seeds yet for this year.  I continue to get new catalogs, e-mail and flyers on sale items.  I usually order in March so I'm not behind yet.  I also continue to work on pruning my fruit trees.  I am really going after them hard this year.  I would guess I'm about half done.  Maybe I can finish this weekend.