A New Kind of Marathon

The Waiting Game

2010-08-09T12:02:00.001-05:00

It has now been almost 2 weeks since my final treatment and I'm feeling fantastic. Almost all of the urges and/or discomfort has subsided. I'm ready to live a normal life again.

But wait, not so fast. I may feel like I'm cancer free now, but we haven't yet confirmed this. Hold the celebration. On Sept 14th, I'll go back to my urologist and have a cystoscopy done. They will examine the inside of my bladder with a tiny camera and then make the determination. I fully expect to be given a clean bill of health at that point. The majority of people my age, with my condition, have success with the treatment. Hey, the odds are good! If I'm clean, I will then be subject to only periodic check-ups. The duration between checks will continue to increase the longer we go. Eventually, it will be done on an annual basis.

Being a cancer patient really has given a somewhat different outlook on life. I've learned not to sweat the little things, be a little more patient, and enjoy the life God has given me. Yes, I've even felt like I've become closer to God and learned how to pray. In the back of my mind, I'll always know that this disease could return at any time and life could be shorter than I expect. For now, I want to live the rest of my days as fully as possible.

Some of those feelings prompted me to quit my job at Quicksilver. Instead, I've decided to pursue a position as a school bus driver, which feels like a much more meaningful job. The old job was just too many hours, little reward and not enough pay. Not enough pay is still going to be a small issue as a bus driver, but I'll have the freedom to add more hours as I want. The standard work week will be only around 20 hours. I'll have more time at home to cook, relax and work on my passion; running.

Thanks again to all my family and friends that have helped me through this. With your thoughts and prayers, I've come a long way.

Halfway Home

2010-07-03T10:05:00.003-05:00

This week I completed the 3rd installment of 6 total treatments. Yeah baby, I'm halfway done with this harrowing experience!

So, has it really been that bad? I suppose once it's put into perspective, no, it's hasn't been as bad as I had anticipated. Here's a synopsis of how my weeks go.

Wednesday
Treatment day; it starts out like any other day, I go to work in the morning, but because my appointment is in the afternoon, I'll get off work early. BONUS! I like to have a shortened work day. Eight hours is too much work for a semi-retired old guy like me.

Now, no offense to my doctor or his staff, but I want to get out off there as quickly as possible. I admit, they are very efficient about administering the treatment. Arrive, pee in a cup, dispense the numbing gel, insert catheter, inject the BCG, clean up and I'm out of there. It really doesn't take long at all and while the procedure will never be described as pleasant, I'm getting used to it.

Once I arrive home, I do my best impression of a succulent pig on a rotisserie, without the apple in my mouth of course, though I believe Sue would like to stick it in there sometimes! I'm delicately turned every 15 minutes to allow the BCG juices to fully baste the inside of my bladder. It's important to hold it in for 2 hours and I've come very close each week, even surpassing the time limit last week. Okay, here's the fun part; next I get to pee.

Now it wouldn't be a fun blog to read if I didn't give you a little story that goes along with peeing. You know, one that makes you laugh, or maybe one that makes you think "ooh, gross!" The first time I pee after the treatment is a little strange. I'm advised to sit on the toilet, and no, I haven't been given female hormones, it is for sanitary reasons (less splashing.) After I've emptied my bladder, a rush of air comes out. Yeah, that's right, it's like I'm farting out, well, the other end! This freaked me out the first week, but it's happened just like that each week.

Thursday and Friday
Generally, I get up Thursday morning and feel great. So far, I haven't had any of the side effects they describe. I do, however, experience what I call direct effects. As the day wears on, I begin to feel more pain while urinating and the urge to go when my bladder is near empty. This seems to continue for a day or two and is directly related to the trauma of having the catheter inserted week after week. I'm learning how to control the pain somewhat with drugs and hydration. The more liquid I drink, the smoother the peeing goes. But it's a Catch 22, the more I drink, the more often I go, which is sometimes difficult when driving on the road all day long. In the evening, beer has become a staple of my diet, doing it's job to keep things flowing as well. Hooray for beer!

Saturday thru Tuesday
By the weekend, things are getting better and I am starting to feel somewhat normal. My biggest frustration is still trying to get back into a running routine, but it hasn't worked well yet. Some days I feel good and run a few miles, other days I either feel those annoying 'gotta go' urges or I just don't have the energy. I haven't been able to do more than 5 miles or a couple days a week. I know it's just a matter of time, but I'm sure looking forward to the end of the treatments and complete the healing.

Good News
This week I was given some great news from the doctor. The initial BCG cancer treatment, the 6-week course, is sometimes followed by what's referred to as a 'maintenance program', where an additional 5 treatments are given over the next 24 months. I was told that I will not have to undergo this part of the program. Did you detect the smile on my face after this news? I will only need to go in for a routine check up every 3 months for awhile, then cutting back to every 6 months, to eventually once a year. Hmm.....eventually I will be normal again?

Treatment #1

2010-06-18T08:07:00.001-05:00

Well, the day had finally arrived; the one I dreaded yet anxiously anticipated. The first installment of the BCG treatment was scheduled this week.

For those of you (like me) with short term memory loss, let's review. The treatment recommended for this type cancer is called Immunotherapy. BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Geurin) is a live tuberculosis bacteria that is injected into the bladder. The bacteria then stimulates my own immune system to send in troops to fight the bacteria. It's like "Shock & Awe" to all enemies of the bladder; the troops indiscriminately kill all evil cells. Cancer, bacteria, they don't care! There will be six treatments, once a week until the enemy surrenders.

At 3:30 pm, I arrived at the doctors office with my body guards, Sue and Alison. As expected, once we hit the elevator to the second floor, I tried my escape. "Maybe I should consider a holistic approach to this cancer instead, let's go home!" My argument did not convince the tough minded family soldiers so on we went.

As if the medical assistant at the office knew of my internal struggle, I was called in before I even had a chance to think. OK, this is it, no turning back now. I'm not really afraid of the treatment, I'm nervous about the insertion of the dreaded catheter. The treatment will be injected directly into the bladder through the catheter.

Once my urine sample passed muster, it was time to begin. A numbing gel is applied to the area and then pushed into the urethra. After a few minutes to allow the gel to work, they inserted the catheter. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and 'viola' (French word inserted for Alison's enjoyment!), the worst was over in a couple seconds. As they injected the solution, I didn't feel a thing. Before long, the whole thing was over, we were in the office for only 15 minutes or so. Boy did I feel good once this was over. It really wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I walked back into the waiting room and greeted Sue and Alison with a smile; one might even say I had a bit of a cocky smirk on my face!

Now at home, I would need to keep the solution in the bladder for 2 hours, then I was free to urinate normally. For the first hour, I needed to lay on my back, then on my stomach, and on each side, for 15 minutes each. This was to be sure the solution coated all areas of the bladder. I was a bit nervous about having to 'hold it' for 2 hours, but made it with no problem. The rest of the evening I felt just fine.

The following day, I went back to work as normal. The side effects of this treatment include fever and nausea, or basically feeling you have flu-like symptoms. None of that for me, I felt great the day after. The only thing that bothered me was some burning and bleeding while urinating and that is normal after this type procedure. A great anxiety has been lifted now that I've gone through the first session without incident.

To further boost my spirits, I went for a short run the following day after work. It's still a struggle compared to where I was 6 months ago, but it felt good to get in a couple miles. I'm feeling more and more confident every day. So, if you're a certain brother-in-law, you may want to step up your training, my next race may be sooner than I anticipated!

The Second Opinion

2010-06-05T12:08:00.006-05:00

This past Thursday, Sue and I met with Dr Holzbeierlein, a urological oncologist with the University of Kansas Hospital. I wanted to be sure that another specialist in this field agreed with the course of action prescribed by my initial urologist.

It was obvious that Dr Holzbeierlein was a leader in this field of medicine, as he sent in a resident doctor for the first round of questioning and the dirty work. Yes, years of experience does have it's rewards; the resident would ask all the redundant questions and have the honor of doing the digital prostate check. For those of you my age, you know what I mean, a personal space violation only a doctor could get away with! And no, it's not digital because there's an electronic device, it's digital, like one of the digits on your hand that does the work. OK, I am being a bit factitious about the doctor's roles, but there probably is a little truth to that.

Moving on, the doctors recommendation for treatment was exactly the same, however, he did want to go back in and do another scraping of tissue inside the bladder and do another biopsy. His reasoning was to be sure we removed any potentially dangerous cells before beginning treatment. I was very uneasy about having another biopsy done; this would mean another surgery and another month to recover.

So, the dilemma; should I follow the experts advice or continue straight to the treatment. Remember, regardless of whether I choose the second scraping, the long term treatment recommendation of both doctors is the same.

Here's my thought process:

* A second scraping of the bladder may slightly increase the odds that all of the cancer cells were removed. However, even if some dangerous cells were still intact, the prescribed immunotherapy treatment would likely fight those remaining abnormal cells.

* A call back to my original urologist, Dr Joseph Myers from the Olathe Medical Center, confirmed his personal observation that all suspicious cells were removed. He assured me that there would be nothing left to scrape.

* Somewhere in the back of my mind lies this feeling that since Dr Holzbeierlein did not do the original surgery, he needs to be sure in his own mind that everything inside was scraped properly, hence the recommendation to do it again. Kind of a CYA?

* Fighting cancer requires a strong mind and a strong body. I personally feel ready to begin treatment and do not want the mental setback of another surgery. I also feel comfortable with Dr Myers, his answers to my questions and his staff.

After discussing the situation with Sue, we have decided to continue down the initial path given by Dr Myers. Treatment will begin on June 16th as planned.

On a happier note, today I ran for the first time in almost two months. I was a little apprehensive at first, jogging quite slowly (uh oh, runners hate the word jogging!), but eventually became more confident and ended up laying down 3 miles of tracks. My legs felt great but the breathing was still quite labored. Overall though, I was extremely pleased with the run. I'll slowly work in more days and more miles and hopefully will feel strong again soon.

Thanks again to everybody that has wished me well, I haven't been able to respond personally to everyone, but I do appreciate the kind words.

Just a dream?

2010-05-29T11:40:00.005-05:00

One short week ago I was given the devastating news, the tumor was cancerous. Is this just a dream? How can I have cancer?

I'm supposed to be healthy, I eat better, I exercise more, dammit, I feel good. Surely there's been some kind of mistake.

The nurse from the doctors office called a few days ago and left a message to call her. Yeah, that's it, they finally discovered the mistake. I went to see her the next day; there was no mistake, just a copy of the surgeons and pathologist reports that confirmed the reality. OK, it's sinking in; I have cancer.

Cancer doesn't play by a set of rules, it finds it's way into many unsuspecting peoples lives. Sure I wonder "why me," but what about the 8 year old boy with leukemia, the young mother that discovers ovarian cancer, the coal miner with lung cancer that just wants to provide for his family? None of them deserved their fate either; I'm sure they all wondered why too.

"Why" is a tough question. Is it science, is it lifestyle, is it genetics or is it just fate?
Maybe it was years of smoking,
Maybe it was the constant handling of lead and chemicals in my early career,
Maybe it is the will of a greater being, striving to make me a stronger person.

Well, regardless, it's not a dream. I'll never really know why, so it's time to focus on the future.

The roller coaster of emotions I've felt the past week has been draining. I'm strong and determined one moment and crying the next. The outpouring of support from friends and family has been tremendous and believe me, I appreciate each and every email, call, or any kind of response. I'm learning to cope and with the help of my wife, I'm going to be fine emotionally. Sue is my rock! I'm also learning again how to pray; yes I've been distant from God in the past, but I look for His support too in my fight.

This week I go see a urological oncologist at KU Med Center for a second opinion. He is a surgeon and a specialist in these type cancers. I just want to be sure that more than one doctor agrees with the course of treatment. I'll update more after that meeting.

Thanks again everybody for all your thoughts and prayers.

The New Journey Begins

2010-05-26T18:47:00.000-05:00

Family and Friends

As some of you were already aware, I've been struggling the last few months with some type of bladder and/or prostate issue. After a third round of antibiotics for what continued to disguise itself as a urinary tract infection, and still no relief, I finally had to see a urologist and do further testing. On May 11th, I was scheduled for a cystoscopy, a procedure where they insert a tiny camera into the urethra and explore the inside of the bladder. During this procedure, a tumor was discovered and removed. They also cut away a small section of the prostate which will help allow me to urinate better. I would not be released from the hospital until I could pee again on my own and spent 2 nights there. Today, I'm still recovering; it's been a slow process but I continue to improve each day.

This past Friday, I had my follow up visit with my doctor. This is when I learned the dreaded truth; the pathology report on the tumor came back malignant. The news was quite shocking to me as the doctor had told me after surgery that he did not feel the growth he removed was suspicious. After a day of crying in Sue's arms and the agonizing phone calls to the kids and my parents, I'm ready to fight the next battle in my life. I plan to take the same approach to this battle as I do to running a marathon. There's going to be a lot of hard work involved along the way, but it won't stop me from reaching that final goal.

OK, enough with the doom and gloom. There's good news to talk about too. Bladder cancer is very treatable and has a high rate of success. I've seen numbers that show 75-80% survival rates. When bladder cancer is detected early, the outlook is usually brighter. The doctor feels that, based on how the tumor was attached in the tissue inside the bladder, that we did catch this early on. These are all good signs in my case.

So, this is where we go next. Beginning in mid June, I will begin what is called intravesical BCG therapy. Chemotherapy is also an option but is not as effective in this type cancer. BCG is not chemo, rather it is considered immunotherapy. Look at it this way; BCG is a live tuberculosis bacteria that will be injected into my bladder through a catheter. The presence of this bacteria triggers my own immune system to send in troops to fight the bacteria, while they're fighting, they also kill any cancer cells. The BCG solution will need to stay in the bladder for about 2 hours, then I just pee it out naturally. I will receive 6 treatments, once a week beginning June 16th. After that, they will do another cystoscopy to look in the bladder and determine whether it has been successful. If so, I will then go on a maintenance program with only 5 more injections in the following 2 years.

During this treatment, I should be able to work and function somewhat normally. Of course, in any treatment, there are side effects. In this therapy, difficulty urinating and/or the desire to urinate frequently, blood in the urine and bladder infections are the most commons side effects and occur in about 50% of patients. Heck, those are the same symptoms I've dealt with the last 6 months, I'm used to it, how bad can that be!

Writing you today was not meant to solicit any sympathy, rather I'm writing to help me express out loud to everyone my commitment to beating this thing. It helps to talk about it, so don't be afraid to ask me questions. It's too easy to feel sorry for yourself and that does no good. You've all played an important role in my life and I ask that you help me try to remain positive during this entire ordeal.

I look forward to running my next "Race for the Cure" as a cancer survivor.

Lincoln Marathon

2009-05-05T08:37:00.017-05:00

In what may prove to be my last full marathon, the Lincoln Track Club in Nebraska put on a great finale. From beginning to end, this race was top notch.

Sue, Ringo and I headed out on the 3-hour journey Saturday afternoon, May 2. We checked into the Days Inn near the airport and then headed down to packet pick up. The expo was typical, vendors hawking fancy antioxidant concoctions, chiropractors that will straighten your spine and loads of clearance running gear. Packet pick up was smooth and soon, we were on our way to the race sponsored "Pastathon."

In the neat little Stadium Club, across from the University of Nebraska's football stadium, the Pastathon was available to anyone who walked up and wanted to eat. No need to show that you were entered in the race; they welcomed everybody. The meal was nothing fancy; salad, pasta with meat sauce or marinara sauce, bread and fudgesicles for dessert. I loaded up a heaping plateful and settled down at one of the outdoor tables, since the dog was with us. One of the volunteers commented that this was the first time in many years that we didn't have to worry about rain, wind or cold. Today, the weather was perfect! The meal was quite good considering it's simplicity. After dinner, we walked around campus a bit and found a track meet in progress. We hung around awhile and watched some of the pole vaulters and long jumpers.

Race morning came early, I always seen to wake before the alarm; 4;30 am to be specific. It looks to be another beautiful day, around 50 to start with the sun warming us nicely through the mix of clouds. The race begins in the center of campus and the football stadium, along with the Coliseum, is open for bathrooms or just a place to keep warm. There were no pace groups, so I lined up at the 10-minute mile pace marker. The goal today would be to finish in 4:20 or at least beat my best time of 4:24.

The course itself was decent, a mix of campus, neighborhoods, bike trails, and park areas. It's not the most interesting course, but there are almost no hills. The first half is a loop and the second half is an out-and-back. I would say it's a fast course, but for a mid to back of the pack runner, the first half is crowded with all the half-marathoners, especially along the narrow bike trails where it's hard to keep a pace, weaving between walkers and slower runners. The course is great for spectators, as Sue was able to easily find me numerous times throughout the race. There seemed to be plenty of cheering fans---OK, it's not Chicago---but they were everywhere and enthusiastic. The aid stations were THE best I've ever seen in a race. Gatorade and water were clearly distinguishable by the type/color of the cup and half of the cups would have lids and straws, so it was easy to keep running through the station if you wished. They also had numerous stops with orange slices, Vaseline and a couple of GU stops in the second half.

My day started well, I felt good through the first half, but lost a few minutes to my pace and a few more for a bathroom stop. At the halfway point, I was 4 minutes behind, so I began to pick up my pace a bit to try and get back a few of the minutes. This worked fine for miles 13-16; I got back to only 2 minutes behind goal, but the strategy would prove faulty. In miles 17-22 I had to pay back exponentially for the extra burst used earlier and thus came to the realization that I would not meet my goal today. I began to employ some walking in the mix, but pain in my right knee became overbearing. It hurt so much to try and start running again after the walks, that I abandoned the walk and just kept running at a snail's pace. Once the finish line was in view, like any proud marathoner that's feeling defeated, I forced my legs to sprint the last quarter mile and finish on a strong note.

Final time: 4:49:47

Friends and fellow bloggers Kim and Doug also run the race

After the race, the Coliseum was open for massages and showers. What a great touch! This was the first time I've ever had a massage after a run and believe me, this felt wonderful. There were loads of masseurs and masseuses (wow, I had to look up how to spell those words!) with empty tables waiting. A shower before the long ride home I'm sure was appreciated by Sue.

While I was disappointed today in my results, this race was one of the best overall experiences I've had.

Early on, still looking fresh
Later around mile 22, not so much!

The New Career

2009-03-31T06:24:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been quite some time since I last posted and many changes have taken place since then. Back in early October, I was given notice that my position at work was being consolidated and eventually our group would no longer exist. That day has finally come, and I am now spending my first week ever on unemployment.

I've been through many different emotions since the announcement, but now I have made peace with this change and am ready to move on. At 55, there's not a whole lot of career left in me, but with the economic situation, I'm likely to have to work for another 10 years. Relatively speaking, 10 years is a short time, so I plan to pursue a career that I will enjoy, not one that may be financially the best option.

Since I was a kid, I've always loved to travel. My parents always took us somewhere every summer, mostly up and down the east coast. When I turned 18 and took my first vacation as an adult, my buddy and I drove from Michigan to California and back in a week. Being on the road and seeing the country was thrilling to me. So, what do I want to be now that I've grown up and need a job; a driver of course. What's the best job in the driving industry; ya, that's right, a truck driver.

I've made the decision that I'm going to pursue a career as a truck driver, fully prepared to drive OTR in a big rig. Some people think I'm crazy, but I'm excited. Yes, a part of me has always thought about driving a truck, so why not now! I've enrolled in a 6-week truck driving school, which starts in May. After graduation, I'll be qualified work in an industry that is always in need of drivers, so finding a job shouldn't be too difficult.

In the meantime, I've kept up with my running and am currently training for the Lincoln Marathon on May 3. The training seems so much more difficult this year; I don't know why, but I seem to struggle on every long run. Sometimes I think it's mostly mental as it's been hard to keep focused the last few months.

Going forward, training while being on the road in a truck will prove to be quite a challenge. Realistically, I doubt that I will be able to train for long races anymore, but I do plan to try and put in a few miles every week. It will be exciting to be able to run in a different state or different city every day.

Wish me luck.......

Where do we go from here

2008-11-09T06:09:00.005-06:00

The running year is winding down and right now, I have no plans for my next race. Next years possibilities include:

Another Triathlon (maybe a half Ironman)

Psycho Wyco (a tough, mid-winter trail run)

Brew to Brew (maybe solo this year?)

Mad City Marathon (Madison, WI)

Green Bay Marathon

I'm looking for a spring marathon in the upper midwest so I can pick up my daughter in Chicago and then go run the race with her.

Right now, I've stopped any running as I await medical clearance on my foot. I went to see an orthopedic specialist to see if there could possibly be a stress fracture. X-rays did not reveal anything, so this Wednesday, I go in for a bone scan. So, I may take a break from running for a month or so or I may start back up next weekend, we'll see. The uncertainty has me back in the pool to keep in shape and thoughts of a 2nd triathlon are beginning to sprout.

Last night I received a call from the President of our local running club. He was actually asking me if I would be interested in taking over as President for the upcoming year. What, are they crazy, me? I've only been a member for 1 year and honestly, I'm more of a follower, not a leader. Well, frankly, I was honored that he even thought of me that way. I would like to be more involved with the club, but not quite at that level.

College Football

Around here, I'm sure there are many people that are quite disappointed with their favorite team.

Kansas - inconsistent and can't stop anybody

Missouri - not quite the offensive juggernaut they expected

Oklahoma - couldn't win the big game

But none so bad a year as the team I still follow, the Michigan Wolverines.

A few weeks back we had our annual Michigan vs Penn St party. One of my closest friends is from Pennsylvania and is a big Penn St fan. So, each year we get together for the game and the loser has to burn an item bearing the logo of their school. Since I've known Dave, I have yet to burn any Michigan gear. Yeah, eight straight years of watching Penn St t-shirts, flags, towels go up in flames. The tide finally changed this year.

Blue Springs 50/50

2008-10-28T14:58:00.007-05:00

The Blue Springs 50/50 is one of the smallest marathons in the country. The race also includes a 50K and a 50 miler. This actually a trail race, but the trail itself is exceptionally smooth, fine crushed gravel; an excellent surface upon which to run. It was a little strange, when asked by other runners what race I'm in, having to reply, "Oh, just the marathon." While the aid was adequate, this is a race where you need to be self sufficient. B.Y.O.W.

My today race consisted of 4 stages.

The Serenity Stage - Miles 1-6

The quiet and calm of an early Sunday morning before daylight, leads the mind to ponder thoughts about the virtues of running. I'm reminded of what a wonderful life I lead; from the family support I receive to the amazing physical and mental benefits that running a marathon provides. Smooth jazz songs flow through my headphones in time with the gently rushing waters of the Little Blue River along the trail. The sun slowly rises above the horizon and promises to take the chill off my body. At the moment, there's no place I'd rather be.

The Delusional Stage - Miles 7-13

I'm warmed up and now into the race. Things are going well, my pace is good and thoughts of a personal best dance in my head. The magic number to me is 4:20 or averaging a 10 minute mile pace. There's no mile markers on the course and I wear a Bulova Accutron, not a Garmin, so I'll have to rely on feel for my pace. I'm most certainly running below 10:00. And I feel great! I begin thinking about how close to a BQ I would be if I keep this up. The adrenaline is pumping as my mind is racing as fast as my legs. Yeah, this could be the day I put it all together.

The Faded Glory Stage - Miles 14-20

Somewhere around mile 14, reality begins to set in. My shadow looks up at me and laughs, "I told you to take it easy, you didn't even train that hard and you expect to set a PR?" I'm still hanging tough and begin to try and think of a Mantra so I don't have to listen to my shadow. "I've got inner strength, that will keep me going." I try to keep reciting, but along comes a new pain I've never felt before. Soon, this pain in my left foot hobbles me enough to where I need to walk. Walking provides little relief and the pain intensifies. It feels as if my shoe lace is too tight, so I loosen up the bow, but to no avail. After walking a half mile or so, I give running another attempt. The pain hasn't completely gone, but at least feels bearable for now. The aid station around mile 16 is approaching and this is located at the start area, so I am considering calling it a day. I reach the aid station and miraculously, the foot feels OK now. I grab a couple of Aleve and continue on. The Aleve works wonderfully, at least for a couple miles. Here I am, nearing the 20 mile mark and the pain has returned with a vengeance.

The Hallucinatory Stage - Miles 21-26

My mind now has to deal with the constant pain in my foot as well as the tightening hamstrings and a mental state that can't focus on anything positive. I'm past the point of no return so I have to finish. My pace has slowed dramatically as I watch Survivor Man pass by. Wow, a celebrity, what's he doin' out here? After a quick blink of the eyes, he's gone. Damn, I had some questions. I bit later I notice a 5 piece band playing in the adjacent meadow. Journey to the Center of the Mind? Is this a 1960's experiment? Wow, I need water. I need to lay down. Or is it lie down, I don't know, I'm confused. Eventually, the gates opened and I entered the 26.2 zone.

I have no idea how I made it through the last 5 miles!

Finish Time 4:44:01

A New Direction?

2008-10-02T11:11:00.015-05:00

Have you ever had a day as bad as this guys? It's a lesson we all learn eventually, don't try new foods the night before a big race.

Myself, I'm going on a new Runners Diet, where carbs, protein and fat all come together in a tasty sandwich that just has to be good for you!

Autumn has delivered a new boost of confidence in my running lately. Looking back over my logs for the last couple months, I found many entries with words like struggled, tired, slow. Now, with temps in the early morning in the 40's and 50's, my energy level has been renewed and the legs feel fresh.

But, as with all good in life comes the equalizer. I am now struggling to keep my job, tired of all the company BS and slowly become more depressed.

It was announced a few weeks ago that my position at work is going away. The company, always careful to market the same old strategy with a different name, was kind enough to not call this "downsizing." Instead, I am caught up in Role Consolidation. Any sarcasm in the previous sentence was purely unintentional. Yes, someone else will do my work.

OK, so it's not like I'm surprised, we've been dealing with this for years. I've survived many previous downsizing and/or outsourcing efforts and seen many of my long time friends get let go. I should have seen this coming. I work in a dying business, check printing. Hell, I don't even write checks anymore. But, it's a job nonetheless and has given me a comfortably lifestyle for 35 years.

The good news; they haven't yet announced who is affected. I could be one of the fortunate few who they keep on. Realistically, I stand about a 25% chance of keeping my job. You know what, I'm not sure I want to. I'm sick of living on pins and needles about this time every year. Unfortunately, the stock market, the job market, the general economy all make this a bit scary.

Regardless, I haven't felt like writing much lately; for that, I apologize. I have been trying to at least keep up with reading my favorite blogs, but thinking of humorous, witty comments has been difficult, so I will only show as another tick on your site meter. Thankfully, running has gone well lately and keeps me focused on the big picture. As always, I feel better after a good run and it helps offset the 'I don't give a shit' attitude I've been carrying around.

But life goes on, just maybe in a new direction. I will start a new career if needed; something I enjoy doing, not just another boring job. Maybe a brain surgeon or selling German roasted almonds at the mall.

As Jack Handey once said, "If you're robbing a bank and you're pants fall down, I think it's okay to laugh and to let the hostages laugh too, because, come on, life is funny. "

Patriot's Run

2008-09-12T09:24:00.021-05:00

The Patriot's Run here in my hometown of Olathe, Kansas, is an event that is truly unique.

The race itself is held on 9-11 to commemorate the events of 9-11 and pay tribute to those who lost there lives and those service men and women who help protect our country today.

Today I write almost with a tear in my eye, I'm so choked up over the entire experience. I'm proud of my hometown for putting on this event, proud of my own personal accomplishment, and most of all, proud to be an American.

The event itself begins at Noon on 9-11 and ends promptly at 9:11 pm. The course is a 3/4 mile track around a small park in the city. The idea is to run as many laps as you please. Come and run 5 laps; fine. Want to do a marathon? Fine, complete the 36+ laps. Want to start at 3pm rather than noon? Fine. Want to run for 9 hours 11 minutes? Fine. It is literally, a create your own event. Each lap is timed and recorded. My goal today was to try and get in the marathon distance.

The morning began with the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem and then all the runners made their way from the picnic shelter, through a human tunnel of servicemen and out to the starting line. We are all led by Jose Nebrida who will be carrying the 'Flag of Honor', an American flag which is embroidered with all the names of the 9-11 victims in its stripes. Jose is a proud American who immigrated here from the Philippines when he was 19 and a veteran of 160 some marathons. If you don't feel inspired by all this, you'd better check your heart. Seriously folks, I'm choking up just writing about it.

This time of year in Kansas we could have easily had temperatures near 90, but today we were spared. Race time temps were around 70 and stayed there all day. We had an off and on light rain throughout the day which was really a blessing. The wet conditions did not dampen the spirit of the runners or the volunteers.

Jay (Olathe Running Club President) proudly waves the Flag of Honor

I started out running with my friend Joe, a fellow Olathe Running Club member. His goals were similar to mine, as he is hoping to finish his first ever official marathon today. We started out a bit ambitious; running the first 5 or 6 miles under a 10 minute pace, but I knew I would need to slow down. I really haven't even done much training lately, with only 1 long run (the half marathon in Chicago) since my last marathon in July. Also, somewhere in the back of my mind lay these thoughts about doing an Ultra today. So, I reign myself back some and get more into a 10:30 pace for the next 10 or so miles.

One of my fears about this course would be the boredom of running the same loop over and over and over. Somehow, I never really felt that bored; it was always encouraging to pass by the aid/timing station where your bib was scanned to record each lap. The volunteers were so friendly and supportive and it was exciting to see the lap count continue to increase. So far, I'm feeling decent and somewhere around 15-20 miles or so I think I made the decision to do more than the marathon. With that in mind, I begin to start mixing in some walking with my running.

During lap 36, which is the final lap to complete the marathon, I had the honor of taking the Flag of Honor from Jose and running with it as I completed goal #1. This gave me just a remarkable sense of joy. Now my thoughts are on completing my first ever Ultra. I figure about 8 more laps will give me the approx distance of a 50K, so that becomes the next goal. I'm now running about 3 laps to each one I walk, but I'm certainly not worried about time. I just want to finish. Off and on I meet back up with Joe and he has completed his marathon and has also decided to continue on.

After another hour or so of running, I've lost track of my lap count, but am quite sure I've done what I need for a 50K. I've been really inspired all day and still don't feel like quitting. I've got to be honest here, folks. I've led a pretty charmed life in comparison to what the 9-11 victims and their families went through. I've never had to serve my country in the armed forces. The least I can do is honor these people by enduring only a fraction of their pain by completing this entire run. So then was the decision made to keep going for the entire 9 hours and 11 minutes.

The last couple hours were very difficult. I was now doing the run/walk mixture at about 50%. It was dark and few people were left out on the track. But, somehow, I was able to make it all the way to 9:11.

Final count:

55 Laps

40.04 miles

10th place overall for total number of laps

The smile on my face covered up any of the pain that was felt in my legs, my feet, my back, well, just about every part of my body. But with the help and motivation from people I've never known, I am now one Proud American.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Photos courtesy of Dick Ross at SeeKCRun.com

Laughable

2008-08-23T07:58:00.007-05:00

Everybody needs a good laugh now and then. We, at times, will go to great lengths to get a good laugh. People flock to read humorous blogs like Nitmos or The D just for a smile. We all make fun of the boss at work, I'll even degrade myself just for a laugh.

Go ahead, laugh! Someone has done a study that shows that 10-15 minutes of laughing burns about 50 calories. Anyone who has had a strained diaphragm knows how much the abs and core muscles are involved in laughing…so that’s exercise!

So, the other day, I stepped out of my normal routine and threw my wife a curveball. A spontaneous moment found me clicking "Purchase" on the flat screen at work. The result; tickets to go see Jim Gaffigan at the Midland Theatre in KC.

Please don't tell my boss I did this at work, she won't see the humor!

Looking ahead

2008-08-18T14:14:00.005-05:00

Time for a rest? Time to work on my golf game rather than do long runs on the weekend?

I doubt.

While my golf game does need some serious work, I just can't seem to make myself take any time off from running. I'll still get in some golf, but running will probably continue to take precedence.

For the first time in awhile, I do not have any current race commitments. I do, however, have a couple target races in mind. In particular, I’m close to diving in and taking on my first 50K. The runs I’m considering are the Blue Springs 50/50, a certified trail run or the Dude, Where’s The Trail?, a non-competitive trail run where maps are given for you to figure the out course on your own. Hmmm….adventurous, I like that! Also, Dude, Where’s The Trail? is a month later (late Nov) and I’m thinking I may need the extra time to prepare. If anyone has any insight on either of these, please let me know your thoughts.

There is also the North Shore Trail run at Clinton Lake on Sept 6th that I plan to do. This is a Trail Nerds event, but is more like an organized trail run than a race. Where could you have more fun for only 8 bucks? It is a race day sign up only, so there is no commitment. I’ve never run out at Clinton Lake, so I’m looking forward to this.

Sue and I signed up today to volunteer for the KC Marathon. We will be course monitors, so you can rest assured, you will not get run over by a car when going through our intersection! Once I get specific info, I’ll let you know where we’ll be.

We’re also considering another trip to Chicago. I’m thinking I’d love to go the weekend of the Chicago Marathon. Maybe we’ll even volunteer there too, or just cheer on the runners as the course come through the Wrigleville area in miles 7-8. This trip would be without the faithful family dog, Ringo, allowing us to do more in the city. Sorry Alison, ‘The Boy’ does not want to come visit you.

The rest of this month will have me concentrating on Fantasy Football. Yes, I love fantasy sports and football is the best. This time of year I’m bombarded with email updates, magazine articles and spreadsheets, all in the quest to win bragging rights for another year (and the possibility of some nice sized wads of cash.) Beating out 3-time Super Bowl Champion, ‘The D’, is always tough. Did I get that right, D?

Oh, and Alison: Here's a fact

I'm the Wiz

Chicago Distance Classic

2008-08-13T05:20:00.021-05:00

Let me first off say, "I LOVE CHICAGO!"

I ran this race for 2 reasons;

1. My daughter, Alison, just moved to Chicago and I wanted to run a race with her
2. I waited too long and the Chicago Marathon was already filled

I'm not going to spend a lot of time with this post; instead, I'll just add lots of pictures. It's a typical big city race, crowded, but well organized. The course runs from downtown along Lakeshore Dr, then turns back and runs up the bike/jogging trail right along the lake. Nice, but I'd actually prefer to run through the unique neighborhoods.

We were running well, hoping to finish around 2 hours. One of us, of whom I shall not refer to by name, had a battle going on between the stomach and breakfast, which consisted of the 'Vegan Take-a-Hike Scone,' from the local organic bakery. The scone and it's fibrous content won the battle, costing us a good 5 minute bathroom stop. Perhaps the concoction might be more aptly named the 'Take-a-Sh.....oh, never mind!

By the way, I am not a vegetarian.

Final time, 2:10:58. Respectable.

Alison's new apartment, the lower floor of this 4-story home in the Lakeview/Wrigleyville area

My favorite tavern, O'Donovans, right on the corner of her street. Great food!

I think they belive this year

Alison, myself and Ringo

If I were to be a Chicago sports fan, I'd definitely be a Cubs fan.

What a great atmosphere around the whole area!

Sue and Alison in the Chicago Skyline

Look, there I am, sporting my Trail Nerds bandana

as we head near the finish line.

We pose in Grant Park for a picture

Now, who could resist this? Not me

Nothing like a fresh Stiegls Marzen after a long hard run.

This lager has a pale yellow-gold hue. Toasty and bready aromas
follow through on a medium-bodied palate with soft malty
flavors and a hint of spicy and bitter hops on the finish. Delicious.

University of Okoboji Marathon

2008-07-24T10:35:00.016-05:00

I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much from this event, just another long run; a ‘training run’ so to speak in the quest to try an Ultra.

I had read and heard many unflattering comments about Okoboji; very little aid, safety concerns running along busy highways, course markings were off, the medal is a piece of crap and so on. Some of that was very accurate, but sometimes it’s good to experience and form your own opinion. Here is mine.

The University of Okoboji Marathon takes place in the far northwest corner of Iowa. One might be a bit surprised when visiting this part of the country. Okoboji and the surrounding communities are a recreational oasis in the middle of farm country. Here, the logo of Sea Ray on 40 foot speed boats out-numbers the famous green of John Deere tractors. If you’re a water sports enthusiast, you’re going to love Okoboji.

If you’re looking for the university’s campus, look no further than the ‘Great Lakes of Iowa’. “What,” you say? OK, let me explain. The curriculum for this university includes swimming, water-skiing, boating, diving, shopping, partying and so on. Here, you don’t really graduate, you celebrate. The university is mythical except in the minds of the student body. You get my drift, right?

Sue and I made the drive from KC and set up camp (yes, I mean camp literally) at Gull Point State Park. The campground is scattered with majestic oak trees and the beach is only a short walk away. Since I chose a site with electric, our tent was tucked neatly between two RV’s. That’s the price you pay for being a runner and needing electricity for important things, like having a fully charged iPod! With a fully inflated air mattress, I slip off to dreamland early, as the race begins at 6am.

Early the next day, we make our way to Pikes Point State Park on the opposite side of the lake, where the marathon and triathlon start. The marathon consists of about 100 runners, so there is little congestion and no problem at all with parking at the start. A full moon and the rising sun work in harmony to provide plenty of light on a beautiful 65 degree morning. Right on time, the gun goes off.

The early parts of the course wind through the residential areas of the eastern shore of West Lake Okoboji. The area reminds me of my old stomping ground, Houghton Lake, Michigan, where Trunk lifters out-number permanent residents by a substantial amount. The weekenders are affectionately known as ‘Trunk lifters’ (or not so affectionately by some) since we all make the trek up from the big city, open our trunks and unpack Friday night, then open the trunk again Sunday and prepare for the trip back home. The lake homes vary from cute little cottages, to huge mansions with spectacular views. I would be perfectly content in owning any one of them!

By the 5th mile, we swing into the town of Arnold Park and run for awhile along the main highway through town. It’s mostly a 2 lane road lined with restaurants, gift shops and resorts. I spot a night club advertising Karaoke tonight; if I finish the race OK, I’ll be back there later! As we turn across the southern end of the lake, I spot a water-skier slicing through the calm waters. I was a pretty decent water-skier myself when I was younger. The numerous flashbacks keep my mind occupied and the first 10 miles breeze by effortlessly.

Around the 10th mile, we begin to see the bikers from the triathlon pass us. This section of the race is along a major 2-lane state road, so it is a bit unsettling to have a bike whiz by at 20 some MPH as they are crammed between the big SUV on their left and the runner on the right. OK, safety is a bit of a concern through this section, but it’s only a few miles. The gravel shoulder is groomed quite well and provides a more comforting zone in which to run. It’s not a horribly busy road, and I’ll bet the majority of the traffic was vehicles dropping off runners at the half-marathon start, which is just up the road. Surely those drivers understand how to be cautious?

As we turn off the main road and back toward the western shoreline, a quick look to the western skies reveal very ominous dark clouds. It’s beginning to rain now, but it looks like heavy stuff isn’t far behind. I’ve met up with another runner, Joshua, a young pre-med student from Iowa State who is running his first marathon. We seem to be going the same pace and will end up running the rest of the race together. He seems to be thriving off the ‘old man’s experience’ and I am using his youthful enthusiasm to help me. As we run by the entrance to the state park where we’re camping, I spot my wife waiting with gels and Gatorade. I take a minute to pull off my iPod and give it to her, as there is nowhere to hide it once the rains come. This turns out to be a good decision; the downpour arrives shortly after.

As we pass the halfway point, I’m right on my desired split time of 2:10. By now, we’re soaking wet as the rain continues at a steady, moderate pace. Other than having heavier shoes from the moisture, the rain actually feels good and it doesn’t really bother either of us. The miles through the teens alternate between a paved trail following the highway, with some turn-offs into the western shore residential area. Luckily, the bikes stay out on the main highway, so we won’t have to contend with them any longer.

As with my last race, the miles between 18 and 22 seem to be the toughest. I haven’t checked my pace in awhile and am disappointed to see that I’ve fallen 5 minutes or so behind my goal. I never felt like I slowed down, and I don’t own a Garmin to confirm. As it is, I probably won’t be coming in with a PR today, but it’s still a pretty respectable time for me. We pass the start line again and the last 5-6 miles are the same course again, so we know the terrain and what to expect. Unfortunately, this is probably the hilliest part of the course and we have to run it a second time. Now, don’t be fooled, there may be a few hills in this section, but they are generally short and not too steep.

Finally, I can see the tracks of the roller coaster at Arnolds Park Amusement Park, which means the finish line is close. Joshua and I have stuck together since we met up around mile 10 and now we both kick it into high gear for the final stretch. Simultaneously, we cross the mats for a time of 4:27:53. A look at the website’s official times show that Joshua was one second behind me; surely he held up just slightly as we crossed, respectfully allowing his elder to beat him. I’m sure he could have blown me away if he wanted – what a fine young gentleman.

After the race, I could be found sitting around the campsite with a Leinenkugel Creamy Dark in one hand and an Arturo Fuentes Hemingway cigar in the other. I have a deeply satisfied feeling after the race and even though my time was a bit more than my goal, I think I enjoyed the entire experience of this race more than any other.

Later that afternoon, we went for dinner at The Wharf, located right on the channel between the east and west arms of the lake. We took a seat on the patio and watched the parade of boats pass by. Unbeknownst to us, this weekend was Homecoming. Logically, there would be a Homecoming Parade and of course, at this university, the parade would be on the water. Each boat was decorated in a unique theme, from Santa's Vacation to the Toga Party.

So far, I feel like I’ve breezed through my first few classes at the ‘U’, but there are a few more credit hours I need to complete before leaving. Yes, Karaoke 101 is being taught at the local night club, a place simply called ‘Cocktails’. The place is packed full of people from all walks of life; young and old alike and farmers whooping it up with doctors. There are also folks from Willie Nelson’s crew (who just finished playing an outdoor concert down the street), but Willie himself did not make an appearance. Being one of the few brave souls, I was able to sing multiple times. Here’s the list of songs I sang or should I say butchered:

Wherever You Will Go – The Calling
Down in the Boondocks – Billy Joe Royal
Semi-Charmed Life – Third Eye Blind
I Think I Love you – The Partridge Family
Mustang Sally – Buddy Guy

A perfect ending to a perfect weekend

Now, let’s look at the race itself and hear my thoughts on the issues I’ve read about.

* Very little aid – There were aid stations at least every 2 miles (except the first one which was about 3 miles) with both water and Powerade at most. No GU, no fruit or other foods, but I found it to be adequate. It would be smart to run with a running belt if you don’t have any of your own personal support on the course.

* Safety concerns on course – Yes, this is somewhat true through the highway 86 section, but I really didn’t feel in danger at all. I eventually moved to the gravel shoulder allowing a larger buffer zone. The entire course is open to traffic, but the majority is run on uncrowded residential streets.

* Course markings are off – I found the course to be marked very well, all directions are painted on the road, so you need to pay attention. The directions are not at all confusing. It seemed that the mile markers were accurate, at least through the first half where I was watching my time. I did not watch as closely the last 10 miles. There are no clocks on the course at all.

* The medal is a piece of crap – Quite true, by far. Most of my 5K medals are nicer! Oh well, who runs a race for the medal anyway?

Psycho Psummer

2008-07-07T16:47:00.019-05:00

Within miles of the urban setting of Kansas City, lies a hidden paradise for trail runners. Wyandotte County Lake Park is the setting for a number of different trail events in the area; this race featuring a 50K, and a 15 miler. One might be described as 'Psycho' should they consider running one of these tests on hilly, rocky, muddy trails in the mid-summer heat of the Heartland. Myself and hundreds of others aren't as crazy as you think.

If you ever considered doing a trail race, you may want to choose a race put on by the Trail Nerds of KC. Ben Holmes and his gang do a first class job with these events.

There is more food than any marathon I've run - how 'bout a freshly grilled burger after the race! Or a vegan burger should you so desire
The friendliest volunteers - seriously, they genuinely make you feel as if you're the most important person on the course
The best looking shirts you can actually be proud to wear
A Trail Nerds bandanna - soaked in ice cold water and personally draped across the back of your neck by Ben himself after you finish
Free photos by Dick Ross, who shoots for many of the local races

It was a near picture perfect morning in KC for a run in July, and at 8am we were given last minute instructions from Ben. "The ticks have been bad this year", he warned, "so be sure to address them properly, they prefer to be called Arachnid Americans!!" After a good laugh, we're off.

I met up with one of my running buddies from the Olathe Running Club, Margaret, and we started off together. After the first big downhill, my fat old body couldn't fight the gravity and I sped out in front of Margaret and never did get back with her. I felt really bad, I wanted to be there to encourage her if she needed, but she's an outgoing, energetic young lady that would have no problem finding support.

My strategy for this type of run will be to walk the steep uphills and run the rest. I was doing quite well for most of the first half, but began walking some of the easier hills after the midway point. The course is predominately single track, with many rocks and roots and uneven footing. There is a few sections of paved road and a small section of gravel road. The terrain is certainly varied enough to make it interesting. There are plenty of great views, but don't look up too long, or you'll risk planting your face on a rock!

The women of the Trail Nerds are fondly referred to as 'Mud Babes' and of course, the trail delivers the goods. Somewhere in the last 1/4 of the course, the serious mud is lurking. I try unsuccessfully to dodge the mud, but to no avail. At one point, my shoe is sucked right off my foot! Later, I came across a beautiful clean stream, stop and wade through the deepest part (which is only ankle deep) and clean off my shoes. There, that will make things easier now.........well, that didn't last long, but remember; MUD IS FUN!

With the extra mud in tow, I finally leave the trail and begin the last leg across the open green pasture leading to the finish line. I'm feeling good about my time, but sad that the run is almost over. This is such an enjoyable and challenging course. The timer shows that I finished in 3:14:11, which would be the best pace I've run on this course yet.

Maybe next year I'll attempt the 50K.

Out of Retirement

2008-07-03T10:07:00.009-05:00

Part of what running a marathon teaches you is that you can accomplish just about anything through hard work and desire. Couple that with a craving to relive some of the glory days of my youth and the idea of skating began to fester in my mind. It's been over 4 years since I last laced up the skates and I'm not getting any younger.

The argument went on in my mind for weeks. One side of the brain (which we shall call Mr Brightside) kept saying, "great exercise, the perfect compliment for stronger running." The other side (known as Capt Cautious) would respond, "one awkward hit against the knee and your marathon days might be over."

The battle would continue, but let's look at this objectively. Is there a risk that I twist an ankle or knee on a trail run? Yeah, that's realistic, but it doesn't stop me from running. Have I been injured before playing hockey, yeah, Capt Cautious would promptly point out; 1 concussion, 1 separated shoulder, 1 knee strain over the last 5 years I played. Not horrible odds, but a bigger risk, nonetheless. Ah, but the rewards are sweet. It's not the competition that drives me, rather the thrill of the game itself. The satisfaction of threading a picture perfect pass to a teammate as they score is powerful to me.

The whole idea was born when last month I went out to watch my son play his league game. On the other sheet of ice that day was a couple of old teammates playing in a separate game. After their games, we caught up in the lobby and my old teammate tried to convince me to come out and play again. They had a non-competitive session called 'Pond Hockey' that was a laid back, relaxed game for fun. The ability levels of the players ranged from relatively new skaters to elite players, my skill level would probably fall somewhere in the middle.

"Give it a try", she said, "you'll fit right in." Yes, my old teammate was a female, but believe me, she can play with any of the guys in those leagues! My appetite was whet that day.

Well, it looks like Mr Brightside has won the debate!

Last night I made my way to Pepsi Ice Midwest, plopped my butt down in the locker room and began to lace them up again. My wife said I was like a little kid that day, scared and nervous while preparing all my old equipment for the event. Every little detail was covered, from what color jersey to bring to making sure the skate laces were in good condition.

Jimmy Rutherford - Detroit Red Wings
1970 –1983

All of my fears were washed away once I stepped on the ice and made that first crossover and turned to skate up ice. It's like riding a bike, it all came back to me right away. I could still stop quick and still skate backwards.

During the game, I quickly discover that running does not give me the power to skate effortlessly like I thought it might. Only a few shifts into the game and I'm gasping for air and the legs feel like I've already ran a 10K. Yeah, skating is tough and this is going to be great exercise. After awhile, my heart rate starts to settle a bit and the hard work over the last few years begins to pay dividends. The legs are tired, but as with marathon running, I'm able to keep going and skate effectively.

Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with my comeback attempt. I did well enough skating and stick handling, grabbed a couple of assists, made my share of dumb passes, over-skated the puck a few times, but in the end, I was still standing; injury free.

After the game, we had a cookout with both teams in the parking lot with burgers, brats and of course, plenty of beer. I don't think I've ever met a hockey player that doesn't enjoy a beer after the game! The guys were all so nice to me and encouraged me to come out and play again. I'll admit, I had a blast, but haven't quite decided if I will play regularly or not.

I'll see what Mr Brightside thinks.

Topeka Tinman

2008-06-20T17:42:00.022-05:00

This month, I decided to try a new experience, something that would challenge me mentally and physically. I've done marathons and while that will still remain my primary focus, the lure of the triathlon was calling. I admit, I didn't put in a lot of training on the bike or in the pool, I was counting on my running experience to carry most of the load.

The race is held in Lake Shawnee Park in Topeka. There is a 400 acre lake, campground, marina, golf course, beach and miles of beautiful trails; a little slice of country, right in the city.

Being a rookie, I arrived early on race day, not knowing what to expect.

Step 1 - get my body markings done. Apparently, they need to write your race number in permanent marker on different body parts; probably so they can easily identify the body should I drown.

Step 2 - park my bike in the transition area. They have some special racks for mountain bikes with wider grooves for the larger tires. These racks are all the way in the back of the transition area. I guess it's not enough of a disadvantage that I'm riding a slow 'comfort bike', they need to make me go all the way to the back to make the transition to run!

Step 3 - well, there is nothing else to do, I'll just go get a look at the swim area.

We make our way down to the beach and watch some of the other athletes warming up in the lake. Me, I prefer to save my energy; I'll just watch. Guys are coming out of the water and commenting that the temperature isn't too bad. Being a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold, I'm vary of what's "not too bad." Then I look and see other guys in wetsuits and become even more alarmed. I don't even dare go feel the water, I might be inclined to panic. Actually, the water temp is somewhere in the mid 70's, but in my mind, that sounds cold.

After a stroll around the area, it's time to head to the start. I make my way to the very back of the pack. There are 3 different heats and I'm in the second, but I figure who cares, I just want to be in the back and not in any ones way. A couple of ladies tell me that I should be in one of the heats in front of them. How would they know, I must look like an experienced tri-athlete! I'm politely told, "Uh sir, all the women are in the last heat."

In the words of Homer Simpson, "Doh"

So, to the back of the second heat I go, not to worry though, there's a minute or so of time between each heat. I can still lag to the back of my group and keep my flailing arms from injuring anyone.

The moment of truth has come and into the water we go. Wow, first thought, the water's not bad! What the heck was I worried about? In no time, I get into a groove and the swim starts off very well. Within the first 100 yards, I've already changed my normal breathing pattern. I've worked on this over and over in the pool, always taking a breathe every three strokes. I don't know if it's because I'm racing, but I feel the need to breathe every two strokes now. Doesn't seem to make much difference, I'm still breathing comfortably. With the exception of going a bit off course now and then, the swimming goes off without a hitch. The shore is near, the water is now only waist deep, so I stand up proud with my arms extended to the sky as if I won the lottery. My biggest fear is now behind me.

After throwing on a fresh shirt, socks and shoes, I'm ready to take the bike ride. I know my bike is not designed for road racing, but it's all I have and I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars, OK, probably thousands, on a new race bike unless I find the desire to continue doing these races. I'll have to work harder than most just to keep an average speed. A few miles into the bike course, I come across a sign that reads Turn Ahead. It's the race organization's familiar logo, but when I come to the next crossroad, no volunteers, no police guards, nothing. "Wow, do I turn or not", I wondered to myself. Off in the distance straight ahead I see another biker, so I must keep going. It seems too soon to turn anyway, based on what I remember seeing on the course map.

After another mile or so, I see more signs, this time though, there are volunteers and police all making sure you make the turn. Ah, I did the right thing, now feeling much more at ease. However, apparently not everyone made the same decision at the first sign. I later find out that 20 people were disqualified. I assume they had all cut the course and made that turn, which actually was the turn for the shorter race that was running simultaneously. Very unfortunate. Somehow I feel the race committee messed up on this one.

Somewhere about halfway through the bike course, a van pulls up beside me with the windows down and the man inside tells me he is with the medical staff and that I was one of the last riders, so he would be following behind me; don't be alarmed. Gee, that sure was a boost to my ego! How demoralizing.

My legs hold together and I finish the bike portion in what felt like good time, relatively speaking. As was the case last year when I tried my first Duathlon, I did not pass one single soul on the bike. I really didn't expect to anyway. Now comes what I'm best at; running. I'll make up some ground here. Well, so I thought.

It's around 9:30 am now and the sun is beginning to heat up. The humidity this time of year is also pretty high, so the final leg will not be easy. My legs at this point feel like rubber and my shoes feel like lead. Sweat is pouring from body like a leaky faucet. I'll have to go slow and easy if I want to finish this race. Fortunately, there are aid stations every mile on the run course and each one them has GU. I think I stopped at every single station and by the third, was drinking one cup and pouring another over my head.

The run portion of the course is one loop around the entire lake. It is a very pretty setting and the natural beauty keeps me from focusing too much on how tired I am. After .6 mile swimming, 20 miles biking and 7 miles running, I'm beat. I see the finish line ahead, pick up my pace as much as my body allows and cross the finish line with a hidden joy packed somewhere behind my grimacing face. The running today has been tougher than I imagined; where I thought I'd do my best, I struggled the most. OK, some of that is just because the running is the last event, but I still expected to do better.

So, on this day I became a Tri-athlete. Will I ever do another? I'm not sure yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but I don't exactly feel the need to do it again. I think my next focus may become an Ultra marathon, as I am eyeing a 50K this fall.

Next up; the Okoboji Marathon in July.

5 Questions answered

2008-06-17T17:09:00.004-05:00

I've been tagged by Jenny, so I guess I'll give a shot at answering the 5 running questions given.

1- How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

Just about 10 years ago was when I quit smoking (after 25+ years) and began to live a healthier lifestyle. I joined a gym and was just beginning to try out the treadmill. I did my first long run that year; 1 mile!!

2-What is your best and worst run/race experience?

For the best, I've got to go back to that very first race I ever ran, Hospital Hill in 2003. I ran the 12K and will never forget the ecstatic feeling I had just crossing the finish line. I didn't train much, having run no longer than 4 miles in any one day. I became hooked on that day.

The worst experience was probably the same race 4 years later, but I ran the half marathon this time, just about 5 weeks after running my first marathon. I hadn't recovered well enough from the marathon and I struggled the entire run. I remember that my daughter ran with me and would run backwards facing me, all while yelling at me to keep pushing. I didn't listen well, I think I stopped numerous times to walk.

3- Why do you run?

It used to be that running was just a way to help stay in good enough shape so I could continue to play hockey. Once I hung up the skates, things began to change. Running had now become the dominate athletic activity in my life. I run mostly because it is the anchor of a healthy lifestyle for me. Secondarily, I absolutely love the races, not because I try to be competitive with others, but I love to challenge myself. I'm hooked on the long runs, preferring endurance over speed.

4- What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

Can't say I've been given any bad advice, but the best 'good advice' I was given was from a total stranger on the marathonguide.com website. Basically, when I was starting to feel sluggish and burned out, they told me to take 5 days off, then start training again. This was in the weeks leading up to my first marathon. I took the days off, came back that Saturday for my weekly long run and felt great. The remainder of the training went perfectly smooth. Rest is good my friends!

5- Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

Because of my typical ordinary, boring lifestyle, most people probably wouldn't figure I was hooked on Karaoke. Yes, I would go out every weekend and sing if I could. I don't have the best voice, but some songs I do well, some I butcher pretty bad! It doesn't matter to me, I just have so much fun trying. We don't go out too much anymore, but I will go anytime anybody else wants to. In the old days, my favorite song to sing was Led Zeppelin's Black Dog. I haven't sung that one in many years. Today I enjoy doing songs by artists like Weezer, Green Day or Snow Patrol.

Well, most everyone I know on these blogs has already been tagged, so I'm not going to try and tag any others.

Saturday June 14th

2008-06-15T07:05:00.006-05:00

On this day, I became a --- Tri-athlete

There were no goals, no expectations, just a fantastic day in beautiful Lake Shawnee Park in Topeka, culminating in finishing my first triathlon. I don't know my time, not sure I ever want to look, the satisfaction alone of completing this event was extremely rewarding.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with beer in one hand, fine cigar in the other, relaxing on my deck, celebrating the fact that I am a Tri-athlete. Boy, I just love saying that!

Thanks so much to everyone who wished me well. I'll have a race report once I have more time.

If you think that was dumb.......

2008-06-07T20:50:00.005-05:00

In my last post, I made the comment about my wife's and my 'dumb genes'. What could be dumber than implying that my wife had dumb genes? I solidified my own stupidity by just making the remark. But wait, I'm quite sure I've done dumber things than that, right? Absolutely!

I'll bet you have too -- haven't we all?

So, I got to thinking, what's the dumbest thing I've ever done? This post shall be dedicated to everyone who has done something really stupid!

Let's first start with my daughter, Alison. This is how this all got started anyway; with her and her 4.0 grade point average. Luckily, her degree did not require the class Common Sense 101. I will be more than happy to point out one her proudest dumb moments!

It's year 5 of college and Alison has moved into her own 1-bedroom apartment in South Bend, Indiana. As a typical college kid with limited financial resources, (yes, that means dad don't make a ton of money) she does what she can to be frugal. That, of course, includes trying to keep utility payments as low as possible. The apartment is all electric, the heat and central air.

Along comes winter and it's time to set the thermostat low. No sense heating an apartment too much when she spends very little of the day there. And with just a couple extra blankets on the bed, the nights are tolerable. Good kid, we taught her to conserve well. So, Alison goes to set the thermostat down in the low 60's. Just a slight problem though, there's 2 different thermostats; one controls the heat, the other controls the central air. Which one is which??? No problem for my educated daughter, she just turned 'em both down. Problem solved!

Next month, I get a call from Alison, she got her first winter electric bill, a whopping $250 or so. Oh my God, is electric heat that expensive? "Dad, I've got it set to like 60, I'm freezing in here, and I can't afford to turn up the heat", she complains. Well, something doesn't seem right, but I'm 500 miles away, what can I do?

Later in the season, Sue and I finally make a trip to Indiana for a visit. Damn, she's right, this apartment is COLD. Then, one day, I feel a cold breeze blowing out of the air vents in the kitchen. Yes, she turned the central air and the heat down together, so the heat is working double time trying warm the constant blast of cool air. That's my girl!!!

OK, now that Alison is probably mad at me for calling her out, it's time to belittle myself.

This story happened when I was a young, impressional teenager. Actually, I've never told anyone the truth about this. Yes, you heard it here first!

I was maybe 16 or 17 and working at the .20 burger joint that had this large sign out front claiming a million sold, framed in yellow arches. Yes, McDonalds was THE place to work when you were in high school. All the cool girls would come in on Friday night and we had our own little system to alert the other guys when a foxy chick came in. Depending on what register the girl would line up, 1 through 4, we would yell out "Ice on Four", a direct reference to which line to check out.

It's a Sunday morning and I'm part of the opening crew that day. I'm down in the basement (yes, this old McDonalds had a basement) collecting cups, lids and all the stock we'll need for the morning rush. All of a sudden, water begins to pour from the ceiling right near where I'm working. "Hah, which idiot dumped over the mop bucket," I wondered to myself. In a quick thought of providing some comic relief for the poor sucker, I decide to stand under the waterfall; this will surely provide a good laugh when I walk upstairs! Holy Trans Fat Batman, it's not water, it's burning hot oil.

Yes, Sunday morning is when they change the shortening in the fryers. The gob of fat comes as solid shortening and once it's heated, it then melts. The person working on the vats that morning forgot to close the spigot after drainng the old oil and once the new batch melted, down it poured on me.

I took a trip to the clinic with a nice dose of 2nd degree burns on my scalp, neck and shoulders. The joke was on me that day.

There, I feel relieved, what's the dumbest thing you've ever done?

Oui Oui Mon Ainee

2008-05-30T19:49:00.015-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted, so here's what's been going on lately.

To start things off, I took a trip to South Bend, Indiana to be with Alison as she graduates from Notre Dame with a Masters Degree in French Crap. One might ask themselves, (as I have asked for many years) what do you do with a degree in French Crap? Well, undoubtably, you teach other unsuspecting kids French Crap in high school. Yes, six years of college and she is now taking a job at St Benedict High School in Chicago to pass on her wealth of knowledge in the French language.

Now, I kid Alison all the time about French, the language, the people, the country, but obviously, I am extremely proud of her accomplishments. She has worked very hard throughout her educational years, carrying a 4.0 everywhere she went. The logical question becomes, "Where did she get the brains, sure wasn't from my wife or myself?" Maybe I should research the mailman, the milkman (yes, I actually remember having a milkman that delivered to our house when I was a kid in Detroit) - anyone that may have taken responsibility as the father. But apparently, dumb genes + dumb genes can equal a smart kid.

Teaching high school wasn't her ultimate goal, she did apply to a number of grad schools to enter a PHD program, however, at this time was not accepted. Well, sorry to say, but those schools missed the boat; she would have made their programs proud. Not to lose sleep though, she'll try again next year with a bit more on her resume. I'm sure she won't rest until I have to call her Dr Stiner!

3 Generations of Polocks

Broncia, Sue, Alison
Now, it's time to talk about training and what's next on my schedule. Next up is the Topeka Tinman Triathlon. I've cut back on the running lately in order to get in more swimming and biking miles. Here's what the last two weeks looked like:

I'm trying to add more bike miles, but let's be honest, I don't really enjoy it, so I'm not doing so well there. I'm hoping the marathon legs can pull me through the 20 miles I need to bike in the race. Frankly, I'm doing this triathlon just to see how well I can handle the challenge, I don't care anything about how long it takes. I'll be totally satisfied just to finish.

I have also added a new marathon to my schedule, The University of Okoboji Marathon on July 19th in northern Iowa. This is a smaller race that coincides with a triathlon. I'm a bit apprehensive about a marathon in July because of the heat, but plan to just take this one easy, using it more as a training run for the 50K I plan this fall. This area of Iowa has a number of lakes and is allegedly a summer hotspot for vacationers. The wife and I plan to camp at the State Park for 3 nights while in town for the race. There is just something very primitive, very spiritual about sleeping outdoors in a tent, then arising in the morning for a long, long jog in Mother Nature's splendor. I am really looking forward to this run.

And by the way, GO RED WINGS!!!

Country Music Marathon

2008-05-07T17:28:00.009-05:00

What is the make-up of a great race?

Is it the course, the scenery, the spectators? Maybe the organization is most important, the food, the post race spread? Should it be a destination, a reason to travel, the weather? Maybe Nashville has a little bit of everything.

Saturday, April 26th 2008 began with a rude awakening. Mother Nature provided overnight storms and a look out the window from my 5th story room at the Loews Vanderbilt 5-Star Hotel (5-star prices with 3-star amenities), reveals a steady rain. Not exactly my idea of perfect conditions!

OK, just a quick review of the hotel:
Great location; just a few short blocks from the start line
For just an extra $19 a night, parking
A bag full of goodies for my dog, this actually was filled with very nice items
No pool, no hot tub
No runners breakfast, they did have a few choices in their little café, so $4.50 got me a bagel and a banana
A very pleasant staff and a nice, clean roomy room.
They handed out garbage bags for all the runners to wear as we walked in the rain to the start line, really, a nice touch

At 6:30 am, my daughter, Alison, and I begin the walk down West End Avenue in the light, annoying rain. This race has approximately 30,000 entrants, so the streets are crowded. Because of the large numbers of runners, they use a corral start. Each corral will be released about a minute or so after the first. Based on my blazing slow speed, I’ve been assigned corral 10.

As if there were some type of divine intervention, the rain stops at precisely 6:59 and corral #1, aka the Kenyans, is released one short minute later. It was only a short 20-minute glimpse into the life of cattle before our corral was herded up to the start line and we were set free to run the streets of Nashville.

The race begins very smoothly even with the masses of runners. Already, the streets are lined with screaming fans and you get a sense that this race is going to be fun. We lined up behind the 4:15 pace group but never was able to weave through all the people to get close. The first couple miles went as planned and we were running just a few seconds behind our desired pace of 10 minute miles.

The early miles find us running along Music Row, a unique section of town where many of the old row homes have been converted into recording studios and the like. You wonder if stars like George Strait or Loretta Lynn made their first recordings here. Miles 5-7 find us wandering through some of the areas neighborhoods, with a mix of modest and elegant homes, then its back up through Music Row again and heading toward downtown.

The half marathon split is near mile 11 and Alison and I are making excellent time. We continue to cut 20 seconds or so off our goal for each mile and we both feel quite comfortable, but Alison is only running the half, so I’m now on my own. I hit the halfway point at about 2:06 and I’m feeling strong and confident.

Shortly after splitting off with Alison, I come across a large church or maybe a seminary, but there is a group of nuns in full habit lined up on the side of the road, cheering like they’re in high school. As I ran by, I got a high five from each one of them. My daughter is a devoted Catholic who has often stated how much see loves nuns, too bad she missed this part of the race. Just past the nuns was an aid station with a large sign at the first table: Holy Water!

Around mile 14, I finally have sighted the 4:15 pacer ahead of me. I’ve been working hard at trying to keep this pace, but I hadn’t seen the pacer in my view since the first mile. This really gives me a mental boost. The next few miles I continue to try and close the gap between us, but never get closer than a couple hundred feet.

Somewhere in this stretch, props to the guy on the side of the road in the KC Royals hat and a T-shirt with big letters that reads “Yankees Suck”.

As I head into mile 18, I’m starting to show signs of wear. My pace is beginning to slow and my mind is having trouble redirecting focus from the tiring muscles. Physically, I’m doing OK, there is only minor pain in the muscles below my left calf and some soreness in the shins, but nothing too serious. I’m now looking forward to each water stop just so I can walk for a few seconds. My cathexis (that word should be worth extra points if Nitmos is reading) now needs to be on finishing this race with at least a PR.

I get a big surprise at mile 21, where I spot my wife and daughter along the street. I didn’t expect to see her again until the finish. Alison, who had finished her half in 2:04, decided to jump in and run some more with me. At the time, it was exactly what I needed. Alison has a way about her, always upbeat and ALWAYS talking. Technically, I call it annoying me, but she probably won’t even read this, so I can make fun of her!

So talk she does. She is rambling on about school, her boyfriend, the city, just on and on. She asks me if I want to hear about her thesis (she is receiving her Masters in a couple weeks.) “Of course I do”, I said not really understanding exactly what she asked. Big mistake! I don’t think I heard a single word after “it’s about a French author…” ZZZZ

Well, maybe the quick little power nap was good for me. I grabbed a few pretzels at mile 24 and all of a sudden felt energized. After 6 miles with a declining pace, I was able to get back to the pace I had in the first half. Once I get to this point in a race, I seem to gain some motivation, just by being close to the end. I’m back to picking out people in front of me and playing my own little game, just beat that guy or don’t let anyone pass me now.

The final mile goes well and I cross the finish line in 4:24:37. My goals for the race were:
Ultimate Goal – 4:15 – missed by 9 minutes
Secondary Goal – avg. a 10-minute mile pace – pace was 10.06, consider it close enough
Basic Goal – set a PR – WooHoo, beat my last race by 4 minutes.

Overall, I’m quite satisfied. After a 2-½ mile walk back to the hotel, I surprisingly felt pretty decent, much, much better than my first marathon, one year ago today. It’s off now to indulge in a meal fit for a king and the best beer on the menu.

Here’s a quick recap of the race itself.

A fun race, plenty of bands, cheerleaders

Spectators were loud and abundant

Aid stations were well organized and consistent

Power gels, fruit and salt available at a couple stops

The first half of the course seemed to have most of the hills (maybe because I was zoned out for much of the second half and didn’t notice) regardless, the hills weren’t too steep or too difficult

The course is a nice mix of neighborhood, parks, downtown, a stretch along the river, but seemed to miss the major attractions of the city (namely, the original Grand Ole Opry building and Printers Alley)

A good amount of food and drink available at the finish line (fruit, bagels, cookies, muffins and the like)

I heard my name announced as I approached the finish line

Go ahead, do Nashville, you’re guaranteed to have a good time.

Brew #2

2008-04-19T06:17:00.014-05:00

The results are now in on my second attempt at homebrewing. I set out to brew a Scottish type ale, reminiscent of McEwens. After numerous taste tests, yes, that means I've tried one in many different settings; one right after work, one after a workout, one after dinner, one after taking a shower, and I must say, this brew has given favorable results in every setting. My son and his 2 years of eligible drinking seniority has also put on his stamp of approval.

This ale is a nice dark brown, full bodied and delivers a nice bite. The slightly smoky flavor seems to smooth out the experience. We shall aptly name this brew "Stine's Hip-Check Ale." For those of you that might not know the term hip-check (forgive me Canadian readers, I know you do!) it is old hockey language. A smooth skating defenseman would line-up the on-rushing forward and at the precise time, turn into the skater, leading with his hip, and deliver a check that sends the unsuspecting player into a tumble. Perfectly legal, of course. In old school hockey, the hip-check was a thing of beauty, a graceful check that produced a strong kick, so to speak.

Here's the recipe:
3.5 lbs Plain Light Malt Extract

3.5 lbs Plain Amber Malt Extract

2 oz Crushed Roasted Barley

8 oz Crushed Peat Smoked Malt

1 oz East Kent Goldings Hop (bittering)

1 oz Fuggle Hops (Finishing)

1 pack Ale Yeast

Reverse Empty Nest Syndrome

Recently, the beer has been disappearing faster than Ty Pennington rebuilds a house. Somehow, this last batch, which produces about 2 cases, has dwindled down to a 12-pack in a weeks time. This strange phenomenon was finally unraveled when I discovered my son had moved back home and was holed-up in the basement. Well, Ok, I knew he had moved back, but imagine the shock to these 2 old empty nesters who suddenly had a 100% spike in the grocery bill! It feels rather odd having someone back home after about a full year of freedom, but the stay should be short lived. Billy is in the process of purchasing his first home and expects to be moving back out soon. Of course, mom and dad will have to help with his finances until he finishes his degree. They must teach that in accounting nowadays, eh?

Billy's new home

Country Music Marathon

I will be heading off to Tennessee on the 24th and meeting up with my daughter, Alison, to run the marathon. I have set my ultimate goal at 4:15 and hope to at least be under 4:30. I feel ready and am excited to see if I can pull it off. After that, it's up to Michigan for a week's vacation, if you consider painting my parents condo a vacation! I may or may not have access to computers during the week, so it could be a week or so before I post the marathon report.

Dining on Potassium

2008-04-11T18:52:00.012-05:00

With my Country Music Marathon 2 weeks away and an increased workout regime the past month, my body has been crying out for help and guidance. Let's look at what my feeble mind is thinking.

When you run, you have a lot of time to think. I mean a LOT of time. My mind wanders aimlessly through my runs, switching topics as often as my dog wants out on a sunny day. It's usually important things, like why are my hamstrings tight today and not yesterday, or why don't more people recycle, or why can't bacon be a health food?

At my age, it becomes difficult to even remember my thoughts later that day so I can write them down in a blog, but one thing keeps coming back. We can land people on the moon, calculate the square root of 183184 in a nanosecond, even map someones genetic make-up based on a single strand of hair; so why can't we design a program that will record my thoughts while running, swimming, biking, walking and put them together in a concise, easy to read document? Doesn't seem too far fetched, does it?

Well, even without this miraculous program, which I shall dub "ThoughtPress", I actually remembered thinking about this topic on my last run. Potassium.

Potassium is especially important in regulating the activity of muscles and nerves. The frequency and degree to which our muscles contract, and the degree to which our nerves become excitable, both depend heavily on the presence of potassium in the right amount.

Other roles for potassium

Potassium is involved in the storage of carbohydrates for use by muscles as fuel. It is also important in maintaining the body's proper electrolyte and acid-base (pH) balance. Potassium may also counteract the increased urinary calcium loss caused by the high-salt diets typical of most Americans, thus helping to prevent bones from thinning out at a fast rate.

Now don't go thinking I'm like a doctor or nutritionist or something, I just know how to research the interent and this is from the Worlds Healtiest Foods website.

I've been wondering in some recent workouts why I've been cramping more often, not necessarily while running, but more often during Pilates. The instructor mentions the need for potassium if you're cramping. Like most everyone, I know things like bananas, figs and kiwis are a good source of potassium and I eat those fruits regularly. But look at this list of better sources;

Maybe Popeye has something there!

So anyway, here's how my workouts have gone the last few weeks in preparation for the upcoming marathon.

Fri Mar 28

Run 18.5 miles pace 10.35

Sat Mar 29

Run 4 miles 9.02 pace

Mon Mar 31

Pilates class

Tue Apr 1

Run 9 miles 10.13 pace

Wed Apr 2

Run 4 miles 8.52 pace

Thu Apr 3

Run 6 miles 10.30 pace

Pilates class

Sat Apr 5

Run 6 miles 10.30 pace

Sun Apr 6 - Brew to Brew

Run 8 miles 8.22 pace

Tue Apr 8

Swim 35 laps, 1750 yards

Run 4 miles 9.45 pace

Wed Apr 9

Run 7 miles 9.47 pace

Golf 9 holes (c'mon, it was cart path only, lots of walking)

Thu Apr 10

Run 5 miles 9.53 pace

Pilates class

I've only done 2 long runs in this training session, one 18.5-miler and one 20-miler. I'm hoping that the increased workload of swimming, boot camp classes and pilates will help compensate for the lower total number of running miles I put in this time. That and the extra spinach, avacado and papaya I plan to eat!

Brew to Brew Relay

2008-04-08T18:58:00.009-05:00

One of my favorite runs in the area is the annual Brew to Brew 43 mile Relay. It is traditionally a fun race where costumes are popular and encouraged. But here's the real hook, the race begins near downtown Kansas City at the Boulevard Brewing Co, the best local brewery in town. 43 miles later, you finish in downtown Lawrence, KS, home of the National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, and the Free State Brewery, hence the name 'Brew to Brew.'

Our team will consist of five runners, all from the local running club where I belong. The race may be run solo or with up to 5 total team runners. Each of us will run between 8 and 10 miles. We all arrive at the Boulevard Brewery at 7:30 am and prepare for our 8 am start. Yes, preparation for this race includes, you guessed it, BEER! The Brewery is open and they're pouring cold ones for the runners. I grab my glass of Boulevard Bully Porter and begin the carb-loading. Soon, I hop on the bus and take the short ride to the start as I will be the lead-off man. My legs will be approximately 8 miles.

My goal on this morning will be to run my legs of the relay as fast as I can, no holding back. I'm curious as to what pace I can do if I push myself hard. The first two legs of the race are along top the levees of the Kansas River. The conditions are nice, a flat, crushed gravel trail that winds through the city's industrial area. However, I've already made a big mistake.

Yes, the problem is now the unforgiving result of coffee, water and beer. Should I stop to go? There's no port-a-poties along the way, I would be forced to run down the steep embankment of the levee to find cover. I think to myself, "Suck it up, you wanted beer at 8 am, now live with the consequences!"

Soon, I've forgotten about stopping and I'm into a groove. As usual, I pick out a person in front of me doing a pace that is challenging and try to keep up. I don't own a Garmin (hint, hint to any family member that may read this) so I don't know my exact pace, but I feel I'm hitting my goal. The goal was to average under 9.00 minute/miles, something I have never done for more than 4 miles. The course had been changed slightly, so when I reached the end of my legs some 12 minutes earlier than expected, I was unsure of the overall pace. However, once I got home and mapped it on Google, the totals came back and I finished with a new personal record for any length run, a whopping 8.22 pace. Woohoo!!!

I've been extremely busy lately (major events for both my kids in the works) so I don't have much time right now. I'll update more and add some pics at a later date. Thanks for reading.

Maybe I'm amazed

2008-03-29T15:30:00.008-05:00

Being quite new to this whole blogging concept, I’ve become increasingly amazed each day as I read more stories and see how the blogging community links together.

Last year after running my first ever marathon, I began to write a review of my race just for fun. The story was posted at an online site http://yourrun.com/story.php?n=93 where I could just send the link for family and friends to read. How cool was this, I’m like a published writer, my picture is out there, I’m almost famous! I continued to write about my next couple races, but just did a word doc and sent that to family.

Then, this past February, I ran a trail race here locally. The local trail running club http://www.psychowyco.com/ or as they prefer to be called, the Nerds, have a message board that I frequent, to learn all the in and outs of trail running. I found a link to their leaders blog, BadBen and somehow from there, I figured out how to set up my own blog.

Since I’m still just a rookie blogger, unaware of any specific blogger etiquette, I will make a feeble attempt to respond to one of my new blogger friends Lily on the Road and write my own 6-word memoir. Well, not without a little story first to set it all up.

I’m at work, in the office, sitting at my desk, staring at the computer day after day after day. Yeah, it can be boring, but there’s also times I enjoy it very much and hey, I’ve got the internet at work and most often, enough time on my hands to explore a bit between naps. OK, so I haven’t been real busy lately, but as the corporate world goes, they cut staff and then added more responsibilities.

So, we're at a meeting with the ‘Big Cheese’ as he tries to calm the waves of people stressing from the overload of work. He does his little speech thing, spewing out all the corporate buzzwords he can in the allotted time. "We need to partner for the common goal, we need to execute flawlessly," all I hear is blah, blah, blah. He classifies our group into 2 types of people, what he refers to as the ‘criers and the screamers.’ You know, the screamer is the one yelling, “you can’t keep giving us more work and expect us not to make an error,” while the crier pleads “I can’t handle this, I go home stressed every night, I’ll probably burn the kids macaroni and cheese because of this.”

The Big Cheese then looks over at me and asks, “Rich, you’ve been quiet, what do you think about this?” After quickly trying to focus on whatever the heck it was he was talking about, I respond, “I don’t know, I’m the laugher in the group!”

So there, my 6-word memoir shall be:
I’m the laugher in the group

Now, what do I do about this ‘tagging’ thing? I don’t have a huge network of online friends, maybe that will come in time. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to go about this process, but for now, here are a few of the blogs I’ve been reading.

Jenny - another local girl whom I just met in person last night. I enjoy reading about her workouts, boot camps and comparing races.
Michelle - an excellent writer who seems to be writing directly to me when she talks about food.
Topher - this guy must be popular, I’ve seen him linked in many of the blogs I’ve looked at, probably because he’s entertaining to read
Triguy- a sports guy and tri-athlete who I hope to get some inspiration from. Oh, and possibly a twin brother separated at birth! I guess he got all the looks.

And of course, there’s BadBen, the leader of the Trail Nerds whom I spoke of earlier. Ok, I need to go run.

Good bye winter solstice

2008-03-27T16:13:00.012-05:00

After reading about Lily's recent encounters with running in the Canadian winter (or is it Canadien, what's the difference anyway), I had to go to my running log and pull some numbers. I've been to Canada many times, grew up in Michigan, and enjoyed many snowy days. In fact, snowmobiling was one of my favorite pastimes until I moved to KC. This is the second winter in which outdoor running represented the majority of my training. Being a spoiled wimp when it comes to cold, it was a difficult transition. Snow I like, but cold and windy are not two of my favorite adjectives, so let's see just how big a wimp I am!

We shall call the winter months November - February and these numbers are the totals from that time period.

February's miles were down a bit due to a couple reasons

An extended rest after a mild case of plantar fasciitis
A 5 day period fighting the 'crud' where I missed an entire weekend

Generally, winter here sees many big swings in temperatures. One day it's in the teens and snowing and a couple days later, we catch a nice 50 or 60 degree break. The difference this year; we didn't have many breaks. The numbers don't look too bad, so factor in the wind. Let's just say, if you live in the plains, wind is a fact of life, except the middle of the summer, of course, when temps reach the mid 90's regularly and you'd die for just a breeze! So, I've learned to embrace the cold, laugh at the wind and enjoy being outdoors.

Did I mention how happy I am that spring is here?

What is success?

2008-03-23T06:42:00.006-05:00

I believe it was Albert Einstein that once said, “If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut.” Well, I'm buying into the work and play part, but now I've gone and challenged the 'keep your mouth shut' part.

While out on my Saturday morning run with my local club, it's a nice day, the sunrise is a beautiful ball of orange and there's a cool, crispness in the air that has somehow stimulated me to talk more than normal. Our conversations often center around running and sure enough, I've opened my mouth and mentioned that I think I want to try a Triathlon. Geez, that's like making a commitment right there, I should have just kept my mouth shut. Well, I guess we'll see if A can still equal success without Z.

OK, so let's get this crazy thought sorted out. I do a lot of running, no problem there. As for the biking, I do have my cheap little hybrid, a cross between a street and a mountain bike. It's the one that they sell to the consumer who doesn't know what he wants, just something to get a little exercise on the weekend. I ride it once or twice a year, so that could be a bit of a problem. And then there's the swimming. I swam across a half mile wide lake once at summer camp when I was 14 or 15. I remember how much fun it was, it wasn't horribly difficult, but wait, that was 40 years ago. Conclusion: I could drown. They can resuscitate me if I'm found within like 15 minutes of going under, right?

So, I'm not really talking about an Ironman here, rather a starter type race, you know, the 5-K of the triathlon world. I've selected a race called the Topeka Tinman

http://www.topekatinman.com/

I love the name of the race, the Tinman. Sure, tin isn't quite as tough as iron, but it does have it's place in the world of metals. I mean, tin does show it's strength as it is unassumingly used for important and dynamic things like soup or tuna. Tin is even used to coat iron, protecting it from corrosion. So, using the "paper covers rock" theory, tin would actually beat out iron. If the name is any indication, this will be one tough race.
1100 yard swim
19.71 miles bike
7 miles run

Now that I've made the commitment to the entire world of bloggers, I need help. I have burning questions about how this all works.

What kind of swimsuits do athletes wear, do I have to make a trip to the local sports store for specialized gear?

What do you do after swimming, change into biker shorts, where would you change, would you just wear generic shorts that can be used for all events?

Where do you keep your shoes, your bike, your other clothes?

How do you keep certain areas of your torso from becoming numb when you're on a bike that long?

I'm serious, I really don't know how some of this works, so please, feel free to comment. Anyway, if I get through this, I guess we'll have to modify the formula for success to A=X+Y+C where C=commitment

Running down south

2008-03-18T16:40:00.012-05:00

I have to take a little time and tell you about a friend of mine who had the race experience of a lifetime. I've never met the man, but we've played fantasy sports together for years and we have spoke on the phone occasionally. It's funny, you feel like you get to know some of the people you meet online, many feel like good friends, even though there never was, or never will be any personal contact. This blog is in honor of Winston, who traveled many miles to pursue something very few men or women would ever consider.

Winston's trip began in late February as he headed south. Ah, nice warm weather in which to run after a long cold winter, but his plane didn't stop in Florida, nor Texas, nor Arizona. It kept going on to the next continent, South America, and all the way to the southernmost tip of Argentina. The plane stopped here, but Winston did not. Another 24 hours on a Russian ship crossing the Drake Passage with it's 50 foot waves, and finally he had arrived in, yes, Antarctica. So much for warm southern hospitality. The Antarctica Marathon was about to be run. http://www.marathontour.com/antarctica/

The weather was rough during the marathon. The temperature was 35 degrees with 20+ mph winds which made for bone chilling cold. It even rained a few hours after the start. The course had more hills, streaming crossings and shoe-sucking mud than the runners anticipated. There was a climb up a glacier around mile 4, where the slick ice took a couple of victims. One gentleman had fractured his hip during a fall and still walked on in pain to finish one loop, 13.1 miles. The toughness and dedication it takes to be one of these runners in simply amazing.

I'd like to take this time to congratulate all of the men and women who participated in this grueling event, and to you Winston, I hope to cross paths someday and get a chance to run along with you somewhere. I truly am envious.

I am that idiot

2008-03-16T08:52:00.010-05:00

It's the wee hours of the morning and I hear the rain pouring down outside my bedroom window. I know my normal Saturday morning run with the running club awaits, but thoughts of skipping this week begin to dance in my head. Finally, I crawl out of bed, check the weather online and make that tough decision. What the heck, I'm going anyway! As I drive to the Streamway Northgate access sight, the rain begins to change to snow. Actually, this is a big break. Wondering whether I'll be running by myself on this day, I arrive to find Jay, Marty and soon comes Margaret. Allright, three other crazy souls!

Off we go for our normal run, all feeling a bit proud that were able to brave the weather to feed our addiction. As we turn north onto Ridgeview, the snow becomes heavier and is blowing right into our faces. The flakes are as big and wet as Japanese pearl oysters but provide a quenching of thirst when landing on the tongue. I imagine what I would have thought years ago if I saw someone running up the street in weather like this; what an idiot! Now, I guess, I've become that same idiot. I've grown a lot since those days and am proud of my new self. So, how did I get here? Well, rather than the typical attempt to do a light-hearted, comical running report, I'm gonna go off in a different direction.

I guess the turning point for me must have been in 1998. We're at my 13 year old sons soccer game and one of the other fathers, knowing that I loved hockey, asks me if I'm interested in playing with his team. Normally, my lazy lifestyle would have dictated an instant no, but something here peaked my interest. I did decide to give it a whirl. Geez, my son needs a better role model than a father running up and down the soccer sidelines with a cigarette hanging from his mouth all while yelling at the poor kid.

A couple days later, I dug out my 25 year old vintage hockey gear and headed out to the rink. I used to play alot when I was younger, so hopefully, I won't make too big of fool of myself. It felt rejuvenating to step out onto the ice again. I skated hard that day and after a few shifts I remember thinking; "Holy missing oxygen Batman, I can hardly breathe." Somehow I made it through that game, had a blast and they invited me back. I knew right then, if was going to play this game again, I'd have to quit smoking. so after 25 some years of toking on the cancer sticks, I made the commitment to myself. After so many previous failures to quit, this time I finally made it.

I went on to play hockey until I turned 50 and I'd like to think I motivated my son, Billy, enough to pick up the game himself. We played together on a summer league, on what we called a father/son team. Many of us fathers on the team had kids the same age and they were all skaters. We played about three summers in a row together and it was one of my proudest moments as a father, to be playing alongside my own kid. My son went on to play with the high school team and I finally chose to hang up the skates. It was a tough decision for me, hockey had helped me quit smoking and got me back into shape and was just plain old fun.

Once my skating career was over, the pounds started to attach to me with relative ease. I kept going to the gym and running on the treadmill a mile or two, but that had little effect. My daughter had now left home on gone on to college and began running to keep in shape. We became running partners during the summer and in 2003 she convinced me to try a 12K race. At the time, the furthest I had run was 4 miles and I thought I was going to die after that. I completed that race and was so excited to cross the finish line, a new pastime was born. My daughter continued to push me and eventually it became easier and easier. Then in 2006, we were in St Louis where I ran my first half-marathon and Alison ran the full. I remember waiting at the finish line for her to come in and I watched some of the other people cross the line.

Hey, I look like I'm better shape than that guy, whoa, that guy is older than me and they all made it through. On that day came the first thought of ever attempting a full marathon. I think I really became a true runner on that day. Now, I've finished 3 marathons and plan to do 3 more this year. Some kids look to their parents as role models and for support, but I can honestly say that I am now both influenced and inspired by my daughter.

Thank you Billy and Alison.

Red Bridge Ramble

2008-03-09T14:09:00.018-05:00

The Red Bridge Ramble is the first trail run of the year in the 2008 Vasque Kansas-Missouri Trail Race Series. You can run the entire series and earn points along the way, culminating in a champion after the Psycho Wyco run in Feb 2009 or, like myself, just run these races for the pure enjoyment of being outdoors. It's also an excellent break from the demands of running on pavement on a regular basis. If you're new to trail running or want to give it a try for the first time, this is a perfect introduction to the sport. This race is a small, low key event made up of many local trail enthusiasts who are always willing to help a rookie. Warning; you will get wet, you will get muddy!

The morning started off like most early March mornings in KC, cold, as we were reminded that Punxatawney Phil did predict six more weeks of winter last month. On top of that, some number crunching politician figured if we start daylight savings time earlier in the year, we'll put more money in everyone's pockets (except mine.) So today I began my day at 6:oo am, well it's really 5:oo am, oh, I don't know, it's just cold out! I arrived at Minor Park ready to shed this chill and work up a sweat. There are about 80 others brave souls who have the same plan. I see a number of faces I recognize, seems there's quite a few regulars that attend these runs.

The course is going to be modified somewhat today as a safety precaution. Original plans had us crossing the Blue River, but knee-deep waters and strong currents make crossing too dangerous. Besides, we all signed up to run, not swim. The normal 8-mile run will this day only be in the 6 to 7 mile range. After last minute instructions, we're all ready to get started. Just like on the elementary school playground, somebody yelled, "On your mark, get set, GO!"

The first few miles of this course are relatively easy, some open field, wide smooth trails and just some gentle rolling hills. The biggest problem early on is learning how to maintain your footing. The lower elevations on the course are muddy, but the ground is frozen with hundreds of footprints, which makes landing on flat ground almost impossible. I'm careful to watch where I step, but it's difficult to make out the terrain as all the footprints blend together. Well that, and I don't wear my glasses running, so it's all a blur anyway. A short distance into the race, we come to the first of multiple stream crossings. The water is only ankle deep, but provides a thorough soaking to the lower extremities. The water is numbing cold, but the sensation only lasts a few minutes and soon you've forgotten it all. The course continues to become more challenging as many rocky areas, exposed tree roots and mud become more common. Eventually, one of the challenges catches me off-guard and down I tumble. I surreptitiously get back on my feet, looking around to see who may have witnessed this clumsy act. Oh cool, nobody's behind me! I check for blood: none, so on I go with only a bruised ego. Halfway through the run we have now climbed to the course's highest point and below you can see spots of whitewater on the Blue River. On the side of the trail I spot a lone golf ball. I know that the golf course is adjacent to the park, but that must have been one hell of a slice!

The remaining miles are a return trip on the out-and-back course. Overall, the course a decent challenge but not too technical for a first-timer. I would recommend this race to anyone that wants to get outdoors and allow a bit of the 'little kid' in him or her to escape. Enjoy nature, enjoy the camaraderie, enjoy running. Happy Trails

Tulsa Route 66 Marathon

2008-02-27T12:16:00.019-06:00

OK, this report really should have been written in Nov/Dec 2007, but hey, I didn't have a blog site set up yet back then, but I wanted to capture the Tulsa Route 66 Marathon anyway. I chose this race for a number of reasons:

My last marathon in Idaho left a bad feeling after walking the majority of the last 6 miles
It wasn't too far of a trip
My cousins live a short drive from Tulsa and this would be a great opportunity to visit
The website advertises a classic car show as part of the draw

I had been thinking about attempting another marathon before the years end, after dealing with cramping problems in my last race. While I acted very proud of my accomplishment in Idaho, I had different feelings inside. I thought that I was well prepared and although this marathon was supposedly more of a 'fun run' during our summer vacation to Yellowstone, I certainly wanted to do better than my previous time of 4:55. All this was gnawing at me until one frosty Sunday morning in late October. I had set out to do my typical weekend long run, on this day, choosing to run on the Indian Creek paved trails. The miles very coming quite easy that day as I continued on past my anticipated turn-around. Soon it would appear that I'm going to go 10 miles before turning back. A motivating theme continued to enter my head that day, "if I can do 20 miles today, then I will enter myself in the Tulsa Marathon." That thought kept me going strong and I finished the run feeling tired but with an increased sense of excitement. Later that day, I was registered and overjoyed to be officially ready to redeem myself.

The big weekend was finally near. My biggest supporter and wife Sue would begin the trek early on Saturday, Nov 15. This trip would also include the faithful family dog, Ringo, aka 'The Boy'. This would be his first trip to an out-of-town race, but no problem, Ringo just loves to go anywhere! It's about a 4 hour ride to get to my cousins place. We will have all day Saturday to visit and explore Tulsa and the race will begin on Sunday. After a few hours and a good old fashioned country breakfast at a small town diner, we arrive in Tulsa. Today is the big day in college football for any Michigan fan and I'm happy to see that when we greet my cousins, I notice the Michigan - Ohio state game on the TV. This is good news. In between sneak peeks at the TV, we have a nice afternoon visiting. My cousins' children, young adults now, are all so very nice. They have certainly been raised well. The afternoon doesn't go quite as well for the beloved Wolverines. Oh well, it's Lloyd Carr's last game, they won't have him around to beat up on anymore!

Later in the afternoon, we move on to the Race Expo and set out to drive parts of the race course. The expo is nothing special, it seems like there are more and more booths that are hawking some type of miracle health concoction. Maybe it's just me, but I expect to see some free samples before I'm going try any of these high priced remedies and the freebies are hard to find. The good news is; the race packet includes probably the nicest race shirt I've seen yet. We move along and head out to drive the course. I make this a standard part of any race trip. Somehow, I feel more comfortable knowing the elevation changes that will be in store for me on race day. Early indications are; there's only going to be one tough stretch, from miles 22 to 24.

What's up with those people on street corners dressed in some silly costume, trying to get you to order a pizza or something? Does that type of advertising really pay for itself? How much do they pay those poor souls? I wonder if it would be a good career move?

Another part of any out-of-town race is the search for a unique Italian restaurant for the traditional 'carb load.' On this day, we find a place called Biga, and it's even located right next door to a specialty running store. Now, what could be better than getting the lowdown on the marathon and the restaurant from the same source. Perfect! Biga, while being a bit on the pricey side, does come highly recommended as arguably the best Italian in town. My meal would include spicy shrimp with pureed chickpeas as an appetizer, followed by chicken parmigiana over spaghetti as the main course. This, along with some of the tastiest bread ever, are enough to stuff myself and an anxious dog who awaits the aptly named doggy bag. We finish up the evening with a walk along the Arkansas River. I'm quite envious of local runners that get to train in this area. The riverside includes a long stretch of asphalt trail through a park-like setting that follows the river, beginning in the downtown area.

Sunday morning finally arrives and I'm revved up like a duece (whatever that means, no time to disect Manfred Mann's lyrics now, it just sounds cool.) My wife and I go over the logistics, as she will be waiting at certain points for either an excess clothes drop or to supply me with salty snacks. I cramped in my last race, so I want to be sure to have enough salt in my body. I'm really lucky to have such a supportive wife. It's got to be boring out there waiting for hours just for me to pass by for a few seconds, but she never complains and is happy to be there to cheer me on. Hmmm.....must be the cheerleader in her from her youth! The weather on this day is quite pleasant, chilly, but not too cold where I'm struggling to stay warm before the start. I take my place in the starting gates along with the 4:30 pace group and soon, we're off and running.

The beginning of a race is always quite curious. I watch as people sprint to the sidewalks, cut the corners as much as possible, just to get a jump on the masses. I start near the back already, why were they lined up behind me if this is their game plan? Of course, there's always the opposite problem too. A quarter mile into the race and you already have to dodge walkers in front of you. I don't know, doesn't seem too difficult to me to figure out where to line up in a race! Myself, I settle into a nice easy pace early on and plan to stick to it. The race soon makes it's way onto the road of it's namesakes; Historic Route 66. I notice a small historical plaque along the road, but I can't say I'm too impressed by the area. This appears to be an older area of town where gated apartment buildings and bars on the windows are commonplace. It's just a short bit of the race along the old historic road and, well, that was disappointing. After a few miles, we're running alongside the Arkansas River. The river this time of year looks rather strange, as if it were the 1930's and the Dust Bowl had just blown through. Locals assure me that while it is quite dry this year, this is somewhat normal. Even with much of the riverbed dried up, the scenery is still somewhat interesting and provides a nice backdrop for the next couple hours.

The first half of the race is going quite well. I'm cruising along feeling quite comfortably with the pace. I've chosen to run with the 4:30 pace group and we are now beginning to get to know each other. The pace leader is a nice young lady from Oklahoma City and has kept us slightly ahead of our desired time in anticipation of the tougher hills to come in the last few miles. The group is an interesting mix of young and old, men and women, and we all seem to be helping each other. I normally throw on the headphones and get lost in the music, but this time I'm really enjoying the camaraderie. After a short run through the town of Jenks, we're back on Riverside Drive heading back up the same road. At this point, the road, the concrete surface, the scenery, all become quite monotonous. I'm really looking forward to turning off this road and running through anything different. The miles between 15 and 20 are doing their best to spoil an otherwise good start to the race. The urge to walk is becoming overwhelming and I need to get this thought out of my head. I just have to keep telling myself, I refuse to stop. Finally, around mile 20, we make the turn away from the river and into new surroundings. What a relief!

The next few miles are an eclectic look at the city, from night club districts, through beautiful parks, to quaint sidewalk coffee shops. The change in scenery is quite welcomed, but there is another evil lurking; the hills. As we make our way through Woodward Park, the first significant hill arrives. Just as our pacer suggests, I lean a little forward, swing the arms slightly more and power up the first hill. Well now, what's going on here, I've hit the imaginary wall at mile 20 and a good sized hill at mile 22 and I'm still feeling good. These two roadblocks have now transformed into motivating factors and I repeat to myself, "I refuse to quit." Suddenly, I find myself believing that I can finish this race without walking at all. It's about mile 24 now and I'm the only one left from our pacer group. We're still slightly ahead of schedule and the pace leader needs to slow down to help with the others that have dropped back some. She encourages me to keep going and finish strong. The thought of coming in under 4 1/2 hours is now so close to reality. The last half mile is mostly downhill and I begin to run as if I were qualifying for the Olympics. I turn the last corner where Sue is waiting to snap a picture. My amazing speed has caught her by surprise as I blow right past and she misses the shot. I cross the line in 4:28. It may not show on the outside, but right now, I've got a 26-mile long smile on the inside. I've beaten my previous best time by over 25 minutes.

Overall, this race has been a wonderful experience, mostly from the personal sense of accomplishment. However, the post race party was quite disappointing. They ran out of beer quite some time ago, there was very little food, and the car show was no classic. Somehow when I think of the cars that rolled along Route 66, I think of GTO's, Barracudas and my favorite, the AMX. Visions of downing a beer with a medal draped around my neck, all while strolling along looking at 60's muscle cars were quickly laid to rest. This race is fairly new, so hopefully they can continue to improve and make the car show something worth traveling to see. As it is, I went home one satisfied runner.

Psycho Wyco

2008-02-13T14:49:00.032-06:00

Now, why would somebody want to spend a nice winter morning slopping through cold, slushy mud on a Saturday morning? I'm not sure why, but I'm attracted to the race where mother nature plays her trump cards assertively. I guess when I was young, we always played outside, no matter what the weather. There were no video games or computers back then, just a desire to enjoy a bit of freedom and a playful imagination.

This Saturday, Feb 9, 2008, started off like most other race mornings. I woke well before the alarm clock just like every other race I've done. My internal clock must know the importance of rising early enough. There are so many things to do on race morning, important things like eat, stretch, organize, prepare mentally and, well, take care of some important body functions. I always fear being in the middle of a race and 'the urge' comes. I meticulously go through my race packet, check the maps, get my gear together, charge the iPod and prepare a new songlist. A new radio station format here in KC has been playing some classic rock tunes I haven't heard in awhile. Rod Stewart was one of those artists that strikes the nostalgia chord in my head, so I download some old Rod tunes to head up the new playlist. Did you ever notice how many great songs are on the album "Every Picture Tells a Story?" This has to be one of the best classic rock albums of all-time, but I digress. I know this is going to be a very tough race physically, so I add plenty of blues and jazz to the list. The jazz will keep me relaxed and slow me down, while it's obvious I'll be singing the blues somewhere along the course!

The sun is now beginning to poke it's head above the horizon. It's going to be a perfect day, right about freezing now, but the warmth will be spreading rapidly once the sun has fully awoken. It's time to head out to Wyandotte Co Lake Park, where the PsychoWyco Race will be held. http://www.psychowyco.com/id7.html

Now, any race that describes itself with 'psyco' in the name, ought to scare ya. Who's crazy enough to run a trail race at this time of year? Do you have to be nuts to run through the woods in the winter? Have you lost most of your senses to run a course that was partially designed by the race director's dog, Fester? Who names their dog Fester? A 'Psycho' seems to be the theme here. I guess there's just a bit of psycho in me and 300 or so other Midwesterners. The race itself is either 10, 20 or 30 miles. I've chosen to do the 20 miler, as this is only my second trail race ever and it's touted as one of the toughest courses in the area. The course is a 10 mile loop, so I'll need to run the same route twice.

After a short termed panic session; one that arose after leaving my timing chip and race bib at home, I rush back home to grab the forgotten items. Luckily, I had only gone a couple miles before the light went on. All that early morning planning seems wasted now. Oh well, I guess it's natural to forget things at my age. Shortly after this episode, I arrive at the county park and begin to find my way around. Even though the sun is up now, it's still cold, and I stare in amazement at the runners wearing shorts. I like to run in shorts myself, but damn, there's still ice on the puddles and it's just beginning to break the freezing mark. OK, call me a wimp, but I've got on my long tights and 3 layers on top. I know I tend to overdress for every run, but I can always take off what I don't need later. It's now approaching the 8 am start time and the race director gives us his final instructions. "Don't cross where you see these signs" he proclaims, as he holds a sign that says wrong way. "If you do, you may find yourself winning the booby prize for the most lost runner".

The race director gives his cue and off we go. It's difficult to pass people on trail runs, so I take off very slowly in order to drop near the back of the pack and into my comfort zone. Soon, we make the turn onto the trail and begin to climb the first of many hills. The pace is slow as it is still crowded but it should thin out quickly. So far, the footing has been pretty good considering the amount of rain and snow we've had lately. About a mile into the run, I step in my first slushy, muddy hole and now have a soaking wet left foot. Damn that's cold! I've got to be more careful at these spots. I continue on and before long, I've forgotten how cold and wet my foot is. It's a beautiful, sunny day and I'm just enjoying being outdoors. After about 5 miles, my legs begin to show signs that they're tiring. The strategy now will be to walk the steeper hills. This works pretty well, and besides, some of these hills are steep, slick and almost impossible to run up anyways. I've now entered the portion of the course dubbed 'Fester's Wander'. Fester, the race directors dog, supposedly charted this section by running wherever he pleased and the local running club built the trail from there. His efforts here did nothing to make me think of him as 'man's best friend.' It's a tough, narrow section which winds through some thick sections of woods. Apparently, Fester had no problems changing directions quickly and running uphill. My body now is wearing down quickly, but thankfully, the trail leaves the woods and leads towards a picnic shelter. Like a desert oasis, it's an aid station, stocked with all the goodies a runner would need. Hot soup, donuts, pretzels, oranges, gels, energy drinks, water and my favorite, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The volunteers are very friendly and help me find just what I need. I'm in no hurry to leave, and what the heck, why not wash down that PBJ with a nice Krispy Kreme! After milling around a few minutes, it's back to work. I'm feeling refreshed now and ready for the second loop.

Does a mother really need a Hummer to pick up her kids from school? Doesn't owning a Hummer just seem excessive, period?

The warm sunshine on this February day would create an unexpected turn in the course conditions. The combination of the sun melting much of the remaining snow and the masses of feet churning the moisture with the bare ground, create a slop that would keep Arnold Ziffle indoors watching TV. The mud has now become deeper, wetter and slicker. At times it felt like my foot was being sucked into the ground and it took more leg strength to pull out on each step. My body was already extremely tired, but I'm barely into the second loop. I keep slowing down but continue to push forward. Somewhere around the 15 mile mark, I'm surprised when someone comes up from behind and grabs my hamstring and twists it violently. Hey, what the heck are you.....whoa, I turn around to look and no one is there. Not to worry though, the hamstring pain in each step is offset by the burning in my quads. Like a fine tuned jalopy, each individual pain works in concert to create this laughingly awkward running stride.

Along the course there are humorous, motivational signs planted every so often. I remember one that reads; "Whiners will be buried in shallow unmarked graves." Geez, I'd better get those last few thoughts out of my head! Another sign though, will become my mantra for the rest of the race. "If it ain't easy to do, then it's worth more in the end." I repeat this thought to myself every time I think about how much my legs are hurting. As I continue through the second loop, it becomes more difficult to avoid the deep, wet mud and eventually, I don't even bother trying to find a safe spot to land each step. I've given in to the fact that my feet will be soaking wet the rest of the race. Each uphill section now becomes a challenge to get one foot in front of the other. Downhill presents a different challenge, as I slide to the ground on more than one occasion. Most of the bottom half of my body is now covered in mud. I certainly must factor in the extra weight I'm carrying when calculating the difficulty of this race.

I'm now over 5 hours into the race and the elite 30 milers are beginning to lap me. My calves, hamstrings and quads have all banded together and declared war against the brain. The revolting muscles load their weapons and begin their assault. "Stop now or you'll get shin splints, you want those blisters to get worse, let's just walk the rest of the way" are fired convincingly. They win a battle or two here and there, but the brain has a few tricks of it's own. I'm repeating my mantra over and over as we get closer to the finish. A tune by Queen begins to play and I sing along. "Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball." Distractions now are welcomed as they keep me from thinking about the wishes of the leg group. Finally, after a long, hard fought battle, I crest over a hill and at last, see the finish line. I gather up all my remaining strength and cross the line with a mix of pain and jubilation. One of the wonderful volunteers tells me to smile and drapes a medal around my neck. A smile now seems so fitting; I'm so happy to be done and the hard work really does feel like it's worth more now. The race director is there to shake everyones hand when they finish and he deserves high praise for putting on such a well organized event. This run was more difficult than any marathon I've done and I will cherish this experience for quite some time.