More early days of Fort Max

Previously, I covered the stripping of the carpet, padding, and a million staples. Let's move on to the walls since that was the next big project. Once the carpet was out, we had to clean the walls off. That meant clearing any hooks off the wall, removing any hardware on the wall, and essentially gutting everything down to the drywall.

Sounds like small stuff but like the carpet, the project grew with every passing second. Take a closet for example. We had already removed the bi-fold doors to remove the carpet. But now it was time to remove the shelves. And the brackets. And that odd cable that ran from the attic to the basement. You get the idea. The only brackets we left up were the ones in the master closet (we ended up taking them down anyway later).

We're quickly learning that we hate bi-fold doors.

Other hardware we removed included the doors, the hinges, strike plates, outlet covers, and a few other things I've forgotten. You never realize all the little things that are there until you go to remove them and suddenly you're left holding the bag with a ton of stuff to keep track of. Fortunately we knew in advance that we wanted to replace the outlet and light switch covers so we just bagged those and donated them. But we also had window blinds, closet hardware, and more.

You get the idea. Lots of stuff to take off the wall. Once that was all done, we then had to clean the walls. Just some simple dish soap and hot water. We'd attack a room with a couple of mops and do the ceilings first, then the walls. We quickly learned that one room was shut off from the world but also appeared to have the most dirt on the walls. Haven't figured that on out yet but it almost looked like somebody smoked in just that room (even though it didn't smell like that).

Probably should have mentioned that before we washed the walls, we vacuumed the floors. No sense washing the walls only to spray dust and dirt all over them again. So the floors got a good vacuum which in turn gave us a great opportunity to find staples that we missed. We did pretty good and only found a few that were missed.

During this time we also had to deal with other distractions. Like chimney swifts in the fireplace, DirecTV installing a new dish and line to the house, getting new locks for the doors, and installing a new mailbox. I drafted the kids to help with the mailbox because it was a fairly small job and they were getting bored. I mean, it's a rough a life swimming half the day and playing the other half.

My helpers for the new mailbox.

Speaking of door locks, the old ones were a pain in the ass to remove. They were the old school Schlages and had these small covers over the allen screws/bolts that you needed to get to in order to remove the locks. Well, after using a hammer, prybar, drill, and lots of muscle, we were able to remove the old locks. Only to find that we needed to drill new holes so the new locks would fit. Which meant more drilling and more muscles.

Those damn metal covers in the top lock were a bitch to remove. Totally trashed the old lock beyond repair. We didn't install them in the new locks.

Recycled Bi-Fold Doors

A quick and fairly easy, not to mention cheap, project that was completed here at Fort Max was installing some shelves in the laundry room. We've been removing bi-fold doors like crazy in this house and knew we could re-use them elsewhere as shelves so we just filed them away in the garage for later use. Well, the time came to install them.

These particular doors came from William's closet but we also have doors from our bathroom, our closet, Elizabeth's closet, the living room closet, and as of last night, the utility room. So, plenty of spare material to work with. They aren't painted pretty but that wasn't a strict requirement before installation.

Supplies needed were fairly simple. The spare bi-fold doors (in this case, one side of the closet gave me two shelves). The screws from the hinges that came off the doors. Some new brackets to hold a rod. Scrap rod from our closet (we didn't have the right size so we needed to buy more). Scrap shelf brackets from some unknown shelf in the house we ripped out. Spare nails left by the previous owner.

Tools needed were a hammer, level, tape measure, and cordless drill. A helper was also needed for some of the awkward reaches.

I measured the master closet to see how the spacing was between the upper and lower shelf. I then added a couple of inches to them so that the bottom shelf in the laundry room isn't too close to the ground. Don't want clean clothes to sit on the floor. Anyway, once I measured my two starting points, I put a bracket in the wall. from there I leveled to the next one and installed that. Since only two of the three brackets per shelf were going to hold a rod, they were pretty easy to install and keep level. The third bracket was recycled and a bit different in design but it went in well enough.

Because I didn't want the shelf to fly off, I re-used the screws from the hinges to attach the shelf to the bracket. I repeated this process for the bars. No sense having them slide off.

And that was it. Presto, two shelves, two bars, and the only thing new was a couple of brackets.

The first days of Fort Max

We closed on Fort Max on July 2nd. We did our final walk through in the morning, signed our papers, then went back to claim it as ours. I carried my wife over the thresh hold and we promptly went to work making it our new home. Yvonne focused on cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen and I had to go back to work. So we didn't really get any "solid" work done until the 3rd.

Our primary areas of work were the three bedrooms, the hallway (which included two closets), and the living room. The bathrooms were functional and dated but we left them alone. The kitchen was up to date but was also left alone. The basement and outside were left alone. We focused on the main living areas so we could prep for painting and flooring.

A before picture.

So off with the carpet we went. The old carpet and padding were ripped out. The best way to remove it is to use a utility knife to cut it into manageable sections and just yank. A mask may be needed if you don't want to breath in the crap left behind but I didn't care about that, I just wanted to get rid of the 20 year-old crap. Once you remove all the carpet, remove all the padding. In our case, it was that greenish, mottled stuff. There were remnants of the egg carton stuff under it but not much.

Some more before pictures.

Then comes the tack strip. A hammer and prybar work great. But be careful. Those things will stab you faster than you think is possible. Have a trashcan ready (but no bag) so you can toss them right in. I learned that breaking them in half (carefully) made them not stand up too high out of the trash can and therefore less likely to cut me.

The previous owner's name on the carpet.

After the tack strip comes the really hard work. Staples. Tons of them. Thousands of them. Seriously. It took my right hand a week and a half before it was back to normal. After a day I could barely grab anything. Needle-nose pliers work best but the prybar and hammer worked in a pinch. It's slow and painful, but necessary.

And then comes the baseboard. Take. Your. Time. We lost a day or two because we went a little too fast and ended up popping holes in the drywall. That meant patching and mud and more mud and sanding and more mud. Not fun. Go slow, take it easy, and it'll work. The best technique I found was to use a drywall putty knife, a wider one that's pretty stiff, a hammer, and a thin prybar. I call them the cat's paw type of prybar but it's a small one with a thin end that can slip between the wall and the baseboard. If you don't have a putty knife to pry against, use a small, thin piece of wood or plywood. Something to distribute the pressure of prying the boards off.

Once that was done, we were down to bare wood on the floors. And quickly noticed a few that needed to be replaced. Expect this to happen at every level of home repair. I'm sure there's a rule of thumb out there for it but everything we've done so far has come with some hidden cost of either money or time that we didn't plan for. But the key should always be to take the time and money to do it right.

As for the flooring, we had diagonal slats on top of the floor joists then glued sawdust on top of that. The glued sawdust has a special name that I don't know. But it's not the typical plywood you would find in the stores today. In fact, the thickness was not normal either. The flooring guys had to buy two sheets and sandwich them together to get the same height as the original floor. Anyway, the pets that had lived her before had peed all over the floor and it was readily visible in every room. So in a couple of spots the sawdust layer had started to dry rot and from our normal foot traffic with no carpet to protect it, it got worse. So it got replaced. We were tempted to just re-floor everything but the floors weren't squeaky and the sawdust layer was solid.

After a second day of staple removal, we walked around like people with claws instead of hands. But it was tons better. We vacuumed, looked, and looked again. We still missed a few staples, but generally speaking we got 98% of them the first time through.

Stay tuned for more adventures at Fort Max.

Brass vs. Steel

When it comes to plumbing, or anything related to water, you want to stick with brass. Or at least avoid steel. In the continuing adventures of #FortMax, we had a toilet begin dripping water shortly after we moved in. Thankfully the leak wasn't a major one but it was certainly inconvenient to be down a working toilet right away.

The final diagnosis on the cause of the leak was a steel bolt was used to attach the toilet tank to the toilet bowl. It was clearly an after-market repair as all toilet kits come with brass bolts for that particular connection. The steel bolt rusted over time because it is in direct contact with the water inside the tank. That rust led to a leak.

My working theory is that at some point in time the steel bolt was put in during a tank repair. Because the house was not used frequently, the rust accumulated but didn't have any movement in the tank. Once we started using it, the water coming into the tank and going out caused the rust to move, thus causing the leak to appear.

Again, we're thankful that the leak wasn't a big one and didn't have any lasting impact on the bathroom floor (or basement ceiling). But it's yet again another thing to think about when doing your household repairs. Take the time (and the money) to do it right the first time. The cost difference between a brass and a steel bolt can't be that much. Maybe pennies. But even if it was a few dollars, imagine the amount of money you would need to spend on repairing your bathroom floor and cleaning up a flooded basement. All because you used a steel bolt in the toilet.

So many lessons learned, not enough time to teach them

In what I hope will be a continuing series on the lessons I've learned in home ownership and maintenance, I'll attempt to dispense with what knowledge I have. For those looking forward to these posts (or hoping to avoid them), simply look for the tag #FortMax. That's what we have dubbed our new house and the name seems to have stuck.

Which leads me to how we came about naming our new home. Once upon a time, I was a kid in the 1980s growing up with my father. We lived in a quaint little neighborhood with a pool, a couple of dead-end streets, and plenty of families that were always nice to you. Our new house is two doors down from that house I grew up in. I knew the previous (and original) owner when I was a kid. His first name was Barry. One of our favorite TV shows is The Goldbergs, a show about a kid growing up with this family in the 1980s. His older brother is named Barry. So with the 80s, the Barrys, and the shared childhood experiences, I asked Adam Goldberg to name our new house.

He came up with Fortress Maximus. I'll admit, I wasn't too impressed. But over time, I shortened it to Fort Max, started using the nickname, and it stuck. Stuck so much, my kids and my wife are using it. Not all the time but enough to know that's the nickname that'll stick.

So there you have it, the birth of a new house for us. Stay tuned for future installments of what I've learned from Fort Max.

Track Work

This workout sucked. A lot. But I managed it.

Plan was 20 to 24 by 200m with 100m recovery. So I aimed for 20 reps of 200m in Zone 4 with 100m walking recovery. And I think I stuck to it for the most part. I pushed hard on the last few then somehow cranked out a few more reps. I didn't pass out but I did come close to some acid reflux. I stepped it down a hair and avoided it. Outside of that, the run was fairly uneventful. After all, it was a track. Haven't spent that much time on a track since high school. Sheesh. Boring as all get out.

Photo:

I used a Sharpie because I can't count so well.

Weather:
Temps were about 80F. Humidity was moderate. Wind was light. Sun was out in full. Every lap I'd get a bit of a breeze.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was three waffles and coffee. During the run I had a bottle of GenUCAN electrolytes and a bottle of plain water. Recovery was some burger wraps, fries, and iced latte.

Aches and Pains:
Managed 10 reps before my legs felt like ass. After that I just did my best to hang on. With about a mile left, I just down-shifted and took it easy. Outside of that, everything felt fine.

Gear:
No special gear except for my Sharpie. I'm lousy at keeping track of laps so I wrote on my arm.

Heart Rate:
Haven't looked at the stats yet but I'm sure I kept it in Zone 4 or higher on the 200m sections and was lucky if I got down to Zone 2 on the 100m recovery walk.

Splits:
Warm-up (800 meters) - 5:35 (AVG HR 134)
Rep 1 - 1:03 (AVG HR 161)
Recovery 1 - 1:06 (AVG HR 147)
Rep 2 - 1:01 (AVG HR 154)
Recovery 2 - 1:06 (AVG HR 150)
Rep 3 - 1:01 (AVG HR 156)
Recovery 3 - 1:07 (AVG HR 152)
Rep 4 - 00:59 (AVG HR 158)
Recovery 4 - 1:09 (AVG HR 153)
Rep 5 - 1:04 (AVG HR 157)
Recovery 5 - 1:07 (AVG HR 153)
Rep 6 - 1:02 (AVG HR 160)
Recovery 6 - 1:06 (AVG HR 157)
Rep 7 - 1:00 (AVG HR 163)
Recovery 7 - 1:08 (AVG HR 158)
Rep 8 - 1:04 (AVG HR 160)
Recovery 8 - 1:10 (AVG HR 158)
Rep 9 - 1:03 (AVG HR 164)
Recovery 9 - 1:09 (AVG HR 157)
Rep 10 - 1:05 (AVG HR 163)
Recovery 10 - 1:07 (AVG HR 160)
Rep 11 - 1:04 (AVG HR 161)
Recovery 11 - 1:07 (AVG HR 161)
Rep 12 - 1:06 (AVG HR 162)
Recovery 12 - 1:05 (AVG HR 164)
Rep 13 - 1:05 (AVG HR 164)
Recovery 13 - 1:10 (AVG HR 161)
Rep 14 - 1:04 (AVG HR 165)
Recovery 14 - 1:09 (AVG HR 167)
Rep 15 - 1:04 (AVG HR 167)
Recovery 15 - 1:08 (AVG HR 168)
Rep 16 - 1:07 (AVG HR 166)
Recovery 16 - 1:07 (AVG HR 168)
Rep 17 - 1:04 (AVG HR 169)
Recovery 17 - 1:05 (AVG HR 169)
Rep 18 - 1:02 (AVG HR 170)
Recovery 18 - 1:09 (AVG HR 174)
Rep 19 - 1:02 (AVG HR 171)
Recovery 19 - 1:08 (AVG HR 177)
Rep 20 - 00:58 (AVG HR 178)
Recovery 20 - 1:11 (AVG HR 174)
Rep 21 - 1:13 (AVG HR 167)
Recovery 21 - 1:12 (AVG HR 166)
Rep 22 - 1:17 (AVG HR 167)
Recovery 22 - 1:13 (AVG HR 166)
Rep 23 - 1:14 (AVG HR 167)
Cool Down (500 meters) - 4:48 (AVG HR 143)
Finish - 1:00:28
AVG HR - 159
MAX HR - 191
MIN HR - 87

Cuts Like A Knife

Today's run was very much needed but very painful too. I needed it, wanted it, and got it done. My alarm went off and I ignored it, choosing to get another hour or so of sleep. Once I finally rolled out of bed, I downed about half a serving of GenUCAN and got my gear ready. Within half an hour I got out the door only to find that it was a bit rainy out. Not full on rain but more of a light mist. I'd end up getting lucky in missing almost all the rain. I had a few drops here and there but nothing too terrible. Although the down side to that was the humidity was insane.

Along the way, I felt pretty good at the start. I had a decent pace, cadence felt good, and overall everything was nominal. I saw some underwear, some more underwear, and a guy walking his dog (and I'm certain it wasn't his underwear). I also saw some signs for the moving sale that's at our new house where the seller is moving out.

And of course I ran to the new house, aka Fort Max, and ran around the neighborhood. That was the route I decided on yesterday and that was what I stuck to. It was kind of nice to go from old to new and back again. It'll be nice to be back to my old hood.

The way back was much rougher. The heat wasn't much worse and the humidity was the same but I was lacking a lot of energy. I'm not sure if it was fueling or electrolytes, or just lack of training. My guess is lack of training. So even though I can go out and do 10 or 15 miles at a time, I do have a price to pay in the later miles. Thankfully I didn't need to pay too much until the last few miles.

Photo:

Moving Sale!

Weather:
Temps were about 70F to 75F. Humidity was high. Sky was overcast. No wind.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had about one scoop of chocolate GenUCAN before the run. During the run I had plain water, a bottle of GenUCAN electrolyte drink mix mixed with plain GenUCAN fuel. I also had plain water in my hydration pack. At about one hour and the second hour, I had an applesauce. Recovery was a Capri Sun because I was feeling a little woozy when I got home. I know it wasn't the best choice but it helped getting the extra sugar. I followed that with some nasty fries and a burger. And a coffee. Really needed the coffee more than anything.

Aches and Pains:
Felt pretty solid for the first part of the run. Second half had a abdominal cramp appear for some reason. It wasn't like a side stitch from running too fast (ha!) it was more like a cramp or strain. Anyway, it was there the whole way back and didn't fade or come and go like a side stitch. Also had some minor pain in my right foot on a few of my toes. Nothing major but noticeable. And I had some minor pain in my right knee. Again, nothing major, just some pain on the outside of it.

Gear:
No special gear but I did forget to pack my knife. So when I ran past a box cutter that somebody lost on the side of the road, I picked it up and carried it. Figured it was better than nothing.

Heart Rate:
I did pretty good staying in the zone for at least the first part. When I creeped into a higher zone, I felt decent keeping it steady at 160 the first half. The second half was rough and I struggled to keep things below 170. Seems like every time I got up and running again, I needed to slow down.

Splits:
Finish - 3:14:04
AVG HR - 155
MAX HR - 186
MIN HR - 91
RHR - Forgot to measure
Weight - 224.2 (after the run)

Heart Rate Heat Stroke

Talk about a shock to the system. It's freaking hot and humid out there. I know, I know, I bitch about it every summer but woof. And every time I think about moving to someplace nice and cool in the summer, I realize that those same places get a shit-ton of snow in the winter and I don't like snow either. So I guess I'm just stuck and have to deal.

So today I dealt. And dealt myself a losing hand. Well, mostly a losing hand. I at least got a few miles in and even though I didn't meet my planned mileage, I'm happy the bed didn't win this morning. It almost did and even managed to suck me in for a good 30 minutes more than it should have. But I resisted the urge to stay there and crawled out of bed, made some lunches, and left for my run.

Even though I could have pressed on and stayed out there longer to get more miles in, I knew my time was limited and the heat/humidity really sucked the life out of me. So I cut things shortish and got what I could get. Better than nothing. Even though the thought of sleeping sounds so much better.


Photo:

My favorite sign.

Vine:
https://vine.co/v/MTqKFjTK9Od

Weather:
Temps were 80F to 85F. Humidity was high. Sun was out. Light breeze.

Fluids and Fuel:
Nothing before the run. Just cold water during the run. Recovery was an iced latte and a breakfast burrito.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt during the run but my legs felt like rubber about 3 miles in. Had to dial the pace way back since I could feel my body temp rising.

Gear:
No special gear.

Heart Rate:
It took all of 3 minutes to reach Zone 3. With a mile left, It took 5 minutes of walking just to get back to Zone 1 and even that was difficult. But I tried to stay in Zone 2 as much as I could.

Splits:
Outbound - 24:44 (AVG HR 144)
Inbound - 26:12 (AVG HR 154)
Finish - 50:56
AVG HR - 149
MAX HR - 176
MIN HR - 88
RHR - Forgot to measure
Weight - 222.4 (before breakfast and after the run)

Preview Run

Ahhh. It feels so good to get out and run again. At least until the horse flies come at you, then screw it, it's time to get the hell out of dodge!

Today's run was a bit of a preview for tomorrow's short fun run on the trail. Wanted to make sure the parking lot was clear and the course had no downed trees. Since everything looked good, I stretched it out to check on my cameras and then headed back to the car.

Along the way I spotted one deer and a million horseflies. And a few mosquitoes. Thankfully on ticks or snakes. Horse flies were brutal in several sections but I managed to take a few of them out with my sticky tape on my hat. Didn't feel like I killed that many but when I checked, I had 22 on there by the end (plus one that somehow ended up in my shirt - didn't find that little fucker until I got home).

Mood was much better today and felt all around pretty good with work, life, and the pending move. Guess that talk last night helped.

Vine:
https://vine.co/v/Mj91ZbH0PJb

Weather:
Temps were about 75F. Humidity was high. Sun was out. Wind was light.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had a tiny bit of coffee before the run. Had scoop and a half of GenUCAN before I started. Ran with a bottle of water (drank about half) and a bottle of Hammer Fizz (finished it). Recovery was a donut and the rest of my coffee. But don't worry, I had a nice, healthy salad for lunch.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really. Other than those damn horseflies.

Gear:
No new gear. Was happy I remembered the deer fly paper and the bug spray. May need to consider something for my neck so they don't eat me alive back there too.

Heart Rate:
Tried to keep things easy in Zone 2 and managed pretty well until I turned around when I started to get into Zone 3. Since I felt okay, I just stuck with it and didn't change my pace much.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 12:43 (AVG HR 138)
Mile 2 - 16:35 (AVG HR 148) (includes closing and locking an open gate)
Mile 3 - 19:09 (AVG HR 155) (includes camera work and a pee break)
Mile 4 - 12:32 (AVG HR 160)
Mile 5 - 13:11 (AVG HR 156)
Mile 6 - 12:59 (AVG HR 156)
Finish - 1:27:12
AVG HR - 152
MAX HR - 178
MIN HR - 94
RHR - 60

2014 Run For The Achievable Dream 8k, Kid's Fun Run, and Half Marathon Race Reports

Wow. This has been quite the four day weekend. We've signed papers for the new house, done a home inspection, gone to three races, shopped, and I can't tell you how much else. I do know that I've run too much this weekend, eaten too much this weekend, slept too little this weekend, and stressed too much this weekend.

The calm before the 8k race.

So, to start from the beginning, as best as I can remember at least, we have our trip to Williamsburg on Friday. I placed some more cameras on the trail, got my stuff packed, and fed the kids lunch when they got out of school early. We headed to Williamsburg, did a little shopping at the outlets, went through the expo, ate dinner, and checked into the hotel. The kids swam for a bit and then it was bedtime.

Met a teammate for the first time. He has good taste in clothes.

We were up early Saturday morning since the 8k race started at 0700. We dropped William off with my dad who was a few doors down in the hotel and then Elizabeth, Yvonne, and I headed to the Start line. Traffic was decent and I'm glad we got there early. With the new start area by the Visitor's Center, we ended up parking in the overflow lot. Which meant a short hike to the start line. Once parked, we headed over to just chill out until we could run.

The kid's shirt says "he not heavy, he's my brother." They were part of Team Hoyt.

We stuck to our plan which was to have Elizabeth and I run together while Yvonne ran her own race behind us. Last year I let Elizabeth run off ahead of me with a mile left so this year I increased it to two miles. We eased into the run and even though she wanted to run out fast, I reeled her in and kept her on pace. We did pretty good through the first mile and then she started to need a few more breaks. Our pace was a little slower overall but we kept moving. We talked about all sorts of stuff and while I'm sure she can turn into an all-star runner, I'm glad I'm not like some of the other parents I saw later in the day dragging (sometimes literally) their kids through a race.

At Mile 3 I gave her some last minute advice and let her truck off. I was able to keep her in sight but she gapped me pretty good. Around Mile 4 I slowly started to reel her in as I picked up the pace a little bit. In the end she still beat me but only by 9 seconds. I gave it all I could at the end and so did she. According to the race results, she placed second in her age group (10 and under).

Weather:
Temps were about 60F at the start but warmed to about 70F by the finish. Sun was out in full and there was a light breeze. No humidity.

Fluids and Fuel:
Nothing before the run. During the run I had just plain water. No recovery.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt.

Gear:
No special gear.

Heart Rate:
The first few miles were pretty easy to stay near my Zone 2 goal but as she picked up the pace and I tried to keep up with her I kinda tossed that zone under the bus.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 11:36 (AVG HR - 147)
Mile 2 - 12:30 (AVG HR - 151)
Mile 3 - 13:13 (AVG HR - 154)
Mile 4 - 11:08 (AVG HR - 172)
Mile 5 - 10:07 (AVG HR - 181)

Finish - 58:29 (3 minutes slower than my PR)

Shortly after her race finished, I ended up running and walking with William for his fun run. I had plenty of time to cool down and drink a little water before we headed out on the track. We ran out of the stadium, ran a goofy loop around the parking lot, then ran back onto the track for the Finish. The route was pretty well marked but I'm not too sure younger kids would really know where to go. Especially if they were unsupervised.

All the stats above are all the same except the time below.

Splits:
Finish - 15:45 (AVG HR - 127 )

Total for both events:
1:14:21
AVG HR - 153
MAX HR - 200
MIN HR - 94

After both races were over, we went back to the hotel to eat our free breakfast. And like the Heck family, we do our best to eat our fill of free food. Even though it wasn't really free. So after I overate, I showered (as did everyone else), then we headed back out on the town for some shopping.
 
This marked the darkest timeline of our trip as we discovered the local toy store was closed. I felt a little part of my childhood die as I walked into the store and suddenly realized it was full of shit instead of the toys I expected. I was so pissed off. I was probably more upset than the kids. It truly was a staple of Merchant's Square.

So after that sad news, we headed to Retro's for lunch. Thankfully I discovered this little burger joint a few blocks away and it's worth it. We went back to the hotel, chilled out, slept, watched TV, and then went out for dinner.

Then we went for a little pirate mini-golf.

Before I knew it, I was getting up at 0430 for my half marathon. My alarm was set for 0500 but sure enough, I woke up entirely too early. So I got some coffee in an attempt to jump start my bowels. After I showered and lubed up, I started my walk to the Start. That's right, I walked the 2.5 miles to the start line. Who does that? This guy. It may sound crazy, but that walk was less stressful, even with a gurgly belly, than trying to wrangle two kids, a wife, and a father so you can make it to the Start on time.

Once at the start line I finally got my bowels to cooperate and I was left with that pleasant empty feeling. I drank my GenUCAN and chilled. Suddenly, through the crowd, as if drawn by magnets, I see a teammate. I had met one the day before and was surprised to see a second. The three of us chatted for a few minutes before the start then we went our merry way.

The course this year changed. Again. And while it was much cooler, the scenery was less than desirable at times. The little piss-ant loops through parking lots suck. The paved trail through the trees was awesome and will be even awesomer when it's 20 degrees hotter and the sun is out. The slog down the road with nobody on it was depressing. The hills on the paved trail were hard but not quite as hard as last year's hills.

Best of all, the weather. It was a cool 60F or so at the start and that made a huge difference in how everybody did. This race has been a scorcher in years past and I'm glad it was so nice this year. Anyway, aside from the new course and some pros and cons, the race went well. I had no major issues until the finish when I thought my heart was going to explode. That'd teach me to sprint at the finish.

After I got my beer and dumped it into my bottle, I posed with this guy.

Weather:
Temps were 60F at the start and maybe 75F to 80F at the finish. Sky was clear with light winds.No humidity.

Fluids and Fuel:
Coffee and GenUCAN before the race. During the race I had a bottle of plain water, a bottle of GenUCAN mixed with their new electrolyte stuff, and another bottle of GenUCAN electrolytes. I also had two applesauces, one about an hour in and the second around 45 minutes later. Recovery was way too much food.

Aches and Pains:
Felt like a blister on my left toe but nothing was there. Outside of that, I felt fine until the finish when I sprinted a little too hard, temporarily lost feeling in my legs, and had to take a breather after the finish.

Gear:
No special gear.

Heart Rate:
Did much better just chilling out and staying pretty close to my Zone 2 goal. I'm afraid to look at my end results though. Pretty sure I maxed out my heart rate.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 11:56 (AVG HR 139)
Mile 2 - 12:19 (AVG HR 144)
Mile 3 - 13:12 (includes a bathroom break) (AVG HR 148)
Mile 4 - 11:36 (AVG HR 152)
Mile 5 - 12:42 (AVG HR 153)
Mile 6 - 11:19 (AVG HR 157)
Mile 7 - 12:01 (AVG HR 161)
Mile 8 - 11:48 (AVG HR 160)
Mile 9 - 12:52 (AVG HR 166)
Mile 10 - 12:09 (AVG HR 164)
Mile 11 - 12:27 (AVG HR 167)
Mile 12 - 12:28 (AVG HR 167)
Mile 13 - 12:34 (AVG HR 172)
Mile 0.1 - 00:30 (AVG HR 200)
Finish - 2:39:56
AVG HR - 158
MAX HR - 207
MIN HR -117

After my race, and after over-eating, we went back out on the town, did more shopping and walking around, and before you knew it, we were back at Retro's for lunch. Then it was off for more mini-golf, this time the old west one, and then back to eating dinner.

Here's William checking out a little stream.

 

This pretty much sums up how I've been feeling this week

Blockhead Run

Today's run was much shorter than I wanted (due to time constraints) and hurt much more than expected (due to I don't know what). I ran down the trail in one direction, turned around, then ran in the other direction, then headed back to my car.

Photos:

Vine:
https://t.co/kqlVQoPSGq

Weather:
Temps were about 55F to 60F. Winds were light. Sun was out with a few clouds. Humidity was low.

Fluids and Fuel:
Before the run I had some coffee. During the run I tested GenUCAN's new hydration mix. It tasted like watered down Gatorade but not quite as strong or tangy. Recovery was chocolate ZICO and coffee with two breakfast sandwiches.

Aches and Pains:
Quads and hamstrings were much tighter than expected. Not sure what the issue was but I pushed fluids and took things slow. I felt better after my shower. Left ankle also had some sharper pains so I slowed down a few times and tried to roll it out a bit.

Gear:
No new gear other than the GenUCAN test.

Heart Rate:
Didn't wear it so I didn't measure it.

Splits:
Finish - 23:05
RHR - 57

2014 Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon - Race Report

Not my best performance but considering I'm coming off a 50 mile run and I'm still woefully behind in my training cycle, I'll take it. I was wide awake at 0400 for some reason. I finally got up at 0430 with my alarm, showered, and made a pit-stop at Sheetz for a small coffee. I made it to town in plenty of time to find a great parking spot and made it to the bathroom in Wal-Mart with enough time to only see 3 or 4 people in front of me. With one poop done, I headed back to my car to get my gear in order. I drank my first GenUCAN serving early and headed to the bathroom in Wal-Mart again. Only to find a long line at the front and a long one at the back. After waiting a few minutes, I headed over to Wegmans at a slow run. I wasn't that desperate for a bathroom but it was cold and I figured it would warm me up. Once in Wegmans, I headed upstairs and had a much shorter line that moved much faster. With a second poop done, I was on my way to the Start area. Big lesson of the day is don't eat avocados the day before a race.

On the way to the Start area some ladies somehow knew that my PRS Fit jersey was related to my Coach Jeff. Small world. I lingered a bit near the way way back and ran into another local runner. After a quick hello, I took a leak, and lingered some more. Some jets flew over twice and we eventually slowly moved to the Start line.

The race itself was fairly uneventful. I peed one more time, had enough fluids and fuel, and generally tried to have a good time. After the finish, I ran back to my car, ran back to the Finish, then ran back to my car again. After all, I needed to meet my training plan for the day.


Photos:
I was in the mood for a beer before the race. The was pretty insane at the end though so I skipped it.

This young lady was doing pretty good in the half. And she wasn't the first kid out there.

And this is me at the end. All done.

Weather:
Temps were 50F at the start and rose to about 60F by the finish. Sun was out in full. Winds were light until the end when it picked up a bit. Humidity was low.

Fluids and Fuel:
Before the run I had a small coffee and a serving of GenUCAN. During the run I had a bottle of plain water, a bottle of Hammer Fizz, a second serving of GenUCAN, and another bottle of Hammer Fizz. I also had two applesauce packs along the way. Recovery was a frozen mocha followed by a lunch of a burger and fries.

Aches and Pains:
Right calf, lower right glute, and both ankles were tweaky on and off during the run. Outside of that, things felt okay. Feet hurt more than normal but that was due to the bad shoe choice. Oh, almost forgot. Had some chafing in the center of my chest that didn't feel bad until I put on some body spray. Ouch.

Gear:
No special gear. Just ran with the basics.

Heart Rate:
Did pretty well hitting my surges every 20 minutes but totally blew the Zone 2 about halfway through the run. And the last few miles were way up there thanks to Hospital Hill.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 11:50 (AVG HR 147)
Mile 2 - 12:42 (AVG HR 151)
Mile 3 - 12:15 (AVG HR 153)
Mile 4, 5, and 6 = 34:41 (AVG HR 160) (AVG pace - 11:33)
Mile 7 - 12:22 (AVG HR 160)
Mile 8 - 12:07 (AVG HR 155)
Mile 9 - 13:02 (AVG HR 156)
Mile 10 - 11:54 (AVG HR 165)
Mile 11 - 13:16 (AVG HR 173)
Mile 12 - 12:12 (AVG HR 175)
Mile 13 - 11:34 (AVG HR 177)
Finish - 2:38:50
AVG HR - 159
MIN HR - 103
MAX HR - 201
Weight - 222.2 (after race but before recovery)

My warm-up and cool-down added about 3.5 miles to the beginning and end of my run. Plus I tacked on a few extra minutes. I was very happy to feel.... normal after the race. Normal enough to just run slow back to the car while everyone else was limping.

Inchworm Hell

Felt pretty good until the last mile or two then things started to fade a bit. Most likely suspects are the heat, humidity, and lack of proper fueling. But I knew about them all going into the run so it wasn't really that much of a surprise.

Generally though, I felt good. No real issues other than a few lingering aches and pains. Had to dodge a million inchworm (aka canker worm) webs but it just made me pay attention all that much more during the run. Saw a dead snake, giant millipede, and a turkey in the distance. Other than that, no wildlife.

Weather:
Temps were 70F to 80F. Humidity was high. Sun was out. No wind.

Fluids and Fuel:
Before the run I had some coffee. During the run I had a bottle of Hammer Fizz and half a bottle of plain water. I also had an applesauce pouch. Recovery was going to be a rather un-healthy breakfast sandwich but it tasted really gross so I only had a few bites. Instead I just had my iced latte and had lunch a few hours later.

Aches and Pains:
Right ankle didn't hurt until the run was done. Had some pain at the top of my right hamstring and bottom of my right glute. Neither was too painful but certainly noticeable. Shoulder was a little stiff from yesterday's workout.

Gear:
Got a chance to wear my new waist belt. I have dubbed it INCHWORM because of all the damn webs I had to dodge during the run. It's large enough to easily fit my phone which is great and I can also easily stash my knife there too.

Heart Rate:
Started to see some cardiac creep after the halfway point. But with the heat, I'm not surprised. Outside of that, I did my best to stay as close to Zone 2 as I could.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 13:40 (AVG HR 131)
Mile 2 - 12:41 (AVG HR 141)
Mile 3 - 16:42 (AVG HR 139)
Mile 4 - 17:21 (AVG HR 143)
Mile 5 - 16:08 (AVG HR 142)
Mile 6 - 15:04 (AVG HR 148)
Mile 7 - 18:25 (AVG HR 139) (includes pee break)
Finish - 1:50:03
AVG HR - 141
MAX HR - 167
MIN HR - 90
RHR - 59
Weight - 222.4 (after the run but before lunch)

Big Garden Update

Had a great Mother's Day in the garden. Managed to squeak out some free-time and drag the kids outside for some play-time in the dirt. Although only one stuck around long enough to actually be of any help, it was nice to get them both outside for a bit.

The bad news is that shortly after planting the first round of carrots, onions, and lettuce (with marigolds too), we got lots of rain. Like, way too much rain. Like, the garden flooded a bit. The good news is that at least the lettuce and marigolds seem to have survived. The little triangle flower bed I made by the back steps looks totally trashed, but I'm hopeful something will crop up out of that. If not, well, at least I can plant something there later. Anyway, the lettuce is looking quite nice and perky so far.

As for the rest of the garden, I raked off the leaves from the spinach plot and planted corn. I'm pretty sure the spinach won't grow but at least I had room for the corn. And the mulch went great on top of the walkways between the plots.

With corn in the ground, we also planted pumpkins, zucchini, and more marigolds. I snuck a few extra carrots in but doubt they'll do anything. I also transplanted my tomatoes and peppers. I felt really bad weeding out the weaker plants but it also made me feel a bit like a "professional" gardener. Ha! Anyway, I cut them into singles, then dropped them into the ground. I also took the time to put a cage up now instead of later when it's too late. For the most part, I followed the directions in spacing, but since I had some extra plants that looked too good to waste, I over-planted one section just to see what came up. I figure I can always thin them out later.

Finally, we planted some sunflowers. The package says they'll only be three feet tall but I'd be happy if they just grew. The kids tried to pick a spot in the middle of the yard but I talked them out of that. Since "good drainage" wasn't going to happen in the back yard, we ended up putting the seeds down by the front sidewalk. The ants hated us but at least it will get some solid sun.

2014 24 Hour ATR Race Report

I don't know if it was the horseshoe, the magic beans, or something else, but I somehow managed to meet my goal this weekend. I came into the race having a fairly rough time last year. I thought I could easily crank out a 100k because the terrain was easier then my Oil Creek race and I did that in under 23 hours. Turns out some bad hydration choices and a twisted knee last year spelled my doom. The nail in the coffin though was that I was one loop short of meeting the minimum to get a glass. A stupid glass, that's all I wanted.

This year was another story. I didn't have a goal of 100k, instead I wanted to do 50 miles. And despite my 3 month taper thanks to work, I felt like I had a chance. It wasn't until I was done that I realized how, dare I say it, easy it was for me this year. Not that it was a cake walk, it wasn't. I certainly had my struggles out there. But I got insanely lucky twice and I never looked back.

So, before the race, I talked things out with my coach and we worked out a nutrition and electrolyte plan. We talked about timing for each loop and it left me with a good feeling that not only would he be there if I needed him during the race, but that he knew what he was talking about and his advice was solid. Not that I doubted him but there's always that temptation to go into things thinking that you know everything. And while I do know what I'm getting into, sometimes I need a reminder that I'm not a genius. After all, how smart can I be if I do ultras?

So the plan was to average 1:45 per 6.25 mile loop. My goal was 8 loops (50 miles) but the option was there to go for more. I would take one GenUCAN serving before the race, then alternate between GenUCAN and Hammer Perpeteum for each loop after that. The main reason for putting Perpeteum in the plan was because I didn't have enough GenUCAN for the whole race. For electrolytes, the plan was to take two Hammer Endurolytes per hour or at least per loop. I would then augment or add to this with Hammer Fizz. The plan also included strict instructions to avoid noodles at the aid stations and that swollen fingers meant too much sodium (something I suffered from last year). I hit nearly every point on the plan with one exception. I'll get to that in a bit.

The night before the race, I headed up to packet pick-up at the park. Traffic wasn't too bad so I made it in time. I got my bib, goodie bag (which included a beer), and timing chip. I also sat down for a dinner of pasta and Italian Bread. I drank some water and met a Facebook friend that's a local runner. He would end up placing 5th over with 75 miles. Crazy. After the speeches and briefing, I headed back home and went to bed around 2130.

Pre-Race
Based on my notes from last year, I knew I needed to get up at 0430. So that's what I did. I didn't sleep great the night before but that's pretty normal for the night before a race. I was out the door by 0500 and made a quick pit-stop to grab some cash at the ATM. Every year they have a raffle and I really wanted to win something. I know, I'm like a prize junky or something, but the prizes are generally pretty cool. Plus the money they raise goes to the Semper Fi Fund, a pretty good cause.

So I got to the race right around 0600 but was too late to grab a spot in the regular lot and had to haul it out to the satellite parking lot, a good half mile away. I didn't mind the walk in but dreaded the walk back. I took less stuff than last year and was lucky to have just the right amount of gear. I had my clean clothes, towel, and shower kit in one bag, then divided my race gear into "hot" and "cold." Last year's race was hot during the day and cold at night so I wanted to pre-sort the stuff. It worked out well.

I setup my stuff on the table, checked in, and bought my raffle tickets. One of the race-directors was a bit surprised at how many tickets I bought but I knew it would increase my chances at winning. I guess I figured it was an investment more than anything. Turns out I was right, but I'll get to that. Before I knew it, it was just about time to get going. The race started just a few minutes after 0700 and I was on my way for a day full of trails.

Loop 1
This is the loop that generally goes by without much thought. I was still a little sleepy from getting up so early and I knew I didn't really need to pay too much attention to this loop. One big change this year was they let us choose which direction we wanted to run our loops. Last year was strictly counter-clockwise. This year, the first loop had to be counter-clockwise, but then we could choose which direction we wanted. I talked to another runner the night before and after hearing her thoughts and my experience last year, I knew I'd be going primarily clockwise.

So the first loop was moving along fairly nicely. I stayed with Joyce, a runner I've seen at many local races. I kept her in front of me as much as I could because I knew if she was behind me, I was going too fast. This was one of many great decisions I made during the race. She's often left me behind in races and I know she has a faster pace than I do in the long run. So I knew if I wanted to play it safe, she was my speedometer. As we moved through one of the rocky sections, she dropped behind me a bit but she was still there the rest of the loop. I never really pulled ahead like I wanted to and always walked the hills.

One side-note about the first loop. Last year I found a horseshoe pendant on the course and kept it. It was nothing fancy but looked pretty neat. Until I got it home and looked closer and it looked like skulls instead of nail heads on the horseshoe. So I've kept the bad-luck token for a year with the intention of giving it back to the trail during the race. I didn't remember where I found it last year but I decided during my first loop that I'd leave it on the pet rock pile. And sure enough, when I got to it, that's where I left it.

After the end of the first loop, I came back into the aid station, swapped bottles quickly, and headed back out. Having things set up early saved me a good 5 to 10 minutes. I'm usually pretty fast in and out of aid stations but I knew what I wanted and needed in advance so I set it all up so I could just grab it and go. This did mean that I forgot a few things but they were pretty minor so it had no bearing.

Loop 2
I headed out on loop two and knew I was going clockwise at least once. I had a rough idea of my splits between each section of trail on the first loop. From the Start to the end of the stick (it was a lollipop-style course) was about 20 minutes. From the stick to the road (the halfway point) was 40 minutes. From there to the next road was 20 minutes. Then 10 minutes back to the stick and another 20 minutes back to the Finish. So the pattern was 20-40-20-10-20 per loop, just under 2 hours.

Going clockwise, the pattern was a bit different and kept my mind occupied trying to do the math on which was faster. Since the stick part of the course was the same, I knew I had 20 minutes out and back to book-end the route. Coming out of the stick and going clockwise meant that I was going up a steep hill right off the bat. But I think this paid off in the end. I was slower going up the hills so instead of a 10 minute section, it was more like 15. From there, the trail does a bit of up and down before hitting Miller Farm Road, which, going clockwise, is all downhill. Plus it's a gravel road. I cruised down this taking a few walking breaks because it still felt too fast sometimes. I did this section in about 20 minutes which is about the same as the other direction. But then after the halfway point, headed back to the stick, I went much faster than the 40 minutes it took me in the other direction. That, combined with the easy downhill down the gravel road, sold me on going clockwise.

After this loop, I cruised back into the aid station and took my time. I had bottles to prep, things to exchange, and generally didn't try to rush in and out quickly.

Loop 3
By the third loop, I was slowing down. I was still running, but not as much and not as fast. I was surprised I still had some run left in me and sure enough, but about a third of the way through, I was pretty much done running. I still ran, but it was mostly downhill only and only in short bits and pieces. I was still feeling pretty good but by the halfway point I was feeling sleepy. So I decided to take a nap after this loop instead of waiting until my fourth loop like I did last year. After all, last year wasn't exactly a success for me.

So when I got back to the aid station, I took a nap. Only 15 or 20 minutes and I didn't sleep but I was able to close my eyes and put my feet up. It helped a ton and even though I was a little bit tired when I got up, my feet felt much better.

Loop 4
I was back to walking but feeling better after my rest. I ran bits and pieces but had pretty much left all desire and ability to move fast. I was getting a bit warm too so I was slowing down so I didn't overheat. The last loop was a bit warmer than I wanted so I was thankful when the the clouds came in and the breeze picked up.

As I had on my third loop, I was continuing to monitor the splits between each section to make sure I had done the math correctly. Sure enough, the clockwise loop was still coming out to be faster than counter-clockwise. It helped reassure myself that I was making the right decision and it helped me distract myself mentally that I was close to an aid station or some sort of visual marker. And even though my splits between these markers was getting slower, I wasn't really all that far off my first few laps. So a couple of minutes here and there was tolerable and I could accept it.

As before, I came in and out of the aid station fairly quickly. I dropped stuff and picked stuff up and felt good going back out for more. I did my best not to think about being only halfway to my goal.

Loop 5
This was a dark loop mentally. I'm not sure why but I just started to loose a lot of willpower to move on and continue to do more. It could have been any number of things that triggered this but in the end, I started thinking about the two names that I had written on my bib. I'll get more into the Meb connection later, but over the past week, there were two deaths that made me sad. The first was my high school French teacher. I loved taking French and she was always a happy teacher. She always had a smile on her face and, even though she was strict and firm if you broke the rules, her class was fun to go to. One of the few highlights of the day. The second was the death of a childhood friend's mother. I don't talk to him very much other than when I see him out in public but his mother used to watch me as a kid when my dad would go on travel. She ended up introducing me to sweet cereals and spaghetti with just butter on it. She wasn't trying to introduce me to new things, that was just the normal in their house but completely foreign to me. She always took care of me like a son and I appreciate it now. Not sure I did then, but I do now.

So this loop kind of sucked, mentally and physically. As I got back to the aid station, I knew I needed another nap. Again, I didn't sleep but just laid there with my eyes closed and my feet up. It helped recharge my brain and my body enough to keep going. Once I managed to get back up and rolling, I got my gear in order and headed back out.

Loop 6
This was my an awesome loop. I got lucky as I left the Start and just as I was getting on a roll, a very slow one, two ladies passed by me. They were walking like me, but were moving much faster. Like a parched man in the desert reaching for a glass of ice-cold water, I reached out and latched onto them. I could maintain their speed walk although on any incline, they'd gap me a bit. But I'd catch up on the downhills and any rocky section. Since I could keep up with them, we started talking. I think they needed a distraction and I certainly know I needed anything to get my rear in gear.

As we neared the end of the stick, the went counter-clockwise, the opposite way that I wanted to go. In a split second, I opted to stay with them instead of going my desired way. And I'm glad I did. They paced me through nearly three-quarters of a loop before they finally dropped me on the hills after the gravel road. I still tried to keep them in sight but I knew they'd stay ahead of me. I ran when I could, something I never, NEVER, thought I'd be able to do this late in the game. In the end, they paced me on one of my fastest loops. Nearly as fast as my first couple of loops where I was running.

Holly and Jo were freaking awesome and I appreciated every minute I could spend with them. They would go on to do some crazy miles but they were clearly not new to ultras. Jo seemed to know everybody out there, including the incredible Gary Knipling. Although, everybody in Virginia should know Gary anyway. Anyway, they were awesome.

As I got back to the Finish area, they were just about to head out. I was grateful for their help but felt exhausted. I knew I had spent a lot of energy keeping up with them and needed a loop to regroup and get back to a steadier pace that was slower.

Loop 7
And a slower pace is exactly what I went out and did. I wasn't aiming for 100k, I was aiming for just one more loop after this one. I started making mental notes of little landmarks that were along the way that were completely unnecessary and damn near impossible to find in the dark. But it kept my mind off my second mentally tough loop. I was tired and continually felt a lot of self-pity where I would stop, bend over, wish it was all over, and just pout my way along. Step after step, I just felt lousy.

I came back into the aid station feeling sleepy and exhausted. I knew I needed another break with my feet up. So I laid back down for another nap. Again, I didn't sleep but just laid there with my feet up. My back had been hurting the last few laps but it wasn't until this one that it was really hurting. I tried cracking it, twisting it, stretching it, even looked for a foam roller to steal for a few minutes. In the end, it just needed a few minutes of quality time on a hard surface.

Loop 8
As I began this loop, I felt better, had my goal in sight, and knew I would finish my 50 miles, regardless of how bad things went. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. And again, I got extremely lucky. Just as I started, a guy rolls up behind me and asks me if I was number 6. I wasn't and he seemed disappointed. He rolled by me at a walking speed faster than mine but slower than Loop 6. So again, I latched on. But this time, Mike stayed with me the entire time. As I usually do, I tell people that I'll stay with them as long as I can but I don't want to slow them down. That's a pretty standard agreement that we all run our own races but he was awesome in that he didn't worry about it and said he would stay with me no matter what. So he led for a bit, then as we started clockwise after the stick portion, I began to lead. I'm not sure I kept quite the same speedy pace he did but he kept pushing me (mentally, not physically) from behind. It was just what I needed. And it turns out it was just what he needed. We ran a bit down the gravel road, talked when we felt like it, shut up when we felt like it, and generally kept each other sane and on pace.

And with that, I finished my 50 miles.

Post-Race
After the race, I just chilled out for a minute. I met my goal, briefly, for a nano-second, thought about going for one more loop, then decided to go get some sleep. Turns out I wouldn't sleep much. I got my gear in order and tried to figure out how to hitch a ride to my car. I turned in my chip, chatted for a bit with one of the race directors, and just tried to chill out. Turns out, the race director is pretty freaking awesome. He went and got his car and drove me to my car. How many race directors in a big-time, or even small-time, marathon will leave the Finish line area to drive a runner to their car at 0300? Not many if any at all. This is part of why I love ultra-marathons so much. I still may be a socially awkward penguin, but everyone treats you like family.

Once I got my car moved to the closer parking lot, I tried to take a nap. I had enough time to do it and knew I needed it. Turns out I just stayed awake laying uncomfortably in my car. So I gave up, realized I forgot my flashlight, and used my nearly dead cellphone to walk back to the Finish area. From there, took a shower, I hauled my gear to my car, and chilled out next to the fire. I tried several times to go to sleep but it just never happened. I think with the sun coming up and an empty belly, I just wasn't quite there yet.

I eventually headed up to Mess Hall, grabbed some breakfast, and promptly passed out at the table. I think I slept maybe 10 or 15 minutes but I'm not sure. I just know I ate, put my head down, and suddenly somebody was sitting next to me talking. I picked my head up and grabbed more coffee since it was nearly time for the awards. As I looked around, I saw several of the people that stayed through the night. My good-luck pacers, Jo, Holly, and Mike. The large woman who was my personal hero. The Mexico City crew. And many others.

They went through the Women's and Men's awards with glasses for those getting 50 or more miles, bigger glasses for those getting 75 or more miles, and even bigger glasses for the top 5 finishers. The volunteers also got mugs and a few other goodies. I was happy with my glass, since that was the goal all year long.

And then it was time for the raffle drawings. And boy did I get some evil looks. There were several prizes given away. Large totes to be used for drop bags. A book. Gift cards. Half the money raised. And two, very nice, backpacks. Well, my first prize was the large wheelie-tote for drop bags. I thought it was full of goodies so was pretty happy. Turns out it wasn't full of goodies but that's okay. I can still use it as a tool box, give it to my dad, or even give it away as a prize for next year's raffle. Then I won the book. Well, I already had a copy of Born To Run, so I said no thanks, pick another name. So they did. But since you had to be present to win, and that person wasn't there, they picked another name. Mine. So again I said no thanks and they continued picking names. And then they drew my name for a $40 gift card to a local running store. The number of evil looks I got grew exponentially. And then I won one of the major prizes, the bag. Thankfully, I diverted at least a few of the evil glares when I gave back the gift cards. I really wanted the bag so I figured why be too greedy? Besides, the bag was well worth the cost of the raffle tickets, even if I won nothing else.

The Meb Connection
I mentioned it earlier, but there was a bit of a Meb Keflezighi connection during the race. No, not like I met his brothers, roommate's cousin's uncle or anything like that, but in other ways. First, the GenUCAN. I've known about and used it for a bit before they made a bigger splash in the news with Meb's win at Boston. It's worked fairly well but I haven't trained too much, especially on really long runs. Turns out it works pretty damn well.

The other connection was the related to Madam Rose and Linda Coleman. They both played a role in my life and I wanted some way to honor them and their memory. Turns out Meb once again had a great idea by putting their names on his race bib. So that's what I did. And every time I ran a lap, I'd put a little tally mark under their name. I may not have won the race like Meb, but it made me feel better about doing what I did.

Now, if you thought things have been boring up until now, just wait. It's time to get into the nitty-gritty technical details.

Weather:
Temps started out at about 55F. Around Noon to 1400, temps were up to about 70F to 75F. It cooled off when the clouds moved in then by 1900, things started to get chilly, especially near the creek bed. By 2200, it was down to about 45F to 50F. Generally, the skies were clear but there was plenty of cloud cover later in the day. And there was a breeze in the afternoon but you didn't feel it too much outside of that. The creek beds were colder than elsewhere, but I knew this having had experience on the course and in similar terrain. At night, the skies were pretty clear since I could see the moon and stars.

Fluids and Fuel:
This is where it gets fun. Per direction from Coach, I started the day with a serving of GenUCAN. Actually, I started with a cold coffee. Then GenUCAN. The coffee got my gut moving enough to do my dookie before the race and the GenUCAN helped fuel the first lap. The first loop I went with water in my hydration pack and Hammer Fizz in my bottle. I had applesauce and two Hammer Enduralytes at the aid station, then went back out with water and a bottle of Hammer Perpeteum for my second loop. For my third loop, I had GenUCAN with a Hammer Fizz tablet mixed in. I did eat a grilled cheese and pierogi and drink some tea prior to the third loop. By the fourth loop I had stopped keeping track of what I ate and drank. But I do know I had more GenUCAN, more Hammer Perpeteum, and more Hammer Fizz. I did not take any more Hammer Enduralytes because I always forgot about them. I did eat a few pieces, small ones though, of pizza around dinner time. I tried to keep the solid food to a minimum and had zero issues with my fueling. Other than the grilled cheese at lunch and pizza at dinner, I had nothing solid until breakfast and didn't feel hungry until then.

My hydration was also on par with what I needed. I could feel myself getting overheated around loop three so I slowed down. By loop 4 or 5, I knew I was a tad behind on my electrolytes so I upped the Hammer Fizz dosage a bit and it worked great. I carried a few tablets with me so I could refill at the halfway aid station if need be. I did that a few times and avoided the chips there. I did frequently have applesauce though. I carried some with me and had some at the aid stations too.

My hydration pack didn't get refilled until the end of the third loop. It helped save time and it helped cool me off in the afternoon when I put ice in it. I also put ice in my bottle a few times in the afternoon too. Other than neglecting my Enduralyte intake, everything was spot on according to plan. I think I skipped one loop of Perpeteum just because I didn't feel like it and knew I needed more electrolytes than I did fuel.

Aches and Pains:
Again, I must have lucked out. I felt pretty good through the first three loops and even into my fourth things were pretty decent. Once I started my regular rotation of loops and naps, my feet could recover enough to make it a little further. By the end of the race, I was still able to move fairly well. And the day after the race I still feel pretty good. Just the usual stiff muscles and sore feet but nothing major considering the distance.




And then we get to the chafing. I had none. You heard that right, I had none. I started the day with BodyGlide on my feet and other sensitive regions. Around the third loop or so, I upgraded to A&D Ointment. And I kept going with the A&D and saw some serious improvement along the way. I did change my socks around loop 4 but other than that, I didn't change a thing about my lube of choice. In fact, I think I'll change to the A&D full-time. And I have a fellow teammate to thank for the idea.

Gear:
For my gear, I started with my T-Star Running shorts, PRS Fit team shirt, BUFF, and gloves. I also had my Altra Zero Drop Lone Peaks and gaiters. By about Loop 6 or so, I had to take the gaiters off. They were rubbing my ankle and I knew they needed to go. I changed my socks around Loop 4 or 5.

I changed my top for Loop 6 and put on my thermal long sleeve shirt and my PRS Fit team tank top. Turns out, I overheated a bit because of the increased pace. But I'm still glad I had the extra layer. I was afraid of getting cold and I did get chilly because I had slowed down and was near the creek in the later part of the loop. By the last loop I added my windbreaker jacket because I was getting colder thanks to the sweaty thermal layer. Turns out I didn't need it because I was once again moving faster than expected.

I wore my Nathan hydration pack and had almost no issues with it. It did start to rub me a bit on the shoulders but overall, it helped a ton to have the extra water if needed, the gear, and the food.


Splits:
Loop 1 - 1:49:31
Aid Station 1 - 2:08
Loop 2 - 1:42:20
Aid Station 2 - 9:28
Loop 3 - 1:59:42
Aid Station 3 - 36:27 (includes a 20 minute nap)
Loop 4 - 2:11:03
Aid Station 4 - 11:50
Loop 5 - 2:20:00
Aid Station 5 - 34:33 (includes a 20 minute nap)
Loop 6 - 2:06:51
Aid Station 6 - 8:59
Loop 7 - 2:50:23
Aid Station 7 - 30:45 (includes a 20 minute nap)
Loop 8 - 2:16:21

Finish - 19:30:32
Time Left On The Table - 4:30:00
RHR - 65 (the morning after)
Weight - 224 (the morning after)

Another Productive Garden Day

This weekend, the kids and I spent some time digging in poop. I love how they just stick their hands in the garden and play in the dirt until I remind them that there's peat moss, vermiculite, and manure in there. The look of horror on their faces as they realize what they just did. Ha!

Anyway, they helped plant the first round of carrots, onions, and lettuce. I also planted some marigolds to help attract bees and deter wildlife. This year, instead of planting the marigolds around the outside of the garden, I'm planting them in the middle. Hopefully that will make harvesting and weeding easier. Of course that's assuming there's anything to harvest.

I also added some regular dirt from the scrap heap in an attempt to raise the level inside the planter a bit. It looked a little low with just the three ingredients so I figured some plain, old-fashioned dirt would help. I took a couple of loads with the bucket on the tractor and it seemed to go well.

Here's one box after the planting and watering. I'm also skipping the string between crops as it was just too complex and made weeding hard. Figured just some tiny berms/ditches would help define the areas just fine.

And here's a little side project I worked on. Thanks to some inspiration from Wranglerstar, I took one of the trees I cut down earlier and cut it to length. Then removed what little grass was there, added some of my starter soil mix, and planted some flowers and tall grass. I figured in a worst-case scenario, I'd at least have nothing there to cut with the weedeater. Best-case scenario would be some pretty flowers and grass that I wouldn't have to cut with the weedeater.

Next up will be another round of carrots, onions, and lettuce along with some corn. Woohoo!

Table for Two

First good run in a long time. I'm now in a much better mood mentally, feel better physically, and may have actually found my will to run again. I headed out to retrieve my last large trail camera so I can re-shuffle them to new spots. The newer cameras are much smaller and much easier to run with so I'll be using them as mobile units while the larger ones stay stationary. Like any of that matters, but I still felt the need to explain it.

Anyway, yesterday was a day full of hiking, walking, and a few, short bursts of running. We hit to parks and probably logged a good 5 miles on our feet. It felt nice to get out in the nice weather and spend time with the family outside. Today was my day to go run so I put in a nice, somewhat easy, certainly low-stress, run on the local trail. I was happy to see a full parking lot but it did make parking a bit tricky. Saw two dog walkers, one walker, one local runner, two more walkers, and a small group of Scouts putting in some service hours.

The run felt hard but easy. Hard physically since it's been a bit since I've gone that far but easy since my mind was in the right place the entire time.

Photos:

I have no idea why these table-sized logs were here.

Weather:
Temps were 60F to 65F. Winds were light. Sun was out in full.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was three waffles, one egg, yogurt, and coffee. During the run I had a bottle of plain water and an apple sauce. Recovery wasn't quite so good but it was a burger, fries, and iced coffee.

Aches and Pains:
I have some sores on the top of my foot that aren't healing as fast as they should. I'll need to check in with the doctor about that. Everything else felt fine.

Gear:
Just took my handheld and not much else. Wore shorts, short sleeve shirt, BUFF, and that's it.

Heart Rate:
Did my best to keep it in Zone 2 but I know I was pushing that early on. So I just went into damage control early on and tried to stay as low as I could.

Splits:
Mile 0.7 - 8:47 (AVG HR 146)
Mile 1 - 12:41 (AVG HR 150)
Mile 2 - 15:01 (AVG HR 151)
Mile 3 - 14:04 (AVG HR 149)
Mile 4 - 15:08 (AVG HR 150)
Mile 0.7 - 8:52 (AVG HR 154)
Finish - 1:14:36
AVG HR - 150
MIN HR - 112
MAX HR - 175

Earth, Wind, and Fire

Managed to get some outside work done now that work has slowed down a bit. We've increased the size of the garden planters. So instead of last year's 4' x 4' box, we've added two boxes that are 4' x 10' each. So a good amount of extra space this year. I also had some help mixing all the dirt together and while it's a little lower than I want, it's at least a start. And no, it's not just "dirt." It's compost/manure, peat moss, and vermiculite. Although I ran out of peat moss for the one section and had to use regular potting soil. May go looking for some extra dirt in the back yard to help fill it up some.

Here's a view of the Earth portion of the post:

I also found the time to clean out the ditch up front. I had already raided it last fall for some leaves so I could use the leaf vac to grind them up a bit and add them to my compost. Little did I know that gumballs don't grind. Well, now I know. Which means I had to pretty much give up on the stuff in the ditch since it was loaded heavily with gumballs from the trees up there. Which means I decided to burn it all. I had no idea I had that much stuff in the ditch until I started cleaning it out. I thought things were pretty clean already but after nearly 20 bucket loads in the tractor and a 5 foot high pile on the burn pit, I realized I underestimated how much crap was there.

Here's the end result of the Fire:

Finally, I had to cut down some trees on my neighbor's property since he didn't seem to be in a big rush to do it. The heavy snow this winter bowed them over and a few times they were hanging low enough in the street to impede traffic. Since I was tired of having them hanging there just waiting to fall into the road and crush my mailbox, I just went over and chopped them down. It also gave me a chance to teach the kids a bit about using a hatchet and axe and what they needed to do to stay safe. William did pretty good since he wasn't quite strong enough to swing the hatchet. Elizabeth though was a little scary when she started swinging like a mad woman at the tree. Hopefully I caught them early enough to at least keep them semi safe around an axe.

Finally, here's the what the Wind (and snow) forced me to do (not that I minded):