Two Taper Runs

Thursday, June 18:

A last jog before the next marathon. Same short local route as Tuesday, a minute faster, but not nearly as easy. I felt full of breakfast still, and very VERY warm, even though the temperature was only in the low 70's. The dew point was in the high 60's - that was the problem.

Thunderstorms tonight I bet. If not here, somewhere nearby for sure. I just checked the generator - it still works.

I ran the 2.5 miles in 21:55, for a pace of 8:46. When I got back my shirt was completely soaked. After the stretches and some additional time, a total of 25 minutes, I was still dripping and red in the face. I suppose there’s some heat-conditioning that has to take place every spring, and this was the beginning of it. Anyway all is well and I hope to be able to run the marathon in about 4:45 or thereabouts. Looking forward to it. Hope it's cool for a change.

Tuesday, June 16:

Nice jog in a local neighborhood, 2.5 miles in about 23 minutes for a pace of about 9:12. This run felt good at the start and got better right to the end.


Salad Lunch: Jim's wonderful lettuces, organic chicken, organic strawberries, organic cottage cheese, organic cashews, organic bread-and-butter pickles, organic red wine vinegar. Yum.

Headphones Are Dangerous

And we saw the evidence today. Picture a runner with headphones running on the right shoulder, his back to oncoming traffic, when the shoulder disappears to become a right-turn lane. The runner goes straight ahead down the middle of that traffic lane, and a VERY patient driver follows perhaps ten feet behind, waiting for the oblivious runner to pass the intersection, out of his way. We watched this happen.

What's wrong with this picture? (1) The runner was on the wrong side of the road; (2) Headphones prevented him from hearing a car approaching; and (3) The runner appeared to enter the traffic lane without realizing it, or maybe without caring. All of these were the runner's fault and easily correctible.

No harm was done, but this runner left everything to chance and was lucky that the right-turning driver was competent and sober. Sunshine's dad always said "stay at least two slips from the edge." This runner was only one slip away.

Saturday, June 13:

St Croix Valley runners, 5 miles in 48 minutes, pace 9:36. We had a big group today, including a new runner. I didn’t feel quite up to par but managed to keep up with some of the runners. The cold is taking away some of my strength - I’m trying my four remedies: (1) Extra sleep; (2) Chicken soup; (3) Warmth, especially chest and throat; and (4) Liniment on my upper chest.

Wednesday, June 10:

Nice, easy run with friend Rich and the Woodbury Runners. 5.2 miles in almost exactly one hour, for a pace of 11:32. Slow but probably good enough for the first run after the second of two marathons. I’m catching a cold.

Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon, # 2

More about the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon:

• Sign on a horse fence along the trail: "Please Do Not Feed Fingers To The Horses".
  
• Bridges: Dozens of them, all wooden, all in excellent condition. I felt totally safe at all times.
  
• Trail width: Enough for two to run and a third to pass easily. I had been concerned that passing and being passed would be an issue, but it wasn’t. The trail was also mostly flat from side to side, so no one has to run on a slope.
  
• Flowers: Along the trail. Spring wildflowers like wild irises and many other species that I’m only able to appreciate but not smart enough to recognize.
  
• Rural: One local told me that the trail is out in the sticks even to people who live out in the sticks.
  
• Ruins: In places one can see remnants of the mining industry which necessitated the narrow-gauge railroad bed upon which the trail is now built.
  
• Race Profile: The one on the website is a little misleading (i.e. wrong). And I was wrong about the altitude in the previous post, reckoning it 1000 feet lower than it is. The race starts at about 5200 feet, goes up to about 6200, and back down to about 4600. But the highest point is not at mile 12 as the profile indicates, it’s between 13 and 14, and there is a very significant mile-long uphill, in the middle of the downhill, which is not shown on the profile. Be ready for it.
  
• Shirt: Technical (wicking) fabric, nice enough design. I’ll wear this one.
  
• Caledonia Cabins: In Lead, about four miles from the bus loading area. We stayed there because they have a full kitchen. Great place, clean and complete. We had trouble with the WIFI at first, but eventually had excellent internet service.
  
• Speed limit: On I-90 in South Dakota is 75 mph. We put the cruise on 80 and were clocked at that speed at least twice by the Highway Patrol. 80 mph apparently is not enough to interest them. Maybe 90 would.

Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon 2009

Sunday, June 7, 2009:

I’m whipped! I don’t recall feeling any more beat up after a marathon than this one. But so far (barring a late-reporting injury) that’s the only bad news. Except that Sunshine and Sweet Pea decided not to try the half, because of injury and weather, so they didn’t get a half marathon in South Dakota. That’s bad news too, especially for them. But I did finish the marathon. Everything is sore, especially the right hip flexors and both calves, but getting better already.

I loved this marathon! Organization was faultless, volunteers were superb, and the venue was without peer. There is also a half marathon and a marathon relay.

The Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon runs on almost 26 miles of the incredibly beautiful 100+ mile Mickelson Trail. The trail surface is mostly packed limestone, almost as firm as blacktop when dry, if not quite so today. For people who need a little extra cushion, it would be perfect. It also gives up a lot of little rocks, though, and my shoes collected quite a few. See the photo. That biggest rock appeared at my toes (how did it get all the way up there?) at about mile 18 or so, and it hurt, so I considered stopping at a bench to take off the shoe and remove it, as I had done once before. But my calves were saying they might cramp up if I did that, so I motored on and the rock eventually found an out-of-the-way place to stay. I talked to one guy who had some very light and colorful gaiters over his shoes, from Dirty Girl Gaiters he said. When she gets back from fishing (!), I’m going to check out that web site again. I knew that rocks would be a problem, but I forgot that I wouldn’t be able to stop and shake out the shoes without other consequences. I have heavier gaiters for snowshoeing, but never even thought of using them to keep out rocks instead of snow. Duh.

Within a couple of miles of the start in Rochford, the trail goes uphill at about a 2% steady grade, eventually climbing almost 1000 feet before topping over and heading downhill again at about mile 14. It’s an old narrow-gauge railway right-of-way. The descent is a bit steeper, a lot steeper in a few places, taking us down about 1700 feet to Deadwood. I had anticipated going slowly up to the top and then faster on the way down. But the second part didn’t happen - I was so wrecked from the climb that I really couldn’t take advantage of the downhill.

Eventually I finished in 5:10:00, 302 of 367 overall, second of six in my age group, almost an hour after the first in my age group. He could have showered and been sipping a cup of tea by the time I stumbled across the line. The award is a cute railroad spike. They charge $5.00 if they have to mail the award, and now I know why. It's a real iron spike.

Weather was an issue. The forecast said low 40's for the whole distance, moderate crosswind, and rain likely, perhaps even lightning. 40 degrees doesn’t bother a Minnesota runner, in fact that’s a lovely temperature for running. But a hard rain can quickly turn it from nice to miserable, even dangerous. Happily, it rained right before the race and after I was done, but it never rained on me! Just a little mist and occasional fog. I carried a jacket around my waist, just in case, but never needed it. The trail was wet though. Most of the way that was no problem, because the packed limestone had absorbed the rain nicely. But for two or three miles the limestone was in poor shape and we ran on a thin layer of mud, maybe a quarter to a half inch, enough to make me choose my footing carefully to avoid a slip. The temperature varied too - in a couple of places along the trail I noticed frost on runners’ caps or shoulders - frozen sweat. My shoulders were like that too. But only my feet ever felt cold.

The Mickelson Trail is scrumptious. The waterfall in the photo is not actually on the trail (I didn’t carry a camera), but it is typical of scenes we saw on the way. Most of the trail is away from all signs of civilization, often traveling along and above an ancient brook or small river. The grade tends to be steady, but the trail winds a lot. Forests, fields, spring wildflowers, interesting rock formations, even caves. We ran on wooden bridges and even through a tunnel. The trail parallels a road here and there, but never a major highway, and it occasionally passes by a rural (VERY rural) home or ranch. It goes through the ruins of the mines that once gave purpose to the original railroad. I’d love to bike the whole 100+ mile trail. In the entire 26 miles we saw only four parties on bikes who were not obviously connected to the race; perhaps they were doing that. Be sure to bring a fat-wheel bike :-)

I don’t need an excuse for running so slowly, but if I did, what would it be? (1) I ran a marathon 7 days before, (2) The trail surface is slightly soft and absorbs a little extra energy from each step, (3) I carried a little more stuff (jacket, gloves, knee warmers...) than usual, (4) The race included more than 1000 feet altitude change, up first, and (5) Altitude reached about 5200 feet (a mile high), and that’s enough. Definitely a masterpiece.

I am SO impressed by Mr Dan Kuch, from Arizona, who finished this tough race in 2:46:33. Whooee.

Splits: 9:21, 9:17, 11:09, 12:04, 11:46, 13:08, 11:36, 17:19 (porta-potty & emptying shoes), 11:36, 11:23, 11:50, 11:46, 12:12, 11:30, 10:04, 10:48, 11:04, 13:06, 13:18, 15:02 (porta-potty), 12:43, 10:35, 11:34, 11:10, 11:22, 13:20 (1.2 mi), total 5:10:00, average pace 11:49. I’ll take it. My 36th marathon, 22nd state.


Tuesday, June 2, 2009:

NSPCC. I ran a mile, felt some pain in the left ankle, and stopped. The elliptical machine felt fine so I used that for a while.

Minneapolis Marathon 2009

This was a great inaugural Minneapolis Marathon. That's the bottom line. I loved it.

Negatives:

(1) But where’s my jacket? Half marathoners got a nice technical shirt in their race packets, but full marathoners were supposed to get a jacket at the finish line. I got a medal, sure enough, almost couldn’t avoid it, got a banana too, but never noticed anyone handing out jackets, or a table where they might have been handed out, or other runners carrying their jackets. Did I screw up? Probably. I admit that when I finish a marathon my brain is mostly on vacation, and I actually didn’t think about the jacket until after I got home, so maybe someone tried to hand me one and I blew them off. Or did they run out of jackets? Not likely - they knew exactly how many marathoners were in the race weeks ago, because registration was closed. Oh well, I’m sure I missed something. And I don't really need another jacket.

(2) I didn’t get water at the first aid station, Mile 2. It appeared they had some, but there was a long line of runners stopped and waiting for it, so I decided to just motor on. The remaining aid stations did their job correctly. They’ll have that fixed next year I’m very sure.

Positives:

All the rest is positive. This was my 35th marathon, and it ranks very high in quality. Very high indeed. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE COURSE! Nearly all of it was on parkways or trails, and nowhere did the runners have to share a road with automotobile traffic. There were a few bikes, especially on the trails to Fort Snelling State Park, but they don’t hurt nearly as much if they hit you. And you can yell at ‘em or sock ‘em in the nose. Besides, the race’s own bike patrol booted them off the road whenever they encountered them. The course was partly out-and-back, with big loops at the front and the back. Some folks are put off by the out-and-back, but not me. I like to see the front-runners and give them a little encouragement as they head toward me, and same for those who are slower than me. The course was a bit hilly ("challenging"), but I don’t mind that - I just use the hills as another excuse to walk, then the downhills as a very good reason to run. Nobody passes Don on the downhill. Well, rarely.

I was surprised by the number of spectators, and by their enthusiasm. Not as many as TCM, but enough to be a nice distraction. I wear DON on my shirt, and got lots of "go Don" affirmation. Beautiful day, too, about 45 at the start and 70 at noon.

I finished second out of ten in my age group! Imagine. Sounds good until you know that my time was 4:49:00, which means that most of us old farts in the 65-69 age group went over five hours. And it means the the "big guns" didn’t show up for this race. Not a single one of us ran a Boston-qualifying time of 4:15. Three weeks from now, at Grandma’s, several will do that. Last year 11 of 51 did.

I’m happy with my time though. I just can’t run 4:15 any more, and this was actually a bit faster than I intended because there’s another marathon coming up in a week. I started out running three minutes and walking two, modifying that as needed to deal with hills. That put me right on pace. After mile 20, though, many of the runs were shorter and so were the walks. I didn’t slow much though - the last 10k was about 1:07, which is a pace of 10:48, slightly better than the overall pace of 11:01.

Pains: Nothing worrying. Calves wanted to cramp up ten minutes after the finish, but I stretched ‘em out and they didn’t. Both knees are complaining a little, but they're better already and will probably be fine tomorrow. The cancer-drug-induced neuropathy in my feet (previous post) did NOT get worse during the marathon. That’s very good news if my feet stay that way overnight, because I'd hate to think that running is harmful to my feet. I feel pretty good, actually. Recovery run Tuesday or Wednesday.

Splits: 11:32, 10:43, 10:28, 21:03 (2 mi), 23:06 (2 mi), 11:03, 10:21, 11:10, 42:39 (4 mi), 13:51 (potty stop), 11:03, 10:22, 12:24, 11:03, 11:07, 10:19, 21:38 (2 mi), 11:02, 10:12, 14:00 (1.2 mi). Total 4:49:00, pace 11:01. Slightly better than Lincoln, which was not as hilly as this one.

Great race - I already like the Minneapolis Marathon better than TCM, not least because it has a 7-hour time limit and TCM are such jerks about their 6-hour limit. I may do this every year.

Beautiful Day

Two and a half soft miles in a nearby neighborhood. Pace 8:25 for one timed loop (too fast), and 9:29 for the second one (about right). Tapering down.

The soles of my feet are starting to tingle and feel numb all the time, most likely a side effect of the medications I’m taking. It’s called "peripheral neuropathy," and the meds are known to cause it for some people. Unfortunately, it seems a little worse right now after the run than it did before the run. I was hoping that running might actually help hold it off, by increasing blood flow or something, but no indication of that yet. I suppose a marathon might settle the question - it could get a lot better or a lot worse. We shall see. I’m blogging more about it on my myeloma blog.

Beautiful day though. It’s a masterpiece!



Gluten-free oatmeal with dried cranberries and organic raisins, banana, mango, organic green grapes, blueberries, organic pomegranate juice, organic low-fat milk.

Runner's Emergency Kit

Peter made a very good point in his comment on my previous post. No doubt the petroleum jelly works too, but he mentioned his emergency kit.

My kit is a similar concept, containing:

• Copies of medical insurance cards, for ID and, well, for insurance;
• A $20 bill;
• An Aleve (NSAID);
• An aspirin, in case of heart attack; and
• Two Benadryl tabs in case of bee sting - I’m allergic.

That little packet weighs almost nothing, and I slip it into my pocket on every run, whether it’s a huge marathon or a romp in the park. I’ve never NEEDED anything from it yet, though I gave the Benadryl once to another runner who did get stung, and the $20 bill has come in handy more than once. I like Peter's idea of emergency gloves and headband, too; perhaps I'll add those.

Maybe more important, I always, always bring my cell phone. There were times that I left it behind, begrudging the extra four ounces, especially in a marathon. Until, that is, I broke down in a marathon and needed to let my people know I’d be lucky to finish in six hours instead of the planned 3:50 or so. Now I carry it every time, and would never buy a pair of running shorts without a zippered back pocket for that phone. I’ve used it more than once to call 911, not for myself (yet) but for some other situation. Once it was to report two over-ripe dead cows (phew!).

Today’s taper run was on the overhead track at the "club," four miles in 35:15. Good pace for today, good distance for the taper. I did feel just the slightest pain in the right heel while walking after the run. Like the very beginning of plantar fasciitis (PF) which, as I recall, began at the back of the heel before it moved to the center. My PF cured itself a couple of years ago, but "they" say it’s recurrent. So maybe it’s coming back. Just in time for my string of three or four marathons. Yuk.

Tonight I’ll be wearing The Sock, the very best single treatment for PF that I’ve found, short of surgery. It doesn’t cure PF, but it may be able to reduce or even eliminate the symptoms, at least for a while. Stretches help too, and I’ll be vigilant about those. But gosh I hope it’s a false alarm.

Splits: 9:11, 8:42, 8:40, 8:41, total 35:15, pace 8:49. I’m happy.


Salad.