Week Ending 1/25/2014, and dogs.

I am less than inspired to write a post this week. I think it's because, after ramping up the miles 4 weeks in a row, I opted to cut back a little this week. Whenever I do that, I feel a little less like writing about my running for the week.

So, I ran a total of 22 miles this past week, which was at the lower end of my goal mileage spread. But I'm ok with that. I added a mile and a half on to my long run for the week, running 7 on Saturday prior to heading up north for an impromptu visit to Duluth.

The 31st running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon started in Two Harbors on Sunday, despite low snow levels which forced them to use a shortened (319 mile) route this year. G had never seen the start of a Dogsledding race before, and both being animal people we decided to watch it.

I had forgotten how much fun that is. This year, it started out in a gravel pit, in the woods, and felt even more true to mushing's roots than usual. All the mushing trucks were lined up with their exciting, yapping cargo of high-energy running dogs. If you've never been to one of these events before, those dogs want to run. By the time the race starts, the dogs have been well rested, and their energy cannot be contained, so they yelp and howl, but are still calm enough that young children can come up and pet them.

After a beautiful rendition of the Canadian and American national anthems (seriously, this woman sang like an angel, if that angel were accompanied by 600 or so yapping dogs) the first mushers took to the course.

If you doubt that these dogs are true runners, each dog is held back at the start by one person until it is time for them to shoot of the course. To make sure the dogs don't run too quickly too soon (dogs, too, suffer from starting too quickly), most mushers will deploy a snow anchor to slow the sled in the beginning miles until the dogs settle down into their races.

Being myself, I quickly tired of the crowd and ran down the trail a ways to get clearer shots of the teams.

The short course teams were limited to 8 dogs, the long-course teams had 12. Once out on the course, dogs may be dropped from the team at checkpoints, usually due to vet checks, but not swapped out.

Further into the woods. 

All in all, it was a uniquely north-woods experience, and I'm glad I got a chance to go.

Why do you run?

The following are two short (350 words or fewer) essays answering the question "Why do you run?" This is the perennial question for runners, and one that always leaves me struggling to put words to the feeling I get when running. 

I submitted the second one to a contest, run by Geoff Roes (http://akrunning.blogspot.com/), to get in to one of his running camps this year. 

Why do you run?

That’s a question with as many answers as there are runners. It’s a question every runner gets asked on a regular basis. And it’s a question I’ve asked myself on many a below-zero morning in Minnesota since I moved back here from Boulder, Colorado. 

I started running distance, I had been a sprinter for years, in my senior year of high school for two of the most mundane reasons imaginable. The first was because a doctor told me it would be good for my knees, which had been trashed after 12 years. That’s right, a doctor told me, in 2000, that running would be good for my knees. I was that lucky. 

The second reason I started running was because of a girl. Enough said. 

That’s why I started. So why, 15 years later, am I still running? I will give you free reasons. 

Freedom. This is a typical answer, as far as I can tell. I run to get away from the proverbial “all.” When I’m out running, I can do what I like. I can set aside the worries of work and life, or I can sort through my thoughts on work and life. As so many others do, I do my best thinking while running. In college, where I double majored in math and physics, whenever I had a particularly stubborn problem set or take-home exam, I would set it aside, go for a run, and more often than not when I got back, I would have the answer. 

Uncertainty. We live in a pretty secure world, all told. Despite the constant fear-mongering that we see in politics and the media, we are living in the safest situations ever seen in human history. When I toe the line at the race, even if I’ve done my homework, I am never sure how the day will go. 

New Beginnings. Years ago, I slipped on a patch of ice. Normally not a big deal, but I had just had shoulder surgery, and could not catch myself. After 8 months of recovery, I joined my first running club, trained for a year, and watched my PRs fall. Every season is a new beginning. Every race is a new beginning. Every run is a new beginning. And that is why I run. 

Why do you run?

That’s a question with as many answers as there are runners. It’s a question every runner gets asked on a regular basis. And it’s a question I’ve asked myself on many a below-zero morning in Minnesota since I moved back here from Boulder, Colorado. 

I started running in my senior high school on my doctor’s advice. I had trashed my knees with 12 years of soccer, and they were, in the doctor’s words, disintegrating. He suggested a number of exercises I should do, and added in passing that running might be a good idea for me. That’s right, in the year 2000, I had a doctor tell me to run for the sake of my knees. I was lucky. 

I also started running because of a girl, but that’s another story. 

Six years later, in Boulder, Colorado, I slipped on a patch of ice. Not normally a big deal. But I had just had shoulder surgery two months earlier, and could not catch myself. After walking home from, past the ER, I called my sister to take me to the (same) ER, and found out I had broken my leg. A half millimeter more separation between the pieces and the doctor would have put a plate in. But since he was the same doctor who did my shoulder, and didn’t want to see any more of my insides (his words), he let it heal naturally. After 8 months of recovery and rehab, I joined a running group, and a year later my PRs started falling like rain. 

Last year, I moved back from Boulder to Minnesota and the coldest winter in recent memory. Despite -20 degree temperatures and record snowfall, I met more people through running than any other way. 

If you haven’t caught it yet, I run for new beginnings. Every season is a new beginning. Every race is a new beginning. Every run is a new beginning. Whatever else is happening in my life, running always gives me a fresh start. 

Fortnight Ending 1/18

Monday: 3.75 miles. 29:30. Ran down Summit with -5 temps and significant wind. My legs started to feel a bit sore by the end. Added a core workout at the end, but couldn’t add my normal arm routine because they were too tired. 

Tuesday: 3.75 miles. 31 minutes. Ran out in a windchill advisory, and even though it was warmer than the day before. Added to that, there was an extra 3-4” of snow from the night before, which made the trip down Summit a little more interesting. I get the feeling that here, unlike Boulder, I will have to do the majority of trail breaking myself. Full leg stability/dynamic strength routine. 

Wednesday: Rest.

Thursday: 4.5 miles. 35 minutes. I got a scare on this run, which was a little snowy and very windy Right when I got to the snowy section down Summit, I started getting a twinge in my Achilles tendon. After less than a block, it was so bad that I cut over to the sidewalk and was ready to give up on the run. Apparently it was triggered by the loose, unconsolidated snow. Once I got back on the sidewalks again it seemed to go away, and I actually got a good, fast run in. Added another leg stability/dynamic workout later. 

Friday: 3 miles, 25 minutes. 0 degrees with another windchill advisory. Had planned for two miles, but ended up pushing on to three. My achilles tweaked a bit at about a mile into the run, but cleared up quickly. It seems as though the idea of staying on the sidewalks worked pretty well. Did a full core workout plus pushups and inverted rows back at the house. 

Saturday: Took a (mostly) rest day. I can definitely feel that I’m ramping back up into my full-on training mode. Went to Snelling State Park to check out their winter trails day, and ended up doing about a mile or so of classic skiing while we were there. 

Sunday: 2 mile shakedown. Need I say more? 

For some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that something big is going to happen this year. I’ve gone into previous years with big plans, big hopes, big dreams, and feeling good about the year ahead, but I’ve never had the feeling that there would be something majorly different about this year than others before. 

I don’t know what it’s going to be. I know I’m shooting higher than I ever have before and that, despite not making the Altra Ambassador roster (yes, that was the position I applied for earlier), I will do more with running this year than I ever have. 

In short, I have a very good feeling about this year. 

Monday 1/12: Rest day, with a core workout. All of the books I’ve read with workout plans lately have Monday as a rest day. I presume that’s because I’m getting to the point where I need to incorporate Back to Back runs on the weekend. Core workout in the afternoon.

Tuesday 1/13: 4 miles. 5 degrees below zero. Overall I felt pretty good on this run. I ran about two miles in the snow with no Achilles pain. Added a leg stability/strength workout in the afternoon. 

Wednesday 1/14:  ~3 miles, 24 minutes with 4x1 minute pickup. Ran east on summit, and added in some impromptu pickups to get some turnover in. Added a core strength workout. 

Thursday 1/15: 4 miles, 35 minutes + leg stability and dynamic strength workout. The cold spell finally broke!. Of course, this meant that the snow was soft and footing was iffy. After two days, I was definitely getting tired, and am glad to have the next day scheduled off. 

Friday 1/16: OFF. No core workout, no run. 

Saturday 1/17: 5.5 miles, 51 minutes on the nose. I took this one down to the River Gorge area, a personal favorite of mine, to get back on the trails after a long absence. I took it pretty easy, by and large, but decided to pick it up a bit on the bridges (as I tend to do). I was surprised to find that I ran my second-fastest time ever on the Ford Bridge. I clearly haven’t lost any leg turnover during my off season, and my endurance seems to be coming back more quickly than it did last year. 

This was one of those days when I remembered why I love running in general, and why I run trails in particular. I hit my third-best Strava-proven time on the River Gorge loo, and felt fantastic. It was a gorgeous, just-below-freezing, sunny day, and I had the trails to myself. 

Sunday 1/18: ~4 miles, 31 minutes. I again added some pickups in for the fun of it. Frank Shorter once said to always do a little speedwork, however much or little you can do, the day after a long run. I guess I’ll give it a try. 

Week Ending 1/4: Getting back into it

Monday: 3.75 miles.. 30:37. Core strength routine. 

Tuesday: Dynamic Strength/Stability routine. No running. 

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 2.75 miles. 22:42. New years. 

Friday: 3.25 miles. 25:34. Felt a bit sore. This was my first day running twice in a row in some time. 

Saturday: 3.75 miles. 30:18. Felt Flat after the two prior days. Still got in a core and arm workout. 

Later in the day,  G and I met some friends up at Wild River State Park for some cross country skiing. This was my first time skiing in a few years, and I could tell. My form was a bit off, and I got pretty sore really quickly. Even so, it felt great to be back on skis again. 

It was G’s first time on XC skis, and despite some issues getting the skis on (as sometimes happens with new skis/boots) she seemed to get the hang of it impressively quickly. It left her sore, too, of course, but she seemed to enjoy it by and large. 

The conditions themselves were far from ideal. There was only about 5 or 6 inches of snow on the ground (at the outside). While the groomers had clearly been out, there were many branches and bare patches poking through here and there. And there were no classic tracks other than those made by earlier skiers.

Nevertheless, it was good to get out of the Cities, into the quiet, and out on snow again. Hopefully with the snow we’re getting as I write this, and maybe a little more in the next week or so, conditions will keep improving. 

All in all, a good start to the training season. For the first time, I actually have my general training plan mapped out through September when, if all goes well, I should be running in my first 50 miler up on the SHT. 

I’m asking big things from myself this year, and I hope I can deliver.