Payback

Well, I finally got the Pain Train to bet on a road race and it paid off. The pay up was at the Buck Mountain Mudslinger. Thank-you Run Wild Adventures for getting these pictures...I forgot my camera. During the race he sported the "I Love My Bump" T-shirt and the "Winner Winner Chicken Teriyaki Dinner" shorts. Pre and post-race he really pulled off the muumuu...people were starting to believe it was some type of new ultra running gear.

And I just had to recap for myself...this was my first win after four losses.

1) Lost a team bet on the Mt. Hood Scramble in 2008. Had to wear this at the Stayton 4th of July 10K that year.
2) Lost a bet on the Pain Train Challenge at Shellburg Falls in 2008. Had to wear this at the 2009 Cascade Half Marathon.
3) Lost a bet on the TOE 50K/Mt. Hood Scramble double in 2009. Had to wear this at the Stayton 4th of July 10K that year.
4) Lost a bet on the Shellburg Falls Trail Run in 2009. Had to wear this (sorry, the video is no longer available!) at the 2010 Cascade Half Marathon.

Finally winning was pretty sweet...when and where will there be a next bet?

Hagg Lake 50K

The Pain Train is back…he’s running well and getting the publicity he deserves. He ran a great race last Saturday…finished in 4:04:11! I’m glad I don’t have any bets on up-coming races with him…I would be nervous.

By the way, I’m not impressed with the winning caption for this picture. There were several better ones…in particular, by William’s Aunt Darlene.

All things considered, I felt like I had a pretty good race too. I’ve been telling myself that I’ve got a singular focus this year…the Eugene Marathon. My plan was to stick to the plan…that meant a high mileage week before Hagg Lake and not surprisingly my legs were feeling heavy. I could tell right away going up the hill on the out-and-back…there was no spring in my step. I ran the out-and-back and several miles of the first loop with Will Kalenius…enjoyed catching up with him.

Once we hit the trail, I was trying not to go too fast, but I ended up needing/wanting to pass a couple guys, and Will didn’t come with me. We unexpectedly did not take the detour for the bridge that is out…that was more fun than running the road, but was noticeably tougher on the second loop. A short while later, I could hear the Pain Train, not far behind, discussing with Will how he was lucky someone saved him from taking a wrong turn.

The Pain Train and Will caught me at the dam aid station. At that point, a group of five of us ran together for a few miles. Then the Pain Train decided to make his move…about 10 miles into a 31 mile race! One by one, our group broke up. I was trying to keep the Pain Train in sight and eventually I was by myself. Every now and then I caught a glimpse of him and then we hit the muddy section about a half mile from the start/finish area and he lost a shoe so I caught up.

All day I was making a point of going right through the mud/water on the trail…not worrying about getting wet feet. It worked well except at one point not too far into the second loop. I tried to go right through the middle of a big mud puddle…it ended up being a lot deeper than I expected and I went down. As I went down, there was a lady carefully making her way around the puddle and she accused me of trying to mud wrestle with her. Pretty funny. I shook it off and tried to get back in a rhythm…very hard to do on the Hagg Lake trail.

Before the dam aid station, I passed a couple guys and when I finally popped out on the road just before the dam I could see the Pain Train. He was about a dam length ahead of me, but I knew I had no shot at catching him. Mainly because after the dam aid station, I could tell I was slowing down. There are some short/steep ups that were tough and I was expecting someone to catch me at any time…surprisingly, no one did. I had finished the out-and-back plus first loop in about 2:12 and I was hoping for a second loop in at least 2:00. I actually ended up being pretty close, though there were points when I was trying to estimate finishing time and I was thinking I would be lucky to break 4:20. Then the good old one mile to go sign appeared at about 4:04…alright, I’m going to be faster than last year! I finished in 4:13:28.

After the race there was a lot of good trash talking between The Pain Train and The Colonel. They’ve got a little wager on the Buck Mountain Mudslinger and Tumor Shooter trail races this weekend. This should be fun.

My Running Family

There's something really satisfying about getting other people interested in running. This year I've really enjoyed watching Tonya, Kristin, and Will get into it...sorry Ella, no racing for you until you're 3. Here are some pictures from races this year.

March - Champoeg Park 10K - Tonya had decided to run the Hippie Chick Half Marathon in May with some of her friends and I had put together a training plan for her to follow. By March, I told her to try a 10K to see where she was at fitness-wise. It was a great morning for a race...the rain held off until just as we were leaving. Unfortunately, the race was only 6 miles due to a downed tree on the course, but it was still a good test to see where she was at...Tonya ran 51:52, so we began thinking about a sub-2:00 hour half marathon. Thanks to Gramma C. for coming to watch the kids so Tonya and I could both run.

Ella all bundled up


Will cheering for the runners


Celebrating a 6 mile PR


The running protege and mentor

July - Stayton 4th of July 10K - Kristin came all the way down from Portland to run this race just to see what I would have to wear after losing another bet with the Pain Train. It was a hot day as usual, but Kristin and I both had good races and cooled off in the creek afterwards. Kristin and Tonya were now both preparing for the Portland Marathon.

I feel bad for anyone who gets beat by this guy


Great picture of the start of the race


Trying to hang on to 2nd place


There was something special about the outfit again


Kristin finishing off her race


A 10K PR

July - Coburg Run in the Country - Tonya ran a great first half marathon in 2:02:43...she really pushed herself in the second half and even puked near the end...but she was cheated out of a potential sub-2:00 hour finish due to the fact that the Hippie Chick race used timing chips but did not have a timing mat at the start of the race...disgraceful! She could have easily lost a couple minutes at the very congested start. For her Portland Marathon training, Tonya's long run was up into the 18 mile range, so I felt she was very prepared for this half marathon...the goal was to run 9:00 minute miles...at this pace she would easily break 2:00 hours. She ended up running 1:56:32...an 8:54 pace! I was so proud. This was also Will's first official race. I have to say, it's so dang cute to see those kids lined up at the start. He had a blast.

High five from Will on the homestretch


Super Mom


Lined up for the kids race


Will having a blast


He's a natural

August - Bush Park Cross-Country Series Week 1 - These races are held every Thursday night in August and are really a lot of fun. They have races of several different distances for all ages. We ended up going the first week. Will ran in the kids race and Tonya got her speedwork in for her Portland Marathon training by running the 5K.

Will explaining how fast he will run


Lined up and ready to go


This is intense


Will has his game face on as he heads down the homestretch


Very cute


Portland Marathon speedwork for Tonya

August - Bush Park Cross-Country Series Week 4 - We didn't make it back to Bush Park until the last week of August. Will had a tough race this week...he decided to line up in front and got knocked down when the race started. He was pretty upset and I thought we were going to have to bag it, but he got over it, started running, and we even managed to pick off a few stragglers. Tonya had a good race and improved on her 5K time.

At the start...maybe too close to the front


I thought this might be a DNF


Finishing it up together...this is my favorite picture


1st time down the big hill


This is fun


Focused


2nd time down the big hill

October - Portland Marathon - This race really became the culmination of the year for Kristin and Tonya. Word on the street was that Kristin's goal for the marathon, her third, was to break 4:00 hours...she had previously run 4:24:03 (1st marathon at Newport) and 4:14:11 (2nd marathon at San Diego). For Tonya, I estimated that 10:00 minute miles was a reasonable goal for her first marathon. In the end, both ran races to be proud of...Kristin took a huge step in the direction of a Boston qualifying time finishing in 3:58:15 and Tonya finished in 4:34:44 and recently said she wants to run another one! I was very impressed with Kristin's splits for the race...she ran very evenly throughout and had a negative second half split. Tonya likely started out a little too fast and had the "classic" marathon experience that I've had several times and I've had described to me by others many times...felt great for the first 18 miles or so, then in the last 8 miles began wondering when is this going to be over! I'll add more pictures as soon as they are available.

Tonya all set for her first marathon


Pretty good view from our hotel room

So, You're Telling Me There's a Chance...

It's been quite a season for me in the Oregon Trail Series.

I had a pretty good Hagg Lake...I faded quite a bit in the end.
I had an OK Rumble...coming off a calf injury.
I had a disappointing PCT 50...story to come later.
And I had a DNF at Where's Waldo...coming off pneumonia.

Now with one race left to go, I still have an outside shot at winning the 30-39 age group. Gregory Smith is currently leading with 122.53 points and I've noticed he's not running McKenzie...so no chance to improve his point total. I'm currently at 95.13 points...27.4 points behind. As best I can tell, I would need to finish no more than 27 minutes behind the winner at McKenzie tomorrow to get the necessary points. Note to Todd Braje...if you're running tomorrow, please don't set a new course record!



There's no question that I'll have to run my best 50K...but it's just close enough to the realm of possibility that I'm going for it!

What's Been Missing in My Life...

Blogging...I don't know if you've noticed, but lately my blog has been drifting aimlessly...it's time to start TCB.

I'm doing this just for me...clearly.



Actually, it's been quite an interesting past 6 months...

March - Calf injury
April - 10K PR (35:47), Boston Marathon PR (2:52:54)
May - Mike Luvin's Challenge
June - 50K PR (4:11:23), lost another bet
July - 10K PR again (35:25), Triple Mary's Peak
August - Pneumonia, first DNF

...definitely some stories worth telling.

Mike Luvin's Challenge(s)

Challenge #1 - This challenge was born shortly after the 2008 Newport Marathon. The record has changed hands several times between the Pain Train and myself. Since I'm the current record holder, I'm putting my name to it and making it public!

The course: Start from Lewisberg Saddle and run the last ~ 4.8 miles of the 2008/2009 McDonald Forest 50K, then the first ~ 6.9 miles back to the saddle. http://www.oregontrailseries.org/mac/course.htm

The record: 1:23:34 (Mike Luvin - 5/20/2009)


Challenge #2 - For the short period of time that I was not the record holder for Challenge #1, I was working on another record...I had always wanted to try and run this particular route in under 1 hour. I recently went for it and was really flying until I got to the bottom of Dan's Trail and came across what looked like a few high school kids looking at a map. I figured they might need some directions so I stopped and pointed them the right way...at that point, I was pretty sure my sub-1 hour dream was dead for that day, but I kept pushing and by the time I hit the Upper Horse Trail, I knew I still had a shot. I made it, but I figure I lost maybe a minute...I guess what I'm saying is there's room for improvement here.

The course: Start from Lewisberg Saddle and run Road 600/650 to the top of Dimple, then run down Dan's Trail to Jackson Creek Trail, then run Road 612/610 to the Horse Trails, then run up the Horse Trails, then run back down Road 600 to the saddle.

The record: 58:28 (Mike Luvin - 5/9/2009)


Disclaimer: To the best of my knowledge, there are no other claims by anyone to these records so I am declaring myself the record holder. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Fall Creek Run-Around 20 Miler

My goal race for the first half of the year is the Boston Marathon. After last year's race, I had to go back. When I saw this 20 mile race on the calendar, I thought it might make a good long tempo run. The only questionable part about it was it was the week after the Hagg Lake 50K.

Initially, I was planning to wait until after Hagg Lake to see how I felt before signing up, but I got ahead of myself and signed up early...if I had waited, I probably would have skipped it. My right hamstring was bothering me enough after Hagg Lake that I took 3 days off from running and used a lot of RICE therapy. I ended up running 12 miles with the Pain Train on Thursday before the race and even a couple miles the day before at marathon tempo pace just to see how it might feel. It felt OK, so the race was on...I mean, tempo run.

The race didn't start until 10:00...that was nice...I left Corvallis around 8:00 and got there at about 9:20. My plan was to do a 3 mile warm-up, but I only had time for 2 miles. The area was pretty nice and the weather was perfect for a long road run...the reservoir kind of looked like Detriot...the water level was real low.

The race started off and I was in second behind John Leuthold, an RVR runner. I was pretty sure John had run the McKenzie River 50K last year, and I knew all those guys were in the 4:00:00-4:10:00 range...a little out of my range. We ran the first mile together...I found out he was training for the Way Too Cool 50K. We hit the first mile in a little over 6:00...not quite tempo pace...see you at the finish! As I slowed down, Jason Hawthorne caught me...he's a local guy, from Albany...I've seen him at a lot of races, but never really talked to him...we ended up running together until somewhere around mile 8 or 9.

For the first 6 miles or so, I felt pretty tight and was a little concerned that the race wasn't going to go too well...but a little after the 6 mile mark we turned a corner and started to run uphill and I started to feel better. Jason and I really pushed the uphill...and John seemed to be getting closer. I was surprised that we seemed to be catching up so quickly...at 10 miles I had left Jason and I was right behind John! He heard me, turned around with a shocked look on his face, and "put the hammer down". Now if I was racing, I might have tried to keep up, but as it was, I didn't even respond. He put almost 3 minutes on me in the second 10 miles of the race. I'll be interested to see how he does at Way Too Cool...turns out he did really well...finished 23rd in 4:12:18.

As far as the tempo run was concerned, the course wasn't real good for running a consistent pace...I ended up finishing in 2:10:51...a little slower than I hoped, but pretty good, I thought, with how I felt after Hagg Lake. Speaking of Hagg Lake, the course kind of reminded me of the ORRC Hagg Lake Road Run, only twice as long. All in all it was a really nice race...I finished in the top 3 so I got a free entry into the Oregon Marathon Relay in April...there's a 10K...it's the week before Boston...I might run it.