Running - Part#2: The Training

            I’ve written this entry within my mind a million times.  Each time it’s a little different, but each time the theme remains the same.  When I picture what I’ll write I have excellent descriptions, the relevance is clear and the application is adaptable.  My fear is that I’ll remember none of that once I actually hold my pen to the paper; when I reflect on the purpose, however, I find the motivation to venture forth and make the attempt.  Each of us has been given a gift from God.  That gift is a part of who we are, and a facet on the life we’ve been granted, the life we live, and the life we share.  Our job, our role, and our niche is to do the best we can to live that out.  It’s like a seed placed in the soil and nurtured to be the plant it was destined to be.

            On the brink of turning 50 years old this summer, I have stepped out of the safe, known and predictable and into something extreme.  I wouldn’t call it a midlife crisis.  For me personally, I think I’m probably beyond most of those years; and I’m not sure what that entails anyway.  I’d rather call it a way to reflect and relate to all that I’ve lived and experienced to this point.  Some might argue that there are better ways to do that, but for some time now I’ve been planning to run 50 at 50; to run 50 miles at the age of 50.  It’s known as an ultra marathon; anything over the 26.2 mile standard marathon distance.

After a 6.5 mile run (Sun: 1-17-16) when it felt like -20 degrees

            I once heard someone speak on dreams, and while doing so, mentioned the word "Kintsugi." The word Kintsugi refers to the Japanese art form of repairing broken pottery with gold or silver “filler.”  In the midst of brokenness, the pottery becomes more beautiful and valuable.  God can restore a person in the same way; not perfect, but healed and renewed. 

            Running is one of the gifts I’ve been granted.  It’s a dream that has had its share of achievements and disappointments.  I’ve been warned that I shouldn’t put all of the aspects of those dreams into the basket of this 50 mile run, as it adds a lot of extra pressure.  That could be true, but I’m looking at this race as an adventure, and anything that happens through this process will most likely add to the already growing story.

On an 18 mile run on February 20th

            Twenty-five years ago my friend Rick Sager talked me into running my first marathon; Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.  Since that time I have run 14 marathons, and about a dozen 25K (15.5 miles) & half marathons (13.1 miles); not to mention a host of road races ranging from 5K’s (3.1 miles) to 10 miles.  Each one is worthy of a story and explanation, although I can’t guarantee how exciting they would be.  I will say that I’ve run close to 20,000 miles since my very first road race back in 1979 (see my previous blog entry).  I’ve run with a lot of different people at a lot of different places, parks, and paths.  When I first started running marathons and training with Rick, I was just trying to finish and sometimes just complete it while nursing a nagging injury.  By my fifth marathon I thought I might be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon (running a certain time based on your age).  The year my son was born I ran Grandma’s Marathon again, on an unusually warm day along Lake Superior.  I missed the needed time by 7 minutes finishing in 3:17; and that with a major hamstring cramp and having to walk the last half mile or so into the finish.  “Woulda, coulda, shoulda.”  I’ve tried since then numerous times and have either come up short, bonked, cramped, or got injured just prior to the race.  During some of those years of training I would turn superhuman, and crank out interval runs over miles and miles with only a couple of a second difference.  I was the product of consistency.  It was in that vanity that something goofy would happen though, and I would be reduced to humble nothingness.  I always ran the marathons I was training for anyway, albeit injured and simply trying to finish; a far cry from my original goal.  When talking to other runners, if I mentioned my half marathon times, they would usually comment by saying, “Oh, you should have no problem qualifying for Boston.”  Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.

            After Rick moved out of our neighborhood to a nearby town, a new teacher at our school moved in.  It was bizarre that I learned a lot from Rick who was 13 years older than me, and here was Scott Rogers, 13 years younger than me and now positioned as a willing running partner.  Gone were the years of a single ring on our home phone early in the morning as Rick let me know he was on his way to our house (it gave me 10 minutes to get dressed quick and get down to the corner).  Now we were entering the era of cell phones and Scott and I would call or text each other to set up our time to meet and run.  We too have run, trained, and raced off and on together for the last 10 years or so.

Scott & I after running Chicago 2008 together.

            I mention some of these things to say that throughout the process of running there have been ups and downs and yet I haven’t given up on it.  I have been frustrated and angry and mad.  May God bless my wife who has seen a not so pretty picture of me in those situations; and my Dad, who would let me vent on the way to some secret fishing spot where I could drown my sorrows in a creek.  I have also been surprised, encouraged, and excited by the way my running has gone.  I’d like to think, in retrospect, that God has taught me something, and that perhaps I’ve learned.  I’ve learned about goals and disappointments, and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps with God’s grace and mercy, and starting again by simply putting one foot in front of the other.  Sometimes that’s all you can seem to muster while carrying on with life.  In case you care, the history of those marathons look a little like this:

*1992 Grandma’s: Pulled achilles tendon in training – 3:57

*1993 Grandma’s: Pulled the other Achilles tendon in training – 3:59

*1995 Grandma’s: Ran a great race with Rick Sager – 3:29

*1996 Grandma’s: Ran well again, this time on my own– 3:20

*1997 Grandma’s: On track for Boston-Hamstring the last mile+ Missed it by 7 minutes – 3:17

*1998 Twin Cities: Ran/walked w/ Cindy (between Todd & Jodi’s birth) – 6:30

*1999 Quad Cities: Ran well w/ Tim Johnson (cramped @ the end) – 3:36

*2000 Chicago: Bonked and cramped – 4:41

*2002 Milwaukee Lakefront: Ran well, just came up 11 minutes short of Boston– 3:26

*2005 Milwaukee Lakefront: Started well & struggled at the end – 3:52

*2008 Chicago: Injured in training & ran it with Scott Rogers– 4:21

*2009 Chicago: Injured my lower calf in training & ran it anyways – 4:35

*2010 Quad Cities: Hamstring cramp after a great start (dehydrated) – 3:42

*2010 Rails to Trails: Ran w/ Brian Huels-thought I’d bounce back after just a month (I didn’t) – 3:53

            Cindy asked me if I was sure I wanted to wade back through those races and their memories.  I said I did.  I felt like I had to confront the disappointments, celebrate the victories, and see a bigger picture of where it’s brought me to in this present day.  To most people, those races and times are great.  They are, but I also see some time, and effort, and pain mixed in there.  The pressure we put on ourselves, and the way it affects us, is an interesting phenomena.  If anything, that list shows ebbs, and flows, and a history intertwined within. 

            Since my last full marathon, I’ve continued to run and occasionally race; but no further than a half marathon.  I’ve instead focused on other things, namely watching and cheering on my own kids and their running.  They’ve had great coaches that have both encouraged them and challenged them.  There is nothing quite like waking up early on a Saturday morning in the fall, before the sun is up, when we would drop the kids off at the high school (often at slightly different times) and then come back home to gather necessary items before heading to a cross country race in a park an hour or so away.  Cindy and I, after enjoying time together riding in our vehicle, split up along the course to cheer them on at different points.  

Holding Todd after a personal best 17:03

Jodi with Cindy after a race.

It’s cool that although individuals push to run in cross country, they score and support each other as a team.  Everyone participates at their level and ability, and is an important part of the group.  It doesn’t just happen; the coaches have done a good job of creating and instilling that climate into their runners.  It’s something Cindy and I have appreciated.  Last season Jodi struggled through some injuries that held her back; something that I could relate to and tried to help her with.  Todd finished high school on a good note and ran this past season at college.  Although he isn’t going to do that again his sophomore year, and Jodi still has one more year left in high school, they both have developed a life-long interest in running.  In fact, Todd and I trained together a majority of last year and ran 3 different races together (an 8K, 12K and half marathon).  

Clark Lake 12K (7.5 miles) - 2015 - 53:23

"Last Call 1/2 Marathon 2015" - 1 hr 37 min

It’s surreal when your own kids are suddenly your equal or beyond; when running or otherwise.  Those miles throughout last year propelled me into this year and were my base for the training I needed for this 50 mile race.  Although running schedules are available in books and/or online, I find that I do better with more “rest days” built in amongst my runs.  I recover better, it allows me to adapt to life’s calendar, and it helps prevent injuries (or gives me time to heal). 

Single Track at Rock Cut

            Throughout my base last year, I ran about 650 miles and have about 350 miles in so far this year.  I’ve enjoyed the weekend long runs on the trails of Hononegah Forest Preserve, Sugar River Forest Preserve, and Rock Cut State Park.  I ran in snow, on ice, during rain, and on warm spring days.  I sprained my foot several different times (chunks of ice or roots) and strained my Extensor Hallucis Longus tendon on the top of my left foot.  Just when I though I wasn’t going to be able to run the race, our chiropractor, Rhett Gunderson, adjusted me twice and got me “back in the game.”  I literally went from not being able to run without pain, to completing a 44 mile week that included a 27 mile long run on the hills in Rock Cut.  That was a huge confidence booster.  

After a 27 miler at Rock Cut on 4-9-16

I have other “shout outs” as well, that have provided good support for me this past winter and spring.  I’ve run a few times, and talked a lot, with a new friend, Dan Sears.  He has completed several ultra marathons, and has given me good advice.  He’s on his way to running a 100 miler this fall with his son Tyler.  I also get great service and attention from the gang down at Runner’s Image in Rockford (Steve, Anthony & Skip), as they keep me in good running shoes.  Where else can you “test drive” what fits best?  There’s also the Sunday morning running crew, who weirdly enough run my old routes in downtown Rockford that Rick and Scott and I used to log many hundreds of miles on.  That Sunday crew is still going to be there training this summer when I’m on the “flip side” of this race.  My family’s support goes without saying, but I will.  It’s a mix of excitement and concern for me.  Luckily my runs have been able to come at times that haven’t taken away from our family times.

                        And so it comes to this.  I’ve learned how to make my own energy bars.  

I have now purchased an “Orange Mud” running vest to carry water and other foods and nutrients.  I’ve run sections of the race course to familiarize myself with the trails and turns.  

A "Trial Run" to test out the course in the Kettle Moraine.

I’ve tried not to think about the run too in-depth, only because I begin to feel myself getting really emotional when I do.  I’m days away now, but I still have homework to correct at school and “to-dos” I need to attend to; in addition to completing this blog entry beforehand.  Once I’m past those things, I’ll be able to immerse myself a bit more.

             I’m willingly subjecting myself to this goal of running, but it’s a goal no longer tied to the expectations of a Boston Marathon qualifying time (although there is a 12 hour cut-off time).  I am running simply to run.  I want to enjoy the trails, the woods, the event, the people, and the experience.  This 50 mile race represents 50 years of my life; many of those years spent running. The Ice Age 50 Website

            A race is a metaphor for life; you feel amped and sore, strong and weak.  Throughout it you do what you have to do to finish. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)  The race has its purpose, as running is one of my passions, but it’s so much more when I think of the people, and events, and experiences that have gotten me here.  It is these things that have cultivated me and prepared the soil for me to plant this idea; this seed of completing a 50 mile race.  It’s a gift I’ve been given from God that includes the ability, the base work, and the desire to step forward.  “The seed I’ve received I will sow.” (Hillsong United-“Desert Song”)

See you along The Way…

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PS-Today the Students & Staff at Willowbrook Middle School surprised me with an end of the day assembly on “Perseverance.”  It was a send off for this Saturday’s run; complete with a motivational video and my whole family in attendance (Cindy & Jodi had both gone to pick up Todd from college today, as he’s now home for the summer).  I was emotional from the start.  Luckily I had my back to the bleachers while I watched the video on a large screen, as I was a blubbering mess.  All I could muster afterwards was a raised hand to say “Thank You.”  I wouldn’t have been able to talk without breaking down.  I still have to run the race, but as I look forward I feel refreshed.  I'm back at my purest form; by that I mean I'm simply enjoying the ability to run.  My mantra will be, “Enjoy the Adventure” and, “Just Finish.”  Thank you all again; it will be a lasting memory.