SimpleSoleProject

Ann Ringlein dialed up some A+ December weather this morning for her annual Holiday Run.  30s, sunny, and calm.  A rare treat for the Pioneers Park veterans of the area.  With record turnout, Ann was able to donate a large sum of money to the Capital Humane Society.  100% of entry fees went to this organization.  But your $12 entry got you an ornament and a present put out by Ann’s elves if you wanted to pick one up (I ended up carrying a plastic New Balance pint glass for the better part of 2k, it could have at least been Brooks to make it worth it).  What is becoming a nice little tradition to end the Lincoln racing calendar is held at one of my favorite running venues anywhere.  With runners looking to finish out their 2013 racing with a final hard 5k or people dressing up their dogs and themselves in matching outfits, this race is a simple way to bring your year to a close.

With a 10am start, race volunteers, lrc employees, and holiday music greet you at packet pick-up after you were able to sleep in a bit and enjoy a cup of coffee.  Kids 1 mile and then all comers 5k, with dogs invited and encouraged to run (all four legged participants earned a nice little treat at the end as well) the Holiday Run is the perfect opportunity to see what high school and college athletes run on during the fall XC season. For some, it is a chance to race past times and test themselves on one of the more challenging courses in the state.

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JZjersey from Brian Wandzilak on Vimeo.

All you need to know about how cold it was Saturday in Iowa for the 2013 edition of the Living History Farms Off Road Race is to watch that video above.  Comes from my boy Jason Zakaras.  He took a spill in some deep water and had to deal with that singlet for about 1200m.

Rarely complain about weather when running, and never when racing.  What’s the point? Either you choose to run or you choose not to run.  Nothing you can do about it, so why worry about it?  Other than fodder for conversation, the weather is another piece of the story of your race.  But it was a major factor this year.  You run long enough and you get to encounter all kinds of race conditions.  This was easily a top 5 coldest ever.  Ranks up there with the Lincoln Holiday Run in 2010, but even more impressively it rivals the 2008 USATF Club Cross Country meet in Spokane and the USATF National Meet in St. Louis in 2012.  Both of which were single digits without adding in wind chill or precip.

Less a race report today, more a commentary on cross country racing.  But it was a good race for me personally. First time in years I felt strong running an XC race. Got out in what is typically a crazy start, made even more so by icy roads and turns.  Amazed that no one went down in the group I was with. Over the next two miles, the front of the race spread out.  Water crossings this year weren’t particularly bad.  Not so deep, maybe one was more than knee high on me.  Still had frozen feet when we got done. The wooded trails were way tougher than in the past.  Leaf covered as usual, but this year a 1 inch dusting of snow made it treacherous at best, especially on some of the really steep hills. Fortunately was able to chase Andrew and Jason and have them as motivation for me. Course seemed longer than in past years and conditions forced me to run a more steady race than the usual redline the heart rate and recover.

Raced hard, competed, challenged some folks, ran a good time.  Team placed well, had fun, brought back some good stories from Jason, Logan, Andrew, Cole, and Jayci.  Not a bad morning, but the details are best left to reminiscing and embellishing over miles and/or beers.

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Can make all the difference in a race.  Over the course of a training cycle or training lifetime, the little things a person can do really add up.  The diet, the stretching, the core work, the stability work.  Articles upon articles have been and will be written about the importance of these elements and how to fit them in a busy schedule.

That being said the major things add up.  The workouts, the consistency, the coaching, the mental aspect of training combined with the little things mentioned above can bring a person to PR in a race that they have spent months or years training for.  Missing one, or more, can also reduce you to tears at the same event.

Here is one of the crappy things about our sport and trying to run a great race on one day.  Even after doing everything right, it can go wrong.  Jeralyn is one of the young ladies I get the pleasure of coaching.  She is a superb runner, maybe one of the best I will ever get to directly coach.  J-poe is a great girl, great student, just great.  But two days before her peak meet in Sioux Falls last weekend, she went home sick.  Bummer.  She tried to run the best race she could but at a meet like that, you need to bring it.

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Bad races (or less than satisfying races) are far more common than the ones you are happy with.  Not sure why.  May have something to do runners desire to always pursue something that is likely just out of our grasps.  A PR, a weight goal, a course record, one place higher in the rankings, acknowledgement from our peers.  Maybe this is a good thing, this constant pursuit.  Maybe not.  Depends on how one approaches it.  As a friend of mine said in response to a race report I had on the site I do my training log on:  (paraphrased) “I take as much satisfaction from the process of training, than the racing itself.”  Thanks again for that Gary.

One of my favorite lessons I have learned from running (and there are oh so many) is to have a short memory.  This is regarding the best races and workouts of your life, and the worst.  Embrace the successes and learn from the lowest moments.  Both are temporary and both mold you into the person you become over your lifetime.

Finally, there is this:

I continue to find people who can better explain why I am active (not “just” running).  This brief video on just plain, simple movement is a great look at the “why” element of our world.  Bottom line, get out and do something.

They say you go through a bad patch in every marathon you race. The causes are numerous. A cramp, water down the wrong pipe, bathroom break, or just getting tired. They can also last miles or minutes. They can come on without warning or reason and go away via the same process. It is a part of the distance and you just have to learn to deal with it.

Today I woke up in Chicago feeling pretty darn good. Slept well, had a decent training cycle (best one in awhile at least). Lots of 4 am workouts that I was happy with and some good solo long runs. Most importantly the weather was fantastic. Low 50s and a bit on the breezy side. But better than the mid to upper 70s I have had to deal with two times I have started this race. Beautiful sunrise over Lake Michigan to top it off and I was pretty awesome.

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The most nerve-wracking thing about training for a big race, no matter the distance, is the unknown. Was it enough training? Was it too much? How much will it hurt (because it is going to hurt)? Was the sacrifice worth it?

Frankly, the only way you can ever answer any of those questions is go when that gun fires and find out for yourself.

Go. Get. It.