The Woes of Ultrarunning

At this time of year it is easy to look at the calendar and say "I want to do all of these races"

It is easy to get the juices flowing. All memory is gone from the pain and suffering from the prior years' races. All of the training suffering is far removed from memory.

I keep thinking Zumbro is strong maybe for me, but then I head out for a long run as I did today but the engine just does not produce like it used to.

I hit the Minneapolis Lakes circuit this morning at 5am and found.... I was the only one out there! Oh well.

First 10 miles felt great, but then I became wet & cold. My right knee started hurting, and I threw in the towel at 15. I just did not want to do anything stupid this early in the season. I think the pavement and ice made the body hurt.

This leads me to the realization that these race take more than the "yeah... I am game for that" attitude. It takes a lot more. Hence the woes. One must balance pushing the body while not destroying it. At the same time, one has to push himself mentally while also not trashing the psyche and burning out.

After today I am reminded that "it is a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll". 6 weeks left to train for Zumbro is a stretch, but not out of the question. I am just not sure I want to voluntarily go into that suffering.

If it were warmer, I am sure I would feel up for it.

So the Woes

Training
Realizing at the end of a long run "you ain't done nothing compared to what the race will ask"
Staying consistent.

Time to get my big boy pants on.

One decision is final

Submitted my registration for Ice Age 50. 30th year of the event, 5th year in a row, first year as a master.

With only 27 spots left (now 26), it was just something I had to do.

Still on the fence about Zumbro. I might bring it up with the Mrs. this weekend. I should probably start seriously training for it as well.

I really should

Brew Pictures

BIG MASH



33 LBS of mash



The Boys Blowing off Krausen



And I was ridiculed for not running this weekend

Confusion Corner Coffee Stout

Tomorrow, instead of running, I will be brewing

"Confusion Corner Coffee Stout"
"Turning 50 miles into 53 for 30 years"

Thank you to Brother Grub for the artwork and slogan.

The anticipated SG on this baby is 1.084!

That will be 8% Alcohol by volume.

Formulated the recipe with a little consultation from the boys at Northern Brewer.

It will be infused with some Peet's Coffee, but not sure yet which coffee variety exactly.

This one is sure to make you take a wrong turn and create confusion.

May post pics

Potential + Vitamins + Dreams

POTENTIAL

Yes, that is one word summing up today. POTENTIAL

I received... okay was copied on an email last week about a run with "The Boys" out at Labanon Hills Park in Eagan, MN. I get these cursory copies because people know I will have a boiler plate/lame excuse of "I can't because (fill in lame excuse here)"

My response to "Wilson" was, "Maybe if you gave me more than 24 hours notice, I could make it". His response, "Okay, next week, same time, same place"

Zach was even surprised to see that I agreed to be running.

So it was 20 miles today on snow packed rolling hills.

Awesome! Considering it was my longest run Since IA50 LAST MAY, I was happy to go 10. But here is the better part: I have been working on new form. I call it the "not so quite POSE Running Method". I am probably 80% there. I was worried my feet would not make it 20. I knew my quads and calves could, but the feet are completely different in this form.

They made it. I am barely even sore, and I was only crapping out at the end. Which means...... I am not as out of shape as I thought.

It is February 12th, and I feel I am well on the road to being back in shape..... I just wish I knew of any races I could do.

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VITAMINS

I have been mildly, if not downright, depressed for a few months now. Nothing major, just "This weather sucks" moods. I have had zero desire to run. I even woke up a few weeks ago and thought "I think my running days are over". I had no desire to go run. I was enjoying being a sloth. Not really.

My wife had a checkup with the doc this week and the dock said "Your vitamin D is WAY low". You need to be taking supplements. I figured I would pop a few of dem' pills.

Magic. 4 hours after taking one, I actually felt happy. I actually had desire. I took them with Fish Oil pills.

A feel like a new man.

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DREAMS

If any of you are on the MN Deadrunners email group, you already saw this, but here is the email I sent out to the group.

Since this group has been very quiet lately, I will give you something to think about and help me with.

Here is a synopsis of my dream last night.

* I signed up for Zumbro 100.
* I showed up completely unprepared. No gear, no water bottles, no headlamp, etc. (yeah, I know... that is reality)
* I had to go finish up a sales call the University where Zumbro was taking place. ????
* I looked at my watch at the end of the call, and saw I had 5 minutes to get to the start.
* I receive a text message from Larry Pederson that I have 5 minutes to get to the start or I am out of the race
* I have to run to the start on the other side of that Schools' campus, which..... coincidentally is in the middle of Civil War re-enactment... with live ammunition
* I did not make it in time.
* I woke up soon there after

The strangest thing I found from this dream was the fact that I got a text message from Larry. I would have expected morse code, or some cryptic Ham (Lake) Radio message.

I turn 40 on April 8 this year, which coincidentally is the race day for Zumbro. Does this mean I have some deep rooted issues? I thought all of my issues were pretty up front and center.

Hope everybody is doing well and surviving this crappy winter.

Matt Patten
Ham Radio Lake, MN

I will share some of the responses later, but the synopsis was "I have to run Zumbro 100"

So I decided to see where I was physically by throwing buildup miles to the wind, and bust out a 20.

No problem.

Now I just have to do another one of those, a 30, and maybe a 40. And I still probably won't be prepared.

But that is running.

Cheers

2 Month off & Now back to business

I was told the other night "If you don't post something soon, you are going to be unbookmarked". Ouch!

All excuses aside, I just needed some time off from this to get my act together on what is happening. I think I have it.

First, a quick recap of the last 2 months.

* Took my beautiful wife on a 15 year anniversary trip to the Bahamas. 2 night cruise. First time away from the kids for more than 2 nights in 12 years. Ran on the treadmill on the ship as it "Pitched and Rolled"
* Attended the Larry and Colleen Peterson benefit run. I won the race I ran with an official distance of "Some", and an time of "Elapsed". Zach claimed to have beat me, but I ran the outside tangents on the course, so I ran at least 10 feet farther than him. SO THERE!
* Have run in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas (Katy Trail.... which is not a trail), Lapham Peak, Denver, and a bunch of treadmills in between.
* Working on new running technique
* Happy to be running
* Ready to start a new chapter on running.... not sure what that means, though

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I recently read Dr. Nicholas Romanov's book "POSE Method of Running". I had heard about it, but never quite understood what it was. So, out of curiousity, picked up the book. Interesting theory.

Not sure if I can do justice trying to summarize the concept, so google it and see what you come up with.

What I can say is, the basic premise makes sense. Runners, for the most part, have never leared proper technique or form. Now, "Proper technique and form" can be very subjective, but I think very few people ever learned ANY technique or form. Most runners just started running. The academia came up in training, not the core form and technique.

For me, trying this was a quest in curiosity. I was bored and unmotivated. This gave me somehting to try and see what I could do with it.

After 6 weeks, here is what I can say.

* It is different. My calves hurt for the first week
* I thought at first "how can anybody run like this more than a few miles?"
* I slowly started to realize "wow, I am not at all sore after a run (once the calf soreness went away)"
* I almost look forward to runs, because they are feeling effortless (relatively speaking)
* It takes some skin adjustments on the balls of your feet
* My balance has improved 100%
* I learned that after thinking and telling people for years that I don't heel strike........ I heal strike.

I will dedicate some posts to this, and the progress. But that is a quick insight into what I have been doing.

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Check out the Lapham Blog for Craig Swarthout's 200 mile run in November. It is a great story.

And as he said himself "No good deed goes unpunished". Check out one of the comments from the "Off the couch blog" from "Kettlekid". I really have a hard believing anybody would categorize a 200 mile run...... any 200 mile run.... in under 60 hours.... as anything but AWESOME. Hence me as "The Slowest Matt" had to chime in.

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Great job to Helen for her job going to Hellgate. A belated "great job" to Brothergrub at his performance at Pinhoti 100 (Although, 30 minute miles isn't really running... is it?). Not sure if I can walk that slow.

I had the honor to go out and have a beer with Santa this week. He divulged to me who's been naughty and who's been nice.

He knows..... Yes... he always knows.

The Incline

First off - Thanks to all who continue to read this blog even though I only post 2-3 times per month. I considered putting it on hold, but was told not to.

Today reminded me why I am a trail runner.

******************8

Last time I was in Denver, I ran up to the top of Green Mtn. At the top, I met another trail runner who, after talking about what kind of stuff we like, said, "You have to go do the Incline".

I responded with "The what".

He said.... "Google - The Incline"

I experienced it first hand tonight. I took a picture, but it sucked.

The Incline

In short, it is 2,000 feet of gain in 1.02 miles. THAT IS BAD ASS. 6600 ft to 8600 ft.

This is a small peek looming in the shadow of Pike's Peak.

Pictures don't do it justice, but check out the pics from the above link or just google it.

I thought it looked somewhat doable until I was looking straight up at the damn thing. 61% grade at its steepest, 41% average, it is gruelling.

And fun.

It kind of reset my batteries. I passed a bunch of people on the acent, and only got passed by one (and he is in training for the Special Forces). I will give that one a pass.

One the way down I took the Barr Trail, as most people do. I killed it. I passed at least 20 people. Could have done the decent 2x.

I realized at the bottom that I am still somewhat "In the game". Down hill running is a skill, not necessarily something great runners can do. I felt like a new man at the bottom.

At the bottom, I talked to a bunch of kids who are on a high school wresting team. I feel good again about the future of America, because these kids were put together.

Ironically, Crossfit is a part of their training. They were floored that I not only knew of it, but could discuss some of the "WOD's" they do. As tough as these kids are at the WOD's, I could take almost all of them on the Incline. This middle aged dude ain't done yet.

So if any of you are ever in the state of Colorado, you have to venture to Colorado Springs (Manitou Springs) for "The Incline".

And you better not "Decline"