Here we go again

Many of you may remember that a few years ago I did my first Ultramarathon at the Free State Trail Ultra. I did the 40 mile version and, aside from the massive amounts of mud, I truly loved it. I've done a few short races over the past year but my training has been less than stellar. I was still able to log about 1500 miles in 2011 but that's not nearly as much as I was hoping for. I ran a couple of 5k's in 2011 along with the Dam to Dam 20k, but that was it. I was....let's just call it less than inspired.

I have seen the posting on Facebook from the KC Trail Nerds go up and knew I needed to try my hand again at this race. Fortunately for me the company that I work for is really starting to embrace the importance of a healthy diet and exercise and includes race entry into our Wellness reimbursement plan. We bought a treadmill last year and used the reimbursement for that and with no big purchases planned I knew that this was an easy fit. So again starts my training for my next ultra. I'll hopefully, time willing, be posting more often on my training and how things are going. Stay tuned.

Stay Strong, Run Long
Tha Messenjah

Back into it!!!

Coming up in a few days is one of my favorite times of the the year. Thanksgiving!!! It's not just about the food but also getting to go home and see all of my family. Even though we keep close by phone, email, Facebook and getting to see each other every few weeks I still miss them horribly. I especially miss my nephews. I would love to be closer and for them and my girls to grow up really close, but logistically it's not possible at the moment. Who knows if it will ever be, but that's what makes the holidays so special. For those of you reading this that are far away from your family, enjoy the time that you have with them.

On the running front things have been getting much better recently. I am finally back to being excited to run. For a while I was in a funk and couldn't shake it. I was getting out on the trails and road every day or two but it seemed more like a chore than a passion like it has been for the better part of 3 years. I haven't had anything to train for but I made my mind up to get ready for a race. I'm not going to tell which race just yet, but rest assured it is going to be awesome. Here's a little hint :)

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I needed to get back into things and looked through my past couple years of races. I know that I can keep improving I just have to do the work. With the cool, short days I am forced to do more indoors training than I would like but at least I have a nice treadmill that I can put a lot of miles on.

I did a few 6-8 mile runs that felt great. I had very little soreness and was trying to stay well hydrated as I think that is part of the reason for some bad runs lately. On Sunday I told my wife that I wanted to get a nice long run in which came with no objections as the girls were down for a nap. My intention was to go 10 and call it good. I put on one of my favorite 80's movies, Stripes, and just started running. I went with my Brooks Adrenaline ASR 8's to have a little cushion during the run. Everything just seemed to click. I took some food with me (trail mix, banana chips and a banana) and tried to follow a 300 calorie per hour philosophy. I didn't measure everything out but I'm pretty sure I was close on the number of calories that I took in. I felt really good.

Before I realized it my movie was over and I looked down at the timer on the treadmill that said "1:40" and 11 miles. WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED??? I literally zoned out for almost an hour and 40 minutes and I felt fine. At that moment I decided that I needed to keep going until I couldn't go anymore or it got too late. I paused the TM, put on "The Big Bang Theory" (another favorite) and just kept plugging away. I looked at the clock on the TV and decided at 2 hours 30 minutes I was going to stop as it was getting too late. I made a really good push at the end and finished with 16.3 miles. Not bad for not having run more than 10 in almost 5 months ;) I wasn't cramped, I wasn't tired, I was just very satisfied.

The next day I was anticipating waking up and not being able to move. I got out of bed and felt nothing. No aches or pains. It was almost like I hadn't run the day before. I went to work, sat all day, got home and thought I should probably take full advantage of the situation. I jumped back on the TM wearing my New Balance 101's for the first 2 miles and thought that I should do some barefoot training. Threw the shoes off and went for another 3 miles. I am finally back and it feels great.

Stay tuned for more info on my next race. I hope that you have a great holiday season and take full advantage of this time with family. Stay safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Stay Strong, Run Long
Tha Messenjah

Tough Seasons

I haven't posted here in a long time and there is a reason. Everyone goes through those "seasons" in life where you just can't find the time to participate in the things that you love. I am in one of those "seasons" right now.

I switched jobs in Feb. 2011. It is a far better situation for me to be working where I work now, but my previous employer had a gym and shower so I could run/workout in the mornings or over lunch and have my evenings to spend with my family. Because the situation was so bad at my previous job it was a no brainer to get out when I had the opportunity. The one thing that I didn't think about though was how it was going to affect my workouts. I know that you should never base a career change on how it is going to affect your working out but with kids that are in so many things it really does hinder things a bit.

I have been trying to stay active but when you get home at 5:00, get supper made, hang out with my kids, and put them to bed I literally have about 2 hours to just relax with my wife or do stuff around the house. That leaves me all of 10 minutes to actually run and by that time I'm exhausted and need to go to bed.

I've been trying to get out right away after supper and run shorter but for someone that is trying to train for another ultra it really doesn't help. I'm trying to stay positive but I feel like I've put on weight and it stresses me out. I have put on about 10-15 lbs (I don't like to weigh myself to know exactly) but I want those days of 15-20 mile runs. UGH!!!! It's really depressing.

To make matters worse, we are coming in to the worst running season of the year. Tonight I am going to try and get one last trail run in before the weather goes. We are in for snow tomorrow and it probably won't let up for the next 5 months. So wish me luck.

Stay Strong, Run Long
Tha Messenjah

A letter to all of my cyclist friends

This morning I decided to go on a different route than I normally run. I am the type of person that needs variety in my runs. Whether it be speed work, hill repeats, long runs, trail runs, treadmill, etc. I decided to go on what most people consider to be a bike trail. The Des Moines area has a very nice trail system for paved biking trails. It is primarily used for biking, but because of the straight line with no hills it does attract runners and walkers as well.

I have run this trail many times. It is gorgeous this time of year because the North side of the trail is open fields of corn or beans and the South side of the trail is a highway. There is always a very nice, but sometimes tough, breeze that goes through and helps to keep you cool. I went out this morning at around 5:00 AM. I took my headlamp, as I always do on my early morning runs, for two reasons: 1) For my own safety to be able to see where I am going 2) So that others that may be using the trail at the same time will be able to see me. I feel that this is a very nice courtesy as I have encountered people who are not so courteous.

I was about 2 miles in when I met my first group of cyclists. Now, if you know me you know that I am a HUGE fan of Brooks Running, their shoes, clothes and their motto of "Run Happy". I love this motto because sometimes even though you are having a terrible run it is important to "Run Happy" because some day you may not be able to. As I do everytime I am out, be it on the highway or trails, I always waive or say hello or say good morning to everyone. I feel that this is a nice way to acknowledge the other person and in some cases make them realize that I am not a threat.

Since it was dark and they wouldn't be able to see a waive, I extended the "Good morning" to this group. There response? "...". Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I thought to myself, "OK, maybe they were just training really hard and were out of breath". Oh how wrong I was. The next group comes up. This was a group of 4 people so I thought I would get one person to give me a simple greeting. Again I used the "Good Morning" and got no response. This went on for the next 5 more groups and individuals totaling probably 20 people before I got my first, "hey". How is this possible? Iowans are supposed to be extremly friendly, kind and courteous. How can I come in contact with 20+ people before I get 1 person to say anything to me?

I was out for a little over 1 hour and "met" nearly 40 people and got 2 people to even acknowledge me. 2!!!!! I even had one group of 3 that was so hell bent on riding directly next to each other that they were three wide on the trail and almost ran into me (even though I was on the shoulder of the trail). One guy though at the end of my run came riding up behind me, said "On your left" and even had a conversation with me. We talked briefly how nice the weather was, how great it was to be outside and gave the other person the "Have a great rest of your ride/Have a great rest of your run". This was the last person that I came in contact with and the whole situation ruined what was supposed to be a great run for me.

Now, to my plea to all cyclists out there. I know a lot of you. I have a lot of friends who are avid cyclists and tri-athletes. I know that as cycling becomes more and more popular there are a lot more people that are riding/training on the road and on the trails. I am not a biker. I probably never will be. I enjoy riding a bike, but wouldn't consider it as my favorite form of exercise or recreation. But just as you encourage motorists to "Share the Road", I am begging you to just be nice to other people. I understand that not everyone is as happy as I am to be outside running or exercising, but how difficult is it to simply say "hello" or "hey" during an exhale. Just because your bike costs more than my house payment for 2 months doesn't mean that I don't have just as much of a right to be on this trail. Just because you wear spandex to make you more aerodynamic and I just wear shorts and shoes doesn't mean that you are more of a priviledged athlete than I am (granted most of you probably are). Just because you can go twice as fast as me doesn't mean that you have to zip past me at top speed. Don't think that you own the trail or the road. I train just as hard as a lot of you do and I always say hello or waive at everyone that I meet.

I am not trying to come across as some pompous person, I am pleading you to just be a nice person. I realize that some people get really focused and are "in the zone", but if you see someone on the trail ahead of you, going the same direction, give them a heads up that you are behind them. If you see someone coming toward you, give a simple "hey". Who knows, that person may be having one of the worst days of their life and that simple act may prop up their spirit (or they also could be the person writing this blog).

Stay Strong, Run Long
Tha Messenjah

Beautiful Morning for a run

Recently I started a new position with a new company which has...let's just say...set my training back a bit. While I love the company that I now work for I miss a lot of my friends that I used to run with and most certainly my mid-day run. The company that I used to work for had a great workout facility with showers. I am not as lucky with my current employer and that has caused me to shift my runs around a bit. Where I used to run in the middle of the day, shower, go back to work and "be home" when I went home, I am now forced to run at nights. 2 problems with this though.
1) It is hotter later in the day.
2) It forces me to give up some family time.

I don't get to spend a lot of time with my kids and my wife so when I get home, I really want to be around for them. In shifting of my schedule I do have to spend some mornings running which means getting up REALLY early. I'm fine getting up early, but 3:30 AM is too freaking early. This morning though, I didn't mind getting out because I knew the temps were going to be in the 100's after work and I really didn't want to run in that.

3:30 came, my alarm went off and I hit the snooze a few times. I finally rolled out of bed around 4:00, made some coffee, got dressed, had a bite to eat and headed outside. I slowly realized that the crazy humidity was not going to mix well with my total body soreness from the weekend of trimming trees, but I was up so I needed to run regardless.

I know that most people think that I'm crazy, but if you ever have the opportunity to run at 4:30 in the morning, take it. You don't realize how calm the world is until you get out when there is no traffic, no movement in the trees and virtually no noise. It is absolutely beautiful. Period. In the mindset of safety, I do wear a headlamp with 3 LED lights that seem to light the road pretty well, but I find myself turning it off just to look up and see the stars of a cloudless sky. It is truly breathtaking.

Now this morning, my run didn't go quite as planned. I think that the humidity and "workout" from the tree extravaganza got the best of me. I had planned on doing 10 miles but ended up with 8. My pace was relaxed, I walked the major hills (out of advice from major ultrarunners), hydrated well, ate a granola bar but today just wasn't my day. Oh well. Just being outside running in the beautifulness that God created made it totally worth it.

I did decide this weekend that I really do need to pick a race. I've been saying this for months now but I need to have something to train for. I know for a fact that in November I am running the R.C.C. Run The Woods (date not confirmed) but I am really contemplating on doing the 12 Hour Equalizer put on by the Cranky Gnomes Athletic Club and still throwing around the idea of doing the 100K (62 miles) version of the Free State Trail Ultra in Lawrence, KS in April 2012 and possibly dipping my toe into a 100 miler in Fall of 2012. Who knows, we'll have to see.

Stay Strong, Run Long
Tha Messenjah

Switch up your routine to see lots of improvements

As most runners know, we are a group that is very strict on routine. Most people have their specific long run days, a lot of people have their speed work and hill days, we wear our "lucky clothes" to races, we eat the same things before each race or run, we take specific calculated days off, we have specific playlists on our music player for certain runs, etc. There are times though when it's good to make a change. It really can benefit you.


I am a person that follows trends in the running world. I love gadgets. Even though I don't own a lot of them, by a lot of peoples standards, I love them. Computers, phones, iPhones/iPod/iPads, watches, GPS's. You name it. I probably own one or know something about it. With all of the technology around us most people have either a cell phone or iPod (or equivalent) that we take with us on runs. Recently when I ran in the 20k Dam To Dam I decided not to take my iPod with me. I really hadn't been training with it so I didn't want to mess up my routine. I noticed though that almost everyone had something in their ears. I don't know why this shocked me but it really did. The friend that I was running with had his and it almost annoyed me. Even though we had decided ahead of time that we would run together he said that he would keep it at a low enough volume that we could still have a conversation. Is this really what we've come to? We become so accustomed to having this constant distraction that we have to have it on even when we are having a conversation?

I have posted before that there have been times when I've forgotten to charge my iPod or my watch and thought the world could potentially end during my run. Come to find out you actually end up using more of your senses to enjoy the run. I've known people that will flat out cancel a run because their iPod battery is too low just can't imagine running without it. I've driven past 2 people, that I can assume were a couple, that both had theirs with them. I've even seen a guy during a race that was wearing 2 iPods (one on each arm) and when asked why he had 2 explained that it was in case the battery ran out on his first. Huh???

My wife recently realized though how nice it is though to get out and enjoy her run when she doesn't have something on her ears (she hates earbuds so I can't say in her ears). Once again, my iPod wasn't charged and she doesn't have a running case for her iPod Touch. She knew that she wanted to go for a run so she headed out without anything. She came back a little different. She looked more relaxed and said that she actually enjoyed not having it and hasn't run with one since.

Now, don't label me as a hypocrite because I can certainly understand the psychological effects of having the music in your ears. From time to time I do run with mine. These are the days when I've had a bad day and need to have a little heavy metal in my ears or running in an area that I know I won't get attacked by a dog or run down by a car. The majority of the time though I don't take it with me (primarily for safety reasons due to where I run). Plus, a lot more USATF races are "banning" the use of music players or disqualifying runners who are caught with one because of the safety problems that can arise. A lot of times disqualifications are empty threats that never amount to anything, but still a possibility none the less.

As you prep for your next race, run, walk, jog or whatever you do, consider leaving breaking your routine. Leave the music turned off or leave all technology at home. Strip down the stuff that you take with you. The first couple of times you may find it much more difficult because you are used to having it with you, but try it. You may end up enjoying it a lot more.

On my running front, things are starting to pick up again. I obviously need to get more long runs in, but with more and more things invading our weekends it is getting much more difficult. The weather hasn't made it easy either with either heat advisories or severe thunderstorms (welcome to weather in the Mid-West). It has been quite challenging but I continue to stay focused on training for another ultra later this year or next spring. More to come on that in the future. Until next time.

Stay Strong, Run Long
Tha Messenjah

What a difference the trails make

Running can hurt. Running can be repetitive. Some times running can be boring. Sometimes you get stuck in a rut in running and can't seem to get out. I have been there probably hundreds of times. But sometimes one run can change your entire outlook on why you continue to put one foot in front of the other.

I took nearly a week off from the run (we were team leads at our awesome Vacation Bible School) and decided that I was going to get out for a run on Saturday. The missus and the kiddies were going to be out of town and I had planned on hanging out with a friend later that evening, so I decided that this may be my chance to get out to hit the trails. I have been in a little bit of a funk lately because I have been running the same routes or spending too much time on the treadmill because of our crazy schedule. I love running on the trails and I didn't care how much it had rained that morning, I was going to do it and nothing was going to stop me.

When it comes to running, I am a planner. I always carry my water bottle, ID (make your own at RoadID), my Garmin 205 (so I can know time and distance) and the appropriate shoes for the condition. Today I made sure that I had all of my stuff ready to go, but made one TINY little error in preparation....I forgot to charge my watch. I didn't realize it until I turned it on and it's flashing "LOW BATTERY". Well that just sucks because I was kind of on a time crunch. Once my foot hit that single track though the time left my brain. I could be out there for hours and wouldn't really care. I realize that the trails that I run on are nothing compared to the mountains in Colorado, running in Yellowstone, or even some of the trails in Texas, but this is where my mind and heart come alive. It is freeing not having music in your ears, a watch telling you your time and pace or running on a machine while you watch TV. I've said numerous times that I am not fast. I have run dozens of 5k's, 10k's, a couple of marathons and an ultra, and my times are not what most runners would consider "impressive" but that's not what I am running for. I realized on Saturday (and several times in the past) that I am going to have some really great runs but I am also going to have some really crappy runs (take this morning for example). I just have to keep moving forward. I can't dwell on the runs of the past but look forward to the next time I can lace up my shoes.

Here some of the scenes from where I was running on Saturday.

It makes me realize too that if you are in a rut, in life or in physical activity, try something new or different. Leave the cell phone in the car, take the ear buds out of your ears and get off the road (you can decide if that is metaphoric) and see where your life can go. We have so many distractions in our lives that we sometimes forget how simplicity can help you to overcome most everyday obstacles. Make today a great day.

Stay strong, Run long,

Tha Messenjah