fivefingers on the run

Burning River 100

2011-08-15T12:30:00.001-05:00

So I actually finished a 100 mile run... Wasn't sure if I could do it or not, and there were a lot of doubts leading up to the run, but I finished. I think I read every single race report for BR100 that I could find on the internet, and I think it really helped. Therefore, I feel very obligated to write my own report.

Burning River 2011

After a good night’s sleep of around 4 hours, Erica and I made the short 10 minute drive to the start of the run at Squire’s Castle. It was pitch black out, and was WAY too early for any normal human beings to be up, much less to be running that far. I was a little nervous, but more excited than anything else. I signed up for this run seven months ago (New Years Eve at 11:50pm – right before the price increase!) and was ready to get it started!

The plan was for Erica to meet me at every aid station that she could, and at some point Brooke and Alex would join her. Additionally, Steve and Leigh were planning on heading to the run around lunchtime and meeting up with Erica. I was going to run by myself for the first 64 miles. From there Alex would join me for about 10 miles and Steve for the last 26 or so miles.

The start was low-key, just like most ultra events. We ran across a grassy area to the road section. This section was nice and quiet, and pretty uneventful. Tried to keep it nice and slow, maintaining somewhere around nine minute miles. I went completely by feel, and didn’t wear a GPS watch or anything the entire run. Around four miles in my right shin started hurting just a little bit – not much but enough to make me a little nervous since there was so far left to go… It was a minor injury that I thought had cleared up but apparently it wasn’t quite healed 100%.

I got to the first aid station (Old Mill Road - 4.6 miles) in around 45 minutes, got some more water and some snacks and headed right out. The next five or so miles were also road, mostly rolling country asphalt with only one stretch that needed to be walked at all. I really kept to myself in this section, eavesdropping on a couple of interesting conversations and mainly just trying to get into a nice groove and relax.

I got to the second aid station (Polo Fields - 9.6 miles) in a little under 1:30. Here I met Erica for the first time and changed from VFFs to my NB Minimus Trail shoes. I grabbed some Coke, took a gel and hit the trails. I couldn’t believe I was already 10% done with the race! The time was flying by and I was having a great time.

The next few miles were a little strange, moving from almost ten miles of asphalt to the trails (and in different shoes). It was nice to feel something different under my feet though. On this stretch I actually started feeling a bit tired and my right shin started hurting a little more. I was a little concerned but tried staying relaxed and moving forward. This was a section of mostly bridle trail with a lot of ups and downs. I arrived at the next aid station (Harper Ridge – 15.4 miles) in a little under 2:30. The volunteers were great there. I filled my water bottle, downed some more Coke, grabbed a few cookies and moved on.

The next section was not too memorable, and I just cruised through trying to relax and enjoy myself. I arrived at the aid station (Shadow Lake – 18.6 miles) in just under three hours. I apparently ran right by Erica as I was saying hi to Michael Patton. I quickly refilled my water bottle and grabbed a few snacks – I had a delicious turkey sandwich here. I also had Erica grab me another singlet to change into, as I was soaked already. At this station I also noticed a prominent barefoot runner, Jason Robillard, had shown up. I had just read his blog post about running the Western States 100 (in under 24 hours!) just a few weeks back. After leaving the aid station, Michael Patton caught up with me and we ran together for about a mile or so. We saw the soon to be 10-time finisher of the Mohican 100 (Mark Carroll) directing traffic here – good to see another COTR runner! There was a short section of road and then what I considered to be one of the best stretches of trail in the whole race. It was all singletrack for a few miles, and I was tons of fun.

I arrived at the next aid station (Egbert - 23.4 miles) in a little under four hours. Here I got my first wet sponge on the neck from one of the volunteers. It felt GREAT and really helped to cool me down. Moved through here quickly and was out with a few cookies.

I got to Alexander Road (28.4 miles) in a little under five hours. Nothing too memorable about this section – just kept moving and enjoying the scenery. We would move from trails to short road sections and back. Talked to a few runners and got passed by some faster runners.

On the way to the next aid station was where it really started warming up. Plus we ran on a section of exposed towpath for what seemed like 20 miles but I think it was only 2-3 miles. Here I walked a little bit and chatted with a fellow runner named Jason. It was also his first time trying out 100 miles. As soon as we heard people cheering we knew the aid station was close so we both started running. The Station Road Bridge (33.3 miles) was here! I couldn’t believe I was already 1/3 of the way done with the race. I felt pretty good at this point, and was happy to see my crew at this station. I changed socks here, grabbed some snacks and hit the road – this time with two handheld water bottles.

The next section included some local hiking trails, and there were quite a few people out and about. I got to the Ottowa point (39.6 miles) aid station in 7 hours. My shin was hurting, but mainly just on the downhills – otherwise it was good to go. I was feeling really good here, and when I got to the aid station it was great to see the crew again. Erica sprayed me down with sunscreen (getting a bit in my mouth – tasted just like you’d think), filled up the water bottles, and grabbed some snacks to take with me. Just before I left I let Alex snap a picture of Erica and me.

The section after the Ottowa point aid station was really nice, with a lot of single track trail and lots of climbs and descents. I was really enjoying myself until around 42 miles, when all of a sudden I started thinking about how many miles there were left to run. I didn’t see a single person on this stretch, and it was really nice to be completely alone with my thoughts. It was a short rough patch but I just tried to keep moving and get through it. I got to the Snowville (43.8 miles) aid station in about 8 hours. It was a little group of volunteers here with no crew access. I got a few gels, a banana and water refills, and just as I was about to leave, Star popped out of the woods and entered the aid station. It was nice to see a familiar face, and I started the next section with her.

There was a pretty good climb in this next section, and Star and I were power hiking up the steps. I was asking her how she felt, and how the beginning miles had gone. We parted ways after about a half mile and I was on my own again. I went ahead, telling her that I would see her soon when she passes me! I was gaining confidence, and feeling really good through this section. I passed a couple of people on this section, and was passed by Star, just as predicted. I knew that the halfway point was coming up soon, and I was getting excited. In the middle of this section I met a couple out hiking on the trail. They asked me if I was doing some sort of race or something. I told them it was a 100 mile run – they weren’t sure what to say for a minute. They asked me how far I’d gone and I told them it was almost half way. They wished me luck and got going. Toward the end of this section there was a really long climb of stairs – I tried to power up and get to the top. I really liked the stairs just because it forced me to slow down and use some different muscles. I left the woods and there was a short road section before arriving at the next aid station.

Boston Store #1 (49.1 miles) was reached in a little over 9 hours. There was an awesome volunteer here that grabbed both of my water bottles and let me run without them for a couple hundred feet. It felt great to run without anything in my hands, even if it was only for about 50 seconds. It was really nice to see the crew here again, and Steve and Leigh had arrived. Michael had dropped a little earlier and was there as well. I took a seat because I wanted to check out the bottom of my foot that had started hurting a little earlier. I saw the reason for the pain – a big crack in the skin along the bottom of my forefoot. I took some advice from Steve and Michael and used some Bodyglide spray on my foot. I grabbed some Coke, water and cookies and hit the road again.

The next stretch was pretty short and was one of the least interesting sections of the whole day. The first mile or so was on a crushed stone path, and then there was a sharp turn onto a singletrack trail. There was also a road section, with tar on the road that stuck to my shoes. A fellow runner caught up to me and said that his feet stick to the road every year. Apparently he has run every BR100 so far – going for his fifth finish. He sped away and I never saw him again. I took a couple short walk breaks on this section. The excitement of reaching half way had died down a bit and knowing that I had forty-some miles left was wearing me down a bit. I got to the Boston Store #2 (54.5 miles) aid station in just over 10 hours. I was still feeling pretty good here and was excited for the next section. I got water, refueled and hit the road again.

The beginning of the next stretch was a little rough – crushed rock for a while and then probably ¾ of a mile of really rough gravel. I was relieved to get back into the woods. There were some really nice sections on this stretch, and an area that had TONS of roots. It was actually kind of fun bouncing around the roots and doing some lateral moves to keep from tripping. I was really having fun in this section. I got to a road section here and thought I was lost – couldn’t see any pie plates marking the way or any white arrows in the road. I looked around a bit and almost turned around to go back, thinking I had made a wrong turn somewhere. Just before I did I saw the blue blazes marked on the road barrier pointing for us to get on the road. I was relieved… I soon caught up with Star, who was taking a little walk break. We ran together again for a little while, chatting along the way. We got to the next aid station (Pine Lane, 58.6 miles) together, in a little under 11:30. We found out there was a little bit of course-rerouting and the next aid station would be almost seven miles away. I was sure to get enough food and gels before I left. There were some really nice volunteers here, and one that held an umbrella over my head the whole time so I wasn’t standing out in the sun!

Star sped off ahead of me and I was left alone again. The beginning of this next section was run on the part that we were just on, and then split off in a different direction. It was in this section that there was a really long stretch of road – what felt like a few miles (but who knows…). We were on a country road for about a mile and a half, and then a paved path for another mile and a half or so. On this stretch there was a really cool rock wall that gave me something to look at. It was a bit of a rough section, since it was really exposed and really sunny out. I just took it slow through here, running as steadily as I could. I took a little walk break here but realized that running (albeit slow running) felt much better than walking so that’s what I stuck with. I got to the next aid station (Happy Days, 64.1 miles) in around 12:30 and was excited to run with my first pacer, Alex!

I told Alex to not expect a fast pace from me, and there would probably be a few walk breaks sprinkled in too. There was a nice stretch of trail to begin with, including a stretch by another rock wall. There were a lot of rocks to run over and around too, which made things interesting. Alex and I passed the time by chatting about his newfound love for his Vibram FiveFingers and other interesting topics (the guys is a wealth of knowledge – knows a little bit about everything you could imagine). I was still feeling pretty good through here, and was proud of the fact that I had run over 100 kilometers and was still going! He decided to run in his FiveFingers, and it was the first time he had tried them out on trails.

The time went by fairly fast and we even passed a runner on this section. It was a long-ish section, being almost seven miles long. Before we knew it we were at the infamous “Sound of Music” hill. I had read about it in numerous race reports and was excited to see it! We climbed to the top and got a great view – of the next hill. Apparently there are two of them. So we sped down the first and made our way up the second. We were greeted by the crew and all of the volunteers. The time at this point (Pine Hollow #1, 70.9 miles) was around fourteen hours. I did the usual – filled the water bottles, had some Coke, grabbed some cookies, etc. We didn’t stay too long and got back out for a short loop back to the same spot.

This next section was one of the first really rough patches I had. The legs were really starting to hurt at this point, and I realized at some point that I still had almost 30 miles left to run. It was great having someone to chat with, though, because that helped to keep my mind off of it. This was a short section, only a little over three miles, but it was very technical and had some sections with stairs – which really aggravated my shin. I got through the bad patch and made it back to the aid station (Pine Hollow #2, 74.2 miles) right at 15 hours. At that point I was ¾ done with Burning River and feeling pretty good, ready to tackle the rest of the course. I was done running with Alex at that point, and was ready to run with Steve.

After a refreshing change of socks and singlet, and grabbing some food, Steve and I grabbed our headlights and left with the Covered Bridge aid station as our destination. I had heard that this was one of the best aid stations on the course and could not wait to see it. He knew the course fairly well, because he finished it last year as his second 100 miler (he just got in to ultras and has done four 100 milers in the last year!). I started off this section with quite a bit of energy, and his wife Leigh snapped a picture of us leaving with smiles on our faces (and me with food in my mouth as usual).

We passed the time talking about random topics, mainly running. He had just finished the Western States Endurance Run (100 miles) just 5-6 weeks before that so I had plenty of questions to ask him. This section was really nice and included everything from pavement to dirt and grass. We also ran by a cornfield, which reminded me of being in Nebraska!

On this stretch I distinctly remember running along and hearing a shriek in front of us. We weren’t sure what it was so we ran cautiously forward to investigate. Apparently the runner in front of us had gotten dive-bombed by a bat and it flew directly into his headlight! His headlight was completely broken and it was getting pretty dark. He had an extra in his drop bag at the next aid station so we let him hang out with us for the rest of the section. It would be an interesting experience to be in the middle of the woods with 78 miles of running on your legs when your headlight goes out! I guess that’s why you should carry a spare…

Just about a half mile from the aid station I felt the first “POP” in my shoe – a blister had popped… When this happens for me there is a burst of pain for a few minutes and then you kind of get used to it. Luckily the aid station was very close. We ran in to the Covered Bridge #1 station (80.8 miles) in about 16 and a half hours. This was a crazy aid station – definitely lived up to its reputation! Tons of people – crew, volunteers, etc. Again it was great to see the crew – really lifted my spirits. I did not want to let them down and they really kept me going strong. Michael graciously duct taped my recently popped blister and I grabbed some food – I think it was some Ramen noodles and pizza (and Coke, of course). This was probably one of the longer aid station stops for me. I knew we still had a long way to go, though, and wanted to hit the road. A good piece of advice I had gotten was to not sit too long, because it might get pretty difficult to get up after a while.

The next section was a loop back to the bridge, and included the Perkins trail. This would probably be a really fun trail to run with fresh legs in daylight, but on tired legs in the dark it was pretty tough. We must have been moving at an OK pace, though, because we did pass a few people on this section. By this point the uphills were slow, and the downhills hurt. On this section I had another blister “POP” and the same thing happened – intense pain for about 3 minutes and then it dissipated. Everything kind of hurt at this point but the encouragement from Steve really kept me moving forward as quickly as I could. As bad as I was feeling I was just happy that I was keeping food down and still running!

At this point I could picture myself finishing… It was going to be glorious…

We got back to the Covered Bridge #2 aid station (85.5 miles) in a little under 18 hours. I was again greeted by a smiling crew – telling me that I looked great (even though I’m sure I didn’t!). I took a seat at this aid station to eat a whole cup of Ramen noodles. They were delicious and I could have eaten a few cups of them… along with a cheeseburger and some pizza… I also had some Coke and grabbed some food for the road.

The next section was honestly probably my least favorite of the whole race. I don’t know if it was the fatigue or what it was, but this section was brutal. There was a lot of asphalt on this section, and it started with a long uphill on a country road. I took some walk breaks but like before it felt much better to run slowly than to walk. And so we ran--- It was a short section of only just over 3 miles but not much fun. When we got to the next aid station (ONeill Woods, 88.8 miles) I was relieved. We got there in around 18:30. This was the first aid station I could have seriously stayed for a while – they had fresh coffee!!! And music!!! It was a nice stop but we decided to keep moving. We were almost to 90 miles! And the stink factory was coming up!

The start of this section was tough – basically a long descent consisting of falling-apart stairs. It hurt (especially my shin) going down, and I would have much rather have been going up! (I was treated to some upward stairs a little later on…) All I really remember about this section is that it was really flat after the initial descent, it consisted of a lot of towpath, we passed a runner and her pacer, and we passed the compost factory that I had so been looking forward to. All of a sudden I realized we were running in town, and just went by a bar! It was very strange to be running in town after basically being in the woods and back roads for the last 19 hours. We even had to stop for a traffic light – and got some great comments about our headlights from the passing drivers! We finally got to the Merriman Road aid station (93.3 miles) in about 19 and a half hours. I was feeling good though – and showing off my neon bracelet from the O’Neill woods aid station to the crew as we passed them. This was a really small aid station, and we didn’t really stay too long. Grabbed some food and Coke and hit the road again.

The next section was really all Towpath (from what I remember) so it was flat and crushed stone. It took a few minutes to get warmed up to run, but once I did I ran most of the way to the next aid station. It was starting in this aid station that I really had to focus, and I think Steven noticed that I was conversing less and less. It pretty much took all I had to focus enough to run. I was not that tired at this point, but very fatigued and starting to really get worn out physically. My right shin was really hurting too, and this was definitely slowing me down.

I was moving slowly, but at this point I could really taste the finish line. I knew I had enough time at this point that I could essentially walk the rest of the way in and be under the cutoff, but I wanted to keep moving and finish as strong as possible.

We pulled in to the next aid station (Memorial Parkway, 96.3 miles) in a little over 20 hours. The longest I had run before this day was a little over 10 hours so seeing my watch stop at 19:59:59 was a little crazy… I unexpectedly got to see my crew at this point, so that was nice. Although, at this point I was really exhausted and was probably less than cheery. This was the last aid station though – the finish would be the next stopping point!

I don’t remember much at all about the next section – it is kind of a haze in my memory. I’m just glad that Steve was there to guide me along because I probably would have gotten lost. I distinctly remember lots and lots of stairs around 99 miles, and what seemed like miles and miles of wooden bridges. And pain – mostly in my feet, which were really soggy and blistery at this point from all of the stream crossings and sweat. The shin was screaming at this point too.

At some point we finally reached the last road section. Steve told me that there was basically a straight shot to the finish, but it was about a mile and a half long. We ran (slowly) through the streets. Since it was somewhere around two in the morning there were really no cars out to bother us. It was actually one of the most peaceful sections of the whole run and even though I was hurting, there was no other place I wanted to be at that time.

All of a sudden we saw the time clock in the distance. No sprint to the finish or anything – just kept moving at the same pace.

Before I knew it, I was done and shaking Joe Jurzyk’s hand - 21:22:22 official time.

Twenty one and a half hours seems like a long time but it really went by quickly. I was actually kind of sorry that it was already over! I sat on the stairs for probably 30 minutes or so, chatting with Erica, Steve, Leigh, Alex and Brooke. I’m really fortunate to have all of them there supporting me – They all helped me out in some way and I am very grateful for that.

So I really wasn’t sure what to expect as far as the days after a 100 mile run. I didn’t expect my feet to be so swollen that it was difficult to get shoes on though. I also did not expect my first run back to be so ackward – I probably looked as ridiculous as I felt…

Looking back I’m definitely glad I chose Burning River as my first 100 miler. Now I just have to choose one for my second…

Chicago Marathon - 10.10.10

2010-10-27T13:59:00.002-05:00

The Chicago Marthon was finally here! We raised enough money for the charity, The Hall Steps Foundation, and we were ready to run. We left from Ohio bright and early Saturday morning, and made the 5.5 hour drive into Chicago. We went to the expo Saturday night, and picked up our bibs and t-shirts. The expo was PACKED - and we could hardly move inside the Nike merch booth. After walking around the expo for a while we decided to take our stuff to the "hotel". (Erica's step-sister and husband were nice enough to let us stay with them). We then took off for the Steps dinner in downtown Chicago, where we were able to eat a great meal, meet all the other Steps runners and even meet Ryan and Sara Hall, Bart Yasso and Scott Bauhs. It was great encouragement for the race and we were pumped! After the dinner we headed back and got to bed.

I started the morning with some delicious pancakes and we headed to the train that would take us downtown. At 6am it was already in the 60's, so we knew it was going to be warm. I was disappointed, though, because I wasn't able to show off my killer prerace sweats as much...

We got to the starting area around 6:40 and checked our bags and started to navigate and figure out where we were supposed to go. We finally figured out where the corrals were; I headed to 'A' and Erica went to 'D'. We said our goodbyes and good lucks and made our separate ways.

I was glad to be in corral A, as it was not as packed as the open division and I was able to get across the starting line in around 30 seconds. I thought that it might help me reach my goal of running under three hours. The main reason I wanted to break three hours is because it would allow me automatic entry into the JFK50, rather than entering via lottery. The first few miles flew by, and I ran faster than I should have. First three miles went by in 6:09, 5:51 and 6:22 - hit the 5k point in 20:08. The crowds were great and made the race a lot of fun. The next three miles I was starting to warm up and ease into a better, more consistent pace - 6:30, 6:35, and 6:35 - 10k point at 40:51. The further we went the more spread out everybody got, which was nice because I didn't have to worry about stepping on heels or getting run over (as much).

The next seven miles really seemed easy and I maintained a nice pace, 6:38, 6:37, 6:43, 6:41, 6:38, 6:43 and 6:41. At this point we were back downtown and the crowds were crazy! I went across the 1/2 marathon point at 1:27:16, which was faster than two of the four half-marathons I have done. The Chicago course is known for being flat and producing fast times. I was feeling great and it seemed like sub-3 might be a possibility! I knew that there was a long way to go still and it would get tough, especially since it was already over 70 degrees.

The next few miles I was still keeping a good pace but was starting to slow a bit - 6:41, 6:45, 6:50. I was happy though, as they were still under 7:00. Miles 17 through 20 I was starting to fatigue a bit and had to really focus to stay on pace - 6:44, 6:53, 6:55 and 7:03. It was nice going through the 20 mile point, as there was only 10k left from here! I was definitely starting to hurt at this point and was a bit disappointed to have a mile split over 7:00 but realized that I was still on track for sub-3 because I hit the 20 mile point at 2:12:34. I did some calculations in my head - I had to do the last 10k in around 47 minutes to be under three hours. No problem, except that I had already gone 20 miles and was a bit tired...

The next three miles were definitely slower, and were probably the hardest of the day - 6:59, 7:03 and 7:10. Ok, 5k left to go and still a little bit of a buffer left to hit the goal time. I had to do the last 5k in around 26 minutes to hit the goal time. Miles 24 and 25 were really tough, but was able to get them done in 7:15 and 7:07. From here I knew that I had 1.2 miles left and I really had to get moving if I wanted to be under 3 hrs... I was able to call upon some untapped reserves and picked up the pace - mile 26 done in 6:53. By this point the finish line was calling my name and I was running as fast as I could - climbed the small hill before the last turn. I heard the announcer saying "45 seconds clock time before the three hour mark!!!" At this point I knew that I was going to be able to make it- crossed the finish line at 2:59:44 gun time, and 2:59:10 chip time.

Fourth marathon in the Vibram Five Fingers - next up is the Bobcat Trail Marathon!

Bill Seymour Half Marathon - 9.4.10

2010-09-19T17:17:00.001-05:00

New half marathon PR! This was my second BSHM - did it again mainly because the race is CHEAP. It is only $25 for the half, and that includes a long-sleeve t-shirt, a gel, and some coupons (including Subway!)

Went out shooting for around 1:28 or so. I felt really good and hung out around 6:30 pace for most of the run. The weather was great - upper 50's at the start. Finished 17th place in 1:24:07.

Here is the info from the Garmin 110 I wore - I ALWAYS forget to hit "stop" after I cross the line... It took me about one minute this time.

Bill Seymour Half Marathon 2010

Here are the pics, thanks to Team Nebraska photographers. None of me are that good and the only reason I'm in any is because I was around TN members. Oh well. At least there is a photographic record that I was there.

Riverside 5000

2010-08-23T09:46:00.001-05:00

We went to a wedding just north of Tulsa this weekend and decided to find a run the morning of the wedding. A search came up with the Riverside 5000 - a flat fast 5k in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The run came at the end of a short week of running; I just got in two 10k runs on Tues/Wed, had a migraine after work Thursday so I didn't get to run. Friday was mostly driving and a two-hour delay at the hotel. I was VERY ready to run Saturday morning.

We got to the run around 7:20 and they were just about to start the "elite" division - guys who could easily run under 18:00 5k and women who were probably under 19:30 or so. There was prize money for this race, and they let the women leave 2 minutes earlier than the guys. Interesting.

We got our packets, did some warmup jogging and headed to the start. There were a few hundred people there, and a lot of high-school age kids. This race was two loops on Riverside. So you go straight ahead, come back toward the finish, turn around again and go out, turn once more and finish up. Good parts to this - it was pretty flat and there were three water stops... bad part - three hairpin loops and it was in the 80s.

Started out pretty fast and did the first mile in 5:46. Slowed down for the second a little bit and it went by in 5:56 or so. I was feeling great and passing people here and there. I got to see Erica three times during the race, which was a first. The third mile was tough - just pushing it as much as I could. Skipped the water stop at mile 3.0 and sprinted to the finish, passing one guy in the process but not quite getting by another. Was shooting for under 18:00 but ended up with 18:16 - still a PR! I was 7th overall and 1st in my age group.

After Erica finished we hopped in the car and went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. It got to 104 degrees that day! Crazy!

Riverside 5000 Open * 5 km * August 14, 2010
River Parks, Tulsa, Okla.
295 finishers * Cloudy, low 80's, slight wind
USATF certified course, USATF sanctioned event
Administered by Glen's Racing Service
MALE OPEN RESULTS
DIV/TOT IS AGE DIVISION PLACE/NUMBER IN DIVISION: PACE IS MIN PER km
Place Div/Tot Div Name City St Age Time Pace
===== ======== ===== ===================== =============== == === ======= =====
1 1/41 M1619 Erik Alnes Tulsa OK 17 17:32 3:31
2 1/47 M1315 Michael Duke Tulsa OK 15 17:47 3:34
3 2/41 M1619 Kevin Diaz Tulsa OK 16 17:52 3:35
4 3/41 M1619 Josiah Soap Jenks OK 19 18:02 3:37
5 4/41 M1619 Quentin Fowler Jenks OK 16 18:13 3:39
6 1/2 M2024 Dan Matthews Tulsa OK 22 18:16 3:40
7 1/6 M2529 Nicholas Hanson Blair NE 28 18:16 3:40
8 5/41 M1619 Levi Garrett Tulsa OK 16 18:19 3:40
9 6/41 M1619 Brad Arnold Tulsa OK 17 18:19 3:40
10 2/47 M1315 Brandon Ellis Sapulpa OK 15 18:28 3:42

Lake Wehrspann 10k - 8.1.10

2010-08-11T09:13:00.000-05:00

This was my first 10k of the year, and I was not training for it specifically at all. I did no interval training, speedwork, mile repeats, etc. I have just been running, and mostly on trails. That being said, I was just out to break 40 minutes again. That would suffice.

We got to the lake about 30 minutes before the start, had time to hit the bathroom, put on our numbers and timing chips, etc… All the normal things you do before a race. We jogged back to the car, put our t-shirts in the trunk and headed to the start. We’d never done this race before, or even been to Lake Wehrspann. Apparently it was the 23^rd year they had done the 10k though. We lined up at the start and got race instructions – we were told that there would be three water stops and the course would be completely on hilly concrete pathways.

The course was very scenic and you could see the lake virtually the whole time. I was around 5^th place, behind 3 males and 1 female, until the 5k point. I felt warmed up by then and went for it. I held the pace around 6:25 or so, and found the energy for a 6:00 sixth mile. Caught up to the leader/pacer around 6.1 miles, passed and won – not the best time but it was under 40 minutes (39:45 – barely!) Of course, I didn't know for sure that I won until I got the award, because the ribbon was not held up. Oh well.

Next race - the Riverside 5000 in OKLAHOMA!

Stampede For Steps 5k

2010-08-04T09:28:00.001-05:00

Erica was the race director for this event and she did a great job. She spent the last couple of months calling local business and asking for sponsorship – ended up getting support from Woodhouse, American Broadband, No Frills, Scheels, Fernando’s Mexican Food, Great Harvest Bread Company and RoadID. I helped as much as I could, promoting the event, marking the course and finding a timing system to use. We had close to thirty runners, with 7-8 signing up the day of the race.

She even designed the shirt – and it looks AWESOME!

She called everybody to the start, gave some background about the Hall Steps Foundation and a little direction about the 5 kilometer course and we were off! The course started off with a long downhill and was flat for a couple of blocks. Then there was a sharp right turn and we went up a steep hill, then right back down. I hung out in third for a while and moved into second at the first big hill. From there it was flat for another block or two then there was a long gradual hill, with a steep hill at the top. The water station was nested in a corner, right before another downhill segment. That was pretty much how the whole course went, up and down hills. Here is from an earlier time when I ran it:

SFS 5k route

There was around 400 feet of elevation change, which is a lot for a road 5k! I never did catch up with the leader (Mr Craig Christians) and ended up second in 19:22.

(bib #1 - very exciting)

The kids’ run was a lot of fun to watch, and I ran it with my nephew. It was his first race, at 2 years old! He even got a finisher ribbon to show off. Here we are lining up at the start:

at the finish:

and receiving his ribbon:

We ended up raising a few hundred dollars for the Hall Steps Foundation, and nobody was injured or rushed to the hospital!

Week after the 50k

2010-07-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the 50k is over. It was a lot of fun, and I healed very quickly! I did an easy 5k around the neighborhood after a full day of rest. Also did two days of trail running about 6 miles each. I didn't have a lot of time during the week for some reason. I was planning on running a lot over the weekend but it just flew by. Friday I didn't run because I was busy doing something very important... Don't remember what though. On Saturday I had to mow and wash the car to get it ready for sale - sold it successfully later that afternoon. Saturday was very hot out, reaching close to 100 degrees and humid. It didn't cool down later that night either. Sunday was full of babysitting, shopping, birthday celebration and more heat/humidity. Oh well.

Only ended up with 15 miles for the whole week - started this week out with a 14 mile run to our church softball game in Omaha (we lost...).

Found out that the Bobcat Trail Marathon in Glouster, Ohio is partnering with Vibram Five Fingers to implement a VFF category! I am registering today-

Next race - Stampede for Steps 5k in Blair 7.31.10

After that - Lake Wehrspan 10k in Omaha 8.1.10

Psycho Psummer 50k

2010-07-14T21:58:00.004-05:00

This Saturday was the fourth annual Psycho Psummer (Run Toto Run) 50k/15mile trail run at Wyandotte County Lake Park in Kansas City, KS. I signed up for the 50k race, and my wife did the 15 mile race. The race director, Bad Ben, made a change a few days before and instead of having all the runners start at the same time he had the 50k start at 8am and the 15mi start 30 minutes later to avoid trail congestion. This worked out great, and I never felt like the trails were packed or that I couldn’t pass or be passed at any time.

I decided not to wear my VFFs for this race, because after reading all of the reviews listed on the trail nerds site I found out there are a lot of rocky areas and mud – both of which aren’t the best conditions for VFFs. I have been training a lot in them though - these pictures are from a recent 16 mile trail run in my Sprints:

I went with some simple cross country flats:

First Loop

It must have rained in the days prior to us arriving from Omaha, because the first couple of miles were pretty muddy. I started slow, as it was my first time running past the marathon distance. I got between two people who were running around 10:30 pace and decided to run with them for a while, chatting casually while running. For all three of us it was our first 50k race so we were taking it easy and weren’t sure of what to expect. Around the 4-5 mile mark I thought I would go ahead of the group I was in and run alone for a bit – my favorite part of trail running is being alone, not watching the feet in front of you. I was alone for the next 4 miles or so and it was some of the most fun I’ve had running for a long time. The aid stations were awesome – filled my water bottle for me, offered a delightful array of food – had everything from watermelon to oranges to pb&j’s to fruit snacks, etc… I got out of the woods at the other end of the lake and there was some open running with long grass to get back into the woods and head back to the start – ran relatively hard here, around 7:30 pace; it was nice to stretch the legs a bit. I saw the photographer a few times on the first loop – he is very sneaky but extremely nice.

At the first aid station back on this area I caught up with a few guys around my age and decided to run with them for a few miles – they were moving pretty good at around 9:45 pace. They lost me at the Boy Scout aid station – I wanted to hang out for a few minutes and eat! I left there and made my way through the Wyandotte Triangle – got back and was told there was around 2.5 miles back to the start. These were probably the slowest miles of each loop. It was here where it got even muddier and rockier than at the very start. It was a slow trip back from there but I made it to the halfway point at around 2:48. My goal was around 3 hours per loop so I was right on track. I didn’t wait at the halfway point too long- there were a few guys there changing socks, and regrouping but I figured I’d just move along (after eating some fruit snacks and drinking some soda of course!).

Second Loop

The second loop started out fine – the 15 mile runners actually packed down the mud and it was not as bad as the first time around. I was trotting along, enjoying myself while drinking water and eating fruit snacks. I got to the first aid station (again) and was told I was in 14^th place – not bad, I thought! I was shooting for top ten so I thought there might be a chance for that. I didn’t know how I would feel after 20+ miles though. The weather was starting to heat up but fortunately most of the race is under complete tree cover so it was still very enjoyable. One of the most fun parts of the course is the rope attached to the trees that you use to climb up a very steep slope. There are no pictures of me doing this, but I’m pretty sure I had a huge grin on my face the whole time. For miles 18-22 or so I was alone, and having a great time. I passed a runner every now and then that was slowing down – I was feeling better and better for some reason – must be the fruit snacks. I made a wrong turn around mile 26 which cost me a few minutes. Got back to the Wyandotte Triangle and started catching up with the very last of the 15 mile runners who cheered me on. The last 2.5 miles again were very slow, muddy and rocky. Got out of the woods and ran through the half mile or so of grass to the finish in 5:45!

Nicholas Hanson

340

2:48:36.3

2:56:59.4

5:45:35.7

This was one of the most fun races I’ve ever done – the fellow runners were nice, and the aid station volunteers were all awesome and very helpful. Ben and Sophia put on a GREAT race! And thanks for the free pictures! Will definitely do it again next year if I can! I’m even thinking about doing the Free State 100k…

After the race we got some Applebees and I promptly fell asleep:

Great day.

Update - here is the upload from my Garmin Forerunner 110: Psycho Psummer 50k

Blair Downtown Mile

2010-06-12T13:47:00.024-05:00

This was the fifth annual Blair Elite Downtown Mile race in Blair, Nebraska. I got an email from the Omaha Running Club that they were going to be nice enough to allow community entrants into the race - normally it is invite-only. I had never done a mile race before and it was only $10 so I thought - why not? I didn't practice 200 meter repeats, or go to a track for workouts or anything... just thought I would wing it.

We all rode a bus from the YMCA to the start line, did some warmups and ran the course once (twice for some people). We waited around a bit more and it got hotter and hotter... for some reason they have the race a little after noon in JUNE when the temperature is close to 90 degrees.

Then we finally lined up at the start and the gun went off:

I ran pretty much as hard as I could - I saved a little for the end though. Got passed at the last second (literally) by a high school kid - you can see me laughing in the picture. He sure snuck up on me - I had passed him about 300 meters before that. Oh well. Congrats to him. Ended up third place - 5:09:44.

I wish I had known that the community registrants weren't eligible for awards - there were some people there that ended up getting money and two awards. At least I got some pizza!

BLAIR MILE
                         June 12, 2010 - Blair, NE

                          Community Mile Results

Place Sex/Tot  Name                         City                Age Sex   Time   
===== ======== ============================ =================== === === ======== 
    1   1/7    Kevin Bane                   Oakland IA           22 M    4:44.07 
    2   2/7    Mitchell Martin              Milford NE           15 M    5:09.32 
    3   3/7    Nicholas Hanson              Blair NE             27 M    5:09.44 
    4   4/7    Kyle Hoggi                   Milford NE           15 M    5:25.09 
    5   5/7    Sean Fredricksen             Milford NE           14 M    5:25.11 
    6   1/5    Bryli Troyer                 Milford NE           14 F    5:58.68 
    7   2/5    Michelle Hall                Omaha NE             18 F    5:58.82 
    8   3/5    Allison Spath                Milford NE           16 F    6:02.81 
    9   6/7    Jared Bledsoe                Blair NE             10 M    6:08.08 
   10   7/7    Ryan Dibben                  Blair NE             18 M    6:20.00 
   11   4/5    Brittany Gropp               Milford NE           14 F    6:26.76 
   12   5/5    Maria Bledsoe                Blair NE             45 F    6:46.48

Ashland JWC 5k - first annual!

2010-06-09T11:06:00.003-05:00

pictures from Ashland JWC shutterfly page:

ashlandjwc.shutterfly.com/

As the title states, this was the first annual Ashland NE Junior Woman’s Club 5k Fun Run. Erica and I were tipped off to the event by a fellow member of our softball team. Neither of us had been to Ashland, and we were free that morning so we gladly signed up. The weather was nice – about 72 degrees and a bit humid, if I remember correctly… I decided to wear my blue VFF Classics for the race, because for some reason I had the Velcro strap on my Sprints a bit tight at the CB ½ marathon and they rubbed the top of my feet raw. They are healed now and I’m back running in the Sprints, which I prefer by far for running over the Classics. Anyway, this was a very small race compared to the Boystown run on Monday. I could see a few people looking at my shoes and then tapping the person next to them and pointing… I’m used to it by now. I jogged around a bit and did some strides to warm up and then went to wait at the start. When the gun went off I was a little antsy and went right to the lead. It felt like I was running pretty fast but it was just so fun that I figured I’d go with it. After a couple minutes I looked down at my Garmin watch and noticed that I had pushed the wrong button at the start and that it was not calculating. Rats. I started the clock there – somewhere before the first mile. There were two kids that had volunteered to lead everybody on their bicycles – thanks to them! It was a nice town to run through and nice to do a 5k – I have been doing longer distances lately so 5k felt it went by really fast. The two mile splits I got were around 6:06 and 6:16 – I finished first in 18:XX so the first mile must have been 5:40 or so. Afterward the second finisher came up and talked to me – thought the “shoes” were cool. He did very well, in my opinion, finishing in around 22 minutes while pushing his son in a stroller! Impressive. I’d say that’s good for a 2-3 minute handicap. Overall very fun – they should do it again next year!

Update - Official time for the race was 18:31

Boystown 5 Mile Run

2010-06-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

Memorial day was the Boystown 5 Mile Run in Omaha, NE. It was a very nice day - just a little over 60 degrees at the start. I got there about 30 minutes early and did some light jogging around the campus to warm up. I lined up with the 6:30 pace runners at the start line. While everybody was waiting I fielded a few questions about my "weird" shoes like "are they comfortable", "is there any arch support, because I need a lot of that", and "do you like them?". The same sort of questions that are usually asked... One guy mentioned that he just got a pair and had been wearing them around the house.

Once the gun went off I felt really good and was passing people for the first half mile or so. I finished the first mile in 6:01. The course was beautiful - hills, trees, a lake... I passed the lead female around 1.5 miles. The miles flew by and it was very enjoyable: 6:14, 6:08, 6:12... The last mile I felt great- 5 mile races seem short after doing a half marathon the weekend before! Did the last mile in 6:06 - wore the Garmin for the first time and it hit the five mile mark about 0.09 miles from the finish. Ended up placing 30th out of 1600. Very fun race - I recommend doing it!

30 5/92 NICHOLAS HANSON 1339 27 M BLAIR NE 30:56

Next up is a 5k in Ashland, NE...

Council Bluffs Half Marathon - race report

2010-05-27T15:40:00.002-05:00

This was the second running of the Council Bluffs Half Marathon, and my first. I wore my VFF Sprints - nearing 1200 miles but holding together nicely. I didn't do any spring races last year but for some reason have been doing as many as I can this spring... I knew all week that the race was going to be warm - high of between 85/90 for the day. The morning of the race was a warm and humid 72 degrees. The race started out with the 5k runners, and it was an out-and-back run for them. I started towards the middle of the pack, because it was chip-timed and I thought I should probably start out slow for the first mile or two. My first two miles were around 6:55 and 6:45, right where I wanted to be. Around mile two I heard "nice barefoot shoes" (which still is an odd thing to say to somebody for many reasons...). I ran with that guy for a few minutes, talking about the VFFs. Around mile 3-4 one of the pacers for Team Nebraska talked to me a bit (he was on a bicycle) about the VFFs - he wore them for a trail run a few weeks ago. The course was actually very nice and was flat. Running by Lake Manawa allowed for some good scenery, although it smelled a bit fishy... I kept as steady a pace as I could - ranging from about 6:35 to 6:50 per mile. After the lake we hit my favorite part - a few hundred feet of single-track dirt trail - before jumping onto another trail and heading back toward the finish. I worked my way up little by little, passing a couple of people every mile. When mile ten came around I was getting a bit tired from the sun beating down on me - at the last few water stops I dumped a cup of water on my head - VERY nice feeling. The last few miles of the race were very pleasant - we ran through another concrete trail with nice trees. I caught up with a female runner who I could see for the last two miles or so right at the 13 mile marker. I thought she might race me to the finish but I went on without her. Finished in 1:29:08 (chip time), 10th overall. Not too bad for the heat/humidity. I felt great afterward - could have gone further. Overall it was a fairly well-organized race. Although, the expo was very weak and they didn't put out bananas/oranges until around 2:00:00. A bit pricey too, at $60.

bib number:	236
age:	27
gender:	M
location:	Blair, NE
overall place:	10 out of 635
division place:	2 out of 42
gender place:	9 out of 278
time:	1:29:08
pace:	6:49
gun time:	1:29:38

Next up - Boystown Memorial Day 5 Mile Run

Chicago Marathon 10.10.10

2010-05-07T11:18:00.001-05:00

So I was reading about the Boston Marathon results a couple of weeks ago... I found out that Ryan Hall donated all of his prize money from the race ($25,000) to his charity, the Hall Steps Foundation. I thought that was interesting so I researched a bit more. He started the foundation with his wife, Sara Hall, who is also an incredible runner. Here are some details from their website:

The Hall Steps Foundation aims to empower the running community to use the energy and resources that fuel runners’ athletic achievements for social justice efforts. Currently in its first year of operation, the Steps Foundation funds initiatives that tackle structural causes of poverty such as chronic lack of access to basic entitlements including clean water, shelter and physical security. Specifically, Steps partners with leading international and local nonprofits in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia to fund projects that invest in sustainable methods of enhancing access to basic essentials. To-date, this has included (1) constructing community wells in East Africa to secure water access; (2) funding an orphanage in Kenya to ensure access to shelter and basic education; and (3) sponsoring legal counsel for victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia to enhance victims’ physical autonomy. In the U.S., the Hall Steps Foundation is funding youth mentor and running programs across the country that aim to position athletic activity, goal-setting and training camaraderie at the center of the national movement to improve youth health, fitness and opportunity.

The more I found out the more I thought is was a great idea. One of the "nonprofits" that they team with is WorldVision, a Christian organization. The three main goals of the HSF are:

1. Mentoring running programs to get kids active and fight childhood obesity
2. Providing clean water to rural communities in Africa
3. Anti Human-Trafficking

I then noticed on the site that they were looking for runners to join them at the Chicago Marathon this October. I mentioned it to my wife and she wanted to do it too! So now we are registered to run the marathon for the Hall Steps Foundation. We each need to raise $1500, which sounds like a good challenge for both of us. We haven't started formally raising money yet but we have our information on their site. More to follow...

Here are our sites:

nick - me

erica

Garmin Forerunner

2010-05-07T10:54:00.002-05:00

So I decided to get a GPS watch... I went with the new Garmin Forerunner 110 - in black with the heart rate strap. I finally got this one because it actually looks like a watch, is lightweight and I can be a nerd and look back at the data from my runs! Here is the last run that I collected data from:

10 mile run

B.A.A. Boston Marathon 2010

2010-04-22T09:17:00.005-05:00

Photo courtesy of marathonfoto.com !!!

Third marathon in Vibram FiveFingers! Just saw on birthdayshoes.com that another runner was at the Boston Marathon in VFFs: link to birthdayshoes.com post. He ran a great race in 3:25, which is just right around where my first VFF marathon was (3:24). Congrats, Dan!

Went to the expo on Sunday after my wife ran the B.A.A. 5k to pick up my packet. I had to stop by the VFF exhibit and check out the new Bikilas- I am a bit skeptical... They seem to have a lot of padding. I may or may not try them out- I'm still deciding. I did hear that Tony Post gave a free pair to Corrado Giambalvo to run in. He finished in 3:23. Hey Tony, I'll take a pair to try out!!! Maybe they will get me to go under three hours for a marathon!! I keep contacting Vibram about being a tester but they have no interest. I also have contacted them about putting out some technical t-shirts so that I can support them during races but they have no interest. I have asked them to send me some more of the cards to hand out to interested people but they will not do it. The product is great, but the customer service lately has been poor! Oh well. The expo was huge but very organized; there were tons of people wandering around, very excited about the impending race the next day. I met a few people who gave me tips on how to run Boston efficiently. One experienced runner who was running his 21st Boston told me to take it easy on the first five miles because you'll want to run fast! I heard this same thing from a few others as well.

I got on the first set of busses that left the park in Boston at 6:00am. We pulled into the Hopkinton school around 7:00am made the walk into the "Athlete's Village". The wait from 7::00 to 9:10 was long and cold. Luckily they provided food, music and delicious coffee. I trotted to the starting line with thousands of other people and made my way to the #4 corral. I wore my VFF Sprints for this run - I got asked many questions by people in the corral and during the race. Many of them had just bought VFFs recently but hadn't run in them yet. I told them they are great; go for a run in them!!

The Boston Course is a net downhill course, but there are plenty of uphills along the way. I tried to take it easy on the first half, making the way in just under 1:29 like planned. The second half was mostly pain from sore quadriceps muscles. The girls of Wellesly College were amazing and gave a boost of energy to all the runners. The Newton hills were tough! I still cannot believe how many spectators there are at this event; there are people cheering the whole way! I had to stop and rub a tight quad muscle around mile 19; there were about five people that were yelling "you can do it!!" and when I started running again they cheered. Great support, plenty of water/gatorade, plenty of orange slices along the way. I got asked by a few people how my feet were feeling - I told them they were great! Boston College was awesome - seeing the Citgo sign was great, and the last two turns onto Hereford and Boylston were NUTS! Very fun race! I didn't break three hours like I had hoped but still requalified to run next year- 3:06:02 (a PR by 29 seconds!).

Bib

Name

Age

M/F

City

State

Country

Ctz

4083

Hanson, Nicholas J.

Blair

USA

Checkpoints	5k	10k	15k	20k	Half	25k	30k	35k	40k
Checkpoints	0:20:56	0:42:06	1:03:00	1:24:14	1:28:52	1:45:50	2:08:45	2:32:29	2:56:03
Finish				Pace	Projected Time	Official Time	Overall	Gender	Division
Finish				0:07:06		3:06:02	2020	1884	1334

Wisner Leprechaun Run - 3.20.10

2010-03-23T09:39:00.001-05:00

This last Saturday was the 29th annual Wisner Fire & EMS Leprechaun run. They had 2.2 mile, 5 kilometer and 5 mile runs as part of the St Patrick's day weekend celebrations. I had never been to Wisner, NE but there were no other good runs that weekend so we made the drive. The weather was questionable - only about 32 degrees and windy at the start. I got in a good warmup and luckily the race did not begin until 12 noon.

I stepped into the little community center to use the bathroom quickly before the start and overheard a few fellow runners speaking about how they need to get shoes with the most cushioning possible, because their feet need it if they run over 10 miles... I figured I should stay out of it and kept to myself, glancing down at my wierd VFF Sprints with Injinji socks underneath. Not much cushioning here but I'm doing fine with 50-70 miles per week.

The race director gave some instructions on where to go- everybody started and finished in the same spots. The first turnaround was for the 2.2 mile race, the second was for the 5k and the last was for the 5 mile race. My wife and I had both chosen to run the 5 mile race. At the start I was feeling very loose and must have actually warmed up properly for once. I got to the front of the pack and started running hard. I chatted with another runner for a minute about the VFFs - he told me that he has a pair but only wears them on the treadmill. I told him he should try wearing them outside!

I got through the first 2 miles in about 11:50 and did not realize that the wind was pushing me until the turnaround, about 2.5 miles in... The return trip was brutal- into the wind for the whole last half of the race. I think I ran about 6:00 pace for the first half and 6:30 for the second half. I was in second place virtually the whole time- the guy ahead of me somehow ran faster after the turnaround and sped ahead of everybody. He finished in 28:53 and I came in second at 31:22, around 6:16 pace. I was happy, especially with all of that wind. I even got my first trophy- with the little plastic running guy on top. Awesome. After I finished the runner that I had talked to came up and was asking me how much I run in my VFFs - I told him that anytime I'm outside I'll run in them, or barefoot. He told me that they give him blisters on his big toes due to the seams - I told him that he needs to get a pair of the Bikilas (if they ever come out) because they are completely seamless!

After the race we got our free $2 steak sandwiches. Yes; you read that right.

bentonville half marathon

2010-03-15T10:19:00.004-05:00

So the Wal-Mart Bentonville Half Marathon was this Saturday in Bentonville, Arkansas. I originally signed up for it because I thought it would be a great spring half to do with warm weather- turned out Arkansas weather can be variable in March... At the start of the race it was about 38 degrees and misting rain. I warmed up for 15 minutes before the start, jogging around the the parking lot where our car was. We had to wait for a while at the starting line, though, so I got pretty cold waiting there. The Injinji socks worked well to keep my toes warm while running, but at the start they were definitely starting to get COLD! I was shooting for a time of around 1:24 but forgot my watch at home. I started somewhere in the middle - this was a mistake because it took a while to run through a big pack of runners. I did not know how fast I was running until there was a clock at the 10k point- 42:17. I still was not warming up... I picked up the pace a little from there but knew there was an impressive hill at the end of the race. I finally started feeling warmed up and ready to run hard around 10 miles. When I got to the hill (around the 12 mile mark) I ran up without stopping; it was steep but very fun and challenging - I passed two other runners here. I finished in 1:29:57 feeling like I could have run a bit faster. Results were posted already- I was in 29th place at the 10k point. Ended up 22nd overall out of 888 runners; 4th out of 60 in my age group.

Also - I had an interesting conversation with the race director/ local running shoe store owner Mike Rush (http://rushrunning.com/) about my Vibram Five Fingers Sprints that I was wearing. While wearing a head-mounted video camera he politely informed me that I was pronating while wearing my VFFs. I told him that a fair amount of pronation is normal during running gait and it is just your arch supplying you with energy. He then told me that I would have problems and would get injured soon. I explained that I have been running in them exclusively for over two years now and haven't had problems with the VFFs yet. I have even done two marathons, two half marathons and a handful of 5Ks and 10Ks so far... He seemed to be caught off guard about the fact that I had done two marathons in them and was still healthy- but quickly asked what the times were. I told him 3:24 and 3:06. He told me that he knows biomechanics and that I will get injured- and that he refuses to carry VFFs in his store because he does not believe in them. I told him that I have my MS degree in Exercise Science and my thesis was on barefoot running- I have done a lot of research and I think I'll be okay. It was an interesting conversation, though. Usually I get asked by curious people what it is like to run in them and if they have any arch support, etc. but nothing like this. Thought I would share this.

Next race - Leprechaun 5 Mile Run in Wisner, NE

update

2010-03-09T08:50:00.001-06:00

Thought I would post a quick update regarding winter running... I live in Nebraska and the winter has been harsh, to put it midly. Not many warm days since November. I have been running on the treadmill mostly, either barefoot or in socks (the treadmill can get very warm running for 1-2 hours). Occasionally I will wear my VFFs on the treadmill too. I have gotten outside probably 6-7 times in my VFFs this winter, every time with my Injinji socks for warmth. I plan on wearing my Sprints (roughly 700 miles on them now) to the Bentonville Half Marathon this weekend and then to the Boston Marathon next month. I've been running outside more and more lately- it was ~44 degrees Saturday so I did the last ten miles of my 20 miler outside in the Sprints and loved it. I am anxiously awaiting the VFF Bikilas!!!

520 miles on the sprints-

2009-10-12T21:27:00.001-05:00

So I calculated how many miles I have on my current pair of Sprints and it comes to 520 miles. They look surprisingly nice for the amount of miles. Most traditional running shoes need replaced around 200-300 miles. I got right around 500 miles on my last pair of Classics until the yellow material inside the heel started to break down. The Sprints look awesome and I think they'll last another couple hundred miles. In case you're wondering what they look like:

I haven't washed these nearly as much as I washed the Classics - I was wondering if that is the reason for the breakdown of the inside material. The picture may not show but the Sprints are starting to get worn on the sole - I mainly run on asphalt. There is a small rip in the fabric by one of the toes but otherwise they are in great shape. And I don't have to worry about the breakdown of EVA either...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rmDLllqYnA

barefoot running thesis

2009-10-11T21:25:00.004-05:00

I completed my Master's thesis in May and thought I would post the results in case anybody is interested:

The biomechanics of barefoot running have been studied quite a lot - mainly it has been shown to decrease the risk of injury because when a person runs barefoot they land softer and their legs experience decreased ground reaction forces. I wanted to further explore the physiological aspects of barefoot running and see if it could help an athlete's performance.

The title of my thesis was "An Analysis of the Energy Expenditure of Running Barefoot versus Running Shod: Treadmill and Overground". The abstract is below:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the energy expenditure involved with running barefoot and running shod on the treadmill as well as overground. Ten subjects volunteered to participate in the study, and the age range was 19 to 29 years. The subjects were healthy, reported no previous lower limb injuries, and ran at least 10 miles per week for six months prior to the study.

All of the subjects participated in the four experimental conditions: 1) barefoot on treadmill, 2) shod on treadmill, 3) barefoot overground, and 4) shod overground. For each condition, the subject was instructed to run for six minutes at 70% of their vVO₂max pace. To correct for air resistance a 1% grade was used on the treadmill. Steady state VO₂ was collected, as well as Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and heart rate.

A 2x2 repeated measures ANOVA was used for analysis of the data. Running with shoes showed significantly higher VO₂ values on both the treadmill and the overground track (p<0.05). The heart rate and RPE were significantly higher in the shod condition as well (p<0.02; p<0.01). For the overground condition, running with shoes displayed 5.7% higher VO₂ values than running barefoot. In the treadmill condition, the difference was 2.0%.

From the results of the experiment, the following can be concluded: 1) At a given velocity, barefoot running shows significantly lower VO₂ values than running shod; this indicates a higher running economy when barefoot. 2) When a 1% grade is used on the treadmill, there is not a significant difference in VO₂ values between running on a treadmill and running overground.

What I found, essentially, in my study was that when the subjects were running barefoot they were more economical. The main finding that barefooter runners might like is the overground condition. I think overground testing is much more applicable to everyday runners than treadmill testing, as most runners prefer to run outside and see the world! Take for example one of the subjects: He was running on an indoor track at the university at 7 mph for both conditions- with shoes and without. When he was running barefoot his body required less oxygen than when he was running with shoes on. This basically means that it was easier for him to maintain that same pace while barefoot. Over the 10 subjects the average increase in oxygen uptake when people went from barefoot to shoes was 5.7%. This was very interesting though because economy of barefoot running hasn't been studied before overground and the results were great!

One of the subjects with the portable metabolic cart (Oxygen-measuring device)

The economy can kind of be explained like gas mileage with a car. More economical cars can go further on a gallon of gas than less economical cars, just like one could go further on a certain volume of oxygen if they were barefoot.

the beginning

2009-10-11T20:57:00.003-05:00

I was not a runner when I was younger, and didn't really run in high school or college. After I graduated with my Bachelor's degree I decided to go for a run. It went really well and I loved it. The next day I could barely walk; it was a shock to my body. After I took a few days off to heal I started running a three mile loop around my house seven days per week. I did all of this in an old pair of Nikes that were laying around the house. I ran fairly consistently for about a year until I stumbled on Barefoot Ken Bob's website runningbarefoot.org and thought the idea of barefoot running was great. I decided to give it a try and implemented it during the last mile or so of my run every couple of days.

I really liked running barefoot but living in eastern Nebraska out in the country made this difficult. I tried running barefoot out on the highway but at the time it was summer, the asphalt was incredibly hot, and I ended up with some impressive blisters. Additionally, the winters are snowy/icy and there are not any good clean sidewalks where I live. I wanted an alternative...

I then found the Vibram Five Fingers website: vibramfivefingers.com. This was exactly what I was looking for - a thin rubber sole that protected against hot asphalt, rocks and other road hazards but also allowed for the same foot movement as running barefoot. I immediately bought a pair.

When my blue Vibram Five Fingers Classics arrived I slipped them on, admired them in the mirror and went for a run. Three miles later I cam home, having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The next morning, however, my calves were on FIRE! It took about three days for them to heal and I could try them out again. I started using them gradually after that, using them for the last mile or two of every run. Eventually I was using them for almost every run.

I had the chance to use them during a race but backed out at the last second and wore running shoes. A few weeks later I was doing my 20 mile run in preparation of my first marathon and my running shoes caused me to have some severe pain in my Achilles tendon. That is the last time I wore traditional running shoes. I rested my Achilles for a couple of days and then switched completely to the Five Fingers and barefoot running (if I am on the treadmill, or if it is very mild weather out I'll run barefoot but otherwise I am in the Five Fingers). I ran the Omaha Marathon in them a few weeks later, as well as the Market to Market Relay two weeks after that.

As for a review - the Classics are great. The drawstring in the back has bugged my heel here and there but I've formed a small callus that has prevented any blisters or anything. I wore them for about 400-500 miles and then switched to the Sprints, which are very similar but instead of a drawstring they have two sets of velcro straps:

I have had these for about 400 miles and they are still going strong- I'm kind of curious to see how many miles I can get out of them.

omaha marathon 9.27.09

2009-10-04T13:11:00.002-05:00

This is the second time I ran the Omaha Marathon, and my second marathon overall. I trained a little harder for this one, peaking at 62 miles per week rather than 40 last year. Last year's marathon was my first, and also the first race that I ran in my Vibram Five Fingers.

This is a fairly tough course but having run it last year I felt I was ready for the challenge. My time last year was 3:24:25 and my goal was to be as close to 3:00:00 as possible. I figured I would hang out with the 3 hour pacer as long as possible and if I lost them along the way hopefully I could still be under 3:10:59 and qualify for the Boston Marathon.

So the race starts promptly at 7:00 am (maybe a minute or two early, actually) and we are off. In Omaha, they start the 10k, half-marathon and full marathon together since the total is only around 3000 people. The first couple miles I ran around 6:35 pace and have not yet seen the 3 hour pacer. Then, about 3 miles into the race someone passes me and I notice a small "3:00" tag attached to his shorts. I thought they would be holding a sign or have a larger tag, but oh well... I decided to follow him as he weaved through the other various runners. After each mile I looked at my watch and each of the first six miles were right around 6:35 pace. I crossed the 10k point right at 41:00, which is exactly 6:35 pace. I thought it was a little fast, since 3:00 pace for the marathon is around 6:52 pace, but I figured the pacer was allowing for the second half to be a little slower.

It got a little crowded around the 10k point because there was some congestion and all of the half-marathoners were still around. Somehow I lost sight of the pacer but decided to keep running at 6:35 pace for a while. At a water/Gatorade station around mile 10 the pacer passed me, so somehow I had gotten ahead of him. We ran together for a mile or so and each time there was a hill I would pull ahead but on the downhills he would surge forward. We were holding steady for a while until the marathoners merged back with the half-marathoners on a narrow street. It was there the the pacer pulled away. We both reached the halfway point at 1:29 and that was the last I saw of the pacer.

It was at the halfway point that I also started slowing down a bit. In the Omaha Marathon the full marathoners split from the half-marathoners for good around the 14-15 mile point, and there the pack thins drastically. I did the next few miles around 7:00 pace and started getting a little lonely. I really enjoy running alone but during a marathon when it gets tough it's nice to have people around. From mile 14 to 18 I didn't really see anybody behind or ahead of me so I slowed down a little without realizing it. A group of people around mile 16 told me that I was the tenth runner to pass that station. At around mile 18 I could see the leaders heading into the park and starting to finish their last 10k. I took a gel from the station and plugged along.

I crossed the 20 mile point at 2:18:30, which is right around 6:55 pace. I really wanted to be at three hours but I was starting to fatigue and my body couldn't run as fast as my mind wanted it to. I started the last 10k with some slight cramps in my legs, which was a first for me, and felt very odd. I passed a triathlete (obvious from the zippered shirt) who asked me a couple questions about my Vibram FiveFingers: Do I like running in them? Do they offer any arch support? Yes, I love them. No, not really any support; they do make your feet stronger because of this though!

I was still plugging along at the 22 mile point but slowing down. I got passed there by the female that won the marathon. She was looking strong and I followed behind her and her cyclist. For some reason at around mile 24 I really felt like I needed to walk for a few steps. At the water station I grabbed a drink and walked with it for about 2 minutes. It was here that I got passed by a runner around my age who seemed to have two assistants with them. I didn't realize that fact until the last stretch when they both eased off the course to let the runner finish. One was on a bike providing drinks and one was running beside him. I let them pass me but caught up and was right behind them until the finish.

It was at the 25 mile point (up a hill!) where the race was getting really difficult. I knew that I needed to hurry: 3:00 was out of the question but if I wanted to qualify for Boston I needed to keep running. No more breaks! I got up the hill (slowly) and headed toward the last part of the race. On the last stretch there were people that had already finished the 10k or half-marathon and were cheering me on. All I could think of was getting to the finish and getting an ice cold water to pour on my head and another to drink. I got across the finish line at 3:06:31 which was good enough to qualify for Boston.

(here I am getting asked yet another question about my "footwear")

omaha corporate cup 9.20.09

2009-09-23T19:17:00.002-05:00

My goal for this 10 kilometer race was to break 40 minutes. It was exactly one week before the marathon so I didn't want to run it too hard and possibly get hurt. My best time for the 10k until that point was the Corporate Cup 2008 where I ran 41:05. Last year I chickened out at the last minute and didn't wear my FiveFingers. I had been training in my Classics for a few weeks but decided I wasn't ready to race in them (although I ran the marathon in them a week later...). So I really just wanted to break 40 minutes for the first time.

It was a nice, cool morning and I showed up early and went into the seeded runners area. Actually, before that I stopped by the bathroom and got one of the usual comments about the footwear- "Do you actually run in those?", to which I replied "Yes- all the time!". The seeded area is nice because there are around 10,000 people there and it allows you to get a little ahead of all the slower runners so you aren't bobbing and weaving around all of them. I didn't wear a watch for this race- I remembered that they had a couple clocks along the course the I could rely on. I ran at a pace that was really comfortable and I thought would be just right. I passed the halfway point right around 19 minutes so I decided that the pace was perfect. I think I could have run faster, because when I crossed the finish line at 39:21 I felt great (unlike last year when I felt like I was going to pass out). This must be evidence that more miles = better running economy!