Week after the 50k

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

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! 

5

Nicholas Hanson

340

28

M

16

2:48:36.3

4

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

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!

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

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

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

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