Re: New Speedway Boogie

Penelope Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:14 am

Wow. That was a very real description of how it felt. You went to some dark places, but glad you had family to get you through it, and of course it is a learning experience. Thanks for taking us along with you on that epic journey!

Julie Wed Sep 18, 2013 11:14 am

Thanks for sharing your race experience with us! Sounds like quite the tough time but I'm so glad Lisa was there to tough love you, so to speak, into finishing. I don't know if that was hard for her but I'm sure plenty of people would have just let you stop but I think she did the right thing. Great job sticking with it and finding more mental toughness when you were spent.

Dave-O Mon Sep 23, 2013 5:29 pm

Great report, Schuey. I have no doubt the knowledge and lessons learned from that race will pay off in a future race!

Schuey Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:47 pm

Alex Kubacki wrote:Congrats on the 50M Martin. 3rd AG is awesome considering it's not a goal race. Looks like you had a great learning experience out there. Add to it your previous experience at JFK and you should be primed come November.

Thanks Alex will see how it goes come November.

Penelope wrote:Congrats on the 50 and 3rd in the AG! I've never trail ran before, but I could see that it would be harder mentally too besides just physically, since you really have to pay attention and probably can't get into auto-pilot so well. Great pics of Kristina, she's a cutie!

I love the philosophy of running and living and enjoying the here and now and not the future. Your blog is a great reminder to us all of that.
The smoothies look delicious!

Hey P thanks for the post! Yes, running on trails is a completely different mind set, at least I think so. Others may or may not agree with me about that. Glad you like of Kristina, that's my girl and I love her so so so much! I must also add the darn kid is so much fun!

Schuey Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:50 pm

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Thanks for sharing, Schuey. A hard lesson learned, but with the love and support of Lisa and Kristina, you made it. Of course, it does pretty much tell you why you shouldn't experiment during a race, but before hand, but we all make these mistakes and I believe that the elites do as well. Now make sure it is in place for JFK as we don't need to witness a repeat and Lisa doesn't either

Excellent job toughing it out and getting it done!

Yes Michele it was a very hard lesson learned but then again when have I ever done things the easy way? The support and love from my family was huge!!!

Penelope wrote:Wow. That was a very real description of how it felt. You went to some dark places, but glad you had family to get you through it, and of course it is a learning experience. Thanks for taking us along with you on that epic journey!

Yeah it really ended up being quite the day but again well worth it!

Schuey Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:55 pm

Julie wrote:Thanks for sharing your race experience with us! Sounds like quite the tough time but I'm so glad Lisa was there to tough love you, so to speak, into finishing. I don't know if that was hard for her but I'm sure plenty of people would have just let you stop but I think she did the right thing. Great job sticking with it and finding more mental toughness when you were spent.

Oh she made sure to give me the tough love! No doubt she did the right thing with making finish. That is one of the great things about our relationship/marriage, Lisa knows me so well that there was no doubt that she knew I wanted to finish and that i could finish. I also knew if she really felt I was in danger she would have pulled me off the course.

Dave-O wrote:Great report, Schuey. I have no doubt the knowledge and lessons learned from that race will pay off in a future race!

Thanks Dave! Well I can only hope that I learned my lesson and that I use it all to my advantage in future races. Running it sure is a crazy sport!

Nick Morris Wed Sep 25, 2013 1:11 pm

Wow Schuey, what an experience you went through. I know that you will take the knowledge that you learned from that race and use it to only make you better in upcoming races. And like the marathon and road racing, I think that you will also master the ultra marathon. Thanks for sharing!!!

Schuey Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:54 pm

I will like to say today how much it sucks running with two broken ribs! Yep 2 weeks ago at DWD it took a pretty good spill on one of my legs and ended up breaking 2 ribs. I completed the rest of my legs that day and well since there really isn't much you can do for broken ribs have continued to run. But i would like to again say how much it really sucks and well I have a feeling my upcoming races are going to be that much more challenging now!!! Oh well love the challenge and as always love and look forward to the daily run!

Penelope Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:43 am

Schuey wrote:I will like to say today how much it sucks running with two broken ribs! Yep 2 weeks ago at DWD it took a pretty good spill on one of my legs and ended up breaking 2 ribs. I completed the rest of my legs that day and well since there really isn't much you can do for broken ribs have continued to run. But i would like to again say how much it really sucks and well I have a feeling my upcoming races are going to be that much more challenging now!!! Oh well love the challenge and as always love and look forward to the daily run!

Oh goodness. Broken ribs are so painful! I'm amazed you're able to run at all with them. I hope they hurry up and heal and stop bothering you. Very impressive you're running through it.

Schuey Tue Oct 08, 2013 9:56 am

Penelope wrote:
Schuey wrote:I will like to say today how much it sucks running with two broken ribs! Yep 2 weeks ago at DWD it took a pretty good spill on one of my legs and ended up breaking 2 ribs. I completed the rest of my legs that day and well since there really isn't much you can do for broken ribs have continued to run. But i would like to again say how much it really sucks and well I have a feeling my upcoming races are going to be that much more challenging now!!! Oh well love the challenge and as always love and look forward to the daily run!
Oh goodness. Broken ribs are so painful! I'm amazed you're able to run at all with them. I hope they hurry up and heal and stop bothering you. Very impressive you're running through it.

Thanks P! Yeah it's be pretty tough and to be honest it doesn't get to the point were the pain of it just seems to come normal to some extent. What really stinks about is sleeping at night, I can't lay on my ride side at all with them hurting and well the whole breathing thing when laying down is not all the fun either!

Jerry Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:04 am

From main page, I see New Speedway Boo...

Schuey Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:24 am

HaHa well it's funny how the smallest things can get runners excited and happy! So, now the question is what has me so darn excited and happy on a Tuesday morning (or should we "What Day Is IT??" in my world (that means Wednesday for me))??

Here is the answer Hammer just came out with a new flavor gel "Peanut butter", which contains 2 grams of fat and 1 gram of protein. What else is sweet about this is now I can not do a make for other flavors! Example doing a Peanut butter/Espresso combo or Huckleberry or Raspberry gel flavors with the peanut butter to make a PB & J AWESOME! I don't think I have ever posted about here but after doing some reach search I started learning a while back on how to make different flavors of Hammer products to make new flavors and to also help make things taste better or to also help combo up products so I don't have to take so many things at different times.

For example since starting running Ultras I have found that at times it becomes a chore or hard to take to open gels or to actually take them. And to add to that throwing empty gels on the trails and after while it becomes a little sticky putting all the empty get packs back in my pockets. So, what I will do is I will mix my gels with either my Perpetuem or Sustained Energy drinks. Bang not only do a get a new flavor but I knock out two birds with one stone!! Bonus.

Also the other thing that is cool about the Peanut Butter flavor is that the protein in the gel will help prevent lean muscle tissue cannibalization during longer training runs/races! The fat in the gel which none of it is from Trans/Saturated fats, will help hold of hunger and will help the body in the release of fatty acid stores.

[th]Hammer Gel Peanut ButterNutrition Facts[/th]

Serving Size 1.7 tablespoons (33g)
	Amount Per Serving	% Daily Value*
Calories	90
Calories from fat	15
Total Fat	2g	3%
Sodium	65mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate	19g	6%
Sugars	2g
Protein	1g
Not a significant source of calories from saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, or iron.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Water, Peanut Butter (Dry Roasted Peanuts, Dextrose, Hydrogenated Cottonseed and Rapeseed Oil, Salt), Energy Smart® (Grape Juice, Rice Dextrin), Salt, Sodium Acid Sulfate, Potassium Sorbate (as a preservative), Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Alanine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine), Potassium Chloride.

Nick Morris Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:20 am

Peanut butter and jelly energy gel? Hmmm...that sounds kinda good and is making me hungry Smile

Schuey Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:25 am

Nick Morris wrote:Peanut butter and jelly energy gel? Hmmm...that sounds kinda good and is making me hungry

yeah right!

Schuey Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:18 pm

So, I have been reading an through some of running literature. I figure as I come across things I like or I find interesting I would post them to my blog. Currently read about mistakes endurance athletes make. Today I will I thought these two would be good to post.

-Improper Amounts of Calories

"Athletes who try to replace "calories out" with an equal or near equal amount of "calories in" usually suffer digestive maladies, with the inevitable poorer-than-expected outcome, and possibly the dreaded DNF. Body fat and glycogen stores easily fill the gap between energy output and fuel intake, so it's detrimental overkill to attempt calorie-for-calorie replacement. 200-240 calories per hour is typically sufficient for the average size endurance athlete (approximately 160-165)."

-No Protein During Prolonged Exercise (Oh how I know this one to well from my past NC 50 miler!)

"When exercise entends beyond about 2 hours, your body begins to utilize some protein to fulfill its energy requirements, as you begin to derive glucose from amino acids. This metabolic process helps to satisfy 5-15% of your energy needs. If you fail to include protein in your fuel, your body has only one other choice: your own muscle! Called "muscle cannibalization," this process devastates performance through muscle deterioration and increased fatigue-casuing ammonia accumulation, and also negatively affects the immune system and recovery."

My normal way of taking care of this would be to use Perpetuem or Sustained Energy which helps me meet my requirements of of complex carbs and soy protein. I have also read that Whey protein is not recommended during workout/race due to possible of muscle fatigue caused from the initial digestion.

Schuey Tue Oct 15, 2013 4:15 pm

Gotta Get Up And Try

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You gotta get up and try and try and try

Summer of 2005 seems like yesterday but yet it was a long time ago, the same goes for October 9th, 2005. This was the summer and fall that I decided to run and did run my first Chicago Marathon. As I reflect back, I remember sitting on my coach knowing that I had to make a huge lifestyle change or most likely I might not be here today writing this! It just happen to be that for some crazy reason I felt like I could complete a marathon and it so happen to be on my grandma’s 78th birthday. Back on that day I did complete my first Chicago Marathon, I did become hooked and on that day Oct 9th, 2005 the streak began!
I was really excited about this years edition of the Chicago Marathon, I felt like I was finally get back into the swing of things. For the first time for over a year training seemed to become more consistent although my weekly mileage was down. So, it’s safe to say that I was looking forward to race day to be able to evaluate my fitness level. I was thinking that a sub 3 would be very doable and so that was my goal. Everything was falling in place with getting ready for race day and all systems were a go.

Then BAM 5 days before race day the unthinkable happened! Just like so many other times before (8x for Chicago to be exact) I went out on a Wednesday and did my normal race day prep run. The only difference this year since my mileage was down I decided to shorten this run to 6 miles instead of 9 and kept the intensity part of this run to 3 miles (in the past it would range from 2.5 to 4 miles). These 3 miles were done at 6:29, 6:27 and 6:24 and as I completed this part of the run I felt great. Nothing during this segment or right after completing these 3 miles gave me any sign that anything was wrong. It was then during my cool down back home that I thought to myself that my Achilles on my right leg felt a little tight. Still at the time I didn’t think very much about it. By time I got upstairs, I looked at Lisa and said I think I have a problem! My achilles seemed to tighten up even more by the time I got home.

With all this going on I decided to play it safe and took Thursday off from running and said I would take it day to day as for running up to race day. Friday had come and I could still feel the tightness and soreness, again I decided not to run. It was also at this time I started to feel a little wore about what was going on. I spent time looking back at my training and everything that I had done over the last month. There was nothing that jumped out at me that was so different in my training. Was this just one of those freak things that was taking place? By time Saturday came around things felt much better and I went out for a shake out run, this was a tough choice. To be honest I think I should have not run on Saturday also but I just felt that not running for 3 days beforehand and not have grasp on how sore my achilles was would have not benefited me for Sunday. Late Saturday night I was really considering not starting my 9th Chicago Marathon. I remember going to bed feeling as if I would not be doing my pre-race prep and that the streak would end.

Ever worried that it might be ruined
And does it make you wanna cry?
When you're out there doing what you're doing
Are you just getting by?

For the first time on race day morning I didn’t wake-up before the alarm clock went off. When it did I got out of bed went to bathroom and then for the first time on race morning I went back and laid down in bed. Lisa asked what are you doing? I said I’m going back to bed and I’m pulling the plug on today, the streak is over! Lisa hit me in the arm and told me to get my ass out of bed and that I was running today. She was like what do you have to lose? Why not line-up start the race and if you have to take your first DNF then do so. She continued to tell me not to worry about your pride or ego and just go out and run easy and finish your 9th Chicago and keep the streak alive if you can! It all made sense to me, I figured what did I have to lose? Heck the start line is 5 minutes from our house and if things were bad at 2.5 miles it was only a 5 minute walk home and if things were not good I could run to the half and that is only a 10min walk home. Then I realized that I still had another out between 17 and 18 miles to were from Halsted St it was only 15min walk home from there but after that I felt as if I would then be committed to finishing the race. The good thing was that I now felt like I had options and that it was truly was worth going out and giving it a shot and see what happens.

As always I left the house at 7:00am and did my easy jog over to the start. While doing this I noticed that the achilles didn’t feel that bad, yes I felt it and yes it felt tight but I felt like ok I can start this race. I made it into my corral by 7:10am and started getting my head right for the race. Although it was a little different because I didn’t know what pace I could hold that would be comfortable for my achilles and it was strange knowing that I didn’t have that feeling like I’m going to kick this person or this persons ass standing next to me. I have to admit that I’m truly a sight to see before a race when I’m competing (just ask, Chris, Matt W or Dave-O, they have all seen it before). Then I received the true sign that I wasn’t and shouldn’t push the pace on this race day. What happened? Well when I started my Garmin, I got the “LOW BATTERY” message. HaHaHa for some reason my Garmin didn’t charge the night before.

Before I knew it the horn was going off and it was now time to make my 9th journey through the streets of Chicago!! Even though with everything going on with my achilles, I was still excited and love running through Chicago on race day. There is just some my energy and and excitement and you can just feel it go through your body!! I felt good but know that I would not be able to push the pace from the feedback I was receiving back from achilles and looking at my Garmin I pretty much know that about a 6:50 pace would be the threshold to were I could manage things without my achilles blowing up. It was at this pace or slower that I didn’t feel to my tension, soreness or pain. This was the first time that I thought well maybe the goal of sneaking in right under 3 hours would still be doable. Then it happen my Garmin went dead around 1.50 miles into the race, I remember laugh to myself and going well the day just became a little harder! This would be the first time that I would run a race with out any feedback. I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t obsess over looking at my watch on race day but I do use to manage pace and time at given points.

Funny how the heart can be deceiving
More than just a couple times

After the Garmin shutdown things really went smooth for the rest of my day until around the 12k. It had to be around 20 mile mark that I could feel a little more pain and tighness in my achilles therefore I made the decision that it would be wise to slow the pace to were the achilles felt better. Beside that the last 6 miles went by find and I really felt strong, I really wanted to push the pace some more but just knew that my achilles wasn’t going to have any part of that.

So in the end I remember just taking in the crowds on Michigan Ave and seeing my proud wife and daughter cheering and yelling my name as I getting ready to make the turn onto Roosevelt! As I ran up Roosevelt and made the turn onto Columbus and seeing the finish line in the distance I was taken back into time. My mind went back to the Oct 9th, 2005 and the first time I saw the finish line and feeling that sense of pride and accomplishment of finishing my first Chicago Marathon. Then I remember Oct 22nd,2006 when at the same point I knew I was going to BQ for the first time. Then the thoughts of Oct 7th, 2007 hit me and I could remember how dam happy I was to see the end was truly near. Then there were the years 2008 and 2009 when I felt the accomplishment of knowing that I was still running and finishing marathons. Next up was Oct 10th, 2010 and battling a little warm day and feeling the proud that I rallied to come back and run a new PR on 80 degree day and finishing in 2:53. Then there was Oct 9th, 2011 when I felt so proud and honored to cross the finish line with Chris McKee. It was also on this day that my neckless opened up and I lost my charm that carried my dog Trinity’s ashes and I lost it right after the first mile. It was a sign from Trinity that it was time to let her go and race on my own. That day started out with so much hope and promise of me pacing him to his first sub 3 and then things went bad after 22 miles. Somehow we both stayed strong and did what we had to do to cross the finish line together, it was bitter sweet feeling. Oct , 2012 I reflected on how I started to tear up seeing the finish line and the thoughts of seeing my daughter and rest of my family finish number 8.

Then came Oct 13th, 2013 I had felt some proud of myself on this day knowing that I battle for 26.2 miles to now finish my 9th Chicago Marathon. Not only did I battle the pain I felt but all day long I had battled the urge to push the pace, the urge to race against others that I knew I could run faster then, battle the urge to race the person next to me that I know would help push me to the end and most of all the urge to battle the most of all worthy opponent the race course and my own mind. When it was all said and down I didn’t run a PR, I didn’t run sub 3 but I did run a 3:02:46 and only give back 2 minutes from the half. I did all this with a inflamed and hurting achilles and without no watch! It is safe for me to say that Oct 13th 2013 will forever be a race that will always stick on in my memory and will be in the top 5 of all marathons I have run. This day will always remind me that it’s all about getting out and giving it a TRY!

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You gotta get up and try try try
You gotta get up and try and try and try
You gotta get up and try and try and try

ounce Tue Oct 15, 2013 4:56 pm

Great story, Schuey.

Maybe you couldn't beat fate or superstitions (if you believe in such) because after all it was the thirteenth day of the tenth month of the thirteenth year of the 21st century. But you certainly flipped it off.

Penelope Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:45 pm

Schuey wrote:So, I have been reading an through some of running literature. I figure as I come across things I like or I find interesting I would post them to my blog. Currently read about mistakes endurance athletes make. Today I will I thought these two would be good to post.

-Improper Amounts of Calories

"Athletes who try to replace "calories out" with an equal or near equal amount of "calories in" usually suffer digestive maladies, with the inevitable poorer-than-expected outcome, and possibly the dreaded DNF. Body fat and glycogen stores easily fill the gap between energy output and fuel intake, so it's detrimental overkill to attempt calorie-for-calorie replacement. 200-240 calories per hour is typically sufficient for the average size endurance athlete (approximately 160-165)."

-No Protein During Prolonged Exercise (Oh how I know this one to well from my past NC 50 miler!)

"When exercise entends beyond about 2 hours, your body begins to utilize some protein to fulfill its energy requirements, as you begin to derive glucose from amino acids. This metabolic process helps to satisfy 5-15% of your energy needs. If you fail to include protein in your fuel, your body has only one other choice: your own muscle! Called "muscle cannibalization," this process devastates performance through muscle deterioration and increased fatigue-casuing ammonia accumulation, and also negatively affects the immune system and recovery."

My normal way of taking care of this would be to use Perpetuem or Sustained Energy which helps me meet my requirements of of complex carbs and soy protein. I have also read that Whey protein is not recommended during workout/race due to possible of muscle fatigue caused from the initial digestion.

Interesting--and makes sense. THanks for posting it!
How's your achilles doing these days? Better, hopefully!

Penelope Tue Nov 05, 2013 2:14 pm

Hi Martin!

mountandog Thu Nov 14, 2013 3:58 pm

still looking for that nutrition plan for JFK - trying to lunch off your knowledge so to speak.

Schuey Fri Nov 15, 2013 3:24 pm

mountandog wrote:still looking for that nutrition plan for JFK - trying to lunch off your knowledge so to speak.

Sorry man I have been so darn busy and dealing with healing my achilles from Chicago. Haven't put in a whole lot of miles since Chicago so next Saturday will be interesting. So debating if I will run, most likely I will but will see how things go as far as the achilles as the run progresses.

I will make sure to post my nutrition plan this weekend for you buddy!

Michele "1L" Keane Fri Nov 15, 2013 4:30 pm

Achilles issues are so much fun - I know. I hope that you are using the foam roller on the achilles/calf and rolling the foot like you have PF (it really is a form, I think). I also hope that you are doing some self massage in and around the area as it will help as well and using compression socks. One other thing that works is to use an arch support and/or a heel lift. Since I already wear orthotics, I just had mine adjusted when my achilles first acted up.

John Kilpatrick Fri Nov 15, 2013 4:55 pm

"See, I’m a truly believer that future success comes more from present failures more times then from past success"

That is an awesome quote.

Gratz on the recent races - I can't relate, but I do understand that you would not have accepted a DNF very well (nothing against them, I just know how you are). You are blessed to truly have a team of 2 (or three) to work with on a tough day like that.

How's the leg?

mountandog Fri Nov 15, 2013 5:06 pm

Schuey wrote:
mountandog wrote:still looking for that nutrition plan for JFK - trying to lunch off your knowledge so to speak.
Sorry man I have been so darn busy and dealing with healing my achilles from Chicago. Haven't put in a whole lot of miles since Chicago so next Saturday will be interesting. So debating if I will run, most likely I will but will see how things go as far as the achilles as the run progresses.

I will make sure to post my nutrition plan this weekend for you buddy!

Maybe we should hobble along together. I haven't recovered real well from Chicago either. A left calf strain has me very concerned about the first 15 miles. Going in a straight flat line seems to be ok, but the stress of single track and elevation change might knock me out. Will be interesting for both of us. Trevor's not really ready to go either. So maybe we should do a relay cheers

Schuey Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:35 pm

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Achilles issues are so much fun - I know. I hope that you are using the foam roller on the achilles/calf and rolling the foot like you have PF (it really is a form, I think). I also hope that you are doing some self massage in and around the area as it will help as well and using compression socks. One other thing that works is to use an arch support and/or a heel lift. Since I already where orthotics, I just had mine adjusted when my achilles first acted up.

Hey Michele it really come a long way and I have a good feeling after tonights 10.30 mile run at a 7:18 pace that it just may be healed. I have have been seeing this young chiropractor Graham that also does ART, Graston and a lot of stretching exercises. Not only have we worked on the achilles but also on my glute, hips and I'm really feeling like a new runner. Not only that about 9 years ago I took a 20 foot fall rocking climbing and really messed up my left ankle. He has been working on that with the ART and Graston and I have been doing the stim and ultrasound at home and now that is feeling like a million bucks. So as far as my body goes I thing things are along the right path of finally fixing a lot of little niggles that have compounded over the years running

The question for JFK is will the last 3 weeks of lower mileage running will be enough to get it down next Saturday in Maryland! We will see!!!!

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