Breaking Away

charles.moman wrote:I read a Tecumseh race report somewhere that the runner said the mile 13 hill HAD to be man made, because God would not do that to us!

I found the photo! It is taken right after that corner on the Mile 13 hill.

(Thanks, Wendy, for letting me *ahem* borrow it.)



Yeah. Definitely walking that one.

Quit belly aching and run some real hills. By the way a 50 y/o took first place in 3:50.

Monster Marathon Elevation

Definitely walking that hill above. Hope you heal up quickly.

Dave Wolfe wrote:Quit belly aching and run some real hills. By the way a 50 y/o took first place in 3:50.

Monster Marathon Elevation

Definitely walking that hill above. Hope you heal up quickly.

5,560 feet? Pfft. Posers. Come to the West where there are real mountains! Here is the elevation profile for the Beacon Rock 50K in the Columbia River Gorge.



I did the 25K version of this last summer and let me tell 'ya, it was an education.

By comparison, the climb in Tecumseh is about 3,500 feet. Still nothing to take lightly.

I'm liking REI very much right now.

I clicked back on the Camelbak Octane 18X that I bought 11 days ago and was blown away to see that the price has been reduced from $99 to $69.93. So I fished out my membership card, called their 1-800 number and asked if they would credit me for the difference. They said yes, and I get nearly 30 bucks off the price.

(Like many retailers, REI will give you money back like that if you purchased an item and it goes on sale within 30 days. It's called a "return on sale" -- at least it did when I worked a retail job in college -- and it makes it easier for the stores, who'd otherwise see people return an item at the higher price and and then turn around and buy it back at the lower price.)

Taper madness update!!

Okay, another dream. This time, it was a trail race... in New York City?

I think there were some online friends in the overall cast of characters (Natalie, I think and maybe Viv) or, at least, people I was supposed to meet if I could ever find my $#@! clothes, number and figure out how to dress... the conditions went from 57 degrees to SNOWING in about 15 seconds!

And while I was staying at someone's place in NYC, when I wasn't getting lost trying to find various freeway ramps - or digging through my stuff to find appropriate clothing as the conditions kept changing - I found out that the race didn't start until 3 p.m.?!?

(BTW, I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I had a dream with Randy and his chihuahua in it. They were on the TV doing some sort of a commercial in the style of those zany old-style used car dealers that you used to see on local TV late at night. The spot finished with a close up on the chihuahua, looking bug-eyed crazy... but friendly!)

Weirdest. Taper. Ever.

Mark B wrote:

Weirdest. Taper. Ever.

+1

East/Test Run: 3.3 miles

Weather: Chilly, damp and breezy. 39 degrees, 94% humidity. Gear: FR2s, shorts, new pants, T, pullover, jacket, gloves, hat. Fuel: Cereal and rice milk, coffee. Chiarade before. Ran without fluids.

This was my first attempt to run after creaming my ankle/foot back on Nov. 7. It was also a chance for me to test out a new set of wind/rain pants in damp, breezy and chilly weather. No matter what, I knew I needed to keep it short, so I made a point of not taking any fluids with me, so as not to tempt me to run more than four miles.

I actually ended up running about 3.3 miles. A little creakiness at the start eased up fairly quickly, but my foot started to get progressively sore as I got on more cambered roads. I decided to turn it around at 1.5 miles. The soreness eased up on the way back, which was a relief, and I made sure to slap an ice pack on the foot as soon as I got home and stretched out. Hopefully, it gets easier from here.

Early review: The running pants (Symmetry II by SportHill) didn't do a lot to keep my legs warm early on - even if they're supposedly wind resistant to 40 mph, they're not insulated, and wind-chilled fabric is still pretty uncomfortable. I bet they'd work better in slightly warmer weather... or as top layer over tights. It didn't rain on me, so I don't know if they live up to their DWR (durable water repellent) claims.

And yes, I did end up feeling overdressed for the conditions. I was pretty chilled at the start, but by the time I did my cool down walk, I'd peeled off my jacket and pullover and was walking along in a short-sleeved T.

Sounds like a nice first run back considering the conditions. Glad to hear the foot was "ok" during the run.

Dave P wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Weirdest. Taper. Ever.

+1

Thanks for the confirmation, Dave!

Joel H wrote:Sounds like a nice first run back considering the conditions. Glad to hear the foot was "ok" during the run.

Hey, Joel. Yes, it wasn't bad. My legs and body were all, "Uh, we're running again?" But I think everything should get back on board.

Mark B wrote:Taper madness update!!

Okay, another dream. This time, it was a trail race... in New York City?


Weirdest. Taper. Ever.

Mark there are trails in Northern Manhattan. In fact with only a few miles on the roads I can run all the way to Seth's town (I think) on the Old Croton Aqueduct.

I tried to post a pic but couldn't. Inwood Hill Park

Dave Wolfe wrote:

Mark B wrote:Taper madness update!!

Okay, another dream. This time, it was a trail race... in New York City?


Weirdest. Taper. Ever.

Mark there are trails in Northern Manhattan. In fact with only a few miles on the roads I can run all the way to Seth's town (I think) on the Old Croton Aqueduct.

I tried to post a pic but couldn't. Inwood Hill Park

That's a pretty spot, Dave! It looks like a great place to run.

Nice to know that my dreams aren't necessarily all that crazy.

Now, since no taper is complete without a weather forecast... Accuweather at this point only goes to Friday, Dec. 2 for Helmsburg, which is as close to the Tecumseh Trail as I could find: High of 36 (real feel 27), low of 18 (real feel 11), 0.03'' of precipitation. "Cold with considerable clouds."

That sounds nippy.

Mark B wrote:

That is just plain wrong!

John Kilpatrick wrote:That is just plain wrong!

Imagine what it'd be like if they had an ice storm. Could you even get UP that thing?

Maybe I should pack a set of crampons, just in case...

Okay! (In)Accuweather has its extended forecast all the way out to Saturday, Dec. 3.

Now, it says a low of 29, a high of 49 and plenty of clouds. That's more temperate. Though I wonder (and you Midwesterners can help me out on this...): how fast does the temperature climb this time of year? I know it warms up a lot faster there in the summer that it does where I live, but what about on the cusp of winter?

At any rate, it looks likely that I'll be shedding layers like crazy.

It doesn't start until 10:00 a.m. so I am guessing with the cloud cover it should be mid to upper 30's for the start. The peak temperature should probably occur early afternoon, so it may begin to cool down before most of us finish. If the wind isn't going to blow I will wear shorts, maybe two long sleeve shirts, gloves and a cap. I may stick a stocking cap in my pocket just in case. Of course, the forecast is probably going to change several times before the actual race.

Jeff F wrote:It doesn't start until 10:00 a.m. so I am guessing with the cloud cover it should be mid to upper 30's for the start. The peak temperature should probably occur early afternoon, so it may begin to cool down before most of us finish. If the wind isn't going to blow I will wear shorts, maybe two long sleeve shirts, gloves and a cap. I may stick a stocking cap in my pocket just in case. Of course, the forecast is probably going to change several times before the actual race.

It starts at 10? How didn't I know that?

That will definitely help on the low end of the temperature scale... if that forecast holds out, I can definitely imagine shorts and an extra layer on top. But as you say, the forecast is far from certain.

Just yesterday, it was predicting lows in the teens and highs in the mid-30s, with wind.

I may head over next week and walk/run some of the trail for fun.
I have been at Yellowwood before, but not on the trail.
I bet it will be snowy and cold and that is my forecast and I am sticking with it.

Doesn't look like much of a hill to me except for the snow ! You will be fine, Mark - except for the hunters, bears, and coyotes of course.

Easy Run: 8.2 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, foggy, freezing. 30 degrees, 98% humidity. Gear: FR2s, tights, long-sleeved T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (perfect for the conditions). Fuel: Granola bar and coffee before. Carried nuun in handheld.

Time for a more rigorous test of the foot, with a little more stimulus to the legs and preparation for wintry conditions. It was a good day for it - we had patchy freezing fog this morning. Chilly, with a couple of slightly slippery spots, but not really bad at all. I got the clothing dialed in, and I was comfortable throughout without any need for adjustments.

The run was a confidence-builder, too. I originally planned to do about 6 miles - less if my foot hurt - but we breezed past three miles on our out-and-back course without any problem, so we pushed it out another mile. Which was good, because it gave my leg muscles some stimulus and seemed to wake them up.

The foot didn't give me any trouble, except when I walked up a short, steep stretch and flexed my foot more than was comfortable. When I went back to running, any discomfort disappeared.

My foot was a bit sore after I ran, but I expected that. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and build from there.

My biggest question at this point is, should I risk heading back to a trail between now and Tecumseh, or play it safe and do my longer runs on the roads? Hm...

charles.moman wrote:I may head over next week and walk/run some of the trail for fun.
I have been at Yellowwood before, but not on the trail.
I bet it will be snowy and cold and that is my forecast and I am sticking with it.

With the way the forecast has been jumping around, Charles, you may be right. (Even though Accuweather now says sunny with a low of 33, high of 46 - which sounds fabulous.) Are long-term forecasts as inaccurate in the Midwest as they are here in the Pacific Northwest?

I'm looking forward to your report on trail conditions!

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Doesn't look like much of a hill to me except for the snow ! You will be fine, Mark - except for the hunters, bears, and coyotes of course.

Thanks, Michele! I'll just remember to not dress like and I should be fine.

Hill Run: 5 miles

Weather: Cool, windy and rainy. 46 degrees, gusts to 20-25 mph, 96% humidity. Gear: FR2s, lightweight pants with rain/wind pants over the top, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed). Fuel: Cereal and rice milk, coffee, chiarade before. Carried nuun in handheld, tried a Gu when legs pooped out (didn't help).

Had I not dinged my foot/ankle two weeks ago, this would have been my first big step back long run. But since I've barely run in the past two weeks, I've had to morph my running schedule - sometimes, day by day. This was one of those days. Last night, feeling good after an easy 8 miles, I plotted a deviously hilly 12-13 mile road course for me today. It kept me off the trail but would give me a good solid stimulus.

It was a great idea until I woke up this morning and my legs felt like lead. Drat. Okay, masochistic long run is probably not a good idea, so I promised myself to adjust on the fly. The fact that it was cool, windy and rainy didn't help motivation that much, either, though it did give me a chance to see if my new wind/rain pants lived up to their billing.

I decided on the fly that I felt good enough to try my hilly route, even if it was for a shorter distance. I headed out, made it up the first steep climb.. and proceeded to burn out my legs running up the big hill just before Mile 2. I never would run a hill that tall or steep on a trail... but this is on the road, and I've always forced myself to run up it. Not the best idea. I struggled for the next half mile of rolling hills and decided to listen to my body when it said it was time to turn around.

Here's the elevation chart:



I switched from road to trail/ultra strategy on my return trip, walking up the steepest hills and running the downhills, flats and smaller grades. That made it more manageable and allowed me to keep moving forward.

I was somewhat overdressed for the effort level (mid 40s and stormy are very hard to figure out) but the gear did a good job of keeping me from getting to exposed when I was heading back into gusty winds and blowing rain.

Not the run I'd planned... but it'll have to do.

Weather Update!

Boy, you have to love Accuweather. It's long-term forecasts vary so widely, they give you unending entertainment in taper!

The current outlook calls for a low Saturday morning of about 19 with winds gusting to 31 mph a "Real Feel"... of 7.

The temp should warm up to a balmy 37 and slightly lighter winds (gusts only to 26 mph) ... with a "Real Feel" of 32.

Mark - I've always found weather.gov to be more accurate. They also have neat hourly graphs as opposed to just giving you information in written form.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Mark - I've always found weather.gov to be more accurate. They also have neat hourly graphs as opposed to just giving you information in written form.

Accuracy? Pfft! Wake up, Mike... I'm in taper!

Accuracy would take all the fun of out it!

Going back a couple of days, I loved your taper madness dream.
I'm glad to see the ankle is holding up. The latest forecast looks pretty good too. It looks like everything's good to do.