tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79535435400605560672024-03-05T11:22:39.961-08:00Andy Henshaw's Ultra-blogAndy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-82937856188013854622012-01-30T11:39:00.000-08:002012-01-30T11:50:05.018-08:00Build-upSomething has finally clicked and I feel ready to start building up the mileage once again!<div><br /></div><div>It's easy to forget how much it sucks building mileage after a few months off... The last few weeks have been a struggle to get into a routine and to build mileage without feeling fatigued. But after the third week of build-up, I have finally hit a rhythm and am now able to plan my 13 week training cycle for Worlds (which is in Italy, awesome).</div><div><br /></div><div>The plan for Worlds is to basically do what I did last year: several weeks at or around 110 miles, with some progressive run workouts designed to be at or just under goal pace for the 100k, then ramp up the mileage to around 150 with a few 4+ hour efforts in the mountains. All of this should lead to being in excellent shape for the race, and hopefully another team gold for USA! More details to come once the workouts start.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for other life developments, I have recently accepted a job at Brooks Sports and will be starting early February. I will now be living in Seattle, so if you read this and have any suggestions on running groups to link up with or favorite runs in the area please comment with the details.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have also changed around my race schedule for the year, and will be adding more local races. Rainier to Ruston is one I'm considering, and White River may be an annual event now.</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-3345832240030195832012-01-20T11:13:00.000-08:002012-01-21T19:17:55.350-08:00Ideas on Minimalist Shoes<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">After working for over a year in a running shoe store, I think I've gained a solid stance on how I feel about minimalism and the shoes that have been created for this purpose.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><br /></span></div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">First and foremost, I am a firm believer that whatever works for you, works for you... It's that simple. If you have had success with your shoe of choice, whether it's the Brooks Beast or the Mizuno Wave Universe, then that's great and I hope it continues to do so. That being said, I have had quite a bit of experience with answering questions about minimalist shoes (and maximalist shoes for that matter) and think I can offer a bit of insight to people looking to find the right shoe.</p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Georgia; min-height: 19px; "><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">I think the minimalism fad popped up so quickly because people were fed up with buying shoes that were heavy and really didn't seem to offer any help in the way of injury prevention or even to reduce muscle fatigue. The only difference a lot of people noticed was that they were wearing a brick on their foot. The idea of wearing something light on their foot was exciting because it offered a faster, more free feeling. Combined with a well-known book adding "legitimacy" to the movement, the idea kind of blew out of proportion. People swung from one extreme to the other without even considering the middle ground as a possibility.</p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Georgia; min-height: 19px; "><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">Another element that led to a large upswing in marketing of minimalist shoes was the mainstream specialty running brands and running shoe stores starting to make and sell these shoes. A lot of people thought this was due to the running shoe brands finally admitting that they were selling people expensive, injury causing running shoes, and conforming to the simple and "right" way to make shoes. On the contrary, I would like to think it is because corporations and running store owners alike are smart and wanted to make money off of a current fad like any other fashion brand would do (and its exactly the reason you see all minimalist shoes come in like 40 different color waves for one shoe).</p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Georgia; min-height: 19px; "><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">But its not really the hype or the misinformation that bothers me most about the minimalist movement. It's the most important feature in the shoe's construction that throws me off...</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">STABILITY- I agree with Geoff Roes' blog post about needing more cushioning for longer distances, but I also think the body can adapt over time to get used to higher impact... if that's what you want to do for some reason. On the other hand, if a shoe is inherently unstable for a person's mechanical movement, it can be quite dangerous (kinda like running in a pair of Shape-Ups).</p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Georgia; min-height: 19px; "><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">For some reason, stability has become a 4-letter word. Stability can be achieved in more ways than just adding a dense posting to the medial side of a shoe. More often than not just increasing the width of a shoe increases the stability. Think of it in terms of a snow shoe vs. an ice skate. A snow shoe is much more stable since it has such a wide base. But the fact that most minimalist shoes are designed in the shape of a foot....</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9JDVhCsXmXRjnm8V5Iy6UbmjDiC1GaH0hIdjgDxpWsmnBrkzLdXtBQUQEo-DHAOKP_elU3uhSdfuIWhaEdrwJktFf4r7sul1dtIHClQIz8sv_4sZqbU5WSgyOxtGQf5dXoLjaA0_jvw/s320/merrell-trail-glove-review-jason-robillard-3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699794865897853810" /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">....really bothers me. They are so heavily drafted under the arch of the foot that they offer absolutely no support to the foot or ankle (i.e. ice skate effect). This not only allows the collapse of the arch and ankle, but in most cases it actually exaggerates it, almost like the shoe is purposefully designed to throw you off balance. I have seen a large number of people with neutral mechanics running in these shoes and they almost always overpronate. Don't get me wrong, I have this problem with a lot of regular running shoes too, but I have only seen two or three "minimalist" shoes that has a decently wide base for the foot to land.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTwPU6x-c6S2zARlUDzoxUqLYXY9ijTsxaVTSZ_K_hdC9hD7p8DjfaoeUqG7CflMt8PZ9grY0KK86cEHkIKUe2mwCeLHJaPB4hiI9amXuzACK4sJiW8MGjfqU16DSGqLZJJvBErPle4w/s320/1317986212-88593600.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699795173173124066" /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">The marketing concept of a more "natural" foot strike has bothers me as well. The idea that changing your preferred foot strike is the "natural" thing to do is completely absurd. A lot of research on the topic of gait analysis has shown that any change in your gait will cause you to be less efficient. People who forefoot strike and try to change their gait to a heel strike will become less efficient and vice versa. And the concept that any one prescribed method of running will work for everyone in the world is complete BS. A natural foot strike should be one that feels natural to you. Whether its heel, forefoot or midfoot, it should feel comfortable and unforced.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">With regards to all the reports of people being injured from overbuilt shoes..... Chances are, there are a few things at work here. The most common thing I've seen in the running store is a person in a shoe that is completely wrong for them (they bought it because it was $25 at BIG5 or at Nordstrom because it looked cool, something like that). They are also increasing their mileage for a race like a marathon. The combination of wearing the wrong shoe and increasing their mileage by 300% leads to their body responding in a negative way. Simple as that.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">My advice for people who are having problems with their current pair of shoes or training:</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">-Bring your current pair of running shoes into a running specialty store. More often than not, any one of the employees here will be able to help you find the right shoe. Whether its having you run on a treadmill or down a hallway and back, they will be able to see which shoe looks best as you're running in it. Keep in mind that you want something to match your foot shape without having to wrench down the laces. If you have a narrow foot, see if they have any narrow versions in stock. For men this will be a B width, women will have a 2A width. Wide widths are usually available too, 2E or 4E for men, D or 2E for women. Make sure the shoe feels comfortable as your running in it. No amount of support will benefit you if you can't wear the shoe. Lastly, make sure the store has a good return policy so you can try the shoes out for a bit. It's often a prerequisite to be a runner if you work in a running shoe store so chances are they'd be able to offer advice on training.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">-If you're training for something or just getting started, a lot of people have aches and pains associated with entry into a sport. It's really easy to blame the shoe, but more often than not its just the body saying you're loading too much too soon. Keep a mileage log and make sure you're not bumping up your mileage too quickly. If you do 10 miles the first week, then bump to 15 and feel horrible, keep in mind you've just increased your mileage by 50%. It's nice to keep things in perspective.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">In the end, I think anything that gets you out the door and running is awesome. If thats a new pair of shoes that you've never tried before, GREAT! Just keep in mind that if you're going to try something drastically different, do so cautiously. If you find something that works for you, stick with it. If not, figure out what isn't working. Trial and error will help you find your way into the right shoes.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">I always feel like I haven't explained my stance well enough, so if you have any questions please don't hesitate to comment.</p>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-67488628152591486592012-01-03T08:42:00.000-08:002012-01-03T08:51:25.972-08:00AdviceI had a friend email me recently to ask a few questions about marathon training and I thought it'd be a good opportunity to put a few of my opinions on running out there. most of these are general guidelines on how to stay healthy and avoid injury when bumping up the mileage. Anyway, here ya go!<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; ">There are too many factors in a person's day to really single anything out, but there are basic elements I tell people to focus on when they are training for a long distance race like a marathon.<br /><br />EAT WELL - i see too many people going for the "beach body" and skimping on calories because they think training for the marathon is gonna help them lose weight. this is a large cause of injury. on the other hand, don't cram in crappy, calorie dense foods just because you're hungry. Try to eat calorie dense foods with nutritional benefits like almonds, cashews, peanut butter, hummus, etc. vegetables and vitamins are very important too. protein should probably be the last thing on a person's mind when training for the marathon. the average american eats probably 2-3 times daily what they actually need even if they are training for something like this.<br /><br />STAY HYDRATED - very important. i'd keep a bottle with you at all times and refill at fountains.<br /><br />MULTIVITAMIN - if there are any inconsistencies in your diet, or you want to take something during the winter months with lots of vitamin c and d, i'd recommend SportMulti. its what i use now and its awesome. then again, if you already have one that you like just stick with that.<br /><br />SLEEP - invaluable<br /><br />STRESS - while its a natural occurrence in any persons day, make sure you remember to take it easy on the runs during stressful days. you're likely to be a lot more exhausted and depleted.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; ">PROGRESSIVE RUNS - so here is an interesting topic. the idea of a progressive run is very simple... you start out slow, let your body warm up, and then you can lower the pace to basically anything you want. I started using this idea for every single run this year and it works really well. most people (like myself before trying this) start out trying to maintain a pace the entire way. If you don't give your body time to warm up, you'll feel fatigued later in the run. next time you're out, try starting out running easy to the point of being annoying. do that for ten minutes and then work your way down to a comfortable pace. these runs are also valuable for "speed work". i hate using that term because it implies interval training most of the time. with progressive run training, you get much more long-distance benefit. you're teaching your body to handle faster paces without the starting and stopping. it takes much less time to recover from progressive runs than interval training.<br /><br />another problem is that people are running all of their miles too fast. if youre trying to hit a target pace for a marathon, that doesn't mean you need to spend 90% of your time running at that pace. its a quick path to injury.<br /><br />RUN ON SOFTER SURFACES - if your body is a constant muscle ache, you might want to try getting onto a dirt road or trail of some sort. the roads are between 30-50 times harder than even the hardest packed dirt road. also some single-track trail with strengthen your stabilizer muscles while giving you a change of scenery. strengthening stabilizer muscles makes a huge difference late in races.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; ">AVOID MINIMAL SHOES - this is way too big a topic to explain in a few short sentences, but i feel minimal shoes are absolutely the worst things you can put on your foot whether you're running 100 yards or 100 miles.... but especially if you're running 100 miles. if you're going to race in a racing flat, maybe get in a few runs with the flat to make sure its comfortable. it shouldn't be a "full-time mileage" shoe though.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; ">I'll write more on minimal shoes in my next post............ </span></div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-77556742424703572752011-11-21T09:45:00.000-08:002011-11-21T10:35:31.352-08:00JFK Race ReportHeading into JFK I had mentioned the sneaking suspicion that it would be easy for someone to break the existing course record.... As it turns out, it was probably two guys trying very hard, but making it look easy! Congrats to both David Riddle and Mike Wardian for their accomplishment. David has very quickly shown that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.<div><br /></div><div>As for me, the race was the last of the year and I was interested to see how my body was holding up. Going into the race I hadn't done much intense running and was trying to balance healing with sustaining an acceptable weekly mileage total to maintain fitness. This tactic didn't turn out to be the best!</div><div><br /></div><div>At the start of the race I let the front pack go almost immediately. I could tell these guys were ready to demolish each other on the trails and I wanted to run at my own desired pace for the technical section. At the start of the trail I felt great and began settling into my usual quick steps, pretending the trail was just a long obstacle course. It was really nice to be back in the northeast and to see the difference in landscape.</div><div><br /></div><div>Slowly I began reeling people in and made it to about 6th place with a mile to go on the AT section. This is where I began to hit a bulk of the early starters. While dodging between two men I caught a rock with my left foot and lunged forward, slamming my right knee into a large, pointed rock. My initial reaction was more frustration than pain. After about 25 steps I began hobbling and felt my knee locking up. So I began an awkward looking sort of shimmy down the trail as a few of the elite guys passed by.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the break between the AT and the C&O canal, I ran past my dad and he told me to stop for a second to assess the damage. I had a bloody welt the diameter of a quarter on my knee, and a massive desire to puke. I think this was the point where a lot of people had seen me stall and thought I would drop. After a few minutes of encouragement from bystanders I decided to see how I'd feel in a mile and slowly began hobbling toward the towpath.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once I got on the path I felt a large rush of adrenaline and was able to get into a pretty solid rhythm. At this point I was probably running 6 minute miles and felt pretty good. I soon caught up to USA teammate Matt Woods and we began running together for the next 7 or so miles until the adrenaline left and I was forced to ease off the pace. Watching him surge forward, I felt a bit disheartened at not being able to join the fun at the front of the pack.</div><div><br /></div><div>Normally I would have been extremely frustrated at the turn of events. However, I was happy to be taking part in the race and had resolved to finish regardless of time or place. The fatigue I was feeling made it difficult to sustain a pace, but whenever it became too much I simply walked and waited to catch my breath... taking in plenty of scenery as I walked along.</div><div><br /></div><div>At one of the aid stations I hung out with my crew for an extra minute and enjoyed a Yuengling beer. It was fun to take a step back from the usual competitiveness and just enjoy the atmosphere for once, not to mention a beer I haven't enjoyed in a few years.</div><div><br /></div><div>Towards the end of the tow-path I found Matt Woods hanging out at an aid station. When I asked him what happened he said he had blown up. I told him to join me and we began clicking off the final miles of the race in a slow but steady fashion. I think we were both relieved to only have 8.2 miles to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally at the last aid station I felt the itch to finish and thought I could finish strong. I left Matt and picked up the pace. My finishing time was somewhere around 6:23, not terrible but not anything to throw onto my list of top performances. I think I can do better, and this race is one on which I'd like to devote an entire training cycle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things I learned: 1) Although the trail section is short, it is a vital part of the race. I need to dedicate a bit more time to running extremely technical trails before running this race again. 2) Even though I didn't have a great race, I had a great weekend with friends and family, and actually got to spend more time with them while making the race fun. 3) David Riddle is a badass!</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that the season is over I am planning to take a month off of any sort of physical exertion aside from hiking and the metabolism-boosting Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I'm also going to use my time and energy trying to get my hands into a few more volunteering opportunities as well as ranting on the blog about races, fads, funny stories, etc.</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-25837691252176632412011-11-06T07:34:00.000-08:002011-11-06T08:18:01.144-08:00UpdatesRunning, as of late, has been a struggle. It's not an injury or sickness, I am just content with hitting 50 miles a week and feel that anything more would be a detriment to arriving at JFK perfectly healthy.<div><br /></div><div>The last few months have been interesting. After World's I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. And although I was disappointed with the fact that I could have gone in the low 6:30's or high 6:20's that day (cramping issues), I am still extremely satisfied with my time as well as my placing in the first international race I've ever done. I am also ecstatic to be on the first USA team to win a gold medal in the 100K event. But after the glow of such a huge event, one that I trained a whole year for, I'm finding it difficult to get motivated.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is also the question of health. After world's I felt extremely depleted. The same issue happened after the <a href="http://www.defiance50k.com/">Point Defiance 50K</a>. Although I feel healthy on nearly every run, I still feel that the hard efforts take a little something extra out of me. In summation, I'm glad JFK will be a last effort! It's time for a little R&R and I'd like to spend a few weeks working on a beer gut! Before that happens, some serious racing needs to be done.</div><div><br /></div><div>JFK is a race I've always wanted to do. And this year, I think the field of elite runners are going to push the finishing times down to a course record. With 90% of Team USA toeing the line as well as a few other really fast guys, I think this is a year it could be done. Of course, someone has probably said that every year since 1996. The fact that a time could stand for that long means it is solid for sure. But I also have this nagging notion that it can be easily done. Without giving too much of my strategy away, I think going through the first 15.5 miles in under 2 hours is doable without a superhuman effort, and from there you should have enough in the tank to hit 6:40's the rest of the way. Granted I haven't seen the course and I've heard the first section is extremely technical. But after that I've heard the terrain is quite pleasant. Combined with a large pack of equally talented runners, it should be an interesting day. Enough talking about it for now, I guess we'll see!</div><div><br /></div><div>Another interest that has grabbed my attention lately has been a local group called Dock Street Runners. It is a group started to give the homeless an outlet for exercise. With a large amount of free time and no outlet, it is easy to see why an overwhelming majority of the homeless are either drug/alcohol abusers or obese. This group with combat some of those issue. One guy has already lost 50 lbs in 8 months! Wenche (phonetically spelled Van-Kuh) Wahl is the leader of this group and she has 54 committed members running with her every wednesday at 10AM. After speaking with her I learned that she is in need of new/slightly worn shoes, tech running shirts, shorts, etc..... anything we need as runners. At the moment I am trying to find ways in which to procure some of these items, one way being to place a donation bin at my running store. Please let me know if you have any other ideas. If you'd like to contact Wenche directly or make a donation, here is her contact info and website. </div><div><br /></div><div>wenche@dockstrunwalk.org</div><div>(253) 229-1654</div><div>http://dockstwalkrun.org/</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-80635794289673472232011-09-14T08:49:00.001-07:002011-09-14T08:53:51.425-07:003rd Place at Worlds!!!!!That's right! My first event on an international level and I finished 3rd!<div><br /></div><div>I haven't had a chance to write since I went back to work the next day after arriving back in the States. I'll have a very detailed write-up of the events in Winschoten soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>For now, I'd like to say that I'm extremely happy about my race and being able to contribute as part of the first American team to win a Gold medal in the 100k World Championships.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd also like to say that Meghan Arbogast is a beast!!!!!!!! She now holds a world record at the event.</div><div><br /></div><div>And lastly but not leastly, Montrail athletes did some serious work this weekend! Way to go guys</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-87946312023964820072011-08-05T17:12:00.000-07:002011-08-05T18:26:23.303-07:00The Long, Slow Taper & two shoe reviews<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>World's is just about 1 month away! It's crazy to look back at the last 17 weeks since 100k Nationals and see the myriad changes that have occurred: fatigue, strength, sickness, various races that have either worried me or exactly the opposite. It's all gone by so quickly, yet so much has happened. Here is a look at the progression of mileage and some races I've done to prepare for the biggest race of my life....<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Week 1: 18 miles</div><div>Week 2: 40</div><div>Week 3: 32</div><div>Week 4: 55 (Lost Lake 50k, 1st place)</div><div>Week 5: 62 (Capital City Marathon, 11th place)</div><div>Week 6: 52.5</div><div>Week 7: 77.5</div><div>Week 8: 101.5</div><div>Week 9: 92</div><div>Week 10: 81</div><div><div>Week 11: 98</div><div>Week 12: 110</div><div>Week 13: 103 (Four on the 4th four miler, 3rd place 19:54)</div><div>Week 14: 133 (3 X 8K @ 28:30 pace)</div><div>Week 15: 114</div><div>Week 16: 94 (White River 50 Mile, 4th place 7:15)</div><div>Week 17: 90</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The increase in mileage was slow, but I think this was the best possible course of action I could have taken. Although I've raced far less this year than last, I think that has really paid huge dividends in health and recovery. At the end of last year I was so fatigued every day that I could barely run 3-4 miles without stopping to walk or double over. I had been overtraining and lacking in important recovery areas such as sleep, nutrition, and hydration. This year has been far different and I am 100% on track to meet and possibly even exceed my goals for worlds. That being said, I'd like to reveal a bit about what I had in mind.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Since the 100k National Championship I have had an idea that I could potentially put down a very serious time at Worlds. The course has everything a person is looking for in order to run a fast time. From what I'm told, this is one of the few places where the 100k world event is taken very seriously, and the event is done extremely well. The course is also extremely fast and below sea level. The last American Record was broken here (6:30:11) and I intend to make an attempt to better that record. Its a bold statement, but one must have goals in order to reach their full potential. I think the competition in this race will help me achieve this goal, since there are quite a few guys out there that have already run much faster this year. I can only hope that the weather will be kind, and I can avoid completely wasting myself in the first half of the race.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>There are still a few workouts I need to do before the race and I will update very soon on my progress towards the World 100K.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other news, I have received two pairs of shoes from Montrail as well as some pretty gnarly gear from Mountain Hardwear to test for the Spring 2012 line.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Montrail Badwater - This is by far the best shoe I have placed on my foot from Montrail. I think the company is headed in a much better direction with the Spring 2012 line! So to give a full review I'll split the shoe into 3 parts: the upper, midsole, and outsole.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yvAdUho0WRHxKFPhiMhjs1T2sAo0RJW-VzdYZhyphenhyphenhUr0HAuoOjtKJqarxi6f7TN6DSqC5sjMi76xE7mfFExU_dHTpTjSBgSK59z823Xm_9LgGpzJ2JbojACn81kjJrNtWL8DDxhiWCGY/s320/S12_GM2137_015.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637538822890420306" /></div><div>Upper - The upper material wraps the foot extremely well. Montrail has taken great care in cleaning up the stitching on the upper and has instead used mostly welded overlays to create structure in the upper. This means it has a nice, smooth feeling on the inside of the shoe and less irritation where stitching can sometimes create hotspots. Although a bit rigid at first, the upper material gives after about 20 miles and to a certain extent creates a custom fit for the person's foot. Combined with a subtle appearance I was pretty happy about the aesthetics and comfort of this shoe's upper.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Midsole - The midsole of this shoe is fairly simple. Since it is a hybrid road/trail shoe (thus the name "badwater") they have added certain elements to make the ride a bit smoother than a normal trail shoe. The foam is a bit softer than the average trail shoe, which makes it extremely comfortable from the moment you slide your foot it. However, they have used a unique styling of the midsole to create something that transitions smoothly but still performs well when moving laterally. It is extremely difficult to get the best of both worlds, but with Montrail's geometric design on the midsole, they have gotten about as close as one could get to creating a true road/trail hybrid.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiW_BcN57mpUqwv4exT4BfD-uzB-GIqpxpLQSttwOlAyL7AuWIrX1t9mostQagCFOpYSITLHm0HduEieLfLtiIG2sQlbV1K4f2Jg9KXVtlyVGHgs-nK9cc_1fgcDaSFJPoUC2j274Ml0/s320/S12_GM2137_015_O.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637538221925424962" /></div></div><div>Outsole - The outsole of the Badwater is about the only area where I would make complaints, and that is only because I am a true shoe nerd. The medial side of the shoe is beautifully done, and the micro-lug design is another feat of engineering that make this shoe responsive on the roads, and rugged on the trails. The one complaint I have for the shoe is that the heel area is not decoupled enough and the lateral side of the heel actually built about 1 to 2 millimeters higher than the medial side. This is something that is common in most shoe companies (to name a few, Adidas, New Balance, Saucony) and it doesn't necessarily hinder the shoe too much it just creates a bit stiffer ride. If the rubber outsole could be decoupled just a bit more on the lateral side I think this shoe could be mechanically sound for just about anyone who placed in on their foot.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Montrail Rogue Fly - All I have for this one is an iPhone photograph!</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJL6CcnHRWRopcuRkIrU9uitdIaCqSufGNkWNlfKvlzg5MEnG79ysMjlLMBeoGIX9hmM1BGuqI066gG5vd4FmQ0Sw1udS7BYbwvFBVbs-0BtWwbh65TSizo37Yw6MQXfj0-CI4SS2P0o/s320/photo-1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637546431539418994" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquZ2-ywnO2FU6U67w6MJZwZmUNTwvH5FsiHHmXlGKtNU3koOXayNmt0hGt89mfT_QTvPP7sGGhd20Z-Mu_QzPhjTFhc-eV1xgFnZdmJ_pnEOLXDELedYnEHRps44loqoy7BfsKTeuzKU/s320/photo.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637545888251068658" /></div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who have seen or worn the Rogue Racer, this is the exact same tooling (outsole and midsole) as the Rogue Racer. The only thing that has changed on the shoe is the upper. In my opinion it is a much better fit and it actually feels like a competitive shoe. Coming in at a scant 7.5 ounces, it knocked off about 1.3 ounces just in the upper material! I think this shoe is going to be able to rival any other minimal trail racing flat out there once again due to the 3-point microlug system that allows for smooth transition on the road (felt great at the 100K) but also for great grip on rugged terrain (felt even better at White River). This is, without a doubt, going to be my shoe for the World 100K!!!</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-44691984280786545892011-07-25T22:32:00.001-07:002011-07-25T22:48:10.970-07:00its been foreverits been quite a while since ive posted anything on here. i'd have to say for the most part its because i really haven't been doing anything exciting. mostly just running, working, eating, running, and sleeping. to give you an idea of my day ill map it out for you.<div><br /></div><div>7:30 am - wake up, eat, drink coffee</div><div>8:00 am - get dressed and get out of the door to run between 6 and 10 miles</div><div>9:00 am - get home, run inside and shower, pack lunch</div><div>9:30 am - drive to work</div><div>10 am- 7 pm - work</div><div>7:30 pm - get home, put on running clothes and run between 6 and 10 miles</div><div>8:30-9:30 pm - cook dinner, shower, etc</div><div>10- 10:30 pm - decompress, sleep</div><div><br /></div><div>I've found a pretty good system and I've been getting in some really good mileage, but there's not a lot of time to be inspired to write.... Sorry!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway over the last few weeks I've really gotten back into great shape. The last 5 weeks have been: 103, 110, 133, 141, and 124. During one 8 day stretch from friday to friday, i racked up 187 miles. that is by far a record for me and now I am beginning the long and slow taper toward the World Championship 100k in September.</div><div><br /></div><div>This weekend I will be racing the White River 50 miler. I'm excited to see how the two climbs go, and to see how I feel after pounding my legs for 50 trail miles.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, recently I've received a few new pairs of Montrail shoes to test out for the Springs 2012 season. One is called the Badwater, a hybrid shoe made for both road and trail. The other shoe is called the Rogue Fly. For those of you who liked the Rogue Racer, get ready for a massive improvement in fit! I'll be giving a detailed report of both shoes soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>For now, I'm off to sleep, and ready to start another "above-mentioned" day.</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-54472957086282065112011-04-27T23:14:00.000-07:002011-04-27T23:27:12.556-07:00Regaining formIt's been 3 weeks now since I race and only now am I feeling healthy and ready to start building up my mileage again. The first week was a combination of working toward walking correctly again and trying to consume a healthy amount of calories. The muscle soreness and fatigue are something I am quite familiar with, but the aversion to food was something that has never happened to me before. After about 5 days this passed and I was left craving red meat and fresh vegetables (my guess is iron deficiency). So, I obliged. It certainly isn't a chore eating a large steak with an even larger salad.<div><br /></div><div>The second week was spent trying to regain my running form. There were a few things impeding this process. Firstly, my legs were still very rigid and stiff from the race. Secondly, I simply felt like I was working at 80-90% running at 7:30 pace. Not only was this very frustrating but also left me with a lot of concerns. Ever since I burned myself out last year I've been extremely cautious not to overtrain. For races you can't really hold anything back, and I thought maybe I had blown a fuse. However, at the end of the second week I made my way out to a favorite trail of mine (Tiger Mtn.)with a few work friends and ran close to 14 miles. The uphills were difficult but the rest of the time I felt very comfortable.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week has been more of a transition back into training mode. I haven't been able to wake up early under my own willpower so far, but I have been logging some solid miles in the evenings. Its nice to have the sun stay in the sky until around 9 o'clock. Score one for living in the North! This weeks total should be around 50 miles, and then I'll just be doing maintenance runs until Lost Lake 50K.</div><div><br /></div><div>This race won't be a massive effort on my part. I am doing this race to gauge how physically ready my body is to start seriously training again. But I do have the course record on my mind. The hill climb should be treacherous but the views will be worth it! If you'd like to view race photos please click the link below.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.skagitrunners.org/lostlake.shtml">http://www.skagitrunners.org/lostlake.shtml</a></div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-17179632020389094122011-04-11T12:35:00.000-07:002011-04-11T13:26:05.945-07:00Mad City 100KSo I've had plenty of time to digest the events of this weekend....<div><br /></div><div>About 4 days prior to the race I was intensely worried that I was going to perform terribly at this race. I had a pretty amazing weekend the week before watching my good friend Brooks Williams compete at the Brew to Brew 44 mile race from Kansas City to Lawrence. Brooks was running this race because it is sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Brooks is affected by this illness and wanted to show his support by running the race. Not only did he win, but he demolished the competition by over 40 minutes.... Often times this happens in ultras. The longer the distance, the more of a gap there will be between finishers. But to win by 40 minutes is just amazing and I was speechless as he crossed the finish line.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the weekend I was feeling slightly fatigued. Crewing is a tough sport in its own right. To be honest, I find it a good bit more exhausting than running the race. And day after day I woke up feeling a bit tired... not my usual feeling the week of the race. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive having my parents, girlfriend and friend/#1 crew member Shelley travel all the way to Madison to watch me fail miserably. Great thoughts before a race.</div><div><br /></div><div>The day before I took a red-eye from Seattle to Minneapolis, then on to Madison, sleeping every chance I could. Once I got the hotel, I slept more. Then I ran for 20 minutes just to shake out the legs and get the blood flowing. I took a healthy dose of Emergen-C just to make sure I kept my antioxidant levels elevated, then ate a pasta dinner. Sleep that night was restless but I got in a full 8 hours.</div><div><br /></div><div>Apart from my mother telling the entire crew that the race started at 6 am, there weren't really any hold-ups, and now that I think about it I am glad we got there early. I had some time to just relax and mentally prepare for the day. About 10 minutes before the race started, I stripped down and began to wait by the start line.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the gun went off, I was expecting at least one person to dart out to a 5 minute first mile, the way most races do. Interestingly enough, everyone went out way slower than I had imagined. The first loop we pulled through in a modest 42 minutes, a bit slower than the pace I'd wanted to run for the first 50k. After lap one I pulled ahead of the pack a bit and caught the lone front-runner. After some brief chatter I learned that this was THE Zach Gingerich. In my mind he was the person I was going to need to beat in this race. But even though his list of accomplishments is certainly intimidating, he is a really nice guy. For the next lap he told me about the night he had spent staring at the ceiling as a high school party was in full swing in the hotel room next door. And even though he says sleeping is overrated the night before a race, I can't think that it helped him too much.</div><div><br /></div><div>After lap two, Zach slowed a bit to grab some stuff from his fiancee and I gradually gained a gap on him. From that point on I was alone, and spent a large part of the time just focusing on my tangents to not only increase the lead, but to spend the least amount of energy on wasted footsteps.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other than tangents and occasional random thoughts, the rest of the race was putting one foot in front of the other, focusing on form, length of stride, etc. Here is a list of the splits for the race....</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=432#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">1st Loop - 10 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.214</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 42:11.0 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:47.3 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=433#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">2nd Loop - 20 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 12.427</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 1:21:41.7 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:34.4 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 39:30.7 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:21.6 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=434#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">3rd Loop - 30 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 18.641</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 2:00:00.2 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:26.3 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 38:18.6 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:09.9 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=435#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">4th Loop - 40 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 24.855</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 2:38:08.6 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:21.8 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 38:08.4 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:08.3 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=436#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">5th Loop - 50 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 31.069</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 3:16:02.9 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:18.6 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 37:54.3 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:06.0 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=437#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">6th Loop - 60 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 37.282</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 3:54:46.7 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:17.8 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 38:43.8 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:14.0 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=438#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">7th Loop - 70 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 43.496</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 4:34:32.2 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:18.7 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 39:45.5 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:23.9 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=439#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">8th Loop - 80 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 49.710</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 5:17:14.8 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:22.9 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 42:42.6 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:52.4 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=440#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">9th Loop - 90 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 55.923</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:02:31.1 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:28.9 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 45:16.3 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 7:17.2 </td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=11099WI&tab=a5&ckpoint=441#sCpt" title="click to Select this Checkpoint">10th Loop - 100 Km</a></td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 62.137</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:47:34.0 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6:33.5 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 6.21</td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 45:02.9 </td><td align="right" valign="middle" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, 'MS Sans Serif', 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: small; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-weight: normal; "> 7:15</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div>As the race progressed, the lactic acid build-up and overall fatigue became a bit too much to maintain a solid rhythm, and the hills were primarily the area where I began to be more cautious. Rather than going into oxygen debt, I decided to lay off the pace a bit and just run comfortably up the hill. This paid huge dividends in the later laps! By the last 2 laps though, it was the downhills that were wrenching my quads and hamstrings. Each step felt like I might have an entire body cramp.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the last lap came around, I learned that my original theory that the CR was 6:46:00 was way off, and all I had to do was run consistently for the next 6 miles and I'd have it for sure. So I dropped my bottle and gave it my all. I took one more gel at the 1.5 mile aid station and began to press harder. With a mile to go I let my legs relax and dropped my shoulders, and let the adrenaline surge as I knew I'd only have to run for another 7 to 8 minutes. Half mile to go, I saw my dad waiting on the corner of the final stretch. I smiled so hard my face cramped up, and just started laughing. The last 200 meters was exhilarating. Crossing the finish line, I felt an extreme weight lift off of my shoulders. I had been wanting to join the world team for USA for about 2 years. It was nice to know I'd be representing my country internationally!</div><div><br /></div><div>On a side note, during the worst race of my life (WESTERN STATES), I came by a woman who was having an equally bad day. After a while of chatting while laboring up the hill to our eventual drop-out point at mile 55, I learned she was Devon Crosby-Helms. We talked for almost an hour about other races, why we were feeling terrible that day, how much it sucked walking up a hill since we both knew we were just going to drop anyway.... When I saw her cross the finish line on Saturday, she looked so strong. I approached her at her car and we hugged. Apparently both of us were feeling much better since then. Congrats to her and her 14 minute CR!!!!!!!!! What an amazing athlete!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd also like to give a shout out to Nick Clark and Ryan Burch for their impressive finishes at American River. I know they are both mountain specialists and those times are pretty gnarly for the course not being their preferred style. Congrats to you both as well!</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-70795773164947036602011-04-10T21:44:00.000-07:002011-04-10T21:47:22.290-07:00Finally!I'll be writing more in a bit, I just wanted to write that I've finally achieved what I'd set out to do last year!<div><br /></div><div>1st Place at the Mad City 100k National Championships, earning a spot on Team USA. I'm so excited to be traveling to the Netherlands this fall!</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-58178464324629532882011-03-01T23:39:00.000-08:002011-03-01T23:45:44.486-08:00Montrail's New Website<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsqt4VNqnVl_9uPka84vQ5HkMmd6WiwUYF1Q-sge7E6Ee73P07LXnCV0dftTgj0DGD9zyv6vOrlcQvQM18Tk_anHz4Zz_lRYgCVOV8bJ42MYpQhi_Mj0Z8667wvKR-An1511BB7gSYcM/s1600/MontrailLogo-Blk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsqt4VNqnVl_9uPka84vQ5HkMmd6WiwUYF1Q-sge7E6Ee73P07LXnCV0dftTgj0DGD9zyv6vOrlcQvQM18Tk_anHz4Zz_lRYgCVOV8bJ42MYpQhi_Mj0Z8667wvKR-An1511BB7gSYcM/s320/MontrailLogo-Blk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579385272928201250" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>As of today Montrail has switched to a new format on their website. Now you can order Montrail shoes directly from the website!!! If you'd like to visit the website please visit www.montrail.com and enjoy!Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-85412881390465933172011-02-25T12:49:00.000-08:002011-02-25T12:57:00.402-08:00Shoe and Gear Review<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Since my last post I have received a few pieces of gear that I am pleased to say have met or exceeded my expectations!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><b>Montrail Badrock OutDr</b><b>y</b>-<div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0j-fCCRLmOKNL-CdKECkSA2p9jOfPcPA-OkImlR3Y-_tEAFagXcnFN-pOzry2d2Zf2hTC9jAYU_wBfMzG9xxE9ACUXVRNFNKnETDLPkFJ3JmG0igwCEyyOf1x4CxZqztdK2I-_MamYUg/s320/Montrail-Badrock1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577733849370563778" /></div><div>I had received an email a few weeks back that I was being sent a pair of the Badrocks to test out. Included in this shoe is an OutDry laminate that works infinitely better than Gore-tex for a few reasons.<div><br />First, OutDry is a laminate that is bound to the mesh, whereas Gore-tex is an independent bootie. This eliminates the possibility of water and debris buildup between in the mesh and the bootie of the shoe, which will keep the shoe truer to its original weight. Secondly, OutDry is able to "breathe" without a heat and moisture gradient, which Gore-tex ultimately needs to perform. Thus, the OutDry keeps the interior of the shoe at a more agreeable temperature.</div><div><br /></div><div>What I really liked about this shoe was the seamlessness of the OutDry technology as its built into the shoe. In Gore-tex shoes I was always aware of the extra layer. While wearing the Badrock on several 20+ mile runs I never once felt any hint of added fabric or rigidity in the shoe on account of the waterproof laminate. As for performance, I'd say this is a true trail runner's shoe. I wore it on the roads up to my usual trails several times and I felt it was completely unresponsive and clunky. But once I got on the dirt roads and single track the shoe completely transformed under my feet. It became responsive, grippy, fluid, everything I want in a shoe. I also wore it yesterday while running in the snow and mud and I was actually aiming for puddles by the end. I've gotta say, this is the first waterproof shoe I've ever liked, and it will be a "go to" for any future muddy or snowy runs.</div><div><br /><div><b>Montrail Rogue Racer</b>-<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Fj5gPT2N5iEQoYkneDGdJkftX6Qu4K_mnp928ySb-IHm3Iw7D-mfvwb8tjtC1dSquwlyBqFpcYVfSBcDd-SG2O1zOAapta2rlJW88CvqSfQIxhYJCyX7mjNTw_1_-bsRLiA_yB_cFxU/s320/Montrail-Rogue-Racer-upper.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577732775219183186" />The Rogue Racer is a shoe I've been excited about ever since I approached the Montrail tent at Western States last June. Its light and fast, but also has a lot of added elements that I could never get with my usual road flats or even some of the trail flats I'd tried. I really like the 3 micro-lug system they have placed on the outsole. This system allows for fantastic traction on the trails, but also allows for a much more fluid motion on roads. I have used these shoes quite a few times on trails, but also for a 25 mile progressive run last wednesday on paved bike trails. I can say now, with complete confidence, that I will be able to race in this shoe (unmodified) at the Mad City 100k. This is definitely going to be a favorite of mine for the season.<br /><br /><b>Mountain Hardwear Geist Jacket</b>-<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHjtGSYnSzw_edD6YPpTOpFGilGJHd1OjqdNiPg8umagoTJS0rcfuaWtjaAt4CsBUlEAV7_sbOOBpyPbf5kFS9QekhNX130ZTaINKTxKeSNsVywSIztioVq5kBFIw4fvHYbMp6ILO4rQ/s320/RD.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577733323332993986" />This 6 oz slice of heaven was delivered along with my team uniform pieces. Since then I have not missed a single chance to wear it. It is completely windproof with small pockets of mesh for venting in all the right places. I also has 3 pockets for storage, which is very uncommon in such a light jacket (usually i've seen a lot of sacrifices in storage to save weight). Whether its 45 and sunny or 18 and blowing snow (on the progressive run that happened within 10 minutes), the Geist Jacket has kept me warm, dry and comfortable. And since its so light I am able to tuck it into my waist band when its not needed.<br /><br />So that's all for the reviews for now.... Training has been going well. I took a few down weeks after the marathon to make sure I didn't put myself into an early deficit like last year. I want to make sure this year that I am fully recovered before starting training for the next race. But this week I have already logged 101 miles since Monday. I'm hoping to hold on to this streak for a few more weeks to gain some much needed strength for the 100k in April. I certainly have the aerobic capacity in place, but I can tell every 20 mile day I add on is bringing back that familiar ache and fatigue of early last season. Now I just have to wait until that starts feeling normal :)</div></div></div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-20495222542767945472011-02-01T20:27:00.000-08:002011-04-28T00:08:18.887-07:00TEAM MONTRAIL<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAaEqaL3qE9r2YjjUj4eKy61scb4OTU5IEW2x5oydFpRmNtdVWkaQVt_Q8h92_EQXPYVXLwU-LofD9_FxPxj2buwOMwXom7ab_m430se-Ox5HCSjbREvXOZ9GuIv1ZskEDw8j0LM1ssI/s1600/MontrailLogo-Blk.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAaEqaL3qE9r2YjjUj4eKy61scb4OTU5IEW2x5oydFpRmNtdVWkaQVt_Q8h92_EQXPYVXLwU-LofD9_FxPxj2buwOMwXom7ab_m430se-Ox5HCSjbREvXOZ9GuIv1ZskEDw8j0LM1ssI/s320/MontrailLogo-Blk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568987773513075282" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">As of 4 hours ago I thought this week couldn't get any better.... I was wrong. I am now an official Montrail Athlete for 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">Congrats to the others who have been added, I went ahead and copied and pasted their info from the website:</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color:#111111;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Megan Lund</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: This Aspen, Colorado native is a 2-time Olympic marathon trials qualifier and 2-time USA Mountain Running team member. She’s the winner of the 2010 Sierre Zinal Mountain Race in Switzerland. Megan looks to run many high-profile mountain races in Europe this summer, along with the Pikes Peak Ascent and USATF Trail Half Marathon Championship.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color:#111111;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Amy Sproston</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Amy lives in Portland, Oregon and is a 2-time Massanutten 100 winner, winner of the 2010 JFK 50 and the 2010 Pine to Palm 100. Her focus for the first half of 2011 will be Western States 100.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 20.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color:#111111;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ryan Burch</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Ryan is a native of Colorado and is a force in the mountains. 2010 highlights include wins at the Antelope Island 50, Leadville Marathon and Grand Mesa 100. This year, look for Ryan to compete near the front at Western States 100 and Leadville 100.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 80.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 17.0px Georgia">I am elated to be chosen as an athlete for this great brand! For more details on the Montrail team and products click on the montrail logo on the right hand side of the page.</p>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-80954990114964720852011-01-31T01:46:00.000-08:002011-01-31T20:34:51.493-08:00In-Depth Review of Miami<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">As I stated in previous posts, this race was meant to be a test: a test to see where I was aerobically, a test to see how much pain I could endure, and also a test to see if my opinions hadn't changed about road racing. And if you're looking for the abbreviated version here it is. I think I'm in pretty good shape to do well at the mad city 100k as long as I put in some longer runs, I didn't push as hard as I could have during the race but the difference in time would have been insignificant, and no.... not so much a fan of road races still. For those looking for a more detailed explanation, please read on.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The last time I've actually had a marathon timed was at the split of the 2010 American River 50 Mile in Sacramento, CA. My time was 2:46:?? and I was elated to find that I had cut 6 minutes off of my previous PR (which was during another ultra). However, at the end of that race I had a nagging feeling that if I could run such a time with a hefty amount of fuel left in the tank, I might be able to put a solid time down on a paved surface.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Things came together when I was planning this year's schedule with a focus on making the 100k world team. I had made that a goal last year, only to come up short by 6 minutes. This year I wanted to be prepared to go the distance and reserve myself a spot for international racing. And as I began to formulate my schedule to build up for the big race in April, my coach suggested I try a marathon for time to see how fit I was. Eventually we set our sights on the Miami Marathon. There would be some good competition and it was a warm area in January, nuff said.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">So, getting back to the actual race. I woke up at 4:45 to my watch alarm and slowly began my usual routine: forcing down some sort of "food" with a large portion of water or sports drink. This is always a difficult routine regardless of how nervous I am. I just can't seem to eat in the morning. Then, on to the race bib preparation. Next up, shoes and socks. Lastly, listening to some music that would be delightfully stuck in my head for the race (Ratatat has a great selection of music if you're interested). And then we were out the door.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I often wonder what a person might think if they were to wake up in their hotel room and look out their window at 5 am. It really is quite a spectacle seeing 21000 pedestrians congregate in a central location. I wonder if the noise woke anyone up?</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Anyway, with about 30 minutes until the race started, I began wading my way (mother in tow) through masses of befuddled strangers; people wondering how to find their designated section, where to find a stick of body glide, talking race strategy, etc. Finally, after forcing my way through the crowd I made it to the front and began my warmup. A short 5 minute jog with a couple leg lifts was all I could manage. Any more than that and my heart would have exploded out of my chest. I was really nervous.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Making my way back to the crowd, I tried to pry myself into a good position to start at least somewhat close to the elites. However, it seems everyone has the same idea at these races and I soon found myself stuck behind a man that, at first glance, appeared to be wearing a sweater. Upon further inspection, I realized he was just extremely hairy, and thus spent the remainder of the time in the tent avoiding bumping into him.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">When the gun went off everyone shot forward. Immediately I saw the front pack surge forward. My coach had advised me to start the first mile slow and then pick it up from there. This served a dual purpose as I would be able to make my own race once the urge to run up front left me, and also to warm up a bit since it takes me quite a long time to do. At the first mile I clocked in at 6:13. Yikes. Way off pace but I felt really good. I began to slowly pick up the pace, and in the process, picked off several people along the way. This was fun!</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Going through downtown Miami was a bit strange, mostly due to the smell. I notice this in a lot of big cities, but there was an overwhelming smell of old cigars and trash and it really threw my stomach off balance. Another oddity was their bridges. It was very difficult to run a consistent pace since your mechanics are thrown off by the metal grating. Back to the race.....</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Every 30 seconds or so I was able to pass someone and keep them behind me. This became the norm for the race. At around mile 8 I passed the three leading women and continued my journey to find the front-running men. At mile 10.5 I was able to see my mom and the rest of the cheer station. It was really exciting getting through that section. I felt renewed after leaving that area and put in a good surge to catch the next person. Another thing I noticed, every person I passed during the entire race was entirely gassed. It took absolutely no effort to pass them. At the full/half marathon course split, I was informed I was 21st place. Not too shabby, but I thought I could do better.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Slowly but surely I picked off 20, 19, 18, all the way down to 11. About every mile or so I would get these gut-wreching side stitches that would leave me short of breath. But it seemed that every time that happened I would see another runner ahead. Somehow that took the focus off of my stitch and I was able to hunt them down. Finally, around the 20 mile mark, I began to feel sharp. Tired, but sharp. I'm not sure if it was the realization that I would only be running another 35 minutes or some other physiological miracle, but I was able to put in a surge that lasted the rest of the race. In the last 10k I picked off 6 more people. I passed the last guy with 1.2 miles to go and put 3 minutes on him by the finish. Crossing the finish line was surreal. I was genuinely happy at my performance. About 10 steps after the finish line I began throwing up white foam, and this continued in spurts for the next half hour. In my mind I like to think it was just weakness leaving the body, because it hurt like hell.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">So there it is, my first race of the season. I think this race is going to be a good indicator of how I perform in the 100k in April. I still like trails better, of course. And I still like running until my legs give out, rather than my lungs.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hopefully this is a foreshadowing of what the season will bring. For now I've got 2 solid months of training to get in before the race, and one very important pacing job. My good friend Brooks Williams will be running the Brew to Brew 43.2 mile race from Kansas City to Lawrence on April 3rd, 2011. For all of you who would like to know more about Brooks or the race, you can visit his blog (a link is located on the sidebar under "blogs of interest").</span></span></p>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-12132435154859150652011-01-30T10:38:00.000-08:002011-01-30T10:40:16.500-08:00Miami ResultsFinished in a time of 2:26:37 and took 5th place overall. Had a good race but I'm glad its behind me, more details to come.Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-60161121723111358362011-01-28T08:09:00.000-08:002011-01-28T08:40:28.206-08:00Miami MarathonI've realized lately that it is very difficult to write or even be creative when it feels like I'm doing the same thing every day. I'm not big on finding the little differences in the day to day events that surround my life... specifically running. I believe that is why I try (and succeed) most times to throw in a new route or to explore a trail I haven't run yet. But lately it seems that my desire for new adventures has taken a backseat to calculated and well-managed training for my race this weekend.<div><br /></div><div>The marathon has been a race I have looked over for the last 3 years as "insignificant" or "boring". In a lot of ways, I still see it as such. Most marathons are on roads, they are almost always crowded, they don't offer the scenery that most ultramarathons do, and they offer little in the way of changing terrain. But in these last few months I have really started to appreciate just what it takes to run one of these races to the extent of your ability.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultramarathons have been a safe haven for me mostly because I can avoid completely losing my breath (Leadville excluded) and also can be quite lax with my regulation of pace.... I can always count on catching the next surge of energy. I mean, if you have all day to run, there are going to be highs and lows no matter what you do. The marathon, however, is an elusive monster since it involves toeing the line of complete anaerobic meltdown for what I hope to be two hours and twenty-five minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three weeks ago I had one last test to see if I could manage this pace with a 30 kilometer progression. For those of you who have never done a progression (I hadn't until 3 weeks ago), the name implies the gradual nature of increasing effort and lowering pace throughout the run. During this run we chose a paved bike trail that travels 15k out, and 15k back.</div><div><br /></div><div>We began with the pace at around 7 to 7:30 miles, then "progressed" each mile until we reached the 15k mark at just below 6 minute/mile pace. At this point we took a gel and began to hammer the pace until we reached my goal of 5:30. Shockingly, I felt great. We were cruising along for the next 4 miles at this pace and I decided to pick it up a bit. 5:23, 5:21, 5:18... I felt like a machine. Then the last 2 miles came about. 5:14, I felt like I was going to die. I had side stitches, my stride was breaking down, I couldn't breathe correctly, I was in the throws of anaerobic shock. My training partner Dan, a superb marathon runner, kept trying to tell me to breathe easier, focus on my stride, all the of the usual things one might try to say to deflect attention away from the pain. And in some ways it worked, but that last mile was excruciating. We crossed the last mile marker in 5:11. I dry heaved my way back to the car. The pace for the last 15k was 5:23. I couldn't help but smile as I drifted in and out of sleep.</div><div><br /></div><div>And so this workout, combined with about 3 months of consistent yet redundant training has led me to the starting line of the Miami Marathon. Needless to say, this isn't my ultimate goal for the season. In reality it's a tester to see what I can run for the Mad City 100k in April. But I have a feeling if this race goes well, there won't be much stopping me from a good race in Madison.</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing is certain. After this weekend, I'll be running a lot more unknown trails and consequently writing more....</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-23255796997651076002010-12-06T13:04:00.000-08:002010-12-06T13:24:35.196-08:00Nov 29- Dec 5This week went pretty well.<div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">Nov 29-Dec 5</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">M- 75 min, 10 miles<br /> 40 min, 6 miles (16)<br />T- AM 17 min warm-up</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"> 10 mile progressive run (56:10)</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"> 15 min cool down</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"> PM Run 30 min, 4 miles (18)<br />W- 80 min, 10 miles<br /> 29 min, 4 miles (14)<br />T- 70 min, 10 miles<br /> 42 min, 6 miles (16)<br />F - 41 min, 6 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">S- 20 minute warm-up</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"> Workout 2 X 3200m (10:44, 10:40),</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"> 1 X 3000m (9:38), 5 min recovery run</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"> 20 min cool down (11)</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">S- 152 min, 19+ miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">Total: 100 miles</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">These are the weeks where I'm really glad that I keep records of my mileage and times. I used to be very opposed to this because it mostly just meant more work. The other reason was that I would worry too much about constant improvement. However, there are a lot of benefits to keeping track of where you are in your fitness, especially when you are doing the same loops and out-and-backs and track workouts. It gives you a reference point to see how far you've come and how quickly you've gotten there. And where most observations in running can be seen qualitatively (muscle definition, fatigue, level of effort, etc.), it is nice to put down numbers to add some clarity to the ritual.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">For example, today I am doing 6 miles in the AM and 6 in the PM. I noticed on my morning run that even though I felt pretty fatigued from the 20 hilly miles I did yesterday, I was still averaging around 6:50 miles. This came as a surprise since I felt so tired, but numbers don't lie.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">As for the track workouts, I'm still chipping away at my times. It's not so much that I'm getting a lot faster, I think I'm just gaining more control over my form at high speeds, as well as dealing with the discomfort of lactic acid build-up.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana">There is still a large part of me that wants to go for a 40 mile jog in the mountains on Saturday's. But for now the big race on my schedule is Mad City 100K, which consists of ten loops of a flat 10k course in Madison, WI.</p></div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-11252867677489538592010-11-25T06:58:00.000-08:002010-11-25T07:15:09.182-08:00ThanksgivingHello All,<div><br /></div><div>I wanted to wait on a few solid weeks of training before writing again. Here is what has been going on the last few weeks for marathon training. There was one day I took off opportunistically in order to reset the schedule to a Monday-Sunday week rather than Sunday-Saturday.</div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">November 7- November 13</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">S- 64 min, 9 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">M- 61 min, 8-9 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">T- 20 min, 2.5 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">W- 75 min, 9 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> Workout 10 min (2K) warmup, 3 X 2000m (6:38, 6:31, 6:23), 9 min (2K) cooldown</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> 5 X 800m (2:43, 2:40, 2:39, 2:38, 2:35), 400m slow jog cooldown</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">T- 55 min, 7.5 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">F- Workout warmup 20 min, 3 miles at 5:13 pace, 3 miles at 5:33 pace, cooldown 20 min</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">S- 90 min, 12 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Total Miles: 70</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">NOV 4- 0 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">November 15- November 21</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">M- 89 min, 12.5 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> 40 min, 5 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">T- AM Run 30 min, 4 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> PM 30 min "portuguese warmup", workout fartlek 40 min @ 1 min on 1 min off</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">W- 32 min, 4.5 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> 45 min, 7 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">T- 78 min, 11 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">F- Run 20 min, 2 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> Workout 20 min warmup, 3 X 1600 (5:04, 5:03, 4:57), 3 miles at MP (5:35, 5:25, 5:20), 20 min cooldown</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">S- 50 min, 6 miles</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">S- 104 min, 16 miles @ 6:30 pace</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Total Miles: 94</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">These track workouts are really sending me into that fatigue I feel after a few 25 mile days in a row. Its all a very different kind of pain while its happening, but once you get home and lay on the couch.... TIRED IS TIRED! I'm finding it really exciting to see how far I can push myself, and even though the track is somewhat monotonous, the miles fly by really easily.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">The biggest change to my schedule from earlier in the year is the long run. Although its a little bit shorter, its way faster than I'm used to running for long periods of time. Last Sunday before I flew to Florida, I partook in a grueling 16 mile run at 6:30 pace, of which the last 4 miles were right under 6 min/mile. At peak condition I wouldn't normally find this too taxing, but I'm nowhere near that point right now :) After that I boarded the plane, luckily receiving an exit row seat for the 5 1/2 hour flight.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">This week has been a little weird. All of the running on pavement has been bothering my calves a bit and I took off a day in order to let them heal a bit.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">As for this morning, I entered a 4 mile race to get a feel for exactly where my aerobic threshold is. I finished the race 2nd overall in a time of 21:04. The last half mile I let off the gas a bit and probably could have finished under 21 but I'm not really upset about the race since its the first race under a marathon that I've done since sophomore year of college.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Now I'm off to stuff as much food into my stomach as my body will allow, then go for a swim in the Gulf!</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Happy Thanksgiving everyone!</span></span></p></div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-46184701710411719602010-11-10T13:17:00.000-08:002010-11-10T13:36:56.946-08:00A few weeks gone byThese last few weeks have been pretty interesting. I have recently recruited a coach to help me with my first "true" marathon. Since I started running seriously, I have mostly been interested in ultramarathons. However, there has always been a nagging sensation to put a really solid effort into the marathon. And after a few weeks of attempting to put a schedule together I finally enlisted the help of a local high school coach, Matt Ellis. So far I am very excited to try these workouts and to feel fast again. Last week we did 6 X 1000m at 3:10 pace and worked our way down to 3:00 pace by the end.<div><br /></div><div>Its funny how radically different track workouts are compared to the usual long-distance runs I'm used to. Where there is usually a dull, aching sensation in my legs, it is now replaced by a fire in my lungs and a lethargy in my limbs that can only come from complete oxygen debt and a build-up of lactic acid. Where I usually take small but confident steps, I now take awkward, loping strides to maximize the distance I can travel. For these two exercises being in the same sport, I'm not sure they could be any more different.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another activity I've tried in the last week is acupuncture. While I've heard a lot about its healing effects and its ability to relieve stress, I've never actually met anyone who has had it done. Last thursday I traveled with my roommate to join in on a session and found it to be amazing. Although I didn't feel the relaxing side of it (moreso, it feels like the needle is burning your skin), I did feel infinitely better the next day. My muscles felt in tune with each other, and I felt energized and in sync. I'd definitely recommend this treatment to anyone suffering from constantly achey or tight muscles (in my case they were both).</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, I just signed on to become a Coach in Training for the Team in Training group based in Tacoma, WA. If you don't know what Team In Training is, it is an organization that works under the Leukemia and Lymphoma society to raise funds for research. Groups of individuals sign up to run a marathon and raise money for the Society while training. Check out the link <a href="http://www.teamintraining.org/">here</a> if you are interested! Other options include triathlons, century bike rides and hiking adventures.</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-35548011480789041142010-10-19T14:38:00.000-07:002010-10-19T14:39:17.238-07:00Racing and Writing Again<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">I have to be honest. I actually avoided writing on this blog for several months because it reminded me of how much I wasn't running. It's difficult to transition from running 130 miles a week to absolutely zero physical activity. What caused this? Well, in a word... arrogance. Yep, after rifling through dictionaries and thesauruses, that is still the word that best depicts my attitude towards running and my body this season.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">I began the season by moving out to Colorado Springs in the dead of winter. It was tough getting out the door everyday when beginning the season in sub-zero temperatures. But as the year progressed I was up to my desired goal of 110-120 miles per week. More importantly, I was having a lot of fun. My first run resulted in a CR even after slipping and sliding all over the course (which actually resembled a mud trough). I then placed 2nd at both the Salida Marathon and American River. It was at this point, I think, that my attitude toward running changed.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">I've been told by many people that in order to run with the best runners, you must first consider yourself to be their equal. This saying holds a lot of merit if you are racing. In training it can be dangerous. After American River, I was running 130 miles per week regardless of lack of sleep, illness, how many hours a day I spent on my feet at work, etc. It was 130 mpw no matter what. I was convinced that the more miles I ran, the better I would do in races. After all, I was running Western States and was eager to finish well. But after running at the Collegiate Peaks 50 miler, I began feeling a little more sluggish in day to day activities. I slept more, ate less, I didn't have that natural fire burning inside to go run in the mountains everyday.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">As this feeling began to grow I began ignoring the important things outside of running such as yoga, stretching, relaxing, etc. The main focus became hitting the mileage number I had alloted for the week. And after a few weeks of this routine, I was toeing the line at the Blue Canyon 100k. I still think I raced well there, but the effect that race had on my body was crazy. It was the anvil that broke the camel's back. Three weeks later, I ran at Western States. DNF. At Vermont, I ran the first 50 miles well, but the last half was atrocious. I actually had to hold my pacer's hand to avoid collapsing. At Leadville, I promised to pace for 50 miles and could only run 36.5. My runner actually ran faster when I wasn't pacing him. With that, I was done with any and all racing plans for the year.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">It's easy to see what went wrong. Too much of a good thing can be bad. As the season progressed, I became too worried about numbers and figures and forgot why I loved the sport so much. Getting out of the door to run became a chore rather than something to I enjoyed. And as with anything you are passionate about, it's easy to become frustrated with something you enjoy when you're not performing to the best of your ability.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">After a month of solid rest and relaxation, I started running again. Moving to a new area (Washington) was definitely a good move. I have new trails to explore, as well as two amazing friends to run with every day. I also think the move to low altitude was good for my body. So far, I've kept all of my runs under two hours, and I'm listening to my body rather than fighting with it.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">I also ran my first race since Vermont on Saturday. It was the Point Defiance 50k, and I'd only been running for 20 consecutive days since taking time off. Anyway, I went into the race thinking I'd just shoot for a sub 4 hour. When the gun went off, I tried to keep myself from bolting forward with the front pack. But the excitement of running a race was too much, and I began to pursue the leaders after the first mile. Pretty soon a new friend of mine caught up (Mike Lynes) and we led the race together for 26 miles. In the end, he fell back to help some runners who were lost and left me to finish the race alone in a time of 3:40:12. I can't say I felt great the entire race. In fact, I felt pretty awful for over half of it. But I can say now that I haven't lost the strength and stamina that I gained this season. Combined with a renewed sense of respect and devotion to the sport, I think this base phase will translate into an even more successful season next year.</p>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-39836371835644160932010-07-27T14:28:00.000-07:002010-07-27T14:30:09.624-07:00A story my father wrote....<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">This is an email my dad sent to the family after spending a weekend at our cabin in Vermont. Enjoy!</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">So, I went for a run...</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Or a lumbering trot, stopping to walk every several yards because,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">since the knee surgery and weight gain, "that's how I roll." I was</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">feeling good, as it didn't take me long to get warmed up, and I was</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">running more than walking, It was going to be a good day.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">I remembered that there had been two Rottweillers on the route to</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Landgrove road, so I mentally prepared myself to freeze, have the</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">owner come out and release me. But today there were no dogs, just me</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">and the trail. How could this get better?</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">After the first mile, I managed to pick up two deer flies. They</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">pestered me buzzing and diving, but there were only two, manageable I</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">thought. Like a typical Vermonter, I have learned to use my hat as a</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">weapon, at least to keep a few deer flies at bay.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">I'm not sure what happened next, as the two deer flies were joined by</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">several bees. I could tell because the sound was different. I turned</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">around and saw an entire armada of bees coming at me. So, deer flies</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">were fine, but I soon found myself sprinting faster than I thought</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">possible. And, every time I looked back, there seemed to be more</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">insects, now in a variety of sizes, pursuing me. I really don't know</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">how I managed to provoke the swarm, I don't remember even seeing a bee</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">before the altercation and subsequent chase. They must have been</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">Africanized, because these bees were crazy, relentless, possessed.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">So now I'm running as fast as I can, and I've taken my hat off to swat</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">and run, something between a cartwheel and pirouette. It must have</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">looked interesting, as an elderly couple in a passing car almost</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">slowed to a stop, rubbernecking, the woman's nose pressed against the</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">window to see the show. I was running and thrashing with the hat,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">leaping, running and thrashing, until I just ran out of gas. The bees</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">chased me several hundred yards. They were pissed and in attack mode.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">My heart was racing, and the thought occurred to me that, given my</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">ample size and lack of conditioning, I might be risking a heart attack</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">if I kept going.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">So, I thought, keep running and risk cardiac arrest, or stop and</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">fight, and risk multiple bee stings. No good options. Shit. I stopped</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">running, grasped my hat, and said to myself, "come on bitch, let's do</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">it." The bees were all around me, dive bombing and trying to land, but</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">I was spinning and thrashing, and pumping my legs, like on Flashdance.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">No part of my body was still, or assailable as long as I kept moving.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">I managed to kill two bees, and for some reason, I thought the rest</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">would get the message and retreat. This did not happen.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">The fight continued for what seemed two or three minutes, and finally</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">I killed the last attacker. I counted twelve bees around my feet, and</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">four deer flies, who had joined the assault when they thought the bees</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">had the upper hand. I was out of breath, exhausted, but victorious. No</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">stings, my pride intact.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial">I did, however, take a different way home.</p>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-4850624105904531122010-07-26T17:04:00.000-07:002010-07-26T17:05:05.404-07:00Vermont 100 and other thoughts<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">Well, this last weekend was rough but I'm glad I stuck with it and finished. I'm still not sure what problems are occurring with my transition to 100 milers this year, but I am sure I need to go back to the drawing board after this one.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">The problems for this race started on the Thursday before the race actually began. I raced from work to catch my 4:56 PM flight to Chicago, where I'd connect to Albany shortly after landing. Of course, with my usual luck I was delayed and missed my connection into my final destination. Unfortunately the only flights they had going to Albany were either booked full or arrived too late for me to make the pre-race meeting. Needless to say, Friday was extremely stressful and offered little opportunity to relax or even sleep.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">I arrived at my house around 10:30 PM, ate a massive plate of spaghetti and tried to catch about 4 hours of shut-eye before driving to the race meeting. There I met with Julia Hutchinson, the race director, and got all of my vitals taken before beginning the race. I'd like to say here that Julia and the entire Vermont crew were very accommodating and understanding during this whole event. They are a solid group of people and I'd recommend this race to anyone who's looking for a laid-back but well-aided 100 miler.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">To my surprise, even after jogging over to the tent to take my vitals, my blood pressure was 115/85 with a pulse of 50. I love going down to sea level. I also took a personal assessment and found that despite all of the crap I'd been through the last two days, I actually felt pretty good. I was ready to start this race. I gave my mom and sister a hug and walked over to the starting line.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">The gun went off and the usual group of suspects launched forward. Among them, Neal Gorman (with an impressive finish at Western States), Michael Arnstein, Kami Semick, AJW, etc. My plan was to just stay with them until it got light, as Andy knows this course better than most. And this plan worked pretty well. Once the light started to peer over the mountains, I decided to let myself go and see how I felt through the halfway point.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">Once I had opened about a 50 meter lead on 2nd place, and a 200m lead on the chase pack, I heard rustling leaves and breaking sticks to my right. Looking over, I saw a 300-400 pound black bear eating raspberries in a ditch alongside the road. Oddly enough, I wasn't too worried. I simply started to walk and clap and say "Hey Bear!" and then announced to everyone else that there was a bear right next to the road. Noone else saw it. By the time I looked back to where the bear had been, it was sprinting into the foliage.... an odd start to the race.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">Just after this encounter I began to feel a brilliant burst of energy that kept me running up the hills and loping down them. I made it to the marathon mark in about 3:38 and took another assessment of where I stood in terms of pace. I realized that I might be going a bit faster than I should and decided to back off a bit. Meanwhile, cruising through the aid station, I forgot to take S! caps and didn't have any in my pouch to ingest. Thus began the gradual deterioration of my body.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">Right around mile 40 I was still feeling good but was starting to have some fatigue issues similar to the ones I was having at Western States. I attributed this to a low point in the race (everybody has them, right?) and just tried to keep one foot in front of the other. Just after this, AJW caught up with me and we exchanged a few pleasantries. He pushed a bit past me and I managed to hang on through camp 10 bear in just under 7 hours. He jogged up the mountain, and I realized I had lost several pounds since my weigh in that morning. I decided to sit in the shade and chug some water and gatorade before heading out. I also tried to eat a bit of melon and watermelon. This just made my stomach turn over completely and I had to lay down to prevent myself from puking. In total, I spent 33 minutes in camp 10 bear aid station. Not only that, but I didn't get rid of the nausea. I walked up the hill and began jogging as quickly as I could without puking. This nausea continued pretty much all day, no matter how many S! caps I took, no matter what kind of food or drink I ingested.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">The aid station at mile 60 is preceded by a large (for Vermont standards) hill. Even though this would be something I could sprint earlier in the season, it was a definite walker for me. At the top I felt so exhausted and nauseated that I dragged one of the rubbermaid containers from underneath the table and just sat down for a good 20 minutes. At this moment I realized that today would just be about finishing. I'd already failed to finish one race this season, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself DNFing two consecutive races. So I stood up and began trotting down the hill into Margaritaville. Here, I sat down for another 20 minutes and just about fell asleep (something I've never been able to do). Looking back, I should've at least had a margarita .</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">It was 8 grueling, nauseating miles to where I'd find my pacer. This race was pretty special because I had my high school cross country coach pacing me for the entire 30 miles. We'd both found ultra-running independently, so it was nice to finally talk to her about it in person.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">When I got to the aid station, I sat once more and tried to binge on fluids such as gatorade, water, ginger ale. Once again, nothing settled my stomach. So after about 20 minutes of sitting, I sat up once more and began to make a dent in the remaining 30 miles.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">Riva, my pacer, was pacing for her first time. But she was amazing. She wasn't demanding, but rather motivating. She was also great at reminding me to eat and drink, even though I sometimes refused.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">We made it to mile 77 fairly well. At the aid station I sat once more and drank some broth, applesauce, and 2 gels. This settled my stomach better than anything else had. Broth is definitely something I will stick to in future races. And with that we jumped back up and began the next 11 mile stretch. After walking a few short hills, we settled into an astounding pace of 7 minute miles. It was great to feel "fast" again and this brightened my mood a bit as well. It looked like things were beginning to turn around for me when I started feeling an odd sensation in my left quad. The only way I could describe it is to imagine the shooting pain following every nerve that coursed through my leg. Not pleasant. This also continued until about 6 miles left.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">At the 88 mile aid station I choked down some water, salt tabs, and a little bit of food (what exactly, I can't recall) and we set out into the last 12 mile section shortly before dark. I was pretty happy for the sun to go down. I knew that this race would be different than the other 100 milers I had done simply because I had a really good headlamp. This monstrosity from Black Diamond is not recommended for runners because it is so heavy, but I'll risk a slight neck cramp for the ability to see 300 yards ahead of me! Anyway, the next 6 miles went by without anything too exciting happening, other than the complete inability to run up hills. I kind of expected that though and wasn't too upset about it. But right as we were entering the last half mile before the aid station I was overcome with such feelings of exhaustion I actually held my pacer's hand to guide me. Its funny looking back on it now, but I was very upset about it at the time. We walked it in and there I laid down for another 20 minutes. Frustrating.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">After ingesting several cups of broth and water, I sat back up and waddled a quarter mile before settling into my fastest pace of the day. The remaining 6 miles were hell but I was just trying to get them done as quickly as possible. At the finish I gave my pacer a hug, as well as my parents and sister. Then I ate a burnt grilled cheese and soaked my feet in the kiddie pool before passing out in the car on the way home.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia; min-height: 19.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Georgia">As of right now, I'm just relaxing and taking a few weeks off of running, even moving for that matter. I either work or sit on the couch. It's nice having extra free time right now, but at the same time I find myself slipping on a pair of racing flats just to walk around the house. I'm full of energy, and the hardest part of this break is just making sure I've taken enough time to recuperate and heal. If all goes well I'd like to maybe run a 50 miler in October. Other than that, I think the real fun will be learning to explore the mountains again, rather than making every day a "routine". I hope that time will come soon!</p>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-87485839078326970552010-06-28T18:47:00.000-07:002010-06-28T18:49:11.242-07:00It may be time for a little break<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Western States did not go well.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I think this past weeks events have been a clear sign that I need to take a short break and heal. I have been pushing myself pretty hard since december, and although I felt great leading up to Western States, once the gun went off I didn't feel a single spark of energy coursing through my body. No matter what I ate (caffeine or not, sugar or protein or fat) I still felt like each step could potentially be my last before I collapsed. This lack of energy also made me extremely clumsy in the snow and rocky terrain. The combination resulted in me falling down and rolling my ankle several times over the 55 miles I did complete. At the Michigan Bluff aid station, I finally decided to call it a day. I feel I still could have pushed on and made it to the finish in sub 24 hours.... but felt it was a better idea to save the ankle and see if I could recover before Vermont next month. I'm hoping I'll be rested enough to have a good finish there. After that, it would be nice to take a break from 100 milers for a while.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">In the end I'm still happy with the week because I spent a lot of quality time catching up with my family and friends. It was truly a treat to be in their company. I just hope next time I can deliver a solid performance.</p>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7953543540060556067.post-15902690449938478862010-06-25T08:01:00.000-07:002010-06-25T08:51:33.151-07:00Pre Race AppraisalThere are several things that annoy me about tapering for races. It's a natural thing to do for any big race, but it is a very frustrating process to say the least.<div><br /></div><div>I have been in Squaw Valley for the past week and have been tapering for the last two. The first week involves the ultra low energy and never ending appetite. I don't mind the food issue, eating is something that makes me very happy. But no matter how many times I encounter that fatigue infested, sleeping 11 hours a day, dragging myself through 6 mile recovery runs, kind of week, it always worries me and makes me dread the race coming up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then you get to the second week, which is the most toughest in my opinion. Its filled with ample energy that makes you bold and eager to test your speed. You sleep less, eat less, and exercise less. This, to me, separates the body from the mind which have been working in sync for the last few months. It seems unnatural to drop down to running only 30 to 45 minutes a day because I'm used to running for 4 hours.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, though, I've learned to appreciate these weeks because they leave you eager to race and keep your mind from exploding with jitters and pre-race anxiety.</div><div><br /></div><div>Altogether I feel strong and ready for a good race.</div><div><br /></div><div>Best wishes to all the runners tomorrow. I'm excited to see how the Pearl Izumi guys do (Nick Lewis, Nick Clark, Ian Torrence, Josh Brimhall, etc.), and I really love their sponsor's rogue deal that has sweetened the race for a lot of the top runners. Apparently $2000 is being given to anyone who breaks the CR regardless of course. Good luck guys! And of course, I wish I could be a spectator to see the showdown at the front of the pack. Good luck to those guys, they know who they are.</div>Andy Henshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00123196561070122032noreply@blogger.com2