Red Hot Running

By Guest Blogger Jim Cady

As some of you know, I went to Moab, Utah this past weekend to run the "Moab Red Hot 33/55K Trail Race" put on by Grassroots Events (I did the 33k). Aptly named, the organization is small, casual, and has a small town feel.  Geared toward the ultra crowd, it is one of the first races in the racing season for the elite, culminating in over the top events like Wasatch, Leadville and Western States 100 mile mountain races.   They look at it as a tune-up... after all, it's only 34 miles in the 55k; (19m in the 33k for us wimps).   

 

Fortunately, they allow mere mortals to enter also, and the small size lets one rub elbows with the names usually only seen in magazines. Most of you know I prefer trails over road races.  The variety of terrain necessitates a continuously changing pace, stride and vision that you don't get on the road.  Every step has the potential to send you sliding face first across the rocks/dirt/sand.  (I saw lots of blood cross the finish line, and at least one runner with her arm in a sling.)  Since they are held in awesome geographic areas, they provide good excuses for road trips to some of the most beautiful parts of the country.   They are competitive, but the general attitude is very low key; and runners are highly likely to strike up a conversation while trudging up a hill that makes Tumamoc look like a  speed bump in the road.  There is kinship generated by community suffering. Think "endurance event" more than "race".   Generally there are 200-400 entrants and most normal folks are there to see if they can just make it; as opposed to make it fast.

 

If you haven't been to Moab, put it on your list.  It's a 9-10 hour drive (600 miles from Tucson) and sits between Arches National Monument and Canyonlands National Park.   Stunning scenery, a little quirky, and a Mecca for mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, river rafting, OHV's and any variant of outdoor activity you can think of. 

 

The 33k had 430 entrants and 371 finishers.  There were only 10 in the 60-69 AG... and only 3 in the 70+.  Much different than your average road race!  Cumulative gain of 3000' and loss of 4000'.  The first 3 miles and the last 4 miles were on old mining roads and sandy washes.  (Note the sand is more like powdered sugar and goes through shoes and socks without impediment)  The middle section was on (and over) slick rock.  If you are not familiar, it's not really slick (at least when it's dry)... more like sandpaper.  Traction was good, but the slopes made the uphills painful, and the downhills treacherous.  Since the mountains are actually big masses of rock, there isn't really a trail as you might imagine.  The route was marked by strips of purple engineers tape tied onto shrubs or rocks every 50-100 yds.  Some time is lost looking for the next flag.  One of the risks is simply following the person in front of you.  Invariably, he gets lost and now there's a whole group off trail.   Race day was unusually warm (35 at the start, but quickly rose to near 70) and as with most trail events, there were only 3 aid stations; at miles 4, 8 and 15.  Big difference: when's the last time you had PB &J sandwiches, Coke and Kit Kat bars at a road race water stop?  Or chili, cornbread and micro-brew at the finish line?  Or an evening after party with more free beer and food? 

 

I finished in 4:22:03 (fifth in AG).  Effort and time was similar to a road marathon, but 7 miles shorter.  Highly recommended, but if possible, plan on staying in town several extra days to do some sightseeing, hiking, etc.   I was there 2 extra days, and could have easily spent a week.

 

Jim

It's Not About the Time - Magic Miles, Magic Smiles

Remember when you first started running, how exciting it was to be able to run a whole mile?  But once we are out of school, most of us quickly move past the mile and set our sights on longer distances - 5k, 10k, half-marathon, maybe even longer.  The lowly mile seems like far too short a distance to be the main focus of a single run!

Think about it.  How many one mile races can you find?  Race directors know that people won't pay big entry fees for a single mile race.  To further complicate matters, nearly the entire rest of the world uses the metric system.  You won't see the mile in the listing of Olympic events (although some would like to see it - check out the Bring Back the Mile movement).



The truth is that runners can benefit greatly by developing the skills to run a proper mile.  As a short interval, the mile allows you to work on two basics - stronger running and increased cadence.  Your brain will allow your legs to work harder and take more steps per minute because it knows that rest is coming soon.  Mile workouts can stimulate additional muscle development, and when you run a longer distance in the future, the memory of your ability to run stronger and at a higher cadence can provide confidence to attempt to go faster.

Back in August, 2014, Tucson Runners Project held our first "Magic Mile".  Our regular schedule includes a weekly track session, but this was a very special event and was held as one of many magic miles around the world during the Global Magic Mile Event hosted by Marathon Talk.  On a warm summer morning, about 40 runners met at 5 a.m. to test their ability to run one single mile as fast as possible.  It was a huge success and the TRP Magic Mile was born!

It turned out that nobody in TRP was quite ready to break the world record for the mile (4:12 for Women, set in 1968, and 3:43 for Men, set in 1999), but we may indeed have broken the world record for most fun had by any running group!  Many new PR's were set that morning.

One of the coolest things about running a Magic Mile is that once you have done it, you can give an honest answer to your non-running friends and family when they ask, "how fast can you run a mile?"  It is wayyyy better to be able to tell them your smokin' fast magic mile time instead of the mile pace from your last hit-the-wall-and-what-was-I-thinking-when-I-entered-this long distance race!

We now host Magic Miles in TRP about once per quarter.  For newer runners it's fantastic way to establish a fast-mile baseline; for return milers, we get a chance to chase after a new PR.  In a single mile, an improvement of even a couple of seconds is huge!  But the truth is, the Magic Mile events are also a wonderful opportunity to get out and encourage our friends.  We run the miles in small groups so that we can all have plenty of time to give a few whoop-whoops to others.  It is hard to describe how exciting it can be to see your friends kicking it in and flying past the finish line!

Yes, the truth is that how fast you run a mile is really not so important.  What matters is whether you can really put your whole heart into the effort.  It's whether you are willing to immerse yourself fully into the run for a few brief minutes while you push your body around the track.  The time it takes is only relevant in comparison to yourself, and if you give it everything you've got you won't regret it.  You can go run a mile any time, but if you run a Magic Mile with a big TRP cheering squad to support you, I guarantee you'll have a fantastic experience.

What quits first, the mind or the body?

What quits first, the mind or the body? In my opinion, it's the mind. We all run better when we run with confidence, when we run free and happy. The moment that little thought creeps in our mind that "we're not good enough" or "we are hurting too much and we just can't do it" or "running just isn't my thing. I don't have a runners body".....negative, negative, negative. We all have these negative thoughts from time to time and some days definitely more than others. I've so often wanted to shut off my brain during certain races because my mind was filled with negativity. Filled with thoughts that were not only negative but were just making me not enjoy what I love to do, which is run. Racing and experience is slowly teaching me how to turn that negative mentality into positive. The moment I have a negative thought in my mind, I make myself smile. Sounds retarded doesn't it? Well, it kind of is retarded. The smile in fact looks rather silly especially when you're in pain. It's like a half smile, half I look like I'm gassy, half constipated kind of smile. But really, it works. I make myself smile and just relax. Relax my arms, relax my facial muscles, relax even my butt cheeks. Just relax. Take a deep breath. If it costs me a few seconds, that's ok because in the long run, it will save me an entire race. I then start to think of all the awesome events that have happened to me. All the achievements, all the hard training miles, track sessions, long runs, recent races, recent accomplishments in my life. I think of anything and everything to remind myself that in fact I am worthy and strong. When I think positive, my body reacts. I believe all pain starts up in the mind and then the body reacts and exaggerates those pain stimuli. Remember, when you are hurting, so is everyone else around you. We all like to think that we are the only one hurting because we're weak and we are not in shape. Elites and all athletes alike are hurting. It's how we as athletes deal with the pain. It's how our minds are able to keep us strong in times of pain. Finding strength within. This is what I worked on during today's double stack 5km and 10km races.

Surf City Marathon Feb 1, 2015

2014 was the year of the marathon for me. My goals had been to conquer the feared 26.2 and to Boston Qualify. I was so determined to achieve my goal and I put in the work. The tempos, the consistent track intervals, the long runs. Needless to say I ran four full marathons between January and July 2014 (BQ'd 3 of them, set a new PR of 3:22) and then decided to run a 51km with Keith two weeks after Eugene Marathon. 

Following the ultra, I was somewhat tired of long runs. I felt slightly fatigued and was starting to take longer and longer in my recovery. I felt my motivation to run a 20 miler lacking. I decided it was time to take a break from the marathon and started focusing on some shorter distance races. The half marathon as well as some 5km races was my new goal. After several half marathons and bringing my PR down to 1:32:22 at the Jacksonville Bank Marathon at the end of December, I decided I missed running some long runs. Keith and I maintain a very consistent weekly mileage with track, tempos and many double runs so I knew I had not lost fitness but of course not having done a real long run since the previous August I was nervous to tackle the marathon once again. While we were in Jacksonville visiting, Keith said he really wanted to do Surf City Marathon again so he caught me at the right moment and I signed up for the marathon distance as well. 

Knowing it was only one month away I started to get a bit scared. I was struggling to run 15 or 16 milers these days. It felt like my endurance was just not there anymore and I needed to build it up to conquer 26.2 again. I had more speed but less endurance. I made a plan. Surf City would be treated as a long run. I wanted to run 20 miles at sub 8 min pace. I told myself that the other 6.2 was a bonus without any added pressure. I also didn't want to have a long recovery after this race so it was crucial to treat it like any other long run. 

We ran PF Chang's Rock and Roll two weeks prior and frankly I had a lousy race which depleted my confidence. The positive side of that race was I ran the half marathon and then tagged on another 6 miles after my own race to run with my friends to give me a total of 19 miles. That was the longest I had run in a while. The Saturday prior to Surf City, we had a very grueling hill repeat/tempo/interval workout with our Tucson Runners Project Group. What was I thinking doing this workout a week prior to a marathon?? Yup, sounded brilliant at the time and it really was an awesome workout. My glutes were on fire for our Sunday run the next morning. 

I decided to have an easier week leading up to the marathon so I did not do the track workout on Wednesday. The race was coming near and I was very nervous. Keith calmed me down and kept reminding me we're going out to California to have fun and that it would be an awesome weekend. He also wanted to run the race with me which definitely calmed me down further. He is such a motivator and I truly enjoy our runs together. He makes me laugh and just brings positive spirit when I'm struggling. 

We had a wonderful carb dinner with room service in our hotel room and just relaxed that evening. Race morning quickly approached and it was nice being able to park our car about a half mile to the starting line. I had a chance to meet some of Keith's Marathon Maniac friends including Sally, Cade and David Holmen. Such awesome athletes! The gun went off and Keith and I settled in a nice 7:40-7:50 pace. There were some slight inclines in the first stages of the race but nothing too drastic. The temperatures for the beginning parts of the race was great. Definitely humid and dense fog as expected in Southern California along the ocean but still nice and cool. I was worried about my right glute/hip since having some pain the last few days. I had iced the day before and was hoping for no flare up. 

First few miles felt a bit tight but once I warmed up, it seemed to be feeling better and no sharp pain. Mile 9 was a nice long uphill and I just let myself relax. I didn't want to use any extra energy on this portion. Our pace dipped to 8:01 for this mile and I was okay with that since I just told myself to go by feel and not based on my watch. It was a long race and no point straining now. I was feeling pretty good until approximately mile 11. Miles 10 to 13 you're heading out on Pacific Coast Highway and then turn around and head back from miles 13-16 with the high sun in your eyes. 

Miles 11-16 were the most difficult miles for me. At mile 12 I was feeling defeated. I kept telling myself how could this be, even before the half way point? If I start walking now, I have a very long way to go. Every negative thought creeped in. I maintained my 750 pace but it was not an easy time. Keith was waving at his friends, posing for photo ops and I was miserable lol. He said honey do you want a gel? a cliff block? No, I was nauseous. I did not want a gel. I wanted to go home to my bed. This part of the course is not scenic at all. It's surrounded by industrial region and it just really drags on. 

Finally at mile 16, we turned onto the boardwalk and started running along the beach. There are so many crowd supporters along here cheering. I am not sure what happened at this point but I completely got a second wind. I felt a jolt of energy and I went from feeling miserable to feeling refreshed as if I just swam in that ocean. I started fist pumping and thinking oh yaaaa I got this. Our pace had been very consistent for the entire race. I told myself that I had four more miles until mile 20 and that would be such a great long run running my twenty miles sub 8 min pace. That was my motivation to keep me going. I was even slightly speeding up. We passed many runners who were hurting at this point. Runners to the side cramping and runners slowing down or walking. The sun was full force by now as well. We saw Cade and David Holmen at the turnaround point. I felt great. Mile 20 came around and I put my hands in the air and I knew I had a great training run and would be a wonderful start to 2015. 

Then I said well you're doing ok so why not make it to 21. Then it became 22 and 23 and so on. Mile 26 I picked it up and we had passed so many on the final 8 miles, it was feeling great. Keith had a surprised expression on his face when I started sprinting to the finish in the last 400m and fist pumping to get the awesome crowd going. Every fist pump was a YAAAAAA from the crowd. There were so many families and friends and supporters out for the race. It was so helpful and awesome! As we crossed the finish line in 3:28:16, my third fastest marathon and a BQ time, I had tears. I truly love running and I love being able to share my passion with the love of my life. 

The marathon has so many emotional and physical ups and downs. It parallels life completely. To be surrounded by so many awesome friends and athletes is the best feeling in the world. We'll be running the Double Stack race in Phoenix which is a 5km followed by a 10km run next Sunday. Following that we'll be running the Lost Dutchman half marathon as a training run and Phoenix Marathon on Feb 28th. I will have a sub 3:25 goal for that race as a lead up to Toronto Goodlife Marathon in May (shooting for a PR sub 3:22).