I really wanted a more clever title but the name sort of says it all.  I'm not entirely sure where to begin, except to say that I finished the race and that's an accomplishment. Yes, it took me longer than I had planned but I learned a lot and just have to keep reminding myself that patience is a virtue and that I just need to keep training and running and trying!

Anyway--here's a brief rundown of the race.  

The trail was COVERED in 10-11" of snow.  Powdery, beautiful, deep snow.  Which made for some amazing scenery and views from the tops of the hills--but boy did it make the actual running part hard. 

The volunteers were amazing and supporting and really helped us get through the race. I can't begin to express how much they meant to me as I was out there today. Truly great folks. The aid stations were stocked with great food, aspirin, handwarmers, tissues, every drink imaginable...you name it and they made sure that it was there and available.

The PsychoWyco has been going on for several years now and it consists of a 10 miler, a 20 miler and a 50k.  It's done in laps, which means that us on the 10 mile run get to see some of the distance runners as they bound past us.  I saw several of those folks today as I slogged my way up the hills and through the snow on my way towards the finish.  They were all so supportive!  At one point, myself and another guy who was running the 50k were walking up the same hill--I told him he could pass me anytime he wanted and he simply said "hey man, I'm walking up this hill too, so no worries". 

It struck me pretty hard in that moment (I was tired and cold and really battling my inner demons at that point)--but it dawned on me that, for those few minutes, there was no real difference between he and I.  We were both just runners out doing what we do, in some intense trail conditions, walking up the same hill.  And yes he was there to do three laps to my one, and yes he was in better shape and has gobs of experience on me, but for that split second--I could see myself being THAT guy.

Little moments of humility and humanity can really change your perspective on a situation and yourself.

Overall the consensus is that these were some of the gnarliest trail conditions people had seen--to the tune that one of the 50k runners got frostbite on four toes! 

As for the trails and the run organization itself--you couldn't ask for a better, more challenging yet fun course I don't think.  The folks at TrailNerds put on a great run every event that they do--everything from the awesome tech hoodies,coffee mugs, tasty food and finishers medals that they offer to the course organization, aid stations and overall "event" that they host.

Technically speaking, the hills on this particular trail set are pretty crazy.  They are steep, long and aggressive.  Personally speaking, I think I would take the snow conditions of today over mud but I have nothing to really compare to so I could be crazy. 0_o 

I run in Merrell Pace Gloves and had searched all over the KC Metro area last night for YakTrax for traction assistance...no luck.  I got to the race and they were able to screw some parts of my shoes, however.   Somewhere around mile 3 I could definitely feel one of them poking through to my foot, but by mile 5 my feet had gone numb and the adrenaline kicked in so I left it there.  I figured I'd rather have the traction and deal with the pricking than end up a snowball.  It was a good decision, I have a slightly sore pinky toe but the traction was amazing. 

Going into the race I had some serious doubts about being able to finish--I have been training and things were going great, until the Psychodelic 5k two weeks ago.  I ran that (which was an out-and-back tour of the last three big hills of the PsychoWyco) and I guess I got a little ambitious/hyper on the downhills.  I managed to bruise/aggravate something in my right knee and, towards the beginning of the week, thought I really wouldn't be able to run today at all.  It was sore, hot to the touch and a little swollen. 

I opted to take the two weeks leading up to today off of running and lifting and went for some swims, walks and did a lot of Yoga to keep me moving.  When I woke up this morning I felt pretty good but knew that I would have to take it easy on the downhills.  (Downhill running technique on this type of terrain is something I want to work on in the coming months for sure!)

I did find the Sports Chiro at the race this morning and asked him about my knee--he put me through a quick round of Active Release Therapy and it seemed to help.  I made it through the race and overall, things feel pretty good.  

This race taught me a lot about myself and my "race mentality", I think.  I should have broken away from the pack earlier than I did instead of holding back and spent less time at the mile 5 aid station.  I did waste quite a bit of time at the 8.2 mile aid station but they had a campfire going and the idea of thawing my toes out for just a few minutes trumped my desire to finish sooner so, ya know...small pleasures (c:

I am already looking forward to next year and all of the opportunities between now and then to run more trails, set more goals and learn/hone some techniques and skills.

For now--I am going to crawl into my warm bed and enjoy the fact that I don't have to go to work tomorrow.  There may be lots of indulgent Olympics watching and coffee drinking on my couch...I figure I've earned that much just for finishing the thing.

I'm sorry if this race report is a little scattered--I'll try to come back and clean it up when I've had some sleep!  (c:

Happy running!

Not Confusion...but Confusing.  I've started hanging out with the owner of our newly opened indoor climbing gym, who happens to be a mountaineer, rock climber, runner and fledgling swimmer and she's been positively mopping the floor with me for about a month.

It's awesome.  And a lesson in humility.  And a continuing lesson in "Shut Up and Do It". 

We've been doing run sprints, workouts with weight vests, the dreaded burpees, twists, cleans, squats...the eternally embarassing "ankles to the bar" where you hang from a pullup bar and try to raise your legs up over your head...I look a bit like a broken Marienette as I try to get my feet all the way up there! 

So far it's an awesome experience and I am enjoying the workouts but, it is certainly doing weird, weird things to my overall fitness in some ways.

-For one thing, my distance running has gone all to hell.  She's been holding me to a "race pace" 5k mentality for the runs--and for me right now it's either Distance or Faster, not both.  So--I've been working on the shorter stuff.

-My upper body strength has increased and my core feels stronger but you can't tell any of it by looking at me..so, maybe I'm still just in the "beginner gains" arena of noticing improvement because I've finally learned how to use everything correctly?

-The issue that I was having with my ankle and arch has totally cleared up, which is awesome.  So, big positive there!

-All of my cycling muscles have been neglected, so the first few bike rides of the season have been pretty brutal.

Without doing a full body analysis, all I can say is that I feel like I'm stuck in some sort of weird stasis.  Like I'm on the verge of getting stronger, faster, etc. And also like I've set my cardio back about 6 months.

While the training has added a level of fun and competition to the idea of working out, it's also been hard for me to rectify the hardcore training mentality that she applies to everything while keeping running enjoyable. 

I finally hit a point where I was enjoying running for the sake of running.  I was enjoying it for the comaraderie and the simple act of getting out and doing it.

I feel like mentally I might still be too tender in some ways to be able to look at running as this intense, dedicated, Training with a capital T thing and not just end up tucking my tail and hiding.

I've never done any sort of functional/cross-fit training before so I don't know if being stuck in this limbo stage is normal or if I need to push harder or maybe do the opposite and take some more intentional rest days to allow my body to rebuild.

I know that I'm going to stick with it for as long as possible (money and time depending) and see where it takes me.

I've been snowed in with Life and Work ever since seeing Eric in Denver for the book signing event and haven't had a chance to really sit down and digest all of it just yet but I'm setting aside some time for myself this weekend to prepare for the hectic weeks I have ahead and really dive into the awesome information in the book.

I also haven't figured out my Cool Impossible just yet...it's brewing (c:

...about yourself, your training and your motivation for doing what you do. 

It will also teach you things about layering, socks and just how grateful you can be over a granola bar.

In a nutshell, the lessons I got that were loud and clear were:

1. I could have pushed harder (always true)

2. Cardio and stamina were not my limiting factors

3. 13.1 miles is just the beginning, I think

4. If I can do this while experimenting with a training plan, think what I can do when I get good at it!

5. Long bike rides taught me to always bring a snack no matter if you think you need it or not.  The Cherry Pie Lara Bar I brought along saved my run!

6. There's nothing wrong with stopping and stretching things that are sore

7. ..and finally, nothing replaces experience.  I'm excited for the next one!

The MIT (Most Important Thing) I learned was that I need to find a Cross-Training Plan that I can incorporate into my every day life so I can kick some of the lingering issues that WERE my limiting factors during the run, in the arse.  (I know exactly who I'm going to turn to, too!)

I want to get stronger from head to toe--I have good overall fitness but I can definitely improve.  And I think it's the only way to become the kind of runner/person/athlete/adventurer that I want to become.

And, now, for those who don't mind hearing about the actual race--a brief play-by-play:

It was a perfect day for a race this Saturday as all 5500 of us lined up for the Rock the Parkway half-marathon.

It was a wave start and, back in February when I signed up, I had chosen the 2:40 group to run with.  Because back then, it sounded like a nearly impossible thing to even FINISH let alone run it in under 3 hours.

I was in a group of other first-timers--everyone around me was talking about how crazy it felt to be there and how they were never going to make it, etc.  Basically echoing all the things I was saying to myself.

Once things got under way, I was floored at how relaxed I felt.  There wasn't the same pressure to "get on it" as there is in the 5ks that I run.  It was amazing.  I was able to get warmed up for the first two or three miles and find a pace that I was comfortable with--I've always been an endurance athlete more than anything--I swam long distance races in High School and love 70 mile road-bike adventures more than a sprint.

This being said, I experienced something that I've never felt before--miles gliding by.  I felt like I had literally blinked and we'd run 7 miles.  It was exhilarating.  Everything felt good, too.  I had already moved well beyond the initial pace group I'd started with and was hanging out and talking with some of the other runners.

Now, I know this means that I should have probably been running harder/faster, but it was actually really nice to just be running and enjoying other runner's company.  We were all in it together and we were hashing stories and thoughts on training and talking about the upcoming course--it was pretty cool.

Once we hit mile 9 is when things got...saucy.  I had gone into training with a cranky ankle/left arch issue and had been training around it by only doing one run a week with other forms of aggressive cardio (biking, swimming), interval training (also biking and swimming) with yoga and martial arts as my cross-training.

I knew that the ankle wasn't going to be just perfect for race day, but I'm actually quite surprised at how good it did feel overall.

So, well into mile 9 the ankle that I'd been subconsciously babying started to hurt. Quite a bit.  Also, all the muscles that you're supposed to use for running: hip flexors, hamstrings, calves, quads, etc. got tired and worn out.  And, much like anything, the impact of running moved to the next thing it could find--which was my right IT band.

The good news is that I was able to keep the IT band issues at bay by really focusing on my form (Thank you Eric and BTR!) so it wasn't a dealbreaker but it was definitely really, really tight by the end of the race.

I made it through the last 4 miles though basically in tact--I would've loved it if I could have ended the 13 miles feeling like I did at mile 7, but I think that I can overcome some of the problems I've been having by making a few promises to myself and a few small-ish lifestyle changes.

Promise 1: I have to keep up with my yoga practice.  It keeps my calves from dying and gives me a good mental base to build from.  It also helps me figure out where I'm too open (usually in the hips) and shows me where I can build more strength for the activities I love.

Promise 2: Piggy-backing off of that, I want to find a Cross-Training plan that I can incorporate into my everyday life. I want to be leaner and more efficient in everything I do.  I'm not just a runner--I'm a swimmer, cyclist, rock-climber...and to do those things, you have to have balanced strength.

Overall, it was an awesome experience that I'll never forget.  I had such a rush when I saw the finish line and knew that I was going to make it and that I'd done it. 

I wish I would have run a little faster but, I accomplished my goal and have recovered from the whole thing quite well.  I felt good, I had fun and I crossed the finish line smiling--all of which more than makes up for any twinges of regret I feel for finishing in 2:32. 

I have two other blogs that I write at the moment and it seems like they have all been focused, in one way or another, on the idea of the Mental Game...the thing that keeps you motivated and can shoot you down the fastest, the creature that lives in your head...we all know how it goes.

There's always this moment of bliss for me when I start something new, before the accomplishments/goals/expectations can hit..when I'm just doing something that I've never done before and I'm in that testing zone...all doors are open, all things are possible and idea that I can "fail" isn't really there because I don't even know if I'm going to like the thing I'm trying or have any interest in pursuing it, or whatever.

I want to live my life in that stage with all things--I want to learn how to train myself to keep my options open and keep the idea of failure out of it.  More specifically, I'd like to find a way to come to peace with the little demon that lives in my head that gets sick of running before my physical self is sick of running.

This has been the battle the past few runs--I'm going along and everything is fine and then mentally, I just quit...and the rest of the run isn't very enjoyable and it's nowhere near what I could or have done because I'm just not plugged in mentally.  It's really frustrating.  I have been overworked and stressed out lately and I keep turning to my physical activities as a good way to center myself and find some "me time"...and it's been working for the most part--except when I just totally lose focus and have to fight my way through the allotted amount of time I've scheduled for my run or my yoga class or whatever.

I feel like fighting through it is better than just giving up on and letting my brain win--I tend to adhere to the philosophy that says my Motivation/Spirit is just a big muscle that needs to be stressed and worked out and pushed so that it becomes what we know it can be...but boy does it fight back hard!

So, I've got a run planned for my lunch break today and we're going to see how it goes.  It comes back to that whole "ask nothing from your running" line from Born to Run...I'm just going to run.  I'm going to run until my body says stop and if my mind tries to interfere, well..hopefully it doesn't win the day.

I've also found that a good way to shut my Motivation up is to buy a shiny new pair of shoes hehe...so perhaps before lunch I will do that...the vibrams are getting worn out (I have a hole in the toe! w00t!)  (c:

I'm excited--and I can't seem to stop being excited.  I ran the 5k eeeaaarly (for me, ya'll runners are perky ones at 7am on a brisk Spring morning!) on Saturday morning.  My expectations were tempered:  I knew that physically I could run the mileage, I was worried about mentally though.  Could I not talk myself out of doing well, could I avoid getting defeated by the other, faster, more experienced, runners? 

The answer turned out to be yes, I can.  I ran my own race, I picked a faster runner and stayed with them mostly until she ran away from me at the end. Hehe.  That's experience talking, I think.

I came in 187/668 runners overall.  11/77 in my division and 55/377 female runners.  My final time was 28:28:08.  That's what really got me excited.  I was pretty sure I was going to be right at a 10 minute mile, which isn't what I wanted but sort of what I expected.  And I was wrong.  Which can be really nice (c:

Now I want to go do it again, only faster hehe.

The best news, however, is that while my calves hate me and I'm sore and I literally went home and went to sleep for three hours after the race (can we say adrenaline rush?) and all of those things...no IT problems!  None.  Not even a twinge!  That was the bigger, cosmic goal-run this thing without a peep from that ridiculous fascia.

Success.  (c:

Hmm...there's an awesome trail run 5k in Lawrence on May 5th that I might have to go try now...I had to sit out on it last year because of running like a drunken bear...maybe I can get it this year.  I'm going to aim for moderation and see how it all feels between now and then.  But it sure would be cool.

Well, there's no getting out of it now.  I've paid my money, done my training (which involved a lot of cycling) and the race is tomorrow morning!  Let's see if I've learned anything.  Wish me luck.  (c:

18 days and I'm going to be running an official 5k.  I know it's only 3.1 miles.  I know I've technically already run that far.  But this is the first all-running event I've ever done.  What's more, like so many others out there, at this time last year, if you'd told me I'd be running anything...away from a bear, to the store, around a track...I would have told you you were crazy.  What a difference a book, some discipline, time and the insatiable "what if" curiosity bug can make!  I'm really looking forward to my little run and I'm already setting my sights on the next goal-10k or half here I come!  While I'm on the topic of dreams, I have a crazy idea: I want to compete in the half Ironman in Lawrence, KS in 2013.  It might be a big bite but it's something I've wanted to do forever.  So, as we welcome a hasty Spring and a fast approaching Summer, here's to big dreams and that streak that drives us to get outside and PLAY!