Its been a dizzying 7 months to this year.  Good training for the first five months, a successful 50k following that;  then 7 weeks of knee pain and now, down for several weeks due to emergency gall bladder removal surgery.

Where to go- all races before Oil Creek in November had already been cancelled so there’s no issue there but I am still looking at 62 miles and 11,000 feet of elevation gain in early October while I still have a couple (few?) weeks till I can train hard again.

Do I cancel Oil Creek?  I am going no matter what as a friend is doing the 50k so I can:

1)      Cancel race and go to crew him

2)      Do a 50k and stop or

3)      Get out there and do 62 miles

Option 1 isn’t likely.  No disrespect to Dean but if I am traveling 18 hours round trip its going to be tough staring at the trail and competitors and not get out there.  Option 2 is possible-  but the thought of another Oil Creek failure this year is not palatable.  So its going to be options 3-  doing it.

So what’s the big deal?  Nothing I guess.  But….after Pineland Farms 50k I had visions of speed racing the 100k and not just attempting a completion.  Yeah, it’s a kick in the gut to know that’s not feasible.  Completion will be a challenge in itself with less than two months to kick it back in high gear and put in some miles.  So the issue is with the mind.  Successes come in different forms-  finishing, finishing fast, just starting!  Based on where I am this year shape wise, in no part due to my fault, a finish at Oil Creek will be huge. 

So hike- that’s the plan.  I’ll throw some running in when I can but Oil Creek’s informally a hike now.  If it takes me 24 hours to finish, and it shouldn’t, so be it.  Covering 62 miles at any time is big- and it will be for me.  Too much time is spend in my stupid head caring about the perception of my efforts-  24 hours is slow-  it’s a hike and not a run- but frankly I am now over it.  My effort will feed my success and those close to me will get what it took to get there.  Everybody else could likely care less anyhow.

So its back at it- for now while recovering from surgery it will be walking easy but as that recovery continues multiple, long, and hard workouts including running will commence.

There are a lot of ways to succeed-I only need to figure out one of them……

This is a self indulgent personal report, so I’ll spare you the details and say Sunday May 29 I completed the Pineland Farms 50k in 6:42, a personal best by around over 1 hour and 40 minutes.  The 31 mile course had about 2,800 feet of elevation gain (estimate from my Garmin watch)The rest is for me, and anybody who has the desire to hear me drone on….

I am already maxed out on available time to train so I am good with the knowledge there are limits to my results with running.  That said, since I continue to train over the last 14 months and on I’d expect some personal racing successes; imo those haven happened yet.  Until yesterday.

On Sunday, May 29, 2011 I ran the Pineland Farms 50k in New Gloucester Maine.  My only finish in a 50k was last year in 8:22 at the Pisgah Mountain Trail Race; I went into Pineland with a goal range from 6:30 to 8:00 (based on ignorance of my fitness level).

This race was a two-loop race, across mowed farm fields, some trails and forest road.  The grade is constantly hilly, without any kind of killer hills.  It just keeps rolling up and down.  The race breaks down into two bigger loops, first a 10 mile western loop and then a 5.5 mile eastern loop (on either side of route 231).

My race as it broke down:

1)      Lap 1-  the start was quick and forgiving-  the trail weaved close by the Pineland campus before heading out into the fields.  I had decided to try and avoid looking at my GPS watch all day and worry so at 5k I decided to peek and I was at 10:15 per mile pace, too fast.  I eased back a bit and settled into a smarter pace and after an hour of running the sun came out and it started to get hot, and humid.  I started to run with somebody who was matching my pace-  eventually I learned he was shooting for closer to a 6 hour run and I let him go as I felt my pace start to strain.  It was a fairly uneventful loop, and alone I crossed the road to the eastern loop started to run with a girl Heather who I had done some earlier running with.  The heat in the first field started to get to me and luckily the trail headed in to the woods for almost all of the loop so with hydration I felt some energy return.  A main goal of the day was to speed through the aid stations-  they came up every 2-3 miles, so there was no need to waste time.  I lost Heather at an aid station as I breezed through as she stopped.  I finished this loop and the entire first lap alone, and basically ran the whole remainder alone save for people who happened along at the same speed for a while.  I crossed the start line and looked at my watch for the second time-  around 3 hours and 12 minute per mile pace.  I threw my glasses to my son Jason-  they were either steaming up or just catching the sweat and overall not adding any value.

2)      Lap 2.  Seeing my son and friends at the start was energizing so I headed into the woods running well (again, my perspective on what running well is for me!) along the easy trails. Already on lap two I was walking the hills I had run on Lap 1-  but it was what I needed to do.  As soon as I hit the fields, the heat was pretty draining and I drank as much as I could.  I decided to count off the signs that appeared every 1k to track progress and they seemed to go by pretty quickly. Funny, without my glasses it was tougher to read the signs till I got there and on occasion I would forget how many k were left even though I had read the previous sign.  I was refilling bottles more frequently on this lap right away (I used a Go-Lite Swift with 2 20 oz bottles) and downed more frequently, Succeed electrolyte tabs.  I started to cramp while in the fields so I had to stop and stretch and paid more attention to hydration and salt tabs/snacks. As I approached the start/finish to cross to the eastern loop I looked at my watch (for only the third time in 25 miles) and saw I had accidentally stopped it at 3:40 and miles ago.  I was blind as to pace, and made the decision to finish that way.  I was going to go as hard as I could and worrying about time wouldn’t add any value.  I had to stop again in the first field to stretch as my cramps started again, but once in the woods they went away.  I was in a slow jog and walk the hills pattern (and the eastern loop was fairly hilly) and going as fast as I could.  I knew it was slow and was hoping I could keep loop 2 less than an hour slower than the first to break 7 hours.  I reached the final field, around 48k and started to run harder-  of course again in the heat I was nearing cramps so had to back off a drop.  I crossed route 231 and trotted towards the finish line-  Jason yelled encouragement to me as I saw the clock for the first time at 642. 

I’d love to say I was matter of fact about my time but frankly I was thrilled on how the race went and my time with a pace just below 13 minutes per mile. I had run much more than ever before (even than my aborted 100k when I completed 53 miles with a ton of walking) and did it without suffering.  I ate well, drank well and had no chafing issues.  I wore my Salomon Speedcross 2’s-  which worked great (though I don’t think I would wear them on a more technical trail). There will be tougher courses, but if I can stay healthy I’ll adding more miles to my training log.

I have to say, the best part of the race was having my son Jason, there as I finished. He had helped me before and during the race and I grabbed him tightly and celebrated with him.

I may have finished down in 97th place (out of 138) and been of no interest in the bigger picture of the race but the work I have done was paid back in my personal success on the day……

Some pictures and video of the day  http://tuco.smugmug.com/Racing/Pineland-Far-ms-Ultra-Festival/17299380_HJKpGH#1313687160_x6PwQQv

And congrats again to my friend Dean-  now under six months into running and down over 80 pounds in that time ripping off a 3:25 25k.  Darn good work!

My race review can be found here… http://tucooutdoors.weebly.com/race-reviews.html

With about a week to go before the first big race of the year, the Pineland Farms 50k I ran a 12k (7.44 miles) on the roads at a local race.  I figured it would be a nice idea to run a little faster than my usual runs.  The race doesn’t have a lot of hills and was fairly small by road standards so seemed like a good choice.

I started out fast-  at 8 minutes per mile for the first and then the next two at 840 per.  Not fast at all for most people, but for my slow bones a fast start and faster than any 5k I have done in many years.  My legs started to tire and I didn’t want to blow them out so I eased off a little-  some on purpose and then some but feeling and finished in 1:07:46 at 9:06 per mile.  It wasn’t a bad run- faster than anything I had done for 7.5 miles so far but I was a little disappointed.  My friend Dean ran as well, and finished well at 1:10.

Following the race I was surprisingly sore and achy-  a final week of tapering before the big day.

Race review here…  http://tucooutdoors.weebly.com/race-reviews.html

2011 Race Calendar-  Updated

As training for Oil Creek 100K continues and the weather gets better I am adding in some additional races.  The benefits for each race may differ- a long training run or a short faster race for speed (which is sort of funny since nothing I do should have the word speed associated with it).

For the remainder of 2011, subject to additional changes:

*May 21- Bedford Rotary 12K.  In the middle of tapering, good chance for a short faster run.

May 29- Pineland Farms 50K.  First main race of 2011.

*June 18- Six in the Stix Trail Run-   ran this two years and 21 pounds ago as first race running in many years, will be fun to see the progress.

*July 2- Finger Lakes Fifties 50K- actually is 32.9 miles.  Chance to visit new area; do a long training run, and camp right along course on a low elevation gain loop.

July 29- 24 Around the Lake 12 Hour Race- complete as many miles in 12 hours in a 3 mile loop as possible….good to practice keeping on feet for a long time and running at night.

*September 18- Pisgah Mt. Trail Race 50K- final long effort before taper for Oil Creek 100K.  First 50K and Ultra ever in 2010.  Probably not an all out effort, but close..

October 8- Oil Creek 100K- return to finish what was started last year (dropped at 53.5 miles).  A just finish effort, and enjoy the day.  Last race of this distance for a long time…….

*- Newly added races.

I have my eye on a couple of events in November; pending how I think recovery will go for Oil Creek and registration timing.  There is enough to worry and target for now……………..

Been a while since I talked to myself (actually I do it all the time) so a bit of catching up here.

Been battling the usual demons over the last month- sore muscles on my upper right leg.  Quad muscle, hip, groin muscle…it sort of rolls around but usually during a run it will work its way out and feel OK.  In the mornings, a lot of limping around from the pain.  It comes and goes so I have given up trying to change workout patterns and just moved on.

A week or so ago was the TARC 50k, and on a lovely Saturday (low 40’s and rain getting heavier as the race wore on) I ran three loops of the race for 19.65 miles.  A nice workout, but was hoping of course to work through it all.  All those muscle issues mentioned above seemed to thrive during the cool and wet conditions and it wasn’t worth pushing through (I think).

I have realize one thing; my aspirations to run long Ultra’s- 100 milers- has waned and I want to enjoy shorter races in which I can run fast (MY fast) and succeed.  Based on the revelation, I will finish out the year doing the Oil Creek 100k but in 2012 focus more on ½ Marathons, Marathons, maybe a 50k with a mix of road and trail.  I never expected to get leg healthy again and powering on painfully for long races and limping around during the day isn’t how I want to enjoy it- for now.  I do have bigger plans for 2013…but need to get there first.

I have been motivated by two friends, Mike and Dean, who have both been very successful at changing their approaches to eating and lost a lot of weight.  I finally threw down- I am committed to changing my eating patterns and in week 1 have lost 6-7 pounds.  At a high I was 207- exercise alone had stabilized me in the 190’s.  At 187.4- I am lower weight wise than I have been in as long as I can remember…..

For now, it’s the final week of working out hard for the Pineland 50k (I dropped from the 50 miler due to the aforementioned revelation of sensibility) and things are going (shhhh) well.  Legs feel fresher and less achy than usual.  Saturday has a 20+ miler scheduled and a follow up 9 on Sunday and a run tonight as well.  Signed up for a 12k in the next couple of weeks to work on my speed a bit- it’s sort of non-existent right now.  My goal for Pineland- the general goal- is to destroy my very weak 50k personal best.  Hard not to, it’s so slow, but I have to start somewhere…. I’ll publish my goals post-race; call me superstitious… Pineland is race #1 for 2011 that matters and all the hours must go towards a good showing (based on my abilities and work).  No excuses, no half efforts- lay it all out there or risk having wasted my time so far.  All of this has been about testing myself, and my limits, and my mental and physical toughness….there’s no excusing leaving anything on the trails. 

I ran the Great Bay half marathon yesterday; my first road race of this distance in probably 20 or so years.  Yes, I did longer trail Ultra events last year but they involved a lot of walking.  This race was a long run which I used as a training run for upcoming events.

I ran this with a friend, Dean, and we finished together in 2:24 at about 11 minutes per mile.  I probably had another 15-20 minutes of speed in me and finished feeling pretty good; I did an hour elevation workout to supplement at night on the treadmill.

Inspiring, you question?  I wasn’t the one with the inspiring effort.  On December 8 I was talking to Dean and he mentioned he was trying to make a healthy life change with proper diet and exercise.  I mentioned the Ultra’s I had participated in and he decided then to start training, with the ultimate goal of a 50k at The Oil Creek Trail Runs in October. 

Of course this received an interesting reaction from some of the people who we` were with but we talked a little about training and he began.  The short story is from December 8 to April 3 Dean has lost 70 pounds, STARTED to train (including running and walking) and ran every step of yesterday’s half marathon.  A tough road half with non-stop rolling hills.  All in 4 months and from a base of zero.

He tells me that I help inspire him to do what he is doing; I can only shake my head.  I am inspired by his effort and I am disgusted about the petty whining I do when I have sore muscles or can’t train as much as I want due to my recurring leg issues.  This dude just goes out and does it.  Inspiring to me………

On a second note I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS enabled watch. Not so much for road runs but for trail runs and tracking elevation gain.  After uploading the results last night it read that the half marathon was 13.3 miles- I guess it could be the other .2 was from not running the race at its shortest route the whole way.  The ascent for the race was 500 feet- I have no way of validating that accuracy yet but will use it on an elevation confirmed route soon.   It’s a little large but I can get over that.  I love the mapping features after uploading the data.  For 117 dollars I am happy after one use and hope it will be very handy on untracked trail runs…..

Training has been decent with nagging injuries slowing me down but I was clearly ready to do the NJ Ultra Festival 50k March 19, and do it in a lot better than my 8:16 personal best.  This wasn’t the big charity race, but another step in training to getting there. 

But the disease that I hope to raise money for had other plans.  On Thursday evening, the night before leaving for NJ, my wife Audra went into the hospital.  New effects of the Sarcoidosis had started this week, and finally it was enough and it needed a full battery of tests to identify the issue and the treatment.  Notice I don’t say cure.  That’s the essence of Sarcoidosis.  No cures, just recurring and new symptoms.  Its pain by 1,000 cuts.  You don’t get the big splash, just a continual attack on the ability to symptom free.

It’s Saturday night, and instead of being in the car returning from the race, we are back in the house from the hospital.  And that’s the good news.  Symptoms identified and treatment started and the hope for an extended period of feeling good.

Back on the Ultra side of things, I used the last couple of days to do some runs and will hit a decent run tomorrow.  If all goes well, next weekend I have some plans for something totally different to make up today’s 50k loss to Sarcoidosis.

In better Ultra news, this week I signed up for the 24 Around the lake 12 hour race in July  and today registered for the big Charity race, the Oil Creek 100k.  Good to have that under the belt.  Next up is the Pineland farm 50 Miler.  Training is in full force this weekend, the 13 hour time limit a challenge.  If Sarcoidosis isn’t going to stop my wife, then these little runs ain’t stopping me.

If you would like to contribute any amount to the Foundation for Sarcoidosis research, my Charity site is here.  Thanks for the read!    http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/eric-sherman-1/shermans-march-to-the-oil-creek-trail-runs-100k

In 2010 I dipped my foot into the waters of Ultra’s.  There was never a time when I could train with any consistency in the way I had hoped to do to finish my 100k.  Injuries were frequent and pretty painful. Yet, I pushed on.  Instead of running I walked, and when I couldn’t walk I rode a bicycle or indoor cycle.  I was in much better shape but by no means had much of a year as far as Ultra’s were concerned.  It was a thrill to finish my 50k, but in reality I walked a big part of it; part due to need and part due to fear of a real crash and burn.  In 2011, I am going to ACT like an Ultra runner, without fear or hesitation.  If I fail to meet my expectations, so be it but it won’t be to a safety net I created.

In less than two weeks I will be participating in the NJ Ultra Festival 50k.  It’s a FLAT course, and gives me more time to work on hills for later in the year.  I fully expect a Personal Best (PB) as a result of this, in addition to the fact I have been able to run quite a bit more during the last 4 months than I did in all of 2010.  In fact I may have run more in these 4 months.  I have had shin pain still so I am not training at 100%, but have eased off enough to not limit training too much.  It’s always exciting to PB in a race, but I’ll be shooting for much fast than my previous best of 8:16.  

I know for the time being my finishes risk being in the bottom 5 or against cutoffs, but if all goes well instead of running with that “fear” I will be able to aggressively run for faster times.

A good start to the season could have a lot of positive effects, so lets get going.  I am going to ease in the next two weeks with mostly cycling to try and get the pain in my right shin to go away.  I may throw in a run or two to keep it fresh, but really easy.

One of the toughest things I find with participating in the races is not the training, or the racing but the waiting.  Lets go……..

February was a month driven by reaction to shin pain.  Mostly on the right leg but some on the left.  I altered strategies a bit as a result, 1) skipped the long workout for all but the last weekend , 2) Did a lot more cycling and 3) started working more on elevation at slower speeds.

For the most part I was able to do some workout throughout the month so my training alterations worked pretty well.  I still have some shin pain on the right side but have been able to work through it.  The GOOD news was the last workout and best of February and the year-  5 hours, including 2.5 hours of running over 22.5 miles.  It came as a bit of a surprise; as I started the pain subsided so I just kept pushing.  With a 50k race in 3 weeks, it was a mental victory and a good workout.

It was great to get outside for a few days to run.  I hope to start to do it more frequently but I still dream of trails without snow and ice.

Racing season starts in March and I am excited at the opportunity to start to test my fitness levels.  The NJ Ultra Festival is a perfect place to start, as it’s a very flat course.  I full expect a 50k PR and have set my expectations in relation to the ease of the course (no hills at all, rail trail).

Rating-  B.  I am going to be tough on myself.  I did several runs, a couple outdoors with a friend which was a nice change of pace.  I had the big month ending workout.  But I can’t shake the negative feeling of the month in that I had to alter my training to account for pain.  I am way ahead of my training compared to 2010 but have high hopes for the year so I’ll go with a B.  Also, I need to find a way to keep from falling asleep at night before working out!  I have missed on average one workout a week due to this and although I may need the sleep I hate to keep missing the workouts………      

There is no other way to say it; this Ultra thing is personal and selfish.  Unintended, of course.  The hours of training late at night, the early hours spent on the weekends are all supposed to cut short the amount of family time I miss due to Ultra training.  But in the end the benefits are mostly mine- improved health and fitness, reduced stress levels and a lot of fun.  Sure, I could argue that the family gets benefits from those things as well but that would be missing the point.  I participate in Ultra’s and train for Ultra’s because I want to.

Fully appreciating the families understanding of the time I put into this (added to the fact the starting base of free time is very low already), I was looking for a way to make 2011 not just about my fun but also trying to do something of value.

The result is the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Oil Creek 100k Charity Run.  I participated in the Oil Creek Trail races 100k in 2010 (unsuccessfully) and will return this year hoping to make this a charity event to raise money for Sarcoidosis research (donations going directly to the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research). 2010 was a tough year for my wife who was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis- but I’ll leave it to say that it’s her personal story to tell and I won’t provide details here.  But I do know that this can be very difficult disease to deal with and there is still little known about it.

I have set up a charity site-  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/eric-sherman-1/shermans-march-to-the-oil-creek-trail-runs-100k .  If you are able to assist with a donation of any amount; it is greatly appreciated.  Even if you can’t, I’d recommend going to the site and reading some of the details about Sarcoidosis (link to the FSR included).  The event is on October 8, but I will be training and racing throughout the year in preparation and will post results on the charity site. 

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide and for your interest.