Freaky 5k - Race Report

The Freaky 5k has become a staple for our family.  This will be our 8th time participating in this event.  This race is well run, the weather is usually decent, and its super family friendly.  In addition to the 5k run/walk, they host a kid's fun run dubbed the "Mini-Monster Dash," they have a costume contest for kids, adults, and dogs, and have kid's activities including a bounce house.  The race has always been very well attended and with the weather forecast for this year, I expected a large crowd.  Last year's race was cold, wet, windy, and simply put, just miserable.  This year, the weather forecast called for highs in the 50's and partly cloudy.  The Mini-Monster Dash started at 8:00am with temperatures in the low 40's.  As far as late October weather goes, this is just about as good as it gets.  This year, we signed up Maya and Delaney for the full 5k and Harper for the Mini-Monster Dash.  This will be Delaney's first full 5k and Maya's second.  We set goals for Maya to break her previous PR from last April of 35:22.  For Delaney, we really wanted her to give her best effort and finish the entire race and do her best without complaining or whining.  My goal, was to contend and finish in the top 3.  Coming off of the Fox Cities Marathon last month, I took one of my longest hiatuses from running.  I took nearly a full month completely off of running...and honestly, I didn't even really miss it.  So I didn't really know what to expect as far as a time for the 5k.  Taking into consideration that this course is difficult with two large hills, one of which is right at the finish, on top of my lack of just running in general, I was just hoping to finish in the top 3. 

Prerace

As usual, we (I) wanted to get to the race early enough to not be rushed and have time to warm up before the Mini-Monster Dash.  We just around 7:00.  After getting to Pierce Park, we picked up our race packets, bibs, and shirts.  After getting situated with the kids, I set out for my usual warm up.  I finished my warm up just in time to watch Harper run the fun run in her wolf costume.  After she finished we had about 15-20 minutes before the 5k started.  I got in another short warm up and helped get the kids ready for their run and we then found our positions at the start line.

Nutrition

As usual, I didn't eat anything before the race and just had some coffee before the start.  I took a serving of Hammer Nutrition Fully Charged preworkout drink mix about 10 minutes before the start of the race.  I also had a few sips of Endurolytes Fizz (Grape flavor) during my time after leaving for the race and before the start of the race.

Miles 0-3.1

As soon as the race started, three younger (high school aged) kids pulled out in front.  I was fine with that, as I usually aim for even splits or even negative splits in shorter races like the 5k.  Typically speaking, I am used to other runners taking off like a bat out of hell at the start of the race and then usually passing them after a mile or two, and sometimes less.  Before reaching the first mile, I passed one of the three kids in front of me with only two others holding strong.  Shortly after passing mile one, I passed one of the last two kids ahead of me.  After hitting the second mile, I finally passed the final kid.  As the race continued, the last kid I passed was hanging in there.  I knew I had to keep pressing hard, otherwise he'd likely pass me during the final kilometer.  As we drew closer to the finish line the gap had grown bigger, and I was pretty certain I would ultimately finish in first.  I finished in 17:42, about 10 seconds ahead of second place.

Post Race

After finishing the race, I hung around for a little while to congratulate the two kids who ran great races and pushed me pretty damn hard.  I then back tracked the course to tack down my dad who was running with Maya.  I found them shortly after the mile two mark.  I ran the final mile or so with Maya and my dad.  Maya finished in 34:31, about a minute faster than her last 5k.  She did so great and finished strong.  After crossing the finish line with Maya, I again back tracked to find Sarah and Delaney.  I was shocked when they were already approaching the finish line.  Delaney wasn't even sweating and barely breathing hard.  I helped DJ finish the race in 37:06, which is way faster than I anticipated her to finish in.  After everyone had finished, we stuck around for the costume contest and the awards presentations.

What's on Tap

I have nothing on tap....literally nothing...well, nothing specific.  I have started to coach Maya's basketball team, which is in full swing.  I have a laundry list of random chores to get done around the house before the snow begins to fall.  So, I guess you could say I have all "that" on tap.  But as far as running and racing, I have nothing on tap.  I really want to take some time away from any specific training to just recharge from this past spring and summer's intense training.  I am already starting to look forward to a strong 2019 race season and it all starts in the off season...which is NOW.  I'd like to get in a little cross training this winter, to include swimming, cycling, and strength training.  I'm thinking that come January/February, I'll be diving right back into some sort of a training plan for some sort of a race in the spring of 2019 before we take our highly anticipated Florida Vacation!

Thanks for reading!  Cheers!

Freaky 5k - Race Report



Its that time of year again...late fall.  I enjoy this time of year, the fall colors, the cool crisp temperatures, football, and generally our crazy hectic life slows down a bit.  It also means I get a break from my usual high volume, high intensity training.  It also means that its time for my two traditional races, The Freaky 5k and the Turkey Trot.  Each October, I try to participate in the YMCA of the Fox Cities' Freaky 5k.  Other than missing a few due to other obligations, I have pretty much done this race every year since I started really running competitively.  This year was my 7th year.  It was also the first year that Maya is registered to do her first ever 5k by herself!

Training for This Race

As usual and with most of the races this past year, I hadn't done any specific training leading up to this race.

Prerace

The weather leading up to race day had been actually quite warm, but that ended abruptly a few days before the race.  The weather for the race was chilly and wet, but the rain showers actually ended just before the sun came up.  We all got up and got the kids ready and loaded up the car and left only a few minutes after our predetermined time, which is actually really good for us.  Once there, I was able to get in a small warm up before the Mini-Monster Dash started at 8:00am, which is a kids run that takes place before the 5k.  Both Delaney and Harper did the race and each got their own medal which they loved.  I was then able to get in a better more thorough warm up just before the race started at 8:30.

Nutrition Plan

An hour before the race, I took my usual Anti-Fatigue Caps, Endurance Aminos, and then took my Fully Charged about 10 minutes before the start of the race.

Miles 0-3.1

As soon as the race started I knew I had a chance to win the race outright.   But did my best to just stick to my usual race strategy of maintaining a solid pace and allowing the "sprinters" to fade and at that point I try to figure what type of pace I'm going to have to hold.  The Freaky 5k is a challenging course as it starts with a downhill path down to the river and about a quarter to half mile section by the river before having to run back uphill.  This year, however, they changed the course slightly and forced you to run those hills twice.  So, knowing this, I tried to conserve my pace in the event I needed a bit of energy at the end.  After the first 800 meters or so, most of the "sprinters" had faded and I was just behind another guy, roughly my age.  I passed him just before having to go back up the initial part of the hills.  Although, I quickly passed him after getting back into the neighborhood section of the race.  I was able to hold him off and maintain a pretty even pace throughout the race.  I finished the race in 17:51, which I was happy with, considering the hills and my lack of training.  I took 1st overall, which is always a nice bonus.

Post Race

After I finished, I hung around the finish line to cheer on the initial wave of runners, but I had other obligations that I not only had to do, I was excited to do.  As I mentioned earlier, Maya was running her first ever full 5k by herself.  She was nervous, so she was walk/running the initial part with my mom who was pushing our other two kids in the stroller, while Sarah and my dad ran the race.  So, I started running the course backwards until I found Maya and my mom.  I ran back about a mile or so and found her.  We then got to run the final mile of the race together, which was awesome!   Maya was excited and had a good time finishing the race by herself.  She finished the race in 43:31, which is very good considering she walked about 2/3's of the race.  After all family members finished the race, we hung around for the awards ceremony and the costume contests, which is always entertaining.

What's on Tap

Up next is the Festival Food Turkey Trot, which is a 5 mile, highly competitive race on Thanksgiving morning.  I will probably just continue to run low mileage with a few longer days sprinkled in just to stay in some sort of running shape, but not really train.  Honestly, I am already looking to next year, as I usually do this time of year.  The way I have been going the past 4-5 years, is I usually have a big race season followed by a low volume, easy race season.  This year would qualify as a low volume easy race season.  So, we'll just have to wait and see what's in store for 2018!

Green Bay Beer Run 5k - Race Report

It has been over 3 months since my last race.  I realize that really isn't a long time, but since I haven't been running any long races (marathon or longer), I enjoy running races more frequently that every three months, especially in the summer.  After getting back from our family trip to the U.P., I started to search for possible races to do before Fall comes around.  I stumbled upon the Green Bay Beer Run 5k and honestly, before I even read into the details, I was sold and knew exactly what race I would be doing.  Basically, an event group out of Milwaukee organized a Beer Run in Green Bay.  This was the second year of the race.  The race was hosted by Badger State Brewing Company (one of my favorite local breweries), and included free beer after the race, a hoodie, and a pint glass.  It was a no brainer for me!

Training for This Race

This year has really been a "so-so" year for me, training-wise.  I trained pretty hard and consistently leading up to the Bellin Run 10k in June, but since then, I have just been doing what ever the hell I feel like.  Some days, its just an easy 3-4 miles, while other days I feel like going longer, even up to 14-16.  But other than that, I really haven't been doing anything specific for shorter races like this.  So, with my training being really inconsistent, I was a little curious to see how much slower my time would be.  I definitely was not going in expecting a PR.

Prerace

The race didn't start until 10:00am, so I was able to sleep in, which is always nice.  My mom, who was running in place of my dad, drove us up to the race.  Once there, I got in a really nice warm up, where I got to run around Lambeau Field.  The weather was just about perfect, with temperatures in the upper 70's.  After my warm up, I got to the starting line and began scoping out my potential competition.  I was shooting for a top 3 finish, more just to get the "Badger State Brewing Prize Package" than anything.

Nutrition Plan

An hour before the race, I took my usual Anti-Fatigue Caps, Endurance Aminos, and then took my Fully Charged about 10 minutes before the start of the race.

Miles 0-3.1

After the gun went off, I took an early lead, which I honestly didn't care too much about.  I generally like sitting in about 3-5th.  It seems to keep me focused and motivated.  Similar to a greyhound chasing the stuffed bunny.  But, none-the-less, there I was, leading the race.  After the first mile, it came down to me and two other guys.  We had a pretty easy pace going...relatively speaking.  It was a pace, I thought I would have no trouble maintaining.  Shortly after passing mile marker 1, we dropped the third guy.  So it was down to me and one other guy.  He chatted a bit and he made a comment about me pushing a good pace.  I joked and said something polite about pushing each other, when inside, I thought, HA! If he's struggling at this pace, there's no reason I can win this race.  Shortly after the second mile, that ended up being the case and he slowly faded behind me.  I didn't see him until after the race.  For the final 3/4 of a mile, I just tried to stay focused and push my pace while not imploding.  I ended up coming across the finish line in 18:13, which was luckily good enough for 1st overall.

Post Race

 

Immediately after the race, I accepted my prize for winning the Green Bay Beer Run.  I got a Badger State Brewing Company beer pitcher along with a $20 gift certificate from the brewery.  I was pretty excited about the prize, because, as I stated, I love Badger State Brewing!  After the 2nd place guy crossed the line, him and I chatted for a good 30 minutes or so, while I waited for my mom to cross the finish line.   Turns out he was the owner to Copper State Brewing in Green Bay.  I have not been there yet, since it is a relatively new brewery to the area, but after chatting with him, I will be sure to make it a point to swing on in.  He was a super nice guy and had the love of beer in common.  After my mom came across the finish line we grabbed our free beer and then headed home as I had to work later that night.

What's on Tap

At this point, I'm really not sure what's on tap.  As of writing this, we have already been on out big trip to South Dakota and now we are well into October.  My family is most likely going to run the Freaky 5k in Appleton the weekend of Halloween.  We usually race this event every year and this year will be no different.  The same goes with the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day in Appleton.  I don't anticipate anything changing with my training.  I'm guessing I'll keep running close to everyday and get in as many miles as time allows and as I want to do when I lace up my shoes.

Father's Day 5k - Race Report

Coming off his first ever race, Jake really wanted to do a 5k and he was looking at doing the Father's Day 5k, which was the following weekend after the Bellin 10k.  I wasn't doing anything, other than working, so I figured what the hell, why not.  So we both registered a few days later and just like that we were doing another race.  The Father's Day 5k was put on by the local YMCA and used to be a 5k and a 10k run in July, but this year, they made a few changes and now offer just a 5k and run it a month earlier.

Training for This Race

I did no specific training for this race as I honestly didn't even have time to do any actually training.  I just did some very relaxed paced runs during the days leading up to the 5k, just to shake out the soreness and keep me fresh.

Prerace

I did a small trade at work to get out a half an hour early, just to make sure I was able to get to the race on time.  So after work, I headed over to Jake's house, picked him up and we were off to the race.  The race started and finished at Appleton North High School, so I was able to take advantage of their track and warmed up on the track.

Nutrition Plan

An hour before the race, I took my usual Anti-Fatigue Caps, Endurance Aminos, and then took my Fully Charged about 10 minutes before the start of the race.

Miles 0-3.1

As soon as the race started I knew I had a chance to win the race outright.  But I was a little surprised with the pace during the first 400 meters or so.  The start of races always takes off like a bat out of hell, but for whatever reason, this race seemed to start like a 100 meter gold medal race.  And in the front of the pack were two younger guys.  After the first 100 meters or so, I got right into my grove and just waited for everyone else to just blow up from starting too hard.  But oddly enough the two guys who pushed the initial pace were holding on.  I began to think maybe I would only be able to come away with a 2nd or 3rd place finish.  But, I told myself just control what I can and just run my own race and let's see what happens.  After the first half mile, I passed one of the two leaders and the overall leader was still a bit ahead of me.  Part of me wondered if this kid was for real, or just pushing himself to the limits until he implodes.  Sure enough, just after the first mile, the leader's pace probably cut in half and I passed right by him.  I was now in the lead.  My goal now, was to keep pushing as hard as I could and see if I can not only hold on for the win, but come away with a new 5k PR.  After the 2nd mile, I was feeling really good.  Like way better than I anticipated feeling.  I decided to push just a little bit harder for the final mile.  The final tenth of a mile finished on the track, so once I was on the track and just put the pedal to the metal.  I finished 1st overall with a new 5k PR of 17:28, 14 seconds faster than my fastest ever 5k.

Post Race

After I finished, I stuck around to cheer on Jake as he finished.  Jake finished in just under 23 minutes, which was over a minute faster than his goal time was.  We then shared a post race beer as we waited for the awards ceremony.  My award was a nice runner statue.  Jake just missed placing in his age group by a few seconds, but still took 4th in his age group.  We stuck around just long enough to learn that neither of us won the $700 grill raffle and then headed home so I could get some sleep before going back to work.

What's on Tap

I still have no clue what is truly on tap for me.  I might do the Madison Marathon in early November....or I might not.  I may do a half marathon in August....or I might not.  I might do a few more 5k's throughout the remainder of summer as part of the Titletown Wellness Race Series for a chance to win some tickets to a Packer Game in December.  But, I do know one thing, I'll keep running to try and "run the year" for my second year in a row.

Sole Burner 5k - Race Report

Like most of my races lately, I registered for the 2017 Sole Burner 5k within a couple weeks of the race. Not that I didn't intend on running the race, but like most races, it fell in the middle of my work rotation, meaning I would have to work the night before and the night after. I have also been training for the Bellin 10k later in June, so I figured a 5k wouldn't hurt and would actually fit nicely into my training. Also, the Sole Burner has been a long standing event in downtown Appleton for many years and benefits the American Cancer Society. This year, many friends, family, and coworkers throughout Outagamie County put together a "team" to raise money for a couple of law enforcement family members effected by cancer. So it wasn't hard to convince me to run a race with some friends from work and my girls were also running the children's run for a teacher who lost her life to cancer some years back.
　

Training for This Race

As I just mentioned above, I was really using this race as a training race for the Bellin 10k, which I was currently focusing on. And this race fell just a couple weekends after the half marathon. So, my training for the Bellin was just getting started.

Prerace

Prerace...what prerace? I ended up getting stuck at work later than I was supposed to, which is totally the nature of the beast in law enforcement, so you learn to just expect a wrench in the plan. But, I ended up getting out just with enough time to bust ass to Appleton and park about a mile from the start line, run to the race site as my warmup. After getting to City Park, I got there just early enough to watch my two oldest daughters run in the children's run. After the children's run, I had a few spare minutes to do a final warm up.

Nutrition Plan

My only nutrition plan for shorter races is to take a couple Hammer Anti-Fatigue Caps with a couple Hammer Endurance Aminos about an hour before the race takes off. I then take a serving of Fully Charged by Hammer Nutrition roughly 15 minutes before the event.

Miles 0-3.1

My ultimate goal for the race was just run my best effort. Mentally, I wasn't fully in the race. I obviously wanted to PR, but had a pretty good feeling that just wasn't going to happen. First off the Sole Burner is notorious for a steep hill at around mile 2.75 or so. But, with any race and with any runner, every race you enter you have the hope for a new PR. But, ultimately, I just wanted to get in a good, strong effort to judge were my short distance fitness was at to get an idea of what I could expect at the Bellin 10k. Once the race took off, I was actually feeling pretty good and found a groove early on. The Sole Burner is a pretty popular 5k, with about 2,500 participants. It has a lot of high end runners and I had estimated, that if I were able to run a sub 18 minute 5k, I should be able to place in the top 5 or so. So, realistically, I had no expectation of winning. After the first mile, I was in about 10-15th place. Right were I wanted to be. I continued to stay in about this position for the next mile. As the race continued, I passed a few overly ambitious runners who took off out of the gate too fast. But, now with 2 miles down, I keyed in on a guy ahead of me by about 400m and made it goal to catch him and finish ahead of him.  I continued to push and as we approached the hill I spoke about which is also known as the Hill of Hope, I decided to burn my last match and push hard up the hill.  It was at this point in the race that I passed the guy I just mentioned.  By the time I got to the top of the hill I was spent, but could see the finish line.  I tried to just hang on for the last quarter mile.  As I came to the finish line I saw the race clock showing 17:30's and thought, "holy shit!?"  I finished 9th overall and 3rd in the Male 30-39 age group in 17:46.

Post Race

After the race, I hung out for a bit and chatted with some friends, but I didn't want to stick around too late as I had to get home to get some sleep before heading back to work later that night.  So, after about 15 minutes or so, I started jog back to where I parked and headed back home.　

What's on Tap

With the Sole Burner checked off, it was time to focus on the Bellin 10k.  I knew things were going in the right direction after I nearly set a PR after a night of working, nearly missing the race, and with the hills.  I did not have extremely high expectation for the Sole Burner for several reasons, but after I finished in 17:46, I knew I could do good things at the Bellin.

Chilly Chili 5k - Race Report

My main goal for 2015, no matter how silly, was to complete at least one race in each month of 2015.  So when I first started to plan out my year, I was able to plug races into my schedule for each month pretty easily.  That is for all months besides December.  For what ever reason there were no close races in December to choose from.  The race I ran last year in December was the Race for the Light in Oshkosh.  This year, the family and I were out of town visiting friends, so that race was out.  I found another race on December 12th, but I was stuck helping my sister-in-law move, so that race was out.  Even into late November, I wasn't sure what race I was going to be running in December.  But, when I found the Chilly Chili 5k in Fond du Lac, WI on December 31st, I was kind of forced to choose this race.  It was relatively close (50 minute drive), I didn't have to work, and it started at a decent time (3:30pm).  Plus at just $10 before 12/15/15 and $15 after, it was super affordable.  So, just like that I had found my December race!  In a way, running a race on New Year's Eve was kind of a neat way to not only put a close to my goal, but to put a close on the year as a whole.

Training for This Race

Throughout December, I really haven't changed the way the past 11 months have gone.  I've been taking life as it comes and getting in what I can, when I can.  I have been swimming more than I previously have.  Granted, it really didn't take much, but I did swim more, generally speaking.

Prerace

Nontraditional race times have always complicated things for me.  After you do a handful of races, you start to develop a routine.  You get into a comfort zone and habits that just work for yourself.  Now, when you have a race start at 3:30 in the afternoon opposed to a typical race start time of 7 or 8 in the morning, it makes things much different.  You need to think about what to eat and when to eat.  Typically, with morning races, I don't eat anything before and only drink coffee before hand.  So I wanted to replicate this the best I could for this race.  I woke up around 7am and pushed my breakfast back until around 10am and was going to try and just eat a really big breakfast that would keep me tied over until the race at 3:30pm.  I cooked up some eggs with mushrooms and spinach and cheese.  I then served them in a tortilla for a simple breakfast burrito.  I also had some dried cranberries.  Other than a cup of yogurt around 12:30, I was kept satiated all day.  Sarah was stuck at work all day, so I was also responsible for the girls.  Luckily, my father-in-law was off of work and willing to help with childcare so I would be able to run this race.  After lunch I dropped the girls off and was on the road to Fond du Lac by 1:30.  The race was run on the campus of Mairan University.  I got to the campus around 2:30 and first got my race bib.  For Christmas this year, I got a pair of Beats Studio Wireless headphones from Sarah and the girls.  I was most excited to use them during my warm ups before races.  My warm up for this race was one of the better warm ups I could recall.  I felt great.  I was excited and feeling good.  I was actually quite surprised that I was excited and pumped up to run.  I'll be honest, leading up to this race, I felt like I was just doing it because I had to and not because I wanted to.  But, it seemed that once I was there and had my "Prerace Motivation" playlist playing, it was getting me ready to run.  I ran about 2 miles during my warm up and was perfectly timed to get me to the start line about 5 minutes before the start.

Nutrition Plan

I brought along a "caveman" bar and a pack of almond butter in case I needed to top my stomach off during the drive down to Fond du Lac.  As it turned out, I didn't need to.  I brought along a water bottle with Hammer Nutrition Heed and sipped on that during my drive down.  At 2:30, I took my usual 2 capsules of Anti-Fatigue Caps and then just continued to sip on Heed before the race.

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Hammer Cycling Jacket

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run

 

As I usually do during the seconds before the race actually starts, I use that time to "eye up" the potential competition.  Once the race started, I found myself in the lead pack of 4 other runners.  One of the 4 others dropped off the pace after the first 800m or so.  The course was pretty clean, but were warned of snow and ice between miles 1.5 through 2.25 or so.  With this being my last race of the season and planning on taking some time off before I start training again, I had planned to just leave it all on the course.  So after the first 800m, I was in the pack of 3 other runners.  I decided I was going to stay on their heels for as long as I could and hope they pulled me to a new personal record.  As the race ran on, I felt as though our pace was pretty relaxed, so I just stayed relaxed and kept my eyes off of my watch.  The toughest part on the course was the corners.  You really had to stay focused and be aware of your footing as you couldn't just take a corner fast.  Other than the corning, the course really wasn't too bad as far as being snow/ice covered.  Running in a pack with 3 others made it really nice for drafting and tucking behind the group to help cut through the wind.  After the first 2 miles, the pace was kicked up a notch.  I did my best to keep pushing and stick with the leaders.  We dropped one of the other 3, leaving just 3 of us.  The leader pulled slightly ahead of me and the second place runner.  After making the last right hand turn before turning into the parking lot finish line, I decided to push the pace and see what would happen.  The guy ahead of me was able to answer and the two of us stayed neck and neck.  The final turn into the parking lot was very snowy and slushy.  I tried to make a move to pass the guy ahead of me at this corner, but just wasn't able to with fear of slipping and falling.  I ended up finishing literally just a second behind the second place finisher and about 10 seconds behind the overall winner.  My official time was 17:59, which I was very happy with.  I think if the course was clear and snow free, I possibly could have set a PR, but who knows, that may just be wishful thinking. 

Post Race

Right after the race, I congratulated the other runners and then made my way indoors.  The weather for the race was darn near perfect.  The temperatures were in the mid 20's but there was a decent wind which made it feel colder than it actually was.  But once I was inside I warmed up quickly.  I was extremely surprised to see what the race organizers (Fond du Lac Running Club) had out for the post race spread.  As the race title (Chilly Chili 5k) implies, there was a ton of home made chili served up for the race participants.  Along with the chili was just about anything and everything anyone would want to add to their chili, including, noodles, crackers, cheese, chips, just about everything.  There was also a table full of home made holiday treats, such as chocolates, cookies, and other random treats.  In addition to the chili buffet and the treats, there was another table full of fruits, vegetables, hummus, sandwiches, and other various snack foods.  The post race spread was by far the best I have seen at any race.  Another unique thing about this race was the age group awards.  The race was broken down into larger age groups.  I fell into the Male 30-39 age group.  They awarded the top finisher in each age group.  I placed first in my age group and won a chili bowl...how cool is that!  I love the unique awards, so when I saw the age group awards were chili bowls, I thought it was pretty sweet.  It sure beats the hell out of cheap trophies.  After getting my age group award, I ducked out to get home and get showered to go out to our families New Year's parties.

What's on Tap

I'm going to save my year end wrap up for a separate post on here, so stay tuned for that.  But at this point the only thing I have planned and set in stone is taking a break from running, swimming, and biking for about a week or so.  I may get to the YMCA and do some strength training or get on an elliptical, but my one rule is no running, swimming, or biking.  I thought a couple weeks ago that I had my whole 2016 planned out, but the closer and closer it came, the more I second guessed my plans.  So at this point, I'm still in the planning stage of determining what the hell I'm going to be doing next season.  I know that I really missed having a structured plan to follow day in and day out, but at the same time, I enjoyed the flexibility of doing whatever I felt like doing.  So, I am trying to come up with a way to enjoy the best of both worlds.  In the next couple weeks, I am going to try and get on here and write up some posts on the following topics:

1. Top 10 Photos from 2015
2. 2015 Race Season in Review
3. 2016 Goals and Aspirations

But until then, thanks for reading and stay tuned for future posts soon!

Cheers!

Oh and I cannot forget to wish you and your families a great new year and I hope that 2016 is everything you hope for!

Noodleini 5k - Race Report

One of the more prominent providers of endurance races throughout central Wisconsin is Du Tri Run.  Every year, I participate in at least 2 or 3 of their events as my schedule allows.  It is just too convenient not to take advantage of these events.  This year, though, I registered for 5 events.  With Du Tri Run, when you register for 5 events, you get one free, pretty sweet if you ask me.  So, after my last Du Tri Run event, I took a look at all the remaining events and compared them to my work schedule.  There was only one race left in the calendar year that I was able to do....the Noodleini 5k/15k.  Simply put that is the only reason I signed up for this race.  I would have never even thought about racing just 3 days after a 5 mile Turkey Trot race had it not been free.  But, I can always afford free.  So here we are, a race right at the end of a holiday synonymous with gluttony....great.  On top of that, I found out about a week or two before the race, that my in-laws were hosting a small family Thanksgiving at their place on Saturday night...the night before the race...PERFECT!  <eye roll>

On top of the race being free, Du Tri Run also has what is called "The 5 Star Series."  Basically, you race in 5 races and add up the total of your age group finishing place and whoever has the fewest points at the end of the season, places 1st, and so on.  Then, at the end of the year, Du Tri Run hosts a banquet to honor the previous year.  In my previous 5 races, I have placed 1st in all but one, which I placed 3rd.  So I really wanted to change that 3 to a 1, which was another reason for wanting to race the Noodleini.

After having a successful (by my terms) race at the Turkey Trot just days before the Noodleini, I decided to enjoy myself Saturday night and just see what happens on Sunday.  If I drank too much and stayed up too late, and ended up feeling like shit Sunday morning, I'd skip it...I mean it was a free race, that I never really intended on racing in.  Or, if I woke up and felt "blah," I'd just suck it up buttercup, and just see what I could do with a hangover...I mean really...what's the worst that could happen....   

Training for This Race

On Friday after the Turkey Trot I was back in the pool for a mile swim.  It was nothing too difficult, but it wasn't a sluff-off session either.  Saturday, I was honestly too busy to workout even if I wanted to.  We were up early to get up north with my entire family for our annual tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree.  Then after getting back home, it was right over to my in-laws for the Thanksgiving dinner that I mention above.

Prerace

The night before the race was fun.  We wanted to change things up a bit from the traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey and gravy with mashed potatoes and corn, etc, etc, etc.  So we planned a Mexican themed dinner with everything from fresh made guacamole, authentic Mexican stew, Tacos al Pastor, enchiladas...literally the whole nine yards.  I was in charged of the Tacos al Pastor, and if you know me, I don't half ass shit.  The tacos were a huge production.  It took me a few hours just to cook the meat at my in-laws house.  I started cooking around 4pm and it was no coincidence that was also the time I popped the top off of a cold Dos Equis lager.  It was so good...I knew I wasn't just having a couple. 

I kept myself in check though.  The dinner and evening was a lot of fun and the food was great.  We made it home after 10pm and was in bed shortly after midnight.  I set my alarm for 6am and really questioned what the hell I was thinking.  But, I actually woke up and got my ass out of bed around 6:30 and was out the door with my much need mug of coffee around 6:50.  The race started at 8am at De Pere West High School, which is only about a 20 minute drive from my house.  I got there with plenty of time to get my race bib and start warming up.  The weather was pretty much perfect, with temperatures in the upper 20's with just about no wind.  They also host a 15k race which starts prior to the 5k, with the 5k started about 5 minutes after the 15k start.  I was feeling pretty good, all things considered.  I definitely was not hung over and really at most was just a little tired.

Nutrition Plan

My nutrition plan was to just make it through the race.  I didn't eat anything prior and had no intentions of eating anything during.  I did take my usual 2 capsules of Hammer Anti-Fatigue Caps an hour prior to the race.

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Hammer Cycling Jacket

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run

The race got started to a rather shitty start, honestly, and there really wasn't anything I could (politely) do about it.  The entire front of the race start was littered with kids and slow runners who just wanted to be at the front for the start.  Nothing annoys me more, than people who want to be at the start line just to sprint the first quarter mile just to pull off to the side so they can walk and catch their breath.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled they are out there, trying to better themselves.  But, when they effect others, it just pisses me off.  But, like I said, there is really nothing I can do about it, other than physically push them off the start line to make room for myself, but I wasn't about to do that.  So I just sucked it up and tried to remain in control of what I could control.

Truthfully speaking, it really doesn't effect the race start that much, just enough to be a thorn in my side.  But once the gun went off, I did my best to get into my rhythm and dodge the kids and slower runners that I knew would just fade after the first couple hundred meters or so.  Once the wannabe's were behind me, there was about 4 or 5 guys in front of me.  I really thought a couple of them would fade putting me in the top 3, but knew I had plenty of time ahead of me to pick them off.  I just kept plugging away.  I was feeling surprisingly good....hell I was feeling great.  My cadence was damn near perfect, and I felt relaxed.  I couldn't believe it.  I was going on less than 6 hours of sleep and coming off a night of sucking down cervesas and tacos.

After the first couple miles, I hadn't passed any of the guys ahead of me.  I decided to take a chance and crank up my effort and try to catch up to at least one of the guys.  I really don't remember how many I passed, but I ended up finishing in 4th place overall and 1st in my age group.  I finished in 17:50!

Post Race

After finishing the race, I was so surprised with my finishing time.  It was by far my fastest 5k of the year.  I was only 9 seconds off of my 5k personal record!  I hadn't run a sub 18 minute 5k in a long time.  And now, here I was, after a night of no-no's I run my best race of the year???  If I had gone into this race with the attitude of I have to do everything right, and ate right, drank water, and got a good night sleep, who knows what would have happened?  Would I have run a PR?  Would I have run yet another 18+ minute 5k?  Who knows.  All I know, is I ran a great race and far passed my expectations.

I eventually made my way back into the high school for the age group awards.  The race is sponsored by Noodles and Company...hence the NOODLEini (duh).  Everyone got some free Noodle's mac and cheese along with a Rice Krispie treat.  I stuck around until I received my trophy for placing 1st in my age group, at which time I headed out to get back home and get ready to go to yet another (and last) family Thanksgiving meal.   

 

What's on Tap

 At the start of this post, I touched on the 5 Start Series.  I had thought I had all but wrapped up the Male 30-34 age group.  I jumped online to see if I could get some information about the banquet and the rankings.  As I jumped on the Du Tri Run website, I read a section on the 5 Star Series I don't recall ever seeing.  It was written in plan English...

New in 2015

To qualify for the 2015 Aurora BayCare Series you must complete a swim and a bike event.  Relays will be counted as one of the 5 events, but you will not get a score.

Yup....You must complete in a swim and bike event...i.e. a triathlon.  I only completed a duathon this past year....no triathlons.  I was slightly disappointed.  It's not like I intentionally avoided doing a triathlon and it's not like I probably would have placed 1st in my age group.  I honestly couldn't race in any of the scheduled triathlons through Du Tri Run due to my work schedule.  I literally had to work on each and every scheduled triathlon.  Oh well, I guess.  There ain't much of anything I can do, other than just be proud of how my year of racing has gone for me.

On tap, I have one and only one more race to complete to accomplish my goal of completing a race in each month of the year.  So far, through 11 months, I have completed in 13 (14 if you count the Santa Scamper).  I am eyeing up a New Year's Eve race in Fond du Lac.  Most likely, that will be the race I, literally and figuratively, close out the year with.  But, until then, thanks for reading!

Cheers!

YMCA Freaky 5k - Race Report

This will now be my 3rd race report of the YMCA Freaky 5k and the 6th time I have ran this race. So, when I say that is one of my favorite races, I think it goes without saying. I enjoy this race for many reasons. First, the YMCA of the Fox Cities was my full time post college employer. Secondly, it always seems to fall perfectly into my race schedule. Thirdly, it's close to home, a great course, and a family friendly event. This year would be no different. I had Halloween weekend off from work and no other races scheduled in the vicinity of the Freaky 5k, so it was a natural decision. Plus, this was the first time for myself that this race actually fell on Halloween. This year, we registered our entire family, Sarah, Maya, Delaney, and myself were all registered for one of the two events offered. We signed Delaney up for the Mini Monster Dash, which was a quarter mile kids run. We also registered Maya as an individual for the 5k. This was going to be her first ever 5k as an official participant. She was so excited and nervous going into the day....as was I. We also signed up Sarah, who was going to push Harper in the stroller. My parents were also registered for the 5k in addition to our family. Going into the race, the weather outlook was not good. It was supposed to be cold, windy, and wet/rainy. Sarah and I both made the decision Friday night, that if it was actually raining Saturday morning, we would not bring the kids to the race and she would stay home with the kids and I would race with my dad, as my mom would also opt out of the race.

Well, as my alarm went off Saturday morning, I woke up to the sound of wind strongly blowing against our bedroom window. I looked at a current radar image and it was an easy decision, although a disappointing one. We opted to leave the kids at home due to poor weather. The entire state of Wisconsin along with Minnesota were covered in green on the radar signifying that there was no hope for a dry Halloween, let alone a dry Freaky 5k.

Training for This Race

I'll (again) keep this short and simple. I have not been following any specific training plan for this race or any race this year, for that matter. Although, I will note that October saw one of my highest running mileage totals of 2015...for whatever that's worth....

Prerace

As I mentioned in my open, I woke up and had to make a sad decision with Sarah and opted to leave the girls at home to avoid any possible (and highly likely) sour attitudes at the race due to them being wet and cold. But after waking up and getting dressed, I headed over to my parents house to pick up my dad. The race was scheduled to start at 8:30am, a half hour after the Mini Monster Dash kid's run. I was hoping to get there around 7am just to get a decent parking spot and hopefully some time to warm up. Unfortunately, after we got there, the weather was just miserable. It was cold (40's), windy, and rainy. I honestly just wanted to sit in my car with the heat on where it was nice and comfy. Eventually I had to get out and get ready to run, which I did around 7:30ish. I really wanted to stay as dry as possible before the start of the race, so I opted to forgo my traditional warmup and just did some dynamic stretching under the pavillion. This seemed to actually work pretty well, all things considered. Once 8:20ish rolled around, we started making our way to the start line. With the sun now fully risen, it was starting to warm up slightly, but the rain and the wind didn't really stop. It was a light drizzle, but enough to be uncomfortable. We planned it out damn near perfectly and got to the start line just before the National Anthem.

Nutrition Plan

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. Its what I did. I didn't eat anything before the race and just drank my morning coffee on the way to the race. I did take two capsules of Hammer Nutrition's Anti-Fatigue Caps one hour before the start of the race. I chose not to take any Hammer Nutrition Energy Surge, just due to the wet and rainy race conditions.

 

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Hammer Cycling Jacket

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run (18:18)

 

This was the third year of the "new" race course (I guess that would mean that it's really no longer "new") and the second time I will have run it. Knowing that I really didn't get any true warmup in before the start of the race, along with the the hilly start to the race, I really wanted to take it relatively "easy" during the first 800-1200 meters. The race starts nearly immediately with a short and steep hill down to the river. The course then follows the river for about a half mile, or so, then goes up another short and steep hill. The majority of the course is a loop, which returns back down the same pair of hills back to the start line of the race. So, imagine a lollipop shape race course, where the stick has two steep hills that you need to climb twice for a total of 4 hills.


At the start of the race, I coasted down the first hill, allowing all the typical sprinters at the start of the race to over-exert themselves, and allowed myself to gradually warmup. After climbing back up the second hill at about the 0.75 mile mark, I tried to find my "sweet-spot" in reference to my pace. I wasn't ever truly able to find my comfort zone. I just never really felt "good." I felt like my breathing was out of synch with my cadence and my heart rate. It's a difficult thing to explain in writing and probably just as hard to explain in person. But, I guess if you are a runner, you probably know exactly what I am talking about.

By about mile 1, I was able to pass everyone who went out as fast as humanly possible and found myself in 3rd place. Shortly before mile 2, I passed the second place runner and was doing my best to stay within reach of the race leader. But, honestly, I had a pretty good feeling I wasn't going to be able to catch the leader by about mile 1....he was just that far ahead. I ended up finishing in 18:18, 2nd overall, with the winner finishing in 17:12, about a minute ahead of me. He was a 24 year old out of La Crosse, WI and he ran a hell of a race.

Post Race

About a week after I registered our family for this race, we were invited to my God Son's birthday party in Milton, WI, which was scheduled to start at noon on the 31st. Milton is about a 2 hour drive from our house, which meant that we needed to leave no later than 10am in order to hopefully make it on time. This basically meant that there was no sitting around after the race and waiting for the awards ceremony. After crossing the finish line, I congratulated the winner on a great run and then waited for my dad to come across. He ended up finishing in 22:09, first in his age group. After crossing the finish line, we quickly stopped in under the pavilion and grabbed some water and a snack and headed out. I honestly felt a little awkward leaving the race, while a lot of runners and walkers were still on the course but, I honestly had no other choice, shy of skipping out on the event.

What's on Tap

I now only have 2 more months to go in order to successfully participate in a race in each month throughout 2015. It's been an interesting goal to say the least, but as it comes closer to successfully accomplishing my goal, I get more and more proud of doing it. As of today, I am actually scheduled to run in 4 more races, 3 in November and 1 in December. Oddly enough, the 3 races in November are all within a span of 6 days and fall during the week of Thanksgiving. On the 24th, I will be running a 1 mile race with Maya, Delaney, and my dad before the Appleton Christmas Parade, called the Santa Scamper. It will be a fun and easy run with my kids and nothing more. Then on the 26th (Thanksgiving), I will be running in the Festival Foods Turkey Trot, in Appleton, which is a 5 mile very competitive race. Finally, on the 29th, I am running in the Noodleini 5k in De Pere to finish the month of November. My final race of 2015 falls on New Years Eve, with the Chilly Chili Run in Fond Du Lac, WI. It's been a long year with a lot of racing and not a lot of structured training. As I sit here writing this up, I have a lot of high hopes for 2016 and 2017 and some potentially very exicting news. But that will come out soon....


As always, thanks for reading!

Cheers!

reTH!NK Addiction 5k - Race Report

As I continue down the road of completing a race event in each month of 2015, I registered for the reTH!NK Addiction 5k in Oshkosh, WI on September 12th.  Initially it fell perfectly into my schedule with that Saturday being my first night back at work, meaning I would have slept at home the night before the race.  After some shift trades at work, I ended up agreeing to work for a coworker on the Friday night before the race.  Now instead of going into the race all rested, I got to work from 8:00pm-6:30am and then drive down to Oshkosh for an 8:00am race....lucky me!!  I've definitely done this before with little complaints, so I won't really start now.  But, since changing departments, I have not worked an overnight shift since the first week of May...4 months ago.

The race itself is run from the Solutions Recovery Center in Oshkosh.  All proceeds of the event go towards several not for profit organizations that help recovering addicts or agencies which work to deter drug and alcohol use.  Being a law enforcement officer, I found it compelling to chose this race over some other races in the month of September, as I deal with many of these problems every day.

Training for This Race

Let's keep this simple....I have not been training at all this year.  I have been doing random "stuff" most days.  I have not run longer than 8 miles in a few months, and often just take a rest day if life is particularly busy.  I have not followed any sort of formal plan and usually find myself planning my exercising around my life, opposed to planning my life around my exercise.

Prerace

As I mentioned above, I had to work the night before from 8:00pm-6:30am.  I was lucky enough to get a decent nap on Friday afternoon knowing it was going to be a long night and an even longer morning on Saturday.  After work, I rushed to get ready and get on the road as quickly as I could, knowing my time would be limited.  I still needed to get my race packet and I wanted to get in some sort of warm up before the race.  I made decent time and arrived at the race site around 7:15am.  There was no line to get my race packet and bib, which was nice.  After pinning my bib to my shirt, I was out to start my traditional warm up.  I did all my usual drills, including, pick ups, lunges, high leg kicks, and leg swings.  After I felt good to go, I made my way back to the start area and just hung out.  The weather that morning was damn near perfect, with temperatures around 50F, clear skies, and maybe a slight wind, if any.

Nutrition Plan

I had no plan for my race day nutrition, other than to not eat for the 3-4 hours before the race.  I last ate a hot dog and brat around 4:00am and that was it.  I took a few sips of water on the drive down to Oshkosh, but felt pretty good, so I wasn't too concerned about taking in calories or liquids.  I took 2 Hammer Anti-Fatigue Caps at 7:00am and that was it.  I wanted to bring along some Hammer Energy Surge tablets for during the race, but honestly completely forgot and left them in the car.  :(

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Nike Run Shorts

Hammer Running Singlet

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run (18:06)

As I do at the start line of any other race, I scoped out the competition while I waited for the race to start.  First off, I kind of knew going in that this would be a smaller race (based on participation) and figured there probably wouldn't be too many competitive runners.  My estimation was correct - there were not many other runners who would be running around my projected pace.  Most of the people I recognized or chatted with before the race started would be running with a goal time of around 20:00.  Knowing this, I figured I would start the race easy and really focus on getting faster as the race progressed.  So after the race started, as about 98% of the runners do, many of the guys around me took off like a bat out of hell.  I just let them go and started pretty relaxed and allowed my body to find a comfortable pace for the first half of the 5k.  After the first quarter of a mile or so, all of the runners who sprinted out of the chute were now behind me and I was in the lead.  By the first mile, I had built up a significant lead.  I started thinking to myself that there was no need to really push hard for the second mile and opted to ease up during the second mile and save a little bit for the final mile.  The majority of the race was run through Menominee Park in Oshkosh, along Lake Winnebago.  As I said before, the weather was perfect, which made the scenery just that much better.  It was rather easy to focus on the lake and the views instead of how I was feeling.  After the second mile marker, I decided to push just a little harder and then cruised the rest of the way to the finish line.  I came across in just over 18:00, over a minute and half ahead of second place.  I was kind of upset, but I forgot to change the settings on my Garmin watch to "run mode" and discovered I had left it in "bike mode" during the race.  Because of this, I have no mile split data to look at to see if I indeed ran negative splits throughout the whole race.

Post Race

Immediately after finishing the race, I hung around the finish line to congratulate the next few runners to come across the line.  After that, all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed.  I felt obligated to stay for the awards ceremony as the overall winner, so that is what I did.  I tried to kill time by talking to random people about the race and running and the weather and frankly, whatever came to mind.  After about an hour and a half of killing time, I received my award as the overall winner of the race.  I really hope I do not come across conceited or arrogant during the award ceremony, but honestly I just wish they would hand out the awards and we would get on with the day.  Personally I do not like getting in front of others to accept the award.  I feel like I am no different from anyone else and I would rather not be "shown off" or highlighted.  I do understand that many other people see the awards ceremony as an opportunity to celebrate their achievements, but I guess, I just like to celebrate achievements with friends and family instead of individually.  Nearly right after getting my award I split to get to bed!

What's on Tap

The rest of the month will continue to be much like the past 8 months, doing what I feel like doing, when I feel like doing it.  My next race will most likely be the Freaky 5k in Appleton on Halloween, October 31st.  After that, I currently have 2 November races on the schedule with the Turkey Trot in Appleton, on Thanksgiving and the Noodleini in De Pere a few days afterward.  I currently do not have a December race yet, but you would be fooling yourself if I would screw over this stupid goal of mine in the final month of the year.  So I promise you, that I will find a damn race!

On another note, yesterday (September 13th) was Ironman Wisconsin down in Madison, WI.  It was two years ago that I was lucky enough to cross the finish line and forever be called an Ironman.  It seems like every year since then, I have followed the race from home.  While tracking friends and acquaintances, I'd be lying if I said I don't get motivated and excited about doing the race again.  The way things are going with my life, career, and family, it is looking like I will get that opportunity to again take a crack at an Ironman race in 2017, just two more years!  What that means for me, is that after I finish this stupid goal in December, I will take some time to regroup and recharge, then start focusing on building a strong base in 2016 to be in my best shape yet for 2017!

Thanks, as always, for reading!
Cheers!