Still Here!

Still here.  Breathing, watching my daughter grow, moving on with my career, planning for our future, supporting the athletes I coach, and yeah once in a while I get to compete to.  2014 from January to current has been nothing short of epic, but wouldn't come without some obstacles and hard decisions.

USATF Indoor Midwest Regional

Started off with a USATF Indoor Regional event down at Carthage and I made a hard choice to go down there with the hopes of tougher competition and wasn't pushed at all taking both the 800m and 3000m titles at times I would rather not post.  I may have the medals to say I am the Midwest Regional champ, but would get smoked had there been runners there fitting of that kind of race....bummer, lesson learned.

April Fools Run

I would then get into my first title defense at the April Fools Run in Minocqua and successfully won the 10k overall for the 2nd straight year.  The course was seriously icy and I did in fact see an ambulance tending to a runner on the course that may have hit the deck hard enough to do some damage.  This would be the first of many events I would run with Chad and Dustin who are both improving at great rates and love their passion for racing.  Results  GPS 10K: 36:44  2013: 38:48

WORS - Crystal Lake Classic

I wouldn't race again on foot till the Rockin' Tomahawk Half Marathon, but would sneak in a mountain bike race in Rhinelander.  The WORS Series makes its annual trip to the Northwoods and the Camp Tesomas Scout Camp.  I took the Vassago Jabberwocky Singlespeed for a long overdue trip through the tight ribbon of singletrack for the first ride of the year and I managed to survive.  Entered the sport 30-34 class and thought I would get own by all these geared bikes, but had fun, jumped on the 2nd box of the age group podium with an overall finish of 3rd overall after an hour of racing.  Would this be my calling back to the sport?  No, I am having way too much fun running fast.  Results

Rockin' Tomahawk Half Marathon

Last year I tried out running a half marathon for the first time and got a little hooked.  I would push the limits only weeks after contracting pneumonia.  I finished 4th overall last year and first in my age group a year ago and would be another battle with area favorite Matt Radtke.  I would push through the first 1200m and put some distance between Radtke and myself but UW-LaCrosse's Matt Eidenshink would push the pace well above my redline early and I would never make the view of him appear any larger for the duration of the race until I crossed the finish line 2nd place behind him.  I had a PR of 1:18:54 according to my watch and would be the last half marathon of the year due to some hard choices I had to make.  Results:  2013: 1:24:30

Pow-Wow Days 5K

Each year I gear up for the hometown 4th of July pow wow days 10k.  Each year I would put this on my calendar as an "A" race and this year I was experimenting with trying to hold onto a 4 week peak and it wouldn't work as I felt almost out of shape coming to the line, but still PR'd in that distance averaging less that 5:50 per mile.  I would have the best competition of the year at this race and I would eventually lose my first age group of the year, but posted a time I would be happy with a 35:43 and 5th overall Results: 2013: 36:59 4th overall.

Bear Cupboard 5K

I would then get into a 3 races in 3 weekends situation having to do them all since they were all close to home with good competition.  First up was another race that I did the year before and had a good time with it despite a high mileage week coming into it.  This year I took some rest prior and it would produce a new 5K PR and milestone for me.  Once again Dustin, Tyler, Chad and I would line up and let it rip.  Perrin Hagge would rip a 16:10 I would come through in 2nd at 16:58 with Dustin, Tyler, and Chad all coming home with personal bests and hardware for their efforts.  Results:  2013: 17:30 4th overall.

Mike Ross Memorial 5K

The Mike Ross Memorial Run was also in Minocqua but different course.  It follows the same basic course as the April Fools run when the conditions are good enough to run the Bearskin, but as I would soon find out, there would be no improvement from the weekend prior.  I was gassed early on but still managed to hold on to 3rd overall at 17:35.  Once again our group would do well and come home with hardware and even some raffle prizes...I was already looking forward to next weekend at home to defend my 10k title at the Don Lintereur Memorial.

 Don Lintereur Memorial 10K

This would turn out to be a hot and humid race.  So much to the point where I handed off my sunglasses in which I could not see from the humid conditions.  The hills on the revamped course would also test my limits after racing hard the past three weeks.  It became a test of who was coming with me for the first mile in which no one would volunteer to push the pace as if they knew the heat that was awaiting us almost two miles in.  I managed to keep the pace under 6min/mi for the first half, but would struggle in the end.  I did split a 17:42 in it was a 5:22 mile to start with and a decent 36:47 and repeat champion.  Results: 2013: 36:23 1st overall

Each year after the Tomahawk Cross Country Teams annual trip up to Bond Falls for CC Camp we come back and host our alumni race.  In the last couple of years we've been fortnuate enough to have a great deal of competition to push the times down and this would be my last effort till mid September, but I didn't know what was coming.  Bryan and I took off at a moderate pace no faster than 5:30 at the mile and really pushed going down the hogsback to never see him again.  He would finish first and I would come in a solid 2nd with a personal best of 17:46 on this course a year ago.  This year it was just me out there and while I did make a workout out of it, it wasn't enough to bring down my time and only managed a 17:56.  On the bright side no pneumonia this year...more on that one later.



I wouldn't race again till the first weekend in October and boy did I pick a good one.  I raced in the first annual nutty trail run and the name does no justice to the type of person who would enjoy the elevation on this course.  I personally loved it and made sure to check on the availability to train on this course in the future.  I mainly challenged myself in the snow and cold and relentless hills and and and wow! Time wasn't good, wasn't expecting it to be, but it was just what I needed.  Results:  19:48 GPS 5K 1st overall.


I am not planning much on the horizon but with the over 1500 miles i've logged, I can pull the trigger on a race taper pretty quick and finish the season on the highest of highs.  Some races I've got circled are the Eastbay Turkey Trot as defending champ, Footlocker Midwest Regional Championships, WI-IL Border Battle, USATF Wisconsin State Championships, Frostbite 5mi.  I have so many listed due in part of my work schedule I will only be able to do one or two of these so stay tuned as I reach for some sub 16:30 5K, 4:45 mile, and one or two more championships along with 1800 miles.

Thanks go to Saucony, Infinit Nutrition, and support from my family, friends, competitors, and THS Cross Country and fellow coaching staff members from that team.

What a Ride

This has been a wild ride.  The past month has been beyond stressful from an athletic point of view.  After we got back from our annual cross country camp I developed an illness that would lead to pneumonia so after 10 days completely off of running and only 2 weeks away from the Fox Cities 1/2 Marathon.  I got a few good days of solid workouts and tempo runs, but I would get sick again just 6 days from race day.  I managed to shake it with about a day to spare, but as I am sure you could imagine, I was nervous, was I ready to run fast, could I break 1:20, would I stay within 1:30, hell at one point I wondered if I would finish or run it at all.  Friday I tuned all that garbage out and just threw out all of my excuses and by race day I fell right back into race mode and attacking every mile with surgical precision. I felt the start was conservative for my normal style but for the best as I was cooked at the finish.  My first 5k was solid,  second did lend itself to me working on that for next year.  Fueling at mile 7 went smoothly.  And my last surge to the finish left me with no kick but probably would have been able to go if needed.  All in all this ended up being a great race on a stellar course  and despite all of the obstacles I was able to improve my time by over 5 minutes to  just under 1:20 according to the gps.  12th overall out of over 2700 runners. 2nd out of 167 in my age group.

I have a couple more lined up to finish out the year here in tomahawk, Stevens point, and possibly Wausau or Milwaukee .

Bringing In The New Year '13

What an end to 2012!  Daughter turns 2 just before Thanksgiving, we move out to a beautiful house with some acreage, I stick with a routine and stay healthy as well as logging time on skis, bike, snowshoes and running shoes all the while putting time in the weight room going beef!

2013 Brings some big changes, with the bike shop opening soon.  Bikes should begin showing up, parts and tools need to be ordered, marketing plans coming together and oh so much more.  Changing Gears is opening in Tomahawk and people are pumped.  I've done some digging in the archives at my employer gaining some history about silent sport activities to maybe publish some day.

Also, changing is my focus.  Since I've become healthy again I've really focused on running, but now kicking it up to 10k which was my strong suit anyway despite winning a 5K in 2012.  A lot of the changes in my training and racing is mainly cause I don't have the time to log ridiculous miles on the bike anymore or at least for now.  I am focusing on running logging anywhere from 20-60 miles per week, with some BMX riding and Singlespeed riding to work on my tech skillz for when the little one is not so little anymore.

It's cool though, I'll continue turning pedals on the Singlespeed living Metal the only way I know how....This Metal/TwinSix bravado is not just some cool shirts for cyclists it's a lifestyle, working at a bikeshop, riding to work, racing on weekends on the dirt in WEMS, or BMX Track or whatever, hell I would wear a jersey to a 10k depending on conditions.

One thing that stays consistent is the support from Infinit Nutrition.  I've learned to stick with what works and haven't changed since 2008.

Training has been good though, I can't be happier if I tried.  Down at least 15 pounds from this time last year with no BS travel to mess that up it's been nice to stay on track and not eat out at restaurants every night.  Working with the Track and Cross Country kids at the local high school certainly helps things progress and keeps me sharp.  I toward fall when things were winding down I was still running a 5:04 mile???? it can only get better in '13.  Time to crawl into the pain cave.

Post #201 - 2012 Buck Rut 5K Trail Run

Over the past 200 posts I've really focused on Mountain Biking with every now and then a blurb on Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Illegal Snowbiking, and yes even running.  As I mentioned before, with the way things are going with spending time with the family, moving to a new home with 17+ acres to maintain and a house that needs some TLC along with following my passion for coaching for the Tomahawk Cross Country and Long Distance Track programs, i've had to make the best of my time available to excel at one sport.  With that being said I took on the journey of running endless miles to try and pick up some speed and I couldn't be happier with how my season went and it all came to a great end this weekend....I think....

First of all, I love the fact that the folks at Minocqua Winter Park opted for a later start time, but as in the last couple of races I was still the first person to show up to preview the course and pick up my bib number.  I ran the first mile, stretched, walked the second mile and finished it up with a faster jog to the finish line.

Secondly, this place is a killer course and I will definitely be back as I couldn't believe the hills, I knew early on with the fact that on top of the hill I would be greeted by a path to a cell/radio tower coincidently enough called "Vo2 Max Hill" which was fun to walk and curious to see how the racers would handle it.

To continue on with the story, it was cold, but I remembered that I had some embrocation (Brian Matter's Full Heat from Joshua Tree) left over from skiing this past winter and decided to give that a try and run in a tank and running shorts lol!  Not too many were brave enough otherwise.  We lined up with everybody shivering ready to let out onto the course.  I got off pretty well no issues ran with the Rhinelander Cross kid for about the first 800m.  I told myself to stick to my pace and think about the 1.5 mile mark where it starts to go up in a hurry and would cross mile 1 at 6:08 pretty slow going, I thought I would start to pick it up after that and start attacking the hills which I didn't seem to have the pop I needed to gain the time I needed back on the two leaders, but they were still in site.  Once the endless hills finally ended at the 2 mile I began to start opening up the stride and with about a half mile left on the flattest section of the course I began to kick, but just didn't have enough course to catch the 2nd runner finishing 3rd overall and first in my age group.  My time wasn't pretty, but I gotta tell ya that the course was slightly longer than a 5K and wow did I mention the climbing????  19:14.

There are still a couple of events left this year before winter closes it's fists on Wisconsin, not sure what if anything will come up, but that will depend if I get out on a run on a regular schedule.

Till then have fun keep the rubber on the ground whether you roll it or lace em up!

Keep Running

I'll tell you what, I am enjoying this running thing and not enjoying the negative publicity on the pro scene of bicycle racing.  I am going to continue to ride my bike with friends on group rides, but training for elite mtb racing is taking a back seat for the short term future.  Will I be back?  Sure, I think so, but I think enjoying the sport or comp races on my salsa singlespeed will be the go forward and that may be few and far in between.  Bring on the 5/10K's.

Wausau Fun'd Run 5K

Got up at the butt crack of dawn to head down to Wausau in hopes to "race" a 5K.  I put race in quotes because when I first started running again in January, it was all about making sure I would finish with the knee problems i've had over the last 10+ years.  I would get to the venue and get out of the Aztek greeted by gusts of cold winter like air that almost crystalized my lungs with ever inhalation.  

Pre-Race:

I walked the first thousand meters of the course which felt like a lot of rolling tight and twisty terrain, I had to make sure I left the bike shoes and mountain bike in the car as it felt a lot like singletrack.  The course then opened up just before the 2K mark which looked a lot like the picture above for the rest of the race.  I would jog the 2K to 3K, walk, and then jog the 4K to finish line for my warm up.  After registration and many stops to the porta-john, I pinned on the number, put on my spikes (yup I wore cross spikes as it was pretty slick out there) and did a 200 meter acceleration with 10 mintues to go to the start.  I felt loose and fast and was ready to bring the metal.

After The Gun:

At about 9:00am the gun sounded and the race was off and I got a great jump, in fact, I had a gap of about 10 seconds going into the trails which was less than 300m.  I gotta tell you though, that this was far from my strategy, I thought maybe since the first mile was so challenging that I would sit on the leader's shoulder and then attack at the 1 mile, but I never got that chance and had to switch to "Plan B".  Plan B was to stay in front and attack every hill like I was being chased by wolves and I was being chased by a damn fast wolf in Chris Borchardt!  I get to the 2K marker and realized that I have a guy that's really trying to bridge up this gap and so then it became a race.  First, he would gain some ground and then around the corners when he can't see my pace I would go into a 200m burst to extend it back out again.  Same thing would continue on the flats for the 3K and going into the one last little hill on the backside just before the 4K mark I kicked it hard up the hill, but he was still coming and managing to stick around 5-10 seconds back.  I was starting to wonder how I was going to do in a sprint finish as I was starting to get sloppy on form, but as soon as I seen the 4K banners I took off and just gutted out the last 1000 meters which felt like forever, but then I see the clearing, I look back and 2nd place was still just as close as he has been the entire race.  I give one final kick and cross the finish line first overall with  Chris Borchardt from Wausau taking 2nd 10 seconds back according to the results, but it felt like he was much closer.  Time wise, I felt like this was a seasonal best time, but the course was further than the 5K as advertised, probably a full 1/4mile if not more, as we knew that last mile was just a hair over 6 minutes and our first two were much faster.  Felt more like 17:50's.  What a fun course and great people, I'll be back for sure as long as cross doesn't conflict next year.  

Impressions:

It was great to get my first overall victory in the 5k of which I can't honestly remember the last time I won overall or if I even did, but this was definitely a huge achievement and against quality talent.  Chris was a UW-Oshkosh Alum and has won many 5k's and part of the Wasuau Area Runners club which produces some damn fast runners!

Next Up:  

Buck Rut - Minoqua (Another Trail Run -  very hilly)  This is my Peak and maybe last 5K of the year depending on the Tomahawk Turkey Trot date.

Till then Cross Country Practice!!! Go HATCHETS and I gotta give mad props to Bryan Tomek on his Win this week. Smartest race I've ever seen him run, cool watching him break through to that elite level. Soon he'll be posting 15min 5Ks, and soon you'll be hearing more and more about his results.

Been a long time, Been a long time

So unfortunately, I've not posted anything for quite some time but things have been crazy busy and well to be honest after 8 years of continuous bike racing, I am a little burned out.  I give props to all of those that have rode consistently for decades at a time without stopping it truly is inpiring.  For me it wasn't that I was tired.  In fact, just the opposite.  You see, before I got into this whole mountain biking thing I was an avid runner, those of you that know me know this well, but as I got older I got sloppy in my training habits and this caused an overuse injury from "too much, too soon".  This tedonitis issue halted my running efforts for what seemed like a decade and pretty much was, that was until this past spring.  I was probably coming off my best offseason to date and ready to kill it, what I found was that I was eager to run and wasn't all that pumped about riding for whatever reason let alone race.  I started volunteering with the track kids, running on my lunch breaks, biking to track, running with the kids, then biking back home.  This would go on from March till June and found a couple of hidden 5Ks out there that I excelled in and brought home better results than I have in recent years of bike racing.  This got me excited to run hard again, to chase after PRs from my own days at THS as a high school athlete.  I got better shoes, purchased real running shorts and shirts, got the Nike+ Ipod app for the phone, calculated my VDot, figured out my time splits to determine my dream 5k/10k times and what I need to do to get there.  I am now coaching the THS cross country kids and seriously anxious for the first camp practices to begin.  To say I am sucked back into running again is certainly and understatement, but what do I do about cycling now?  Where do I find time to train?  Is this just a phase?  I still don't really know the answers to any of those questions, but I do know that I've made some decisions as recent as last night that I realize will not be popular with some, but it does keep me home with my family, coaching cross country, working on my trail project and being available to contribute to the community in my role as a board member on the mainstreet board of directors.  This will also allow me to pursue my goal of teaching people how to live a active lifestyle and get the community excited about the opportunities they have all around them to stay active all year round.  I will continue to be active in the cycling community cause that is simply a community I've grown to love being a part of and yes I will be toeing the line in races next year.  The events that will unfold in the coming days isn't something I look forward to, but thankfully I have the support of my family, true friends, and community leaders that believe it or not do believe in me and share my vision.  I can't just come out and say it, but many of you know my frustration and the decision that has been reached.

So when you put that all aside that can really explain my absence from the blogosphere, granted, I don't really need to explain anything, but I am still here and still racing.....

So at the end of June, Chris Schotz and the WEMS Series puts together one hell of a race and course.  You can't beat a race that has RedEye Beer on tap....just sayin.  Now Chris puts together a course that will reward your toughness and crush the weak afterall he did just win the Wausau24 Solo!  My time on the bike wasn't what I would have liked and really I wanted to save myself for the 5k on the 4th of July (I know, Blasphemy, Right?)  I lined up for the 6 hour solo with a pretty damn fast group, nobody really wanted to take the lead going into the first section as I really eased up on the parade loop to the entry of the first section of singletrack.  I botched the first rock garden with allowed Maciej to go by, but I rode calm.  I dropped back to like 5th or 6th just watching wheels pull away and while I could have gotten easily frustrated and mail it I chose to keep going and have some fun.  Lap times were pretty bad so it wasn't much of a surprise that they were somewhat close together.  Despite how I was feeling and the fact I got stung by a bee, I wasn't sure if I was going to have to shoot up with the epi-pen and really did finish the race and did fairly well with a 4th place finish....not bad.

Then we get to the 4th of July 5K in Tomahawk.  It was friggin hot, much goes the story of the entire summer even as we speak.  Even as the 5K took off at 9:00am it was already approaching 85 degrees and stupid sticky humidity.  I didn't really feel like myself and after about a mile started losing pace.  I told Nick to go on without me and he didn't have to pull me along as I didn't feel right and probably would have had a bad last 1/2 mile if I would have picked it up that soon.  I lost a lot of time to him and he would actually have been 5th place overall in the race out of 300, I would come in 6th overall at 19:22 definitely not my kind of day but still a top 10 in a deep field....I'll take it. 

I was originally going to race the stump farm but did come down with a cold on the 4th so that race was out, but then it was time to do up the Wausau24.  This year I didn't know what to do with myself as it was the first time since 2007 that I didn't go solo and the relay concept for a 12 hour duo seemed foreign to me and it was really evident on the 2nd lap when I missed my partner coming through the pits (sorry Jim!) First lap I got stung again, my 2nd lap I dropped the chain and while practicing cyclocross to get back on my calf cramped thankfully I downed some infinit and some endurolytes that seemed to take care of it with the addition of more water and lots of chicken I ate before going out on my 4th and 5th laps. at that point we decided to double up before finishing doing one more each or so I thought, well Jim got me back for our handoff goof earlier in the day by crossing the line unknowingly while waiting for the 10pm finish.  Much to the cheers of the crowd I got to the bike and carried on for a night lap, which was a blast to ride.  The results would say I did 6 laps but that was wrong, but the team lap count was still correct and was good enough for 10th out of 36 super competitive teams that included Mike Curtes and even the Craig brothers from the Wausau area.

I got to tell you that the decision to do the 12 duo was smart as I feel terrible this week while I am down here in Kentucky, but I am still running, still weight training, still looking to race even this weekend.  This ought to be interesting lining up for a 5K nowhere near home, kind of feels like the lumbjack 100 or sea otter all over again.  I am hoping to do well, but hope the "travel diet" doesn't become my downfall....trying to do my best people.

More race reports to come!  Wish me luck and thanks to all of the sponsors that have continued to support not only myself but my vision.  Infinit Nutrition, TwinSix, Rudy Project, GoPro, Hayes