tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69445650507558015032024-03-14T01:13:48.213-07:00World's Fastest HematologistA blog about running, family and medicine. We are modern, messy bohemes; citizens of the world, we don't fit in anywhere. We are moderately fast; my wife is the World's Fastest Ophthalmologist. Maybe.Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-50609158328313791242014-10-20T10:36:00.001-07:002014-10-20T10:36:53.844-07:00Trailman 50K Race ReportWhat a race!<div><br></div><div>Some 50 people lined up in the rainy pre-dawn outside Rude Skov. The race director gave a quick speech about the course and went on to tell us to disregard the the required head lamp. There was no gear check, despite the stern warnings on the website. I hate running with a backpack but the instructions had been clear about including a 1 liter hydration system, 2 meters of gauze (!), 3 bandaids, an emergency blanket and a collapsible cup for the aid station. I hate running with a backpack, but saw no other options. </div><div><br></div><div>Oh well. </div><div><br></div><div>The lead pack ran together for 10K, quite slowly. We got lost several times, so it was not very attractive to run alone. Dorte Dahl and Søren Rasmussen did most of the pacing; Dorte is a international-caliber age grouper and Søren is a former 2:21 marathoner. I did notice that they ran with tiny hydration belts. Nothing against them; the list of required items was decidedly silly, but I wish I had known the race director was not going to be tough about the rules. Once before a race in Denmark, the RD almost disqualified runners without a collapsible cup. Again, I would have loved to run with a belt or handheld, but the website said all runners would be checked before entering the start corral. </div><div><br></div><div>For a while we were 6, but going up and down Maglebjerg 4 times broke things up a little bit. Søren took off and Dorte and Claus Høier fell back a little. It appears that Søren got lost, because suddenly he came racing up from behind and re-joined the group. Talk about a thoroughbred runner; I don't think he was used to running so slowly. He eventually took off, never to be seen again.</div><div><br></div><div>That left three of us fighting for two podium spots (and prize money): Christian Nørfelt, Anders Aagaard Hansen and me. One of us was not like the others. That one was me. There was a clear pattern of me losing 20-30 yards on each downhill and then catching back up on the flats. On each flat, Christian would complain about how mind-numbingly boring it was NOT to run off-trail, steep, muddy hills. I said nothing.</div><div><br></div><div>I hated those hills. I raced in Asics racing flats with no traction whatsoever. Before you roll your eyes, please realize that that is all I have ever raced in. The only time I raced in non-flats was when I ran Chippewa this spring in Inov8 Mudrocs, and that was, I think, the only time I have not placed in the top 3 in a 50K. Those shoes sucked, and made my, if possible, more of a curmudgeon. But yesterday, my shoes were inadequatw. It rained all day, and by the end, all the downhills were made of slick, shiny mud. i wiped out completely in one turn and Bambied dangerously countless times. </div><div><br></div><div>At the end of lap 1 (of 2), there was a long non-technical section. I had some vague plan of breaking away from Anders and Christian, if we were together near the end. I'm sure they thought about dropping me on a technical section (as well they should). </div><div><br></div><div>I think the 3 of us ran together for almost 2 hours, debating doping, training, Danish trail/ultra, various race directors, Killian Jornet and everything else under the sun. Anders is a future star of Danish trail running, with lots of bright-eyed passion. The dude hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail and throws around words like GI index, junk miles, fartleks and Maffetone. I'll be honest: at times, Danish running feels like it is too much forefoot running and colorful gear, and not enough tempos and intervals. Hearing a young guy discuss training theory warmed my old stone heart. </div><div><br></div><div>Here we are (maybe early on lap 2). credit: Andreas Carlsen</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cxvjiFk2fPQ/VEVIMqszDSI/AAAAAAAAAYg/LdbxKjcXyOg/s640/blogger-image-1831038249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cxvjiFk2fPQ/VEVIMqszDSI/AAAAAAAAAYg/LdbxKjcXyOg/s640/blogger-image-1831038249.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>At one point we acted out the stars of ultra running. I was the speedy, but non-technical Sage Canaday, and they were Killian Jornet and Marco de Gasperi. Marco had to defend himself after his wife<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> was caugt with EPO, and Killian had to admit that he didn't really live off mountain roots and berries. It got very animated, especially when Killian screamed in broken English that he was taller than Emelia Forsberg in real life.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Ok, none of that happened.</div><div><br></div><div>Then came 4xMaglebjerg. On the first long downhill, Christian and Anders did their usual Legolas-from-Lord-of-the-Rings downhill, gapping me by almost 50 yards. I had to sprint to catch back up and ran most of the next climb (while they powerhiked). Just when I caught them, the second downhill started and they uber-gapped me again. By then, we were passing lots of runners from the shorter-distance races (and possibly a few from the 50 mile race), so mentally it was harder to focus on catching them. </div><div><br></div><div>After the fourth downhill, I had lost sight of them. I never saw them again.</div><div><br></div><div>The rest was ok but not great. Without having anyone to keep up with, I too fewer risks on the downhills and generally slowed down. At 40K, I started cramping up in my right adductors during a bad Bambi moment on a very slick downhill. I thought that was the end, but curiously, the cramps went away and I was able to run the last non-technical miles fairly fast.</div><div><br></div><div>My time was 4:21. That's slower than the insane-vert UROC, which shows you how tough the course was (at least for a clutzy runner like me). Certainly not my type of race, but admittedly tons of fun. </div><div><br></div><div>The crazy part? Christian trains mostly on roads, while I train mostly on trails. I don't know how he gets so good at the technical stuff. I have gotten better over the years but my trajectory is not exactly stellar.</div><div><br></div><div>The biggest story of the day was the non-prizes for the top women. The Girl was going to run the 50 miles, until she found out about the lack of prize money. Let's say she got a little mad. It is fun to imagine how she would have felt, if she had won and then gotten no check on the podium. </div><div><br></div><div>The whole thing set off a social media shitstorm, which Politiken (a big Danish newspaper) got wind of. The Girl was interviewed by them this evening, so it'll be fun to see what happens next. Søren ended up sharing his 10.000 kroner with the top 3 women in the 50K, which was a pretty damn classy move.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-17286692328602192562014-09-11T21:44:00.001-07:002014-09-11T21:44:23.633-07:00Hello, Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>This all leads to UROC, so stick with it!<div><br></div><div>Life has not been easy for the Hoegs. The details are not important, but we have spent less time together than apart in the last year, all due to various complicated cimcumstances.<div><br></div><div>This summer, I have worked in Duluth, while the Girl and our sons have been in Denmark.</div><div><br></div><div>I don't want to elaborate on how hard it has been for both of us (maybe all four of us), because thankfully it's over. Our big Duluth plans all failed, and now we are going back to life in good old Næstved, Denmark.</div><div><br></div><div>One side effect of living alone in Duluth is that I have gotten into great shape. I run hard every other day, and swim/strength train on my easy days. In the last month before UROC, I have set PRs on all my treadmill speed sessions. </div><div><br></div><div>This all leads to UROC, which has gotten me to want to blog again. It may be the most fun I have ever had at a race. Since running it 5 days ago, I have been asking myself how I can find a similar race, anywhere.</div><div><br></div><div>Ok, so first of all, I only ran the 50K, and only signed up because the Girl was doing the 100K. I didn't know anything about the race, other than the 100K is very competitive and has big cash prizes. I assumed (rightly so) that the 50K was a comparative fun run. </div></div><div><br></div><div>I didn't realize the altitude of the course (2700 to 3800 meters), nor the simplicity of it. Basically, one climbs from the valley to two different peaks/saddles and runs back down. I didn't realize how much fun that can be. </div><div><br></div><div>Climbing to 3800 meters is normally something one does slowly, perhaps with a camera and a backpack full of lunch. In a race, it is different, of course, and for me, complete virgin territory. </div><div><br></div><div>The race started with a 5K or so on a golf course and a less challenging section of the Colorado trail. This spread the field out nicely. I started out super slowly, as is my wont. The pros took off very fast. They are pros after all. Tons of women were ahead also. </div><div><br></div><div>Slowly, I warmed up and picked up the pace. At 2700m, I never felt super springy, but the legs loosened up as the sun rose, and I started passing people. At this point, I saw the Girl, finishing an out-and-back portion of her race course. She would go on to win her race by a half hour, but had fun competing with the men. </div><div><br></div><div>Then the climb began. I was running with two Minnesotans at the time, discussing how Borst had blown up at Superior (although I later learned he took 2nd behind a wiser Adam Schwartz-Lowe). One of the Minnesotans said something like "I can't believe how this altitude feels", and I realized that I felt great. Like, really good. </div><div><br></div><div>So I said a (proverbial) "fuck it", and threw caution to the wind. The sun was coming up over the mountains. I took off my jacket and started working. I passed maybe 20 people going up the mountain, and caught up to a woman someone had told me was Cassie Scallon. She turned out to be more of a girl than a woman, though; she was 18, and her name was Ashley Erba. </div><div><br></div><div>Ashley ran the whole way up, and after I had caught up with her, she seemed to speed up and re-dropped me, while telling me her life story. I would grunt as much as my breathing allowed, while she spoke full, unlabored sentences. Seriously. </div><div><br></div><div>We made it to the top and caught up with Avery Collins. I didn't know him before the race, but he was presented as one of the elites (along with the Girl) the night before. He was doing the 50K, so the fact that I was passing him, made me feel pretty good in my skin. I was simultaneously in denial about getting dropped by an 18-year old girl, of course. Call me a glass-half-full guy. </div><div><br></div><div>The three of us ran down the mountain together. I wasn't sure how much to "bomb" the downhill, but I figured Avery must know what he was doing, so I stuck with him. </div><div><br></div><div>I felt great and a little high. Running in beautiful weather, at altitude, in perhaps the best long-distance shape of my life. Geoff Roes was suddenly there, cheering on the runners. All enough to make me feel a little loopy.</div><div><br></div><div>Up the second mountain we went. I passed only two or three runners up this climb, but of course there were fewer runners to pass. I made it to the top with Ashley and young (also 18-year old) Jack Daly. Ashley and Jack were both starting college in Boulder, so that was interesting to hear about. I wondered how ancient a 39-year old must seem to them. I mean, Natali is only 5 years younger than them. </div><div><br></div><div>When we made it to the top, we found out that we were 2nd to 4th in the 50K. Jack said something about not wanting to get chicked, which seemed unwise to say in front of a world-elite junior girl. She has run a 16:18 5000m, which I am sure would be the Danish national junior record. </div><div><br></div><div>They took,off down the mountain, whereas I had a plan. Shit, I smile just thinking about it. I took a GU with 40mg of caffeine and drank a cup of Mountain Dew. I turned on my music and felt "so good it oughtta be illegal" as I'm sure they say in Sterling, CO.</div><div><br></div><div>I caught up to the two kids and absolutely bombed the downhill. A lot of people on their way up couldn't help smiling; I'm sure they could see how high I was. I don't remember a lot from the long downhill. 1000m+ of descent should take a decent amount of time, but it felt like 5 minutes. </div><div><br></div><div>Suddenly, it was over. The Girl, her parents and our boys were there waiting. I was still om such a crazy mountain high that it was almost disappointing that it was over. I was holding back tears, as I was taking it all in. Here we are:<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DZ5ClRqzZ9U/VBJ6JZXF7cI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/zuFF0uPDGYQ/s640/blogger-image-1521542618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DZ5ClRqzZ9U/VBJ6JZXF7cI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/zuFF0uPDGYQ/s640/blogger-image-1521542618.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Poor Jack did indeed get chicked, but was a good sport about it. He has a bright future (he just moved to Colorado from Mississippi and was already talking about all the "14'ers" he has "bagged"). Ashley Erba could be the next star of ultra running. For those of you not into regular track, 16:18 is wicked fast for a college freshman. Like, bound for a pro contract fast. It will be fun to see how far she takes it.</div><div><br></div><div>Matt Flaherty won easily. I think he was supposed to run the 100K, but dropped down to the amateurs in the 50K. Every time I saw him, he looked like he was out for a jog. We talked for a while, and he seems like a nice guy. </div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O_6sAxjQA-s/VBJ6IXf4IwI/AAAAAAAAAYI/4wmjwwNnwlw/s640/blogger-image-867538644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O_6sAxjQA-s/VBJ6IXf4IwI/AAAAAAAAAYI/4wmjwwNnwlw/s640/blogger-image-867538644.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div>So, yeah, since Saturday I have longed to find a similar race to train for. Ie. at high altitude, with lots of continuous climbing, and not too technical. The latter point is important, because I suck at technical downhills but excel at fast, non-technical downhills. UROC was mostly on gravel roads and mountain bike trails, which made it very runner-friendly. </div><div><br></div><div>The worst part is that they are likely to move the course for UROC next year. That sucks, because if they didn't I would totally go for the masters 100K next year (yep, I'll be 40 by then). I still might, if this high continues until the sign-up for 2015 opens up.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-25425744863775488102014-06-19T20:19:00.001-07:002014-09-11T20:29:06.182-07:00June 2013 Running Log<div><br></div><div>2 Long run on SHT</div><div>4 NMTC race. 6th place. Usual pack of myself, Rubesch, Hyopponen and Swank. Fun.</div><div>6HPTs - 3 loops from the lower trailhead</div><div>7 Last SHT with the Girl. </div><div>9 Long run on SHT - Piedmont trailhead to Zoo along roads and then back along SHT</div><div>11 long run in Lester</div><div>13 long run in Lester Bog - super muddy and terrible</div><div>15 Treadmill (rainy anc cold in Duluth. 4x800 15:16 (huge PR). 5x400 10:38</div><div>17 HPTs - 2 big loops from lower trailhead. Felt ok</div><div>19 8K with the Girl. 8K fast</div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-39309167567618257642014-05-20T16:44:00.001-07:002014-06-08T21:04:33.656-07:00May 2014 Running Log<div><br></div><div>1 2M@5% 13:22 (a minute slower than PR but still it felt very hard). Meant to do another one, but I was too tired. Chippewa fatigue.</div><div>3 2M@5% 12:39. Got interrupted by pages. A few 800s.</div><div>5 400s on the treadmill</div><div>7 4 mile NMTC trail race. 4th place. Felt good, but others around me were faster than I remembered from last year. Did "chick" the Girl (>1 minute per mile faster. That won't happen often)</div><div>9 2x(2M@5%). I think one of them was in 12:21.</div><div>10 Maybe 10 miles watching the Girl take an incredible 5th place at Ice Age! Way more fun than running myself.</div><div>11 Around 10 miles on HPTs and Hixon trails in La Crosse. I love those trails. How I miss La Crosse.</div><div>13 Increasingly fast 400s om treadmill</div><div>15 Something fast om treadmill<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> </span></div><div>17 2M@5% 12:15 (close to PR on fitness center treadmills). 4x800 (no time, as I got interrupted)</div><div>19 4x800 15:25 PR, 5x400 (400s all out with 200m jog at 7.5 MPH 1%) 13:48</div><div>21 2x3000 with the Girl in Bagley. Then 1.5 hours alone on the SHT</div><div>23 28K on the SHT with the Girl. Great day.</div><div>24 Another long run on SHT. Maybe 26K</div><div>26n4x800 in 15:55. Felt really slow. 5x400 10:45</div><div>28 4x800 15:40. 5x400 10:38 (PR?)</div><div>30 something on the treadmill</div><div><br></div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-52294794887712948172014-04-27T06:55:00.001-07:002014-04-27T06:55:58.726-07:00Ultra DeathAt 8 miles to go, things were going somewhat according to plan. <div><br></div><div>I hated the fact that I was wearing a pair of Inov8 Mudrocs. I had thought mud = Mudrocs; they had to be better than road racing flats, I figured. Well, it wasn't super muddy, and whenever it was muddy, it was on the low flats, where the mud was so deep it wasn't really a question about traction.</div><div><br></div><div>Those shoes were bugging the hell out of me. My toes were burning, like I was in a road cycling shoe that was too tight. The shoes are so inflexible that I was forming all kinds of blisters. And it suddenly occured to me they might be low-drop shoes. </div><div><br></div><div>But anyway, except for the much-maligned Mudrocs, I was where I wanted to be at 7 miles to go.</div><div><br></div><div>I was running with Alex kurt; Rubesch was a little bit behind. Jordan Hanlon and another guy were up ahead. I had run conservatively all day. Nutrition had been good. I felt ready to put it a nice little late-race surge. I drank a 5-Hour Enenrgy (which contains caffeine) and told Alex I was going to go for it. I turned on my music and charged for home, honestly thinking I had a chance at catching up with the two leaders.</div><div><br></div><div>Yeah. That didn't happen. At 5 miles to go, Jordan Hanlon suddenly came running toward me on the trail. He thought he was lost and wanted to run back to find the right trail. Alex caught up and said he thought we were on the course. At which point Jordan turned arund and took off at what looked like 6-minute mile pace. </div><div><br></div><div>That's when Ultra Death had started to set in. Alex disappeared in the distance. Rubesch went by me with a cat-like stride. I walked on, hurting everywhere, feeling faint. I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">walked and hobbled the rest of the way in. Another guy passed me on the last hill, just for good measure. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);">Jordan Hanlon ran the last 5 miles 16 minutes faster than me! He passed the second-place guy, whose name I didn't catch, in the last few miles. I was impressed.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-17180331112280725622014-04-23T19:08:00.001-07:002014-04-23T19:20:57.557-07:00From treadmill to Chippewa 50KSaturday is Chippewa. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">Our very first ultra back in 2007, when Christian was a tiny baby. We both ran it in 2011 and then again in 2012. In 2012, the spring had been so warm that late April felt like the middle of summer. The trails were very fast. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);">This year, It looks like there will be some mud and snow, although not as much as I would have thought two months ago. <br></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);">All my training has been on a treadmill. All of it; okay, except for two weeks in Denmark in March. How 50K on the trails will go down, I have no clue. I know I'll be wearing my clunky Inov8 Mudrocks (Mudrox?), which I don't really like. All my other shoes are racing flats. No, the Girl has not been able to hook me up with a pair of Salomons.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></div><div>I looked at the list of entrants and found plenty of competition. </div><div><br></div><div>Jake Hegge would normally be the favorite, but he ran the Zumbro 50 Miles. I have trained some with Hegge, and I know he recovers fast. I still remember how he outsprinted John Storkamp up the last hill in 2012. Jake was on the UW La Crosse track team, but chose to focus on trails. If I am with him near the end, I need to drop him before the last hill. Most likely, I will be far behind him, and if not, I don't see myself dropping him anyway.</div><div><br></div><div>At least Mike Borst is not on the list. When Jake and Mike, the two wise men of La Crosse, show up, they usually place 1-2.</div><div><br></div><div>Jordan Hanlon is faster than me for sure. I beat him at Afton a few years ago, only because he started out with the leaders, while I was weaseling away at my own pace. I think he has a 2:35 marathon, which may be faster than Hegge (although Hegge has a sub-15 5K as I recall).</div><div><br></div><div>Chris Rubesch could kill me at 50 miles. 50K is a little short for him, but in any case, he is peaking for Ice Age, so he may just use this as a training run.</div><div><br></div><div>John Storkamp is always running in the front group, chatting away and cracking jokes. Like Rubesch, he is a pure ultra guy, and 50K may be a little short for him. Maybe the mud benefits him? </div><div><br></div><div>I may have missed some names on the list, and obviously some fast folks from outside the group of usual suspects may show up. </div><div><br></div><div>The women, you ask? I honestly think the Girl would win this one, but in her absence, I did see Christine Crawford on the list. I did not see the Scotches (nee Lavin) on there. Alicia Hudelson is injured and far away. I did not see the fast Duluthians, like Christi Nowak or Leslie Semler. But, honestly, there are so many women excelling at ultras that someone whose name I don't recognize could show up and chick me. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-31748691436157211072014-04-07T17:01:00.001-07:002014-05-07T10:41:36.379-07:00April 2014 Running Log<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">2 5K@8% 21:30?. 5K@8%. ? time</span></div>4 5K%8% (no time; pager went off in the middle. "4x800" 15:20<br><div>6 2M@5% 12:19, "4x800" 15:18. PR</div><div>8 5K@8% 20:20 PR. 4x800 15:19</div><div>9 An hour or so with Christian on his bike.</div><div>115K@8%, 2M@5% 12:09 (though on unreliable YMCA treadmill</div><div>13 A few miles with Andreas in the hotel gym</div><div>15 2M@5% 12:16. "4x800" 15:25. I think I got fatter on vacation</div><div>17 8 x 800, I think. i forget the times.</div><div>19 2M@5% 12:11. PR? but the treadmill seems like one of the faster ones</div><div>21 800 m intervals. Got interrupted too many times.</div><div>23 9 miles. 10 K "progression intervals in 39 something</div><div>26 Chippewa 50K. 4:12. Terrible race.</div><div>28 Swam some</div><div>30 sore legs on the treadmill</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><a name="5708830" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; "><div class="tholder" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><table width="100%" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" border="0"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2" width="130" valign="top" class="ForumHeader" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><br></td><td class="ForumTable1" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 2px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><br></td><td align="right"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></a>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-88755463029191634352014-03-23T16:41:00.000-07:002014-03-31T13:38:45.120-07:00March 2014 Running Log1 Some jetlagged run around Næstved.<br>
3. Long run around Møns Klint. Almost 30K?<br>
5. Some great run around Næstved<br>
6. Bike and swim with the Girl<br>
7. Some great run around Næstved<br>
9. Long run with ultra group in Fruens Plantage. 26K?<br>
11 Ecstatic long run around Næstved. <br>
13 Ecstatic long run around Næstved. <br>
16 quick run (not much time) on YMCA treadmill. 2M@5% 12:03. PR, but untrustworthy treadmill, as it felt too easy.<br>
17 Long run on treadmill @8%. Made it to 12 miles (ie. Total of 14 miles). PR. We are going to Irvine!<br>
19 Something fast on treadmill<br>
21 5K@8% 20:38. 2M@5% 12:12 (PR)<br>
23 5K@8% 21:00. "4x800" 15:37<div>25 Long run on treadmill @8%. Made it to 15 miles. Felt good. Probably better pacing than previously</div><div>26 2 hours of skiing on Spirit Mountain</div><div>27 2x5K@8%. I forget the times. Weird neuropathic pain in left toes. </div><div>29 Ran with Christian on bike - Lakefront trail.</div><div>30 1 hour of skiing on Spirit Mountain (very warm; slow snow). Ran an hour with Christian on the bike - gorgeous day on the Lakefront trail. </div><div>31 4x800 15:54, 4x800 15:53</div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-29143517552498815562014-03-11T06:22:00.001-07:002014-03-12T00:15:37.435-07:00A Lofty Running Goal and "Crying Like a P*ssy"This is the story of how a scene from a movie is close to ruining my life.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Imagine your way back to suburban Copenhagen in the late 1980's. Life was good; my brother and I, along with our two best friends, Anders and Thomas, were inseparable. Anders and I had one teacher, who was a gay socialist and another who preached capitalism. One cheered for the Warsaw Pact and another for NATO. It was a simple time of riding bicycles, playing soccer and playing video games on our Commodore 16. It was a great time. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Our family had a color TV and a VCR. This was a big deal, since we only had one Danish and two Swedish TV channels and half the time, there was nothing but "intermission fish" on. Seriously, between shows, there were hour-long airings of fish swimming around. We had, perhaps, 15 VHS tapes (yes, thankfully our family skirted the dangers or buying a Betamax or Video 8). These 15 tapes were guarded like the family jewels. Recording a movie was a huge deal, because it meant erasing another movie. And some movies were too sacred to even consider erasing. These included the Peter Sellers Pink Panther movies and anything with the French comedian Louis de Funes. </div><div><br />
</div><div>But <i>the</i> movie was Trading Places with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. It was <i>the</i> rainy-day movie. The default movie we played, if we didn't feel like watching of any of the other 14 movies (the 240 minute VHS tapes were too fancy for our family, so generally one tape held one movie). I bet we watched that movie 500 times.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We were just starting to learn English in school, so the accents of Peters Sellers and Eddie Murphy had an inordinate effect on us. As did the expressions of certain characters; and this leads me to my potential downfall in life. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">In this one scene, Billy Ray Valentine (the character played by Eddie Murphy) is in jail. He is talking up a big game about how he was arrested, when another inmate says the following:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">"When they brought you in and booked you, you was cryin' like a pussy!"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Here is the scene:<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4WMErc1n6Ks?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Just like a an Ironman finisher is an open window to infections, so were our little, innocent minds open to make any cool-sounding expression "ours". And, that we did. It got to a point, where one could not simply cry or weep. In our circle of friends one could only "cry like a pussy". I think we thought it meant something like "cry like a wimp". Inexplicably, I can't actually remember if we knew what it meant. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">So now, many years later as a somewhat normal adult, I still can't say "cry" without biting my lip and repeating in my mind "don't say pussy", "don't say pussy". I also can't say "right over there" without tapping an imaginary car window and sounding like Eddie Murphy, but it's just not nearly as inflammatory a problem for me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">And my brother and dad have the same problem.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">So do we ever slip up, you ask? As in :</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">[hands someone a box of Kleenex], says "just let it out, ifit feels good. go ahead and cry like a pussy".</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">(Ok, that never happened)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">[my father, the CEO of Copenhagen's finest museum, speaks at our wedding, in English so the Girl's family can understand him], saying "I know I won't get through is speech without crying like a pussy". [Followed by a lot of hushed "what did he say"s]</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">(That did happen)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">[consoling Natali after one of her tearful goodbyes to my ex wife], saying "cheer up. This will be fun. You will see her in no time. 6 months will fly by; you will be so busy. Don't cry like a pussy"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">(I don't know if it happened, but Natti has heard us say it so many times, she just rolls her eyes)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">See? It's fascinating how swearing or using dirty words can seem so innocent, if you're doing it in a foreing language. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Well, today on my run, I did, indeed, cry like a pussy. I have had some great runs lately, and this one was a perfect mix of great legs, spring weather, great trails, well-timed caffeine and good music. It's well-known to my family that I cry a lot. Whatevs, real men cry at credit card commercials. But it's become a bit of joke - and the joke is on me. Just when some corny moment happens in a movie, Natali's little devilish tear-dar turns on, and she turns to look at me, "dad, are you crying?" I usually am.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">For me, it also means, if a long run does not include a good dose of shivers and tears, it hasn't been perfect.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">All right. What's the lofty running goal? Well, the goal is to make the first Danish trail ultra national team. The next IAU trail ultra worlds will be held in 2015 and it sounds like Denmark will send a team. The qualifying race may end up being Hammer Trail 50 miles next spring. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">It feels like I have been under-trained for years now, and still faking it up to 50K. Maybe it's time to fake it up to 50 miles. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">As I sit here, revelling in my glorious post-run high, I feel motivated to put in the necessary miles. And pretty much no matter where the Girl matches, I will have access to great trails. So there it is.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Now that I am over-sharing, let me tell you that I have become scarily buff and ripped. After a winter of skiing and strength training, I look like someone who could be the lead male in "Albino Baywatch". I mean, I am comparatively huge. I don't know if it will slow down my top-end speed. Time will tell. I think the old "track me" would feel self-conscious in a track singlet with shoulders and arms like mine, but there are definitely some ulra runners out there who are way more jacked than I am, and many who can run circles around me. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">By now, you're probably thinking "wtf", if you are young enough to think in alphabetisms. If you are older than the texting generation, you may be thinking words that I would not repeat, on a reputable blog like this. And, yes, as always I am prone to exaggeration, if not outright lies. And after a run like mine today, on a day like this, that tendency may more pronounced. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Did I mention that I had a good run today? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Picture a high-on-caffeine hairy, pinkish-white hulk blasting down a trail, crying like a pussy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br />
</span></div>Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-6479720090746689082014-03-04T06:38:00.000-08:002014-03-04T06:38:25.204-08:00Duluth, Denmark, Dungeons and DragonsWe are back in Denmark. It's warm and sunny and feels like, maybe not spring, but definitely like normal March. We are running on trails in woods that are just few days away from erupting into green. The kids are outside on playgrounds; Christian begs to bike around Susåen.<br />
<br />
Duluth, a place far South of here, is still locked in Actic air.<br />
<br />
I cannot believe how cold the Winter has been in Duluth. Duluthians love bragging about their cold winters, and we certainly heard plenty horror stories when we moved in last summer. But the relentless cold and wind have still been shocking and overwhelming. Too much, almost. From November until now, biking or going to a playground with the kids has been realistically impossible. It has not been a winter I care to live through again.<br />
<br />
When we moved to Duluth last summer, we weren't sure what kind of move it was. Was it for good? Was it just a place to stay while the Girl applied for residency? Maybe something in between?<br />
<br />
Six months later, it seems like Duluth will end up being a short-term home. The Girl finalized her match list last week and Duluth Family Medicine was not on there. Despite living there and me working at the hospital (and even sometimes teaching the residents), she didn't even get an interview. She may have been "over-qualified", but I think she would have considered taking a position, if one had been offered to her. It certainly would have made a lot of things easier in our lives.<br />
<br />
Minneapolis is the closest thing on the list to "home", which by now is an ill-defined area beween La Crosse, Duluth and Milwaukee. But it sits very low on the list; so low that matching there seems very unlikely.<br />
<br />
So where are we going, and when? Well, we don't know, but an educated guess would be either Utah or California. Both are pretty cool places, of course. We'll know on March 21st where we are going (and when; it could be this summer or the next). Being from flat, civilized, parcelled-out Denmark, I would be lying if I said I wasm't excited about moving to the mountains. Just imagine: home will be next to the Wasatch, Sierra Nevadas or California's coastal range mountains.<br />
<br />
The only problem is that these mountains are not exactly close to the kids in La Crosse. That part sucks, but there is no way around it; we'll just have to make the best of it. At least the kids will visit us in a cool place. I did try to convince Natali to come with us to California (if that's where we end up), but she wasn't buying it.<br />
<br />
She has gone through a major change since moving to America last summer. School in Denmark was 6 hours a day. There was maybe half an hour of homework at night, abd the rest was soccer, tv, friends, playing the guitar and whatever else she felt like. Now, she catches the school bus before 7 and is home at 4. She worries about papers and tests and grades; much more than is reasonable, in my opinion. She gets straight A's, so she is doing something right. It's just so all-consuming.<br />
<br />
I spent three days with Natali and Andreas. The boys were with the Girl in Denmark, so it was just me and the big kids. Andreas was excited about the weekend plans: Lego movie, Star Wars trilogy, pizza and board games. Natali looked like some angry princess of darkness and made it very clear that everything in her life would suck until Sunday afternoon arrived and she would be done spending time with me. Well, alrighty then.<br />
<br />
Thursday night, we went to the mall. Natali cheered up a little, even though she would not admit it. The mall is place the cool girls go to. It seems kind of old-fashioned to go to a mall to hang, but maybe the kids have gone full circle on that. She showed me her favorite books at Barnes and Noble. And that's when it happened: Andreas brought up Dungeons and Dragons and Natali seemed at least slightly interested in it. They had heard about the game but never played. I let it be known that I had been quite the dungeon master back in the day, and that we could certainly play a game if they wanted to.<br />
<br />
So we bought a rules and monsters encyclopedia and bought the special dice. We ordered pizza and started playing. Natali was a female wizard and Andreas was a young warrior. They teamed up with a master thief named Snake Plisken, they fought alongside a dwarf named Rufus, who was eventually petrified by an Obelisk. Andreas hired a young squire named Natali who, in an interesting twist, was a moody teenager like real-life Natali, but who fell deeply in love with Andreas' character.<br />
<br />
We played and we played, for two straight days. People came and went. Some died. Andreas briefly turned on Natali (with the help of Natali, his squire) and they were screaming at each other. Some rules were made up by me as we went along. On Sunday, they were both begging to stay with me for a few more hours and wailed over the fact that they would not see me in weeks.<br />
<br />
D&D: my secret weapon. Who knew?<br />
<br />Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-19354605597528892212014-02-23T18:44:00.001-08:002014-02-23T18:44:14.440-08:00February 2014 Running Log<br />
1-12 Ran every other day. Basically three workouts:<br />
- 2M@5%: starting @1%, increaing 0.5% every 200m. Running 1600-2000m @5%, the decreasing 0.5% per 100m (though running 200 for both 1% and 0.5%)<br />
- 5K@8%: same as above, except only running 2800-3000@8% before decreasing. 1% and 0.5% each for 300m.<br />
- "Progressive long run". Each mile faster than 7:30 mins. Starting at 2%, increasing 1% every 200m, then after 1200m, slow down to 6.2 MPH for 0.01M X number of miles (ie. losing more time every mile). Next 200m (what's left of it) at 1% and last 200 @ 0.5%. The run ends when I fail to hit 7:30 per mile.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">13 2x5K 22:30</span><br />
14 Skied Spirit Mountain<br />
15 long run<br />
16 long ski in Hixon and on Gold course<br />
18 skied 7 loops in Hixon + Golf course in La Crosse. Fast.<br />
19 Long run @8%. Break at 6.2 MPH speed, increasing. Made it to 11 miles.<br />
20 skied 3 loops in Lester (fast as hell; fun as hell)<br />
21 2 x 2M@5% 12:21 and 12:15 (PR)<br />
22 no skiing - trails were ungroomed (very disappointed)<br />
23 5K@8% 22:02, 5 min break, 2M@5% 12:38Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-11219145368721839062014-01-06T08:45:00.001-08:002014-01-06T15:05:32.493-08:00My 2013 year of running in reviewWhen I look back at this year, I realize how little I race these days. The exception was the fall trail series, here in Duluth, but we will get to that.<br />
<br />
March: Fyr til Fyr 60K. Lots of asphalt. Did ok until 5K to go, when the cramps came and I had to walk it in.<br />
<br />
May: Mallorca Half Ironman. Terrifying swim. Fun race. Half marathon in 1:21. We think it was a little short.<br />
<br />
All summer: I was in ok shape, but DID NOT RUN A SINGLE RACE! Not sure why. It was just a busy time. The Girl raced a lot and I was watching the kids a lot. No, I did run a slow, tactical 5K in Fælledparken (in mid 17s, I think). Three old guys surging and drafting and then finally sprinting, in a tiny 5K. It doesn't get better than that.<br />
<br />
And then there was Winforce 100K. Finally a straight up tough trail race in Denmark. Not run at night or up and down a rock face on Bornholm. An actual "runner's" trail ultra in Denmark. 100K is not my distance but I thought if I started really slowly, then just maybe... But no. I started slowly, started feeling good, sped up maybe a little too much, and then foundered. Interestingly, my downfall was nausea. The Girl, a budding authority in ultra medicine, informs me that nausea is the most common cause of ultra dropouts. Who knew?<br />
<br />
Then we moved to Duluth and we discovered the Minnesota Track Club Fall Trail Series. I had a slowly declining fitness curve over the fall and went from second place to barely top 10 over the course of the series. Goal for the spring: a win.<br />
<br />
In October, we ran the Glacial Trails 50 (kilometers for me; miles for the Girl). Surprisingly, I won in 3:56 without having any leg issues at all. That came in the middle of declining form in the trail series, so it really came as a surprise.<br />
<br />
I am not sure what this year will bring. My 7on/7off schedule makes it easy to run a lot of miles - every other week. By default, I will be forced to run every other week short and fast; there's not much I can do about it. I have always liked intense workouts anyway.<br />
<br />
We will both run Chippewa this spring. If this weather continues, I will not have run a single step on the trails before Chippewa but, again, there's not really anything I can do about it. Beyond that, I have no specific goals. I will certainly do a lot of the short trail races in Duluth and then once again I will try (and once again suck at) Voyageur in July.<br />
<br />
But come on. We don't even know if we are going to be in Duluth, Baltimore, California or Salt Lake City this fall. There are plenty of trail races to choose from out there.<br />
<br />
<br />Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-13446837137309285942013-12-19T16:39:00.001-08:002013-12-19T16:42:32.784-08:00An angst-ridden Christmas postHi all,<br />
<br />
It's been a wild few months for our family.<br />
<br />
I like my job; if not, something would have snapped a long time ago. Christian likes school, and El Guapo smiles when he sees his daycare in the morning. Christian has been able to keep his two languages apart, so he is now officially bilingual. El Guapo not so much. He shouts out commands in Danish, peppered with a few No's and Thank You's.<br />
<br />
The Girl has been more away than home, so that's taking a toll on everyone. Going to interviews for residency is exciting, when you are a senior medical student. I think she is excited, sure, but mostly she wants the process over and her name in a great program.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to the tragedy that is my life. The big kids only come up to visit every four weeks. I miss them terribly, especially Natali. I don't miss living in Denmark particularly. Well, no, I am actually surprised by how much I miss Denmark, but it's something I can live with. What I really miss is being with Natali. I miss cleaning the kitchen after the boys are asleep, while she plays her guitar for me. I miss her quirky opinions on everything.<br />
<br />
She has really shut me out. Not that I would know for sure, but I think she is strugglng hard to find her place in cutthroat middle school. Her focus is on getting good grades, stayng skinny (too much focus on that) and becoming popular. Seeing me is is not a distraction from this life, as much as a setback. My ex wife is not making this easy, either, but she has her own stressors (again, not that I really know).<br />
<br />
<br />
It just hurts to think about that just 6 months ago, I would wake her up in the morning, find her favorite clothes from the (usually clean) laundry, discuss her day and her problems until the moment she would fall asleep. It was probably the part of my life. I say probably, because I really have no idea. If I suddenly had to live without the Girl or one of the boys, it might be even worse.<br />
<br />
The Girl applied to programs mainly in the midwest and then a few very prestigious programs on the coasts. Everyne does that, thinking "wow, what if I got an interview at Johns Hopkins". It looked like I was finally going to live close to the kids. Her programs included University of Wisconsin and Medical College of Wisconsin, her two alma maters.<br />
<br />
But it wouldn't be my life, if things were that simple. These relatively "easy" programs have not offered her interviews. But all the "hey, let's appply there" programs on the coasts have invited her. Her list of interviews includes all the PM&R powerhouses. We are not sure why it''s so, but we imagine her research background is a bigger plus at the top programs. But only one that would bring the world's fastest hematologist closer to his kids. That one is University of Minnesota.<br />
<br />
Her match is March 12th. We are very, very nervous about it. You have to go where the Match tells you.<br />
<br />
<br />Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-92132031843193487442013-09-10T10:07:00.004-07:002013-09-10T10:07:56.641-07:00I'm racing again!Life has been hectic, to say the least. The running has been great. We are still exploring Duluth's many trails.<br />
<br />
The Girl ran (and won) the Superior Sawtooth 50 mile race. She will have a report up soon, I think. I had to work, unfortunately, but it sounds like a fun race. Alicia, who is an expert of extreme ultras, has her report <a href="http://aliciasrunningandracing.blogspot.com/">here</a>. She has the Arrowhead 135 Mile women's record and fastest known time on the entire 442 km Superior Hiking Trail (although I believe the trail was a little shorter when she set the record).<br />
<br />
The Girl's win was a pleasant surprise, although not completely unexpected. She also set a PR of 18:49 at a 5K in Oconomowoc. In running, you can't compare the quality of two such efforts, but an 18:49 is quite an achievement. In this day and age, where longer always seems to be better, a lot of even semi-serious runners are not familar with quality times in the classic long distances. Well, 18:49 is fast. And I believe she will improve from there. She is running interval times indicating low 18s.<br />
<br />
I ran a 16:11 at the same race, so I'm getting into decent shape. The race consisted of long, boring straights of asphalt with a few hills. Yes, boring.<br />
<br />
Last Wednesday, I got to run a trail race in Lester Park. It's part of a trail series in and around Duluth that lasts all fall. There are races almost every week, actually. It's been a long time since I had so much fun racing. It's 3 loops of mildly technical trails with lots of ups and downs. Each loop goes mostly up for a mile and then back down for another mile.<br />
<br />
The warm-up area teemed with fast-looking younger men. A few guys ran in spikes! Many ran shirtless, which is always certain to make me feel old. My hairy, pale torso is not and never will be acceptable for public display.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aNpYuoiRyec/Ui9KerDlFWI/AAAAAAAAAXs/5lhQQBGKGXk/s1600/IMG_0370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aNpYuoiRyec/Ui9KerDlFWI/AAAAAAAAAXs/5lhQQBGKGXk/s320/IMG_0370.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
What a cool race. Up and down, twists and turns; never a dull moment. I felt ok on the climbs and had a hard time holding on on the downhills. That's always the case with me.<br />
<br />
Coming through after lap 1:<br />
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<br />
That's Chris Rubesch, who is a top ultra runner. Chris played no tactical games and just ran his own race, leading out the pack the first mile. The eventual winner, Gage and Adam are up ahead.<br />
<br />
After lap 2:<br />
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<br />
We had caught Adam. The three of us ran a lap together..<br />
<br />
And at the finish: (not exactly a toe striker, eh?):<br />
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<br />
I was able to sneak away on the last long uphill. And by sneak away, I mean red-lining it, while my legs were simultaneously numb and burning with lactic acid. When I got to the top, I had maybe 20 seconds on Chris and Adam (and at this time Erik Elmstrand was catching them). The downhill was a crazy all-out sprint, hoping to stay on my feet. Thankfully, they didn't catch me. Results <a href="http://www.northlandrunner.com/run?page=RaceResults&listingId=6431">here</a>. Did I mention it was a fun race? Tomorrow is the next race in the series. Since the Girl is still sore from her 50 miler, she will watch the kids and I get to run this one, too!<br />
<br />
I should write about Christian starting school and Mattias saying "Mommy" for the first time, but that's another time and another post.Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-65764553830546211202013-08-24T00:58:00.000-07:002013-08-24T00:58:13.671-07:00July 2013 Running LogNot sure of the first part.<br />
8 Long run on trails<br />
10 Hilly run in Willingen, Germany. Then a jog with my brother.<br />
12 Gorgeous mountain run in Kappl. Maybe 20K<br />
13 6K hill climb before hiking with the fam<br />
14 Another mountain run, around 20K<br />
15 10K downhill run mountain after getting lost hiking<br />
17 <br />
Ran a lot of perimeter <br />
Not sure of the rest. Mostly unstructured fartlek-type stuff on trails.Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-49272808759989837402013-08-19T15:06:00.002-07:002013-08-21T03:03:42.304-07:00Winforce 100K - Race ReportThe Girl was volunteering as race doctor, which got me in for free. Winforce 100 is a very hilly, but mostly non-technical trail race. A 50K on that course would fit me very well. Next year, Christian Madsen, the RD, may add a 50K option. This year, for me, it was running the race or watching the kids all day, so I figured I would run 2 or 3 laps.<br />
<br />
The route is 4 gorgeous loops of 25K. They Girl ran the first loop with me, before tending to potential heart attacks and what not. The course starts out with a difficult 2K on the beach, through dunes, seaweed etc.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FjMk6wjgdc4/UhSMsVE5h7I/AAAAAAAAAXE/YmdWa232QKM/s1600/1149359_10151846304594804_1146133119_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FjMk6wjgdc4/UhSMsVE5h7I/AAAAAAAAAXE/YmdWa232QKM/s320/1149359_10151846304594804_1146133119_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Then it opens up into a nice, albeit windy, 3K section along the ocean. It's a little sandy on this section but otherwise quite runnable. After this, one gets 5K of very runnable forest singletrack. Then a long section of "Scotland", ie. hills and more hills with sheep and ocean vistas. There are two short out-and-backs, which is really nice. It doesn't feel as lonely as some ultras.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xAx7MaINlVk/UhSMvsWD7fI/AAAAAAAAAXM/3vy18jbLDmY/s1600/1097898_10151846321129804_131528220_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xAx7MaINlVk/UhSMvsWD7fI/AAAAAAAAAXM/3vy18jbLDmY/s320/1097898_10151846321129804_131528220_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Did we start out slowly? It's hard to say, as everyone ran severely positive splits. We ran the first 25K in 2:30, somewhere in the middle of the pack. That pace, ie. 10 hour pace, would easily have won the race, even though it felt desperately slow compared to the front runners. So I don't know; how does one race an ultra? Do you take walking breaks, even when your legs are fresh? Do you slow down to below comfortable cruising pace?<br />
<br />
On the second loop, I started moving up through the field. Or rather, people started coming back to me. I may have run a little faster on the second loop, but not much. By the end of the second loop (50K in a little less than 5 hours, I think), I felt really good.<br />
<br />
I hadn't really expected that I would run the 100K but at the halfway point, I felt very good and was even considering my chances of finishing on the podium. The Girl was telling me how good I looked and seemed genuinely excited to see me do well. At 55K, I was in third place with music playing and emotions running high. I ran all the runnable stuff fairly fast.<br />
<br />
Then things started to unravel. The sun had come out and it was getting really hot. I started to feel nauseated and dizzy. I thought seriously about trying to throw up, but I didn't want to lose the fluids, and I didn't think it would make me feel better. It seems like the stars of ultrarunning can throw up at will; maybe that's something I have to work on.<br />
<br />
Anyway. I have never felt that miserable in a race. I have sucked at ultras many times, but it's always been my legs. I have gotten used to feeling relatively fresh until my legs suddenly cramp up. Kind of like relaxing in your car and suddenly you have a flat tire. Saturday was different. I felt so sick and miserable, whereas my legs felt fairly good. A few times, I had the wherewithal to ask of myself why exactly I couldn't just run faster (to get it it over with, I guess), and the answer was simply that I felt more sick, dizzy and disoriented every time I sped up. At 65K or so, I was passed by Maibritt, who would later win for the women. She told me she felt horrible, and I figured I could tag onto her for a while.<br />
<br />
I would run an inner data analysis to figure out just why it felt so bad to run her pace. We were probably going 10 minute miles or slower, but I just couldn't hang on. Gawd, I felt bad.<br />
<br />
At 70K, I asked Moses Lovstad, of Danish trail running fame, how to deal with nausea. His official answer was "Coke works for everything", but the way he looked at me, his real answer read more like "drop out and go sit in the shade for a while".<br />
<br />
When I got in after the third lap, I still thought about continuing. I was in third place for the men and fourth place overall, and rumor had it there were decent prizes for top 3. The race doctor paid me some special attention and I drank maybe 2 liters of Coke. I didn't feel any better. I sat for a while contemplating my options, when the fourth place guy, Fabricio, came in. He looked very smooth and composed, and it felt like there was no way in the universe I could keep up with him.<br />
<br />
So I dropped out. And good thing I did, because the next 3 hours were spent sitting miserably in the car, sometimes sleeping for a few minutes, sometimes debating whether I could open the door and lean out before throwing up.<br />
<br />
What a miserable experience.<br />
<br />
I don't know why I keep trying these ultras. I have promised myself that I won't run another ultra (50Ks don't count, of course) until Voyageur next year.<br />
<br />
A big thanks to Christian Madsen for making a race like this happen. I would recommend this race to everyone. I was impressed at how he seemed to know exactly where the runners were on the course, especially after nightfall, when the field was so spread out. The course markings were excellent, especially considering the two potentially confusing out-and-backs.Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-30237098953917219142013-07-27T05:09:00.000-07:002013-07-27T05:09:21.709-07:00June Running Log1-3 Something in Chicago<br />
4 Checking out Duluth. 20K, some in Chester Park. Good stuff.<br />
5: Two runs, maybe 8K total around Duluth<br />
7: 6K with Andreas on bike trails<br />
9: 1.5 hours in Hixon and HPT. Yes!<br />
12: 2 hours on HPT. Yes!<br />
13-17: Can't remember.<br />
18: Two Suså loops. Felt tired.<br />
20: Quick break from watching kids. 10 x pinetum in 20:40. Not bad at all, actually. I think 12 seconds off PR<br />
22: 45 minutes with the boys and then 3x perimeter loop. Thanks, Natti!<br />
23 Lots of running with the turds in the jogger. Maybe total 16K<br />
25: 3 x perimeter loop fast.<br />
Don't remember the restFast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-13022456056072409092013-06-25T10:37:00.002-07:002013-06-25T10:37:35.955-07:00How do single parents do it?I'm coming up on two weeks of being alone with the kids. Natali is 12 and is a great help, so she doesn't really count as a kid, but the boys are 1 and 5, so they almost count for three kids.<br />
<br />
Oh. My. God. What gets me the most is that I am "on call" 24-7. When El Guapo wakes up and wanders around the apartment in the middle of the night; when he poops in the tub; when Christian pours a cup of sand onto the floor from his shoes; when they are thirsty, hungry, sad, tired. When they miss their mom.<br />
<br />
My mom has come by a few times to help, and Natali is a great support. With them, it's a very unenviable life, and without them, barely feasible. I have worked with colleagues, doctors and otherwise, who are single parents, and they tend to have lots and lots of sick days. I fully understand why. There is just no respite from single parenthood.<br />
<br />
At night, when it's all over and the kids are sleeping like little angels, I stand there for a while and congratulate myself on making it through another day. Then I cross off an imaginary day on the countown-to-the-Girl calendar. And then I sneak off to pick up the apartment, fill the dishwasher, fold laundry, write a few emails. When I get back to bed, the little slugs have rotated 1200 degrees around the bed. Picking them up is like lifting anti-matter. If I am able to push them apart, they slither back toward the center of the bed like heat-seeking missiles. I end up squeezing myself in between the two pink, mouth-breathing eels.<br />
<br />
But it's not all bad. Christian has, surprisingly, stepped up to the situation. He gets up first thing in the morning; not after encouragement followed by orders, followed by screaming, followed by poking, followed by carrying a newly caught Alaskan salmon out of the bed. No, he gets up and walks into the bathroom to have his teeth brushed. It's like he knows I'm stressed out and that messing with me is not a good idea.<br />
<br />
Then, he carries the two Nutella rolls down to the bike trailer and feeds one to Mattias. He even makes sure Mattias doesn't drop the roll. At night, he behaves really well and had helped me scold Mattias a few times. I am very impressed.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Natali is going through emotional hell. It's her last week in school, so she is saying goodbye to her friends of four years. She is most likely never coming back here, and up until lately, she pretended to be fine with that. Then a few nights ago, she said that coming back here for 7th grade wouldn't be too bad. Of course she is nervous; she is starting middle school in La Crosse in two months, poor thing. She is saying goodbye to her entire life here. Her cavelike room, with her guitar, drawings and Beatles posters, is forever to be abandoned.<br />
<br />
I struggle with this. Being around Natti every day speaks to me on such a deep primate level. Seeing the world through her eyes is such a privilege; I am 100% in denial of the fact that it's coming to an end.<br />
<br />
Moving to Duluth is exciting, of course. Make no mistake. I found a good job there. Nay, a great job, that I can't wait to start. I have always loved Duluth and the thought of starting a life from scratch there is tantalizing.<br />
<br />
Two more months and it's for real. For good and for bad.<br />
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<br />Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-64154727690362200952013-06-25T10:01:00.001-07:002013-06-25T10:01:45.958-07:00May 2013 Running Log1: Not sure<br />
3: Not sure<br />
5: Faxeløbet, 8.4K. First place.<br />
7: Perimeter trail<br />
8: Slow spin<br />
9: 100K bike ride.<br />
10: 10K running back and forth. 4 of those with Natti.<br />
11: Half Ironman Mallorca. Another 8K jog, half with Natti.<br />
12: Slow spin with the Girl. Water park fun.<br />
13: 150K mountain ride. 4K with Natti.<br />
14: 80K mountain ride. 4K with Natti.<br />
16: 12K in woods. Heavy, weird feeling legs.<br />
18: Long run in woods. Felt good.<br />
19: 3K with Natti, Chooey and my dad.<br />
20: 25K: 10K with the boys in the jogger. Then 2 perimeter loops and 5 hill loops. Great legs.<br />
22: Horrible rain. 3 miles on the treadmill fast. Then 8K in the woods, moderate pace. Felt a little worn.<br />
23: 5K with the boys in the jogger<br />
24: 5K with the boys in the jogger<br />
26: Intervals pacing the Girl through 5 x 1000m<br />
27: 7K around North Lake<br />
28: 12K slow Chicago Lakefront<br />
30: 16K Chicago Lakefront<br />
<br />Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-84106222541540625992013-05-22T12:02:00.001-07:002013-05-22T12:02:26.901-07:00The Runner's Survival Guide to the Half Ironman (do as I say, not as I do)This race report is very after-the-fact. But will I care when I look back at this in 5 years, will I care? No.<br />
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We raced the Thomas Cook Ironman 70.3 last weekend on Mallorca. I have done maybe 10 smaller triathlons and I felt <i>they</i> required annoyingly complicated check-in procedures: bike checks, helmet checks, setting up your transition area hours before race start, and then waiting forever in your wetsuit. <i>This</i> race had 3500 participants and we must have spent a total of 5 hours waiting in lines, listening to briefings, getting our chips, checking in bikes etc. I will admit that everything was very smooth once the race got going, but I don't think I will do a triathlon that big anytime soon.<br />
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The Swim<br />
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The dreaded swim... Everyone on our team knew how worried I was about the swim. They all swam in the ocean in the mornings and would come back with stories about the enormous size of the waves and Portuguese man-o-wars. My wetsuit is in the US, but luckily I was able to borrow a suit from our club chairwoman. She is a little shorter than me and, of course, more female than me. However, the wetsuit fit really well. Actually, it fit better than my own overpriced Orca wetsuit.<br />
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I would advise runners like myself to warm up. I have done this a few times in triathlons and it really helps avoid that feeling of panic. Well, I warmed up, waited for a half hour in a corral and the start went. I kept thinking, "don't panic, don't panic". I walked in slowly, hyperventilated a little and prepared for oceanic tranquility. 10 seconds later it felt like being inside a school of eels, all nibbling at my heels and stroking my back and hair. And I panicked. I sat up, treading water, waiting for almost everyone to swim past.<br />
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In the end, it wasn't so bad. I was able to crawl the majority of it. There were a few swimmers like myself, way off the back, some breaststroking it all the way, almost as fast as I could crawl. My time was 44 minutes; I was worried about making it under the cutoff of 70 minutes. So relax, runners. There is plenty of time to get the swim done.<br />
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Coming out of the water felt very, very good. At least I had made it that far. Several clubmates were cheering me along. On the way up to the bikes, I saw someone had dropped their swim cap. They are pretty cool-looking cap with Ironman logos etc. So I grabbed it, which many spectators found very amusing.<br />
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The Bike<br />
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This is how one should dress: Baggy running shorts and a SpongeBob cycling jersey. I had nothing else along, so that's what I wore. It was a very, very wise choice. Leaving the transition zone, the stern-looking guy, who makes sure you don't clip in until after the red line, pointed at me and screamed "Bob Esponza! Bob Esponza!" I must have gotted cheers from over 200 volunteers, racers, spectators and kids otherwise bored with watching people zip by on their $10,000 tri bikes.<br />
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I suddenly fancied myself very cool. Like I was doing a half Ironman but not really caring too much about it.<br />
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I am not a particularly strong biker on the flats and I was on a rented road bike without an aero bar. So I was slow. I got passed by tons of people from later start waves. Everyone wore their numbers on the backs, so I could see the name, country and age group of everyone who passed me.<br />
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I took it easy and waited for the big climb. Ah, how I love to climb on a bike! Runners, if you are new to triathlons, you will most likely feel slow on the flats but surprisingly fast on the climbs. Being lighter than your typical triathlete is part of it, but even the weight can't explain the phenomenon. There are people from my club who are such strong bikers that I can't even hold their wheels in a pace group. Yet I am able to drop them on the climbs. Ok, so I have done countless hill repeats up Granddad bluff in La Crosse, so climbing is something I have trained, as opposed to tempoing on the flats. Anyway, after feeling like Superman up the hill, I resumed feeling like Bob Esponza for the flat second part of the route.<br />
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Runners, please realize that no-draft triathlons are all about cheating! People draft, and no one cares. One French gentleman in his 50's named Yves had absolutely no body hair, or regard for the rules. He rode the entire way less than a foot away from the next rider. Except of course when he heard a motorcycle coming up, in which case he sat up and drank a bottle, making it appear that he had just been passed. Most other people drafted a little here and there. But think about it: If 3500 people are supposed to ride 10 meters away from the next rider, that's a 35K peloton. So that's not realistic. Trains of elites on expensive aero bikes blew by, obvisously having formed little pace groups.<br />
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Interestingly, it seemed like the Challenge people during Challenge Copenhagen that the Girl did were way more strict. There, one guy got thrown out of the race for public urination - 2K before the finish of an ironman!<br />
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Anyway, runners, please know that a little cheating is expected.<br />
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The Run.<br />
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Runners, even if you didn't draft, running with triathletes <i>will</i> feel like you're cheating. After feeling like a novice for hours, now it's your time to shine. I was lucky to have really good legs. Sometimes, it takes a few K to warm up, but I felt like I jumped straight into a good pace. The transition zone was half a mile long, though, so walking my bike for minutes may have warmed up my running legs a little; who knows? Oh my gawd, running was fun. I ran the half marathon in 1:22, feeling super smooth the whole way. I stopped to fuel often, as I worried about bonking, but the whole race felt almost easier than a normal half marathon.<br />
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Of course, all the faster triathletes were all off the course by the time I started running. But still. Most triathletes are very tired when they get to the run. I passed people continuously, the entire time. Not a single person passed me and only one single person tried to hold on for maybe 10 seconds. So, runner, you will feel superhuman during the run, and it makes the indignity of swimming and biking well worth it. <br />
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The Girl had an awesome race, especially considering her 100 miler the week before. My time was 5:33 and hers was 5:53. That amounts to "relative chicking" or "relative wifing" in our lingo. Usually, relative chicking happens when I am less than one minute per mile faster than her, but it doesn't translate well to triathlons. Anyway, I was relatively chicked (and simply chicked, actually, by many, many women). I was even chicked on the run, as one woman ran it in 1:18. Whatever. Like Bob Esponza even cares.<br />
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Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-9321900290277191132013-05-04T08:25:00.001-07:002013-05-04T08:25:42.737-07:00Going Nuts "Watching" the Girl's 100 Mile RaceShe should be done within an hour. I'm not saying that running would have been easier, but "watching" all the updates for over 24 hours has been crazy. I couldn't sleep last night, imagining all kinds of misfortune on the very technical trails around "the Hammer". <br />
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Scratch that. She is in:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8bJkH_cwlKI/UYUnwuvU0PI/AAAAAAAAAWc/fhketNcfUYI/s1600/TracyHammer2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8bJkH_cwlKI/UYUnwuvU0PI/AAAAAAAAAWc/fhketNcfUYI/s320/TracyHammer2.jpg" /></a><br />
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She looks as good as after 20 hours.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iCH_6tEHxcI/UYUnzj_jiFI/AAAAAAAAAWk/-lava5uj_OE/s1600/Tracyhammer1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iCH_6tEHxcI/UYUnzj_jiFI/AAAAAAAAAWk/-lava5uj_OE/s320/Tracyhammer1.jpg" /></a> <br />
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I didn't think it was possible to just jump into a 100 miler and finish, so I am more than impressed. First and only woman. Only second woman to ever finish this notoriously difficult race. I am so proud!<br />
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I ran my own race today. In beautiful weather, the Firkløvermarathon was run here in Næstved, on our local trails. I was actually hoping for a fast time, loosely aiming for 1:16 to 1:18. The legs felt ok, but the time was 1:22. The course is known to be long, but it still doesn't translate to less than a 1:20. The second-place guy ran a 1:29 and was hoping for a 1:20, so maybe the course was tougher than we thought. There were constant turns and little, so one had to accelerate back up to speed very frequently. <br />
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A win is a win, and there were many friends there running and wathcing. Still, the time is disappointing. Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-32499912931681764752013-04-29T13:41:00.002-07:002013-04-29T13:41:59.122-07:00Spring Peak or The Age of Homer SimpsonI always seem to get a little spring peak. Despite my hamstring tear this winter, I seem to have preserved enough base. Bring out the good weather, and suddenly I am feeling fast. Last week, I had one of those effortless runs, where everything clicks, and I know I am about as fast as I have ever been. <br />
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This Saturday, I ran Faxeløbet, barely beating Kenneth Kirkeby in a sprint finish up a steep hill. Kenneth is a little faster than me and would certainly beat me 9 out of 10 times in a time trial, but for some reason I have managed to end up slightly ahead of him a few times these last few years. Saturday, he felt faster on the flats, whereas I felt faster on the technical sections and up the last, steep hill. <br />
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The Girl is unsure of what she wants to do with her season. She went into the season thinking it would be all about speedwork, working toward a marathon PR. But she seems to excacerbate her mysterious injuries every time she runs long than a 10K on the roads. She did really well at Fyr to Fyr 60K. She was only 6 minutes behind Pia Joan Sørensen, who ran a 100K in 8:36. So she is in good shape, but without a focus. <br />
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In two weeks, we are both doing the Mallorca half Ironman. And by doing, I mean "hoping to survive". I don't have my usual wetsuit, so I am borrowing a female suit that's too small for me. The swim is half a mile into the deep, black, windy, shark-infested Mediterranean. Serisouly, I don't know if I can compose myself through something like that. <br />
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So. Do you know how old Homer Simpson is? I didn't until a few months ago, but I assumed he was older than me. He seems to have worked the same dead-end job for years. He is balding and overweight and his best days seem to be behind him. He just seems old, right?<br />
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Well, he is 38. When I turned 38 a few months ago, Natti was quick to point out that I was now as old as Homer Simpson. And why wouldn't I be as old as him? My kids are older than the Simpson kids. Moving between continents frantically doesn't stop the clock, apparently. I am sure Homer has more money saved up for retirement. His house is probably worth more than our entire savings, retirement and otherwise. <br />
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Sometimes, my gloominess can depress even myself. Like Natti once said, "yeah, dad, but it doesn't mean it was a good movie, because you cry at the end of every movie!". Natti is quietly watching our moving plans for this fall unfold. She is way too cool to come out and say that she wants us nearby, but I could tell that she didn't like it when we were talking about moving to Colorado. She is in such a self-conscious, insecure phase now. Her problems are mostly imaginary, but even the imaginary ones are beyond my control. I try to listen to her and offer my advice, which always go along the lines of either "everyone is insecure, especially pre-teens" or "relax and enjoy the ride. You'll be gone before you know it". <br />
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Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-30949766803813779592013-04-29T13:01:00.002-07:002013-04-29T13:01:51.369-07:00April 2013 Running Log1: 14K in woods<br />
3: Great workout on the treadmill. Ran 14 x 1K at pace escalating from 3:50 to 3:15<br />
6: 60K Fyr til Fyr. 5:25. Felt ok, but cramped up at 55K. <br />
7: 3K jog with the Girl. Actually felt quite good. <br />
8: 3K with Natti<br />
11: 14K in woods<br />
13: Two perimeter loops. 3K with Natti.<br />
14: Two perimeter loops. Left achilles hurt. <br />
20: I'm back, baby! Speedy perimeter loops. Felt great.<br />
21: Longish run. <br />
23: Fartleks in the woods.<br />
25: Long "picnic" run with the boys in the jogger. Probably 18K or so. <br />
27: Faxeløbet. 8.2K, one big hill, 30:45. Won.<br />
28: 7K with the boys in the jogger. <br />
30: Long run with the boys, running Christian to soccer. Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-30426262419326165262013-03-24T03:07:00.003-07:002013-03-24T03:07:58.847-07:00Another month has flown byThe running is getting better. I am still worried about running at all-out speeds, but my training is high quality. Compared to last year, I am a fat, old man, but at least there is no summer of 100 degree weather around the corner, so maybe I can find the summer peak I missed out on last year. Still, it's hard to imagine that I ran a 15:55 5K and won Chippewa just one year ago. I am at least 5 pounds overweight, to the point where Natali skillfully grabs my fat rolls to measure my progress. <br />
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This Thursday, we are racing Skærtorsdagsløbet here in Næstved. If it wasn't on our local trails, I wouldn't even consider running it. It has decent money prizes, but I don't even know if I can place in the top 3 in the 10K (which is the least competitive race). The Girl is on a crazy roll. Right now, she is probably setting her PR in a race up in Copenhagen. I imagine she will go sub-40 for the first time in a 10K. And that's coming off a 100K high-tempo week, without any taper. In fact, I don't think she has told her coach about this race. <br />
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Life is a uncertain as ever. Too uncertain to describe here, even. <br />
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We had a wonderful week skiing in Austria. Easily one of the best weeks of my life. Skiing is such a well-defined mini world, where kids progress so quickly. I was able to ski very challenging runs with Christian and Natali, feeling as a cohesive unit. The Girl's parents came all the way from Wisconsin to spend the week with us, my brother's family and my parents. Truly a unique experience. Both granddads are very able-bodied, strong skiers, so the inter-generational bonding was strong on the mountain. The grandmas took care of Mattias and his 3-year old cousin Ayla. <br />
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One day, we got stuck in some of the thickest fog that I have ever seen. There was no wind, so we could hear each other quite well, but visibility was only a few feet. The Girl's dad, Christian, Natali and I stuck ridiculously close together, progressing slowly down the mountain. We went off course into deep snow once, and had to walk back to the official run. It was scary and fun at the same time. A great team building experience. <br />
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The Beatles dominated the trip. Natali has gotten very good on the guitar, and she would entertain every night during our after-ski sessions. She is in a Beatles phase right now, just as I was 25 years ago. I remeber liking With The Beatles, Please Please Me and Help. Slowly, I accepted the weirder stuff on Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sergeant Pepper's etc. Natali has gone through the same thing. Everything was a beatles reference, every other sentence being sung to a Beatles tune. <br />
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My favorite moment came when Christian was making it past a group of Germans, half jumping, half skating on his tiny skis, on a little flat section. Without thinking, he loudly exclaimed "Hey, Bungalow Bill!" at the top of his lungs. Across language and cultural barriers, a little boy on skis, singing Bungalow Bill will bring out smiles all around.<br />
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The trip back was bittersweet. I have grown so close to Natali that the thought of not living with her after this summer is unbearable. She loved skiing and whenever the conversation turned to "where are we going next year?", she grew quiet. It's almost unthinkable that last week will end up being the only one of its kind. <br />
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Months ago, I told her the medley on Abbey Road was the best music ever made. She didn't believe me, rolling her eyes and strumming "I Should Have Known Better" on her guitar. Well, she has come around. Coming back from Germany, Abbey Road was the album we had saved for the very last drive into Næstved, both of us singing along to the entire album (except I Want You (She is so Heavy), of course). <br />
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Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944565050755801503.post-18301761618605137262013-03-24T02:20:00.000-07:002013-03-24T02:20:20.369-07:00February 2013 Running Log<br />
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2: treadmill<br />
3: 15K in snow<br />
5: fast treadmill<br />
7: Felt really good on the treadmill. Pulled hamstring again (as in December doing fast intervals uphill. Stupid.<br />
9: 10K in snow. Pulled my hamstring again!<br />
10: Alpe d'Huez<br />
11: 3K jog + stairs<br />
12: Alpe d'Huez PR<br />
13: 3K jog and stairs in the hospital<br />
14: Alpe d'Huez broke on the simulator. Did Col d'Aspin instead. 5K jog<br />
15: 3K jog<br />
16: 21K (11 with the Girl and 4 with Natti) <br />
17: 8K + Col d'Aspin<br />
18: 3K jog<br />
19: 18K moderate pace. Felt good. Hamstring held up well. <br />
21: 17K. 10K in various efforts on the treadmill. Afraid to go faster than 10 mph due to hamstring, but otherwise it feels ok.<br />
22: 3K jog<br />
23: 5K Parkfun, some with Natti, some alone. Felt like I was going around low 17s 5K pace, almost all out, and the hamstring held up. <br />
24: 22K with the Girl. Hard hill repeats around Næstved. Good stuff. <br />
Don't remember the rest<br />
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Fast Bastard - World's Fastest Hematologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439674206797439620noreply@blogger.com1