I almost left without the wind breaker and that would killed the run. It was a little windy and cold. It was 33 degrees when I set out. 2 miles from my house to the bike path. Then it was 8 miles running on bike trails with tree cover almost the entire way. I consumed 2 gels and about 40 oz of water. Mentally I was in great shape when I stopped for a sports drink and to use the bathroom. I was at 10 miles. I was there about 15 minutes before I set out of again.

The next 10 miles where going to be hard. I was freezing again after my break. Took a good mile before I was warm from my sweat and body heat. I hit the wall at mile 13 as I was expecting. I started to walk imagining I was taking the wall down brick by brick. I also ate a Snickers bar to keep the energy up. I was running around a lake at this point and the wind had to be 10 degrees colder. By mile 15 I was well past the Raccoon River area and starting the last 5-6 miles up a slow gradual hill. It hurt bad by this point. I power walked a few times up some of the short gravel hills. I was happy to be on gravel at this point. My ankles and knees were feeling the pounding that my 200+ body was doing to my legs. Upper legs felt great and at no time did cardio come into play. I was singing most of the way as my iPhone pumped out the jams.

At mile 17 I had to cross a freeway under construction. I got my shoes so caked with mud that it felt like someone has switch out my Nike Free Runs with cinder blocks. I had to stop and clear off the mud. Back to pounding the pavement as I entered subdivisions well into my 17th mile. At times I guess I did kind a fartlek as I ran at a decent pace then backed off. I’d pick objects out and kept switching quick then slow. It seemed to help my legs feel better.

I was getting excited but my lower legs were hurting. It was then that I just focused on breaking through the pain and keep going. Mile 18. Mile 19. Mile 20 and I was just a handful of blocks from home. I hit my house at about 20.79 miles. I was not stopping until I did 21 so I ran to the park and around the tennis courts.

The relay and solo open group all started together as we headed up into the woods about 1:00 PM. I was about mid pack as everyone settled into the single track. There is only enough enough room on the trail for one person wide so passing is difficult. I still managed to pass a few people.  About a third of way into the 2 miles my toe caught a root and I fell flat on my forearm and side. Two people passed me as one of them asked if I was okay. I popped back up embarrassed, scraped and a little bloody. I continued on.

I made the stream crossing with just a few jumps. I charged up the big switchback on the Roller Coaster trail. Not too much farther I was making the last corner and out of the trail on my way to the Hillside trail when I veered off the trail on the outside of a curve. To stop myself from heading over the burm and tumbeling into the woods I stiff armed a medium size tree. I was planning to just bounce off the tree and back on the the trail. Well, the tree was rotten. It snapped like a toothpick at the base of the tree. I went right into the wood on top of the tree and tumbled for a bit. As soon as I realized what happened two people passed me without a word. I jumped up and whirled around to try and make my way back onto the trail. Little did I know that I had a thorn bush between my legs. I climbed back onto the trail as the thorns ripped the flesh between my legs. Instant pain.

As I set back into my stride I looked down and my knee and inside thighs were bleeding. Both legs on the inside were also tore up from the thorn bush and my right knee cap had a nice big scrape. I am all for hugging trees but that was a little too intimate for my liking.

As I continued on I realized I couldn’t breath as my lungs were on fire. I have not felt like this in years. It was like my lungs were collapsed and I couldn’t take in enough air.  I saw Terra and the kids as I started to climb the Hillside trail. It is the longest climb of the route and I was hurting.

I finally reached the top of Hillside and set into cruise mode. I winded through the trails here which is a nice maze of turns and decending switchbacks. After Hillside we dropped out of the woods on to some pavement for the sprint to the starting line. I tagged Ryan and he was off for 3 laps of the mountain biking route.

After my daughter cleaned my wounds I took a quick photo.

Here is Ryan coming in on his first lap.

Slowly my lungs stopped burning as I waited for Ryan. The kids hugged me as I told Terra about the tree and thorn bush incident. My lungs still felt collapsed.

As I waited for Ryan to come around on his final lap I stretched a little. I was dreading the final 2 miles but I was happy everyone was spread out to allow for easier running. Ryan managed to come into sight and was running his bike. He flattened on the hills and had to run his bike with clippin biking shoes for the last quarter mile of so. Little did I know that when I took off he launched his bike, mad that he flatted, and it almost took me out. See the video!

I was more relaxed the final lap. Lungs still burned but I managed to not fall, trip, tackle any trees, tumble into the woods or rack any thorn bushes between my legs the final 2 mile lap. Eventually I strided into the finish, launched off one of the boulders and clicked my heels in the air. Unfortunately my wife missed the photo.

Despite the bad luck it was a great event. I really wish we had more trail races in Des Moines. We certainly have a great single track system.

We waited for the awards ceremony and swag giveaway. I managed to pick up a few things from a local brewing company.

Great time had by all and I can pretty much guarantee a better time next year. I don’t know final time yet but I’ll post it when it is on the CITA website.

Here is a post team photo Terra took.

What’s next for a running challenge? I have decided to focus on running an ultra marathon in 2012. Why not run a full marathon first you might be asking. It seems like the natural progression. A logical next step but not for me. I really like to run trails and I want to stick my finger in the eye of smug marathoners. Okay that last sentence doesn’t have anything to do with it. It really comes down to the trail and how much I love to run them. After all how much easier would a marathon be after doing a 50k or 31 miles. A lot in my book since running long distances is such a mental game for me. So that’s the plan. Go big or go home I guess.

April 2012 is the Chippewa 50k (http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/event/chippewa-50k-and-10k-trail-run) up in Wisconsin. It is an out and back route with a halfway cutoff of four hours and a final cutoff of nine hours. I have no time goals. I simply want to finish without injury and under the nine hours. Check out the map of the race from 2011.

Looking at my training for the rest of the year I want to run strong through the winter. I’d like to avoid the treadmill entirely and run outside. Rain, snow, and ice be dammed! Come January 2012 I will start the following 13 week 50k training plan.

Nothing on the weekly runs looks too hard for me right now. The money is in the weekend back to back runs. They are going to be really hard. The daily distance is just a minimum that I should be running according to the plan. I do want to run a personal marathon as part of this training so I will extend some of the longer runs. At least I can then say I have ran a marthon.

I have a few months before starting the above plan. Between now and then I want to try some of the mid plan weekly runs and see how my body holds up. I am committed and somewhat obsessed with running long distances right now. My mind is way ahead of my body at this point. With goals like ultras I don’t see myself falling back into my lazy ways then trying to shotgun a training plan.

If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them. Don’t forget you can follow me on Daily Mile at http://www.dailymile.com/people/Husar#ref=tophd.

http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/

Hollywood High is about 2 blocks off the main strip. It is hard to believe anyone really goes there. Not a great area in the city.

Here is the LA conference center.

We ate twice at the Yard House at LA Live. Great selection of beer. Randy and I enjoyed half yards of Moose Drool.

I was hungry and ordered brats and pretzels. This is what I got.

Of course you can’t take me any where.

At the conference they had the biggest projection screen ever! No, really it was the biggest anyone has ever done.

We started out the day eating breakfast at Hennessey’s.

The girls lead the way as me all gawked at multiple-million dollar beach houses and dreamed about winning the lottery.

We stopped in Venice Beach along the way.

I was surprised that people swim at Venice Beach after walking along the shoreline. The waves coming into the beach had a hard undertow and big incline. Seemed dangerous for all but good swimmers.

After we made it back to Hermosa Beach we ate at Patrick Molloy’s and it was time to celebrate!

We stayed at Hermosa Beach long enough to catch the sunset.

Here are a few palms from a quick walk on the beach.

People always look at me strange when I stop to shoot manhole covers.

Richard, Terra, and me.

I have never rented on of these but it is on my list.

The harbor was overcast but it made for a nice photo.