Race Report: Tri 4 Schools 5k

Date: 6/16/2012
Time: 10:00 AM
Weather: ~75 degrees, extremely humid - heavy downpour started immediately after I finished
Course Conditions: Mostly grass with a short steep sledding hill twice

Time: 20:55
Overall: 2/80
Division: 2/10

THE COURSE

The image below from the race's website isn't 100% accurate, the trails through the woods aren't perfectly straight and we didn't get to run onto the field, but it gives you a decent picture. About 2/3 of the course was ran on grass, which with some rain in the previous couple of days and the humidity in the air, made the ground seem extremely soft. At the far southwest corner of the course is sledding hill that is about 40-50 yards long with an elevation gain of probably 40 feet.

WHAT WAS GREAT ABOUT THIS RACE

The best part of this race to me was the cause. In this era of budget cuts, so many of the "non-essential" areas of schools are getting cut to the bare minimum or entirely, to be able to do something small (and fun) to give kids at a couple of elementary schools access to some additional gym equipment is pretty cool.

The other great part were the age group trophies. As some of you may know I collect bobbleheads, so for the trophy to be a bobblehead (rather than a medal or an even more useless tiny trophy) made me extremely happy.

WHAT WASN'T SO GREAT ABOUT THIS RACE

The humidity. I can't even begin to describe how heavy the air was during the race. You could tell that it was going to rain, but the sky just wouldn't open up.

That freaking sledding hill. It's not the amount of elevation gain, and it's not so much that we had to do it once, but that we had to do it twice. The incline just eats at your legs and lungs, destroying most hopes for a good time...

OVERALL RACE THOUGHTS

There are races that I run every year where I explicitly know that I'm not going to win, Crazylegs and the Berbee Derby are two examples. When I entered this race I figured there would be a chance I'd do very well. I knew it was going to be the first running of the race, and that it was going to be very small. I'm not even close to the fastest runner out there, but I will admit that I'm faster than most. Walking up to the starting line, I kept looking back to try and find someone who looked like they were faster than me. At first I didn't find anyone and was somewhat concerned I would actually be the one winning this thing... Not that I didn't want to win, but that I don't feel like I'm the type that should be winning (at least right now when I'm unhappy with the shape I'm in). About 30 seconds before the race I did spot one person I thought would be faster than me, and I was right, he went on to win in a time nearly three minutes faster than me...

But as far as the race, I went out too fast thinking that I could keep up with the aforementioned faster guy and thinking I was in better shape than I was. I went through the first mile in approximately six minutes, which was where I was hoping to be, but my body did not like the fact that I had 2.1 miles left to run. As much as I tried to keep my pace up, my legs and lungs just weren't having it. I struggled through the last couple of miles with no one to pull me along or push me, as the guy who won was too far ahead and everyone behind me wasn't going to catch me (though if it had been a four mile race he may have), which likely caused my time to be slower than it could have been, but that's not really of concern now.

Overall I was disappointed with my run. Which just means I'll put in more work to get to a place where I hopefully won't feel the same way after my next race.

Side Note: Format of race report shamelessly stolen from Tim (with the exception of the "Song that should have been on my iPod" section, as I don't listen to music while I run. It works great for him, so I'll try it for now.

Running while traveling

Sorry for the lack of an update. I've been traveling for work for the past few days and way extremely busy prior to that. Also, I realized it's difficult to come up with things to write about every day...

I'm lucky enough to get to travel every month or two for my job. This has taken me across the country and given me the opportunity to see places I've never been before.

Running can be a great way to discover a new town and see areas that you wouldn't normally see. Unfortunately, I've had some bad luck with being able to run during my business trips for a variety of reasons...

Injured
After the Green Bay marathon in May of 2011, I developed IT band issues (Nickleback band issues would have been less frustrating). This prevented me from running for about two months. Sadly during this two months was a trip to New York City where I got to stay about 6 blocks from Times Square. All I wanted to do was run in Central Park. It was a mile to the corner of the park at 59th and 5th. Perfect. Mile there, mile back, however many I felt like through the biggest park in the Big Apple. But because of the injury, I couldn't run 25 ft without debilitating pain in my left leg. So the mile out and back and any form of real run was out of the question... So... I ran the 25 ft until I couldn't run any longer and called it good. (No, I didn't log the run.)

Daylight
Last November I was lucky enough to get to go to Portland. (Side note: Beautiful city and surrounding area. Go, it will be worth it as long as you like beer or being outside.) Vanessa came with for the first couple of days and we had a mini-vacation, which was great. We went for a run along the Columbia River and through downtown Portland the first morning we were there. Unfortunately, that was the only run I got to do outside that trip, as when doing go-live floor support, you are at the mercy of when the clinic closes, which in November, is well after dark (and I had to be at the clinic at 7:00 AM). Therefore, I was relegated to running inside... (Busy downtown, dark, rain... yeah, too many negatives there...)

Location
The two places that I travel the most, I've ran outside a grand total of one time, and that was the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati.

When in Mobile we stay at a nice hotel downtown, but the area isn't what I would consider runner friendly. I still haven't seen a bike path in my six trips down here, downtown is small and the areas around it are dedicated to shipping. That and it's usually crazy hot and humid...

When I'm in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area, the hotel that we stay at is right near the airport, which if you've never been to CVG, is out in the middle of nowhere. There are no restaurants or gas stations at the airport exit (seriously? No one thinks they could make a few bucks doing this?). The road that the hotel is on is a two lane road that goes somewhere down a winding hill. I don't trust drivers to begin with, but being on a winding two lane road where I'm the one that would get the worst of the collision is not my cup of tea.

So let's just say that I've gotten used to the "Fitness Centers" in these two hotels...

Non-runners
When traveling with Vanessa, she understands that I want/need to run. When traveling with people from work, not so much. Thankfully most people that I travel with are flexible when it comes to dinner plans, so they'll let me get a quick run in before dinner, but what would normally be an 8 mile run is usually cut down to 5 or 6, which usually isn't a problem, but combine the fact that we eat out at restaurants two or three meals a day for three to five days... That's a lot of butter and oil... Sadly I usually gain some weight while traveling.


Today's run: Well, I'd have a lot of days to catch up on if I were to list them all... Today I won't get to run due to traveling back to Madison, but since the 3rd I've ran seven times for a total 49 miles. A couple of them have been workouts, but mostly what I consider easy runs (though I really need to reevaluate my easy pace...).

Today's beer: The only thing new since my last update is that I tried a couple of beers from Sweetwater Brewing Company in Atlanta, Georgia Brown and their IPA. The Georgia Brown was good, I'd say 4.5 out of 6. The IPA wasn't as good, but fine. A little thin for the alcohol content and bitterness, let's go 3.5 out of 6.

Dream Races

I'm lucky to have one of the best races in the Midwest right here in Madison in Crazylegs, but that doesn't mean I'm content with running that single race every year. There are iconic races all across the country that I would love to experience at some point in the future. These races range from relays to marathons to 5 and 10k's.

Here are three of those races, I'll call out some of the others on another day.

Hood to Coast - Mt. Hood, OR to Seaside, OR

The week I spent in Portland made me fall in love with Oregon. The people, the culture, the environment, all great. Hood to Coast is a 199 mile 12 person relay (max 12, minimum of 8).

I've never done a relay before, but the thought of piling in a couple of vans with up to 11 of your closest friends seems like a blast.

Seriously, if anyone wants to do this, please let me know. Takes place in late August every year.

Official Website 

Bay to Breakers - San Francisco, CA

The best way to describe the way Bay to Breakers used to be is that it combined Crazylegs with the worst parts of the Mifflin Street Block party and the best partys of Halloween on State Street...

Basically, it's a 12k with a ton of drunk people in costumes... The best part about Bay to Breakers isn't just the craziness that is San Francisco, but the history. This year's was the 101st running of the race. It was originally started to lift the spirits of the city after the 1906 earthquake, and as such, this has become the longest consecutively run race in the world.

Appears to take place the weekend before Memorial Day every year.
 
Official Website 

Boulder Boulder - Boulder, CO

Basically this is Crazylegs on crack. Boulder Boulder is a 10k that runs through Boulder and finishes at Folsom Field (where the Colorado Buffaloes play). Approximately 50,000 people participate in the race every year, which makes it one of the largest races in the world.

Takes place Memorial Day weekend every year.

Official Website 

Today's run: 9 miles - 64:59 - Meant to go ten, but ran out of time before we needed to go bottle beer. (The things that become important when not training for a marathon...)

Today's beer: Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Imperial IPA - Leinie's "go big" series of beers has been labeled Big Eddy. Right now they have three different Big Eddy beers, Russian Imperial Stout, Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, and Imperial IPA. Like the Imperial IPA from the Dane, this is well balanced and full of alcohol

• Skippy's Rating - 5 out of 6 beers

Brewpubs I can speak to...

I never really talked about brewpubs in my last post, I just went on a slight rant about what they should run their business...

Sadly I just realized that I haven't been to as many brewpubs as I thought I had. (Considering one of the first things I do when I find out I'm traveling to a new place is to find out if there's a brewpub in the area, you'd think I would have been to more...) Though I have been to the Great Dane enough to make up for that. (Currently five days away from becoming the mayor of the one at Hilldale on Foursquare!) Though I haven't been to a couple of these in years, I'll try to give a quick overview of what I remember.

The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company - Madison (four locations) and Wausau

The Angus of brewpubs. If you've never been, go. If you like beer, go. If you don't like beer, go. (The food is worth the trip by itself.)

I lost track a long time ago how many times I've been to the Dane. I've lost track of all of the different beers I've had, even of the food I've had. Between Vanessa and I, I'm sure we've tried about 80% of their very extensive menu. From salads to burgers to pizza to meatloaf to a burrito and beyond, they serve a little bit of everything. The cheese curds don't disappoint either (which is important in these parts).

I would recommend either the Beer Bread, Humus Plate, or Cheese Curds as an appetizer and then the Burrito or Mac and Cheese for a meal. I'll let you pick the beer because you aren't going to go wrong.

Vanessa will second an of the appetizers and then for an entree would suggest the Peanut Stew or Meatloaf. She recommends the Crop Circle Wheat. (I did not ask her for her suggestions, I just know what she would suggest. Another sign we've been there a lot...)

Side note: We held our rehearsal dinner at the Dane in Fitchburg. Best decision ever.

Official Website


The rest of these I've only been to once, so I won't suggest food or beer, since I can't remember what I drank at most of them, but I'll give my impressions...


Vintage Brewing Company - Madison

Vintage is in the building that used to hold the J.T. Whitney's brewpub, which I went to once, but left thoroughly unimpressed with both the atmosphere and beer. Upon changing to the Vintage, the building was remodeled a bit and opened in early 2010. The food is mostly burgers and sandwiches, but there are plenty of good choices. There are a wide range of beers on tap (they list 11 regular beers and two cask conditioned ales on tap at all times. If you need recommendations, Brian likes the Vintage as much as I like the Great Dane (at least that's the impression I get), he can provide some if you need them. 

Official Website 

Trailhead Brewing Company - St. Charles, MO

We were at Trailhead in August of 2008, the only reason that I can remember that is because I had to stop watching the Olympic marathon to go to dinner. (Don't worry, there was one tiny TV in the back of the restaurant that had it on.) The brewpub is in an old building in a historic town and from what I remember, laid out kind of weird, as the restaurant wraps around the brewing equipment.

The beer was fine, don't remember the food. If I'm in the St. Louis area again, I think I'll try out one of the brewpubs in downtown St. Louis. 

Official Website 

Lucky Labrador Brewing Company - Portland, OR

Technically the one we went to wasn't a brewpub, as there wasn't any beer being brewed on site, but I'll put it in anyways. We went to their "Beer Hall", which was located in an old warehouse in the northwest part of downtown Portland. They served mostly pizza at our location, which was fine, and numerous different beers. We were there late on a Sunday night, so the atmosphere was kind of stale, but I'd be willing to give it another shot after I get to all of the other brewpubs in Portland (which may take a while... I want to go back to Portland...).


Official Website 

Titletown Brewing Company - Green Bay, WI

(I'll be honest, Tim should be writing this one, he would be the "resident" expert.)


Located in an old train station in downtown Green Bay, Titletown's decor is based around two things, trains and the Packers.

Unfortunately, the only time I've eaten at Titletown, it was the day before I ran a marathon, so I only had one beer, but it (Johnny "Blood" Red) was good. The BBQ Chicken pizza was pretty good as well. I'll hopefully get a chance to get back there this fall when I go to the Packers/Jaguars game.

Side note: I regret feeling like I was going to vomit after the Green Bay Marathon, as Titletown makes a beer called 26.2 Brew that is only available on the day of the marathon. 

Official Website 

Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery - Las Vegas, NV


I'd have to say one of the last places I would expect to find a brewpub is inside a Las Vegas casino. Triple 7 is in the Main Street Station Casino, which is in the Fremont Street area of downtown.

Though the food wasn't anything special, I wasn't expecting much from a downtown casino, so I guess in that regard, it was actually pretty good. The beer on the other hand, was very high quality, and once again, considering it was in a casino in downtown LV, was great.

If you make it out to Las Vegas, take some time away from the strip and check out the Fremont Street Experience, it's worth the trip downtown. While you're there, check out Triple 7, unless it's changed much in the past three years, it's more than worth it. 

Official Website 

Mad Fox Brewing Company - Falls Church, VA

This is the only brewpub I will probably ever step foot in and not have a beer. It wasn't that I didn't want one, its that I spent the entire morning walking around Mt. Vernon and was completely dehydrated.

We were there on a Sunday afternoon, so the place was pretty quiet, but if I had to say, the place seemed a little well-to-do, but being in one of the suburbs close to Washington, D.C., I can understand the clientele they are aiming at. Also, the beer list was a little limited the day we were there, though they do list ten beers on their website that cross the spectrum pretty well. 

Official Website

Since I didn't post yesterday, I guess I have to do double duty on these...

Yesterday's run: No run... Got stuck at work until almost six and needed food and relaxation. Went to the Dane instead. Worth it.

Today's run:  7 miles - 48:26 - Two days off meant that my guilty conscience forced me to do some form of workout. I chose a tempo-ish run as I hadn't done one in over a year... (stupid knee) Warmup consisted of a mile at 8.3 and then six at 8.8. Good run for the most part. Should have brought a water bottle...

Yesterday's beer: The Great Dane's Imperial IPA - I love this beer. Malty, a lot of pleasant aroma to it, but not bitter. (Read: very well balanced) Not quite a DFH 90 Minute, but still very good.

• Skippy's Rating: 5.5 out of 6 beers

Today's beer: 19 North Generic Dark Ale - This was the best of the three kit beers we brewed, a unique malty taste with a bit of bitterness. Sadly I think we are out of these. I'd like to try to recreate this at some point once we start all-grain brewing, but who knows when that will be...

• Skippy's Rating: 4.5 out of 6 beers