Goodbye July...Hello School :(

This year I will start my 11th year of teaching. It's hard to believe, but at the same time good to know I have put that much time into a job a majority will leave after 3 years. July was going to be a big month for me. Ironman Louisville was roughly 2 months away, my training was really going to increase, I had a list of things to do around the house for baby #2, there was plenty of golf to be played and I was presenting at a conference in Nashville. Then...

Well, July started great, Aimee and I took a mini stay-cation to STL/Jeff City for the 4th of July weekend. We saw free concerts, ran in Forest Park, saw two firework shows and got some much needed together/family time.

After returning to Farmington on the night of the 4th, I headed out for a long training ride on Saturday morning. This is where my July plans took a backseat as I was struck by a pickup truck at an intersection 2 hours into my ride. I totaled my bike, was flipped onto my back and fractured my left index finger but was blessed to only those injuries and was able to walk immediately following the accident. The picture below is my bike following the accident (pointed the opposite direction I was headed). I'll choose not to post pictures of my finger but the Doctor described the surgery as "challenging" and called the bone that was left "dust". 

Within 5 days of my wreck and 2 days of my surgery, I had to decide if I could continue with Ironman Louisville, request a partial refund, or transfer. I decided to transfer since I was without a bike and not allowed in water, so Ironman Maryland it was. Why Maryland? Well it was either that or Lake Tahoe as they were the only two events still open. This will be the inaugural year for Ironman Maryland and it will take place in Cambridge.

The last week of July produced some good news as my new bike arrived and over the course of this past week I have put in my biggest training week of the summer, 17 hours, and have already logged close to 150 miles on my new bike. P.S. It its nice, but a painful upgrade. Oh yeah, school starts August 13 (my birthday)...blah.  

July Training

Swim: 7.06 miles

Bike: 507.6 miles

Run: 148.1 miles

  

  

Life Catches Up

At the beginning of 2014 I had intentions of posting to by blog at least twice a month. I fell off the wagon by February. Here's why (in pictures)

March: Aimee's prego with #2! We run the STL St. Pat's 5 miler while pushing Basil in the stroller, dressed up, and loved it!

 March: Dustin runs a 60k two weeks after the doubler mention in the previous post. It was kinda muddy.

April: STL GO! Marathon followed by Country Music Marathon Nashville 2 weeks later (pictured  below)

April: Followed Country Music Marathon with a sprint triathlon the next day.

May: Dr. Washam graduates! Followed by baby reveal the next day....girl #2!

May: Basil is growing so fast. Naturally she has taken to running.

June: 1/2 way to Ironman Louisville, Dustin runs the Cutting Edge Classic 1/2 Iron, taking 12th place finishing in 5:02:25

June: Soon to be Big Sister, Basil turns 2! 

Alright, new goal; try and do a better job leading up to Ironman Louisville! You can follow my progress on Strava.

Doublers

This past weekend Aimee and I became official Doublers at the Post Oak Lodge Challenge. On Saturday and Sunday Aimee ran a 10k then 1/4 Marathon while I ran a 50k then Marathon. Racing on back to back days was an awesome experience for us both. Obviously, this was the most running I have ever completed over the course of one weekend.

After day one I was beginning to ponder the possibility of not making it through the next day, but after finishing the Marathon on Sunday I surprisingly felt better than I did after the 50k on Saturday. My 50k time was 10 minutes faster than my race there in 2012 and it was good enough for 6th overall and 4th in my age group. Even better, the top 3 in my age group were also the top 3 finishers, so I won 1st in my age group! My marathon time was good enough for 14th overall and 6th in my age group and my combined 2 day total was 5th overall. In addition to all that, finishing 2 Marathons in 2 days bumped my Marathon Maniac status from 2 stars to 4! Yeah!

I really enjoyed the course as it was a nice mix of single track trail through woods, gravel and grass. There were several rocky sections and some difficult hills, including the "Hill from Hell", but all together they created a scenic and challenging but rewarding course. At the end, there was no doubt that you had just completed a true "challenge". Looking back at the weekend, I remain ever grateful for my ability to compete and finish races like this and I look forward to challenges like this that lie ahead.

My absolute favorite part of both days was the Marathon merging with the later starting Quarter Marathon and being able to run with Aimee to the finish of her race and the half-way point of mine. Our time to run together over the past few years has been limited, especially in races, so that short time together was the best.  

 

Winter Death Grip

I don't mind cold; temperatures in the 20's are tolerable to run in. Those days usually add up to one maybe two weeks of winter. This year however, 20's might to be the high temperature for the whole week. So far this winter my running accomplishment include: 

1. Completing a run at an official temperature of 0 degrees 

2. Running with below 0 wind chills

3. Running in the middle of a 10 inch snow storm (picture below) 

4. Going for a run only to learn school was cancelled while I was out running 

5. Missing 3 full weeks of school due to snow, ice and temps 

6. Running trails before and after the snow (picture above) 

7. Setting a new record of 5 straight miles on the Dreadmill 

I'm not quite sure how how people north of Missouri do this on a consistent basis, but it makes me wonder......

1. The cities are so good at handling snow there is always a clear path

2. Northerners really like the treadmill 

3. There are giant indoor running arenas 

4. Full body heated running suits 

Whatever it is I'm impressed, applaud you, and don't want to join you anytime soon. Good bye winter, return your article cold and let your runners free. 

Doubling Up

This week Aimee and I signed up for the Post Oak Lodge Challenge in Tulsa, OK. This trail run is held over the course of 2 days and gives participants several options.

Saturday runs are: 50k, 25k and 10k; Sunday runs are: Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 1/4 Marathon. Participants can choose any single event or register as a "Doubler" and run an event each day, choosing any combination. I will be running the 50k and Full while Aimee will be running the 10k and 1/4.

I ran the 50k two years ago as my first Ultra Marathon. Don't be fooled by Oklahoma. You might want to envision Oklahoma = Plains = Flat, but this course is far from it and features "The Hill From Hell". Below is the awesome description from their website.

The POSTOAK Challenge Trail 50K, 25K, 10K is not a walk in the park, these are trails in the woods and it is not for the faint at heart. This is the TRC POSTOAK Challenge. The trails are a combination of less than a mile of existing gravel roads, old farm roads, a couple of chat trails, and miles and miles of single track trail winding through meadows and deep woods. As hard as we have tried there is no avoiding the hills of Osage County. It is a beautiful course with a little bit of everything. There are rocky areas, creek crossings, and a good chance of mud on the trail, but for the most part it is the hills that will give you the best workout. For this reason we have raised the difficulty rating to a seven (out of ten). If you plan to run this one fast then you need to train for hills, lots of hills.

The POSTOAK Challenge Trail-Road Marathon, Half Marathon, and Quarter Marathon will be run on part road and the remainder is run on trail surfaces. The road sections will be either logging road, gravel, or paved road. The trail section will be single track trails for the most part. There will be plenty of hills for everyone to enjoy, and you will all finish by running up the world famous "HILL FROM HELL". Welcome to the TRC POSTOAK Challenge!

This will be my first trail since 2012 and Aimee's first overall. So, in anticipation, we have been getting in some trail miles at our local St. Joe State Park. The pictures are from my run there this weekend. Live in the Tulsa area? You have through February 1st to guarantee a Doubler spot and medal.

Time Away

I have not blogged in almost 6 months. During that time we were busy. Here's a quick rundown.

• Basil turned 1 and is now 18 months. 
• I remodeled a house. Want to buy it? 
• Aimee and I have competed in a combined: 3 marathons, 3 half marathons, 25k, 15k, and a turkey trot with my mom for her first ever 5k. 
  
• We had so many snow days that I only taught 8.5 days from Thanksgiving through January 13. 
  
• I signed up for Ironman Louisville. 
• We gave our blog a make over. 
• And finally, I have decided to start a local 5k and 10k training group. This is something I have always wanted to do. Information can be found in the TRAINING tab at the top of the page. Want to join?