Sweet Victory

As a writer, I'm struggling to make this race report interesting. You see, bad races have agony and disappointment and a writer can cling to them for good lines like a poor comedian clings to f-bombs. And races where you overcome bad spots and are triumphant; who doesn't love that? But if you have one of those rare days where everything just lines up and you knock it out of the park? Man, it's a great race, but I'm not so sure it makes for good writing. Still, it's important to record these days so that we remember them on the days that suck, so let's do it, shall we? The official tale of the tape will say I ran 50 miles in 7:55:47 . It also says I finished in 6th place, 5th among men. Recause first and and third place overall were in my age group, I was also technically the AG winner for 40-49. And finally, everyone who recorded the race with Garmins (including me) found the course to be anywhere from .4 to .7 miles long. All of which goes to say that if you ac...

I have a race report to write; a very long report for two reasons: 1. It was the longest race of my life. 2. It was arguably the greatest race of my life so far. It's going to be a good report, but here's the thing: I have to write this post first while it's fresh in my mind. It's about the other runners on TeamType 1 who were at the NJ Ultra Fest with me and my family. While I only spent a few hours with these guys, it's important to me that you understand who they are and what they're like. It seems to me that many times in life, we're looking for role models; people who cause us to aspire to do better in all things. I was blessed to be surrounded by several amazingly inspirational people this weekend, and I want you to know what I learned. Perhaps in this crowd, you'll find someone to think about when the blood sugars suck or the roads are too hilly or the wind is constantly in your face. Tom Kingery What Happened in NJ: An Ironman and member of Team...

The next time I write a blog post, God, Newton & Hammer Nutrition willing, I will have completed my first 50 mile ultra-marathon. In no particular order, here's a list of thoughts regarding the race. 1. I've been asked about a time goal. Do I have one? What is it? The answers are yes and no. First off, I am 100% comfortable with whatever happens. I can miss the following goal by two hours and will be fine with myself. But still, I am a competitive person. Moreover, the important thing about a time goal is that it can help you to set your pace early in the race when you don't want to go too fast. In last week's newspaper article, I said I expected to come in around 8:30 and would be thrilled with an 8:15-8:20 . Many articles say that a first time 50 miler should double their marathon time and add two hours. (3:20 x 2) + 2 = 8:40. However, I've noticed that many guys around my speed don't need that full 2 hours... many are closer to 1:40. Hence, 8:20. In addit...

So over the weekend Reyna commented on my Facebook wall wondering why comments were turned off on my blog, which caused me to go, "Huh?" It seems when I switched blog templates a while back the commenting got all messed up. I didn't even notice it since many people comment on FB when I post on the blog, and those of you who aren't my friend on FB, well I just figured you didn't have anything to say! So it appears comments have been restored, though I will keep an eye on it to make sure. In other news, if you're coming here via the Lancaster Sunday News article, yesterday, welcome! And if you don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to read the story here .

So yesterday was my last long run prior to next week's 50 Miler at the NJ Ultra Fest. How did it go? Well, see for yourself... Road Work from marcus grimm on Vimeo .

In my last post, I mentioned that Team Type 1 is sponsored by Newton this year and that I'd be talking about that a bit. Since my first pair showed up last night, I took them for a spin today. First a disclaimer: I won't be wearing the Newtons at the NJ Ultra Fest for one reason: the race is only 10 days away and Newtons are a different running experience. I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy. If you aren't aware, Newtons don't so much encourage midfoot striking as they force you into a midfoot strike. Running with a typical heel strike stride just feels wrong in these shoes, so you quickly learn to do what feels right. Landing properly on the midfoot feels good and the fulcrum of the shoe gently propels you to almost rock forward to toe off. Pretty cool, I must say. While it's a very different running experience, if you are a midfoot striker, already, it's less of a big deal. I put myself through the transition a couple of years ago and currently was ru...