2011 Racing Update

My work with Fleet Feet Chicago and Chicago Endurance Sports has really kept me busy this year. I did not do nearly as many races as I normally would. I did get to see things from the other side as I took a large role in producing several area races.

I’m currently 6 days out from my next marathon. I’ll be racing the California International Marathon for the second time this Sunday. Training has gone fairly well. I’ll talk more about that after the race. In the meantime, here’s a very brief recap of the racing I have done this year since Green Bay.

Kimbia 5k – North Park Track, Chicago, IL - 6/25/11

This was my first 5k race on a track. The Kimbia 5k was a small race put on by my friends Dan Kittaka and Lee Greenburg to benefit Kimbia, Kenya. Each runner donated shoes to be taken back to runners in Kimbia. The event was won by Moses Waweru (winner of Soldier Field 10 2011) in 14:26. He took the donations with him back to Kimbia.

I went into the race hoping to PR at the 5k distance. Justin Jackson, who at one time was a sub-15 minute 5k runner for Loyola Chicago, and I ran most of the race together. I ran very even splits, and put a little distance on him in the last few laps. I ended up finishing 4th in 16:38 which was a 4 second PR.

4 on the 4th – 4 Mile – Elmhurst, IL – 7/4/11

I ran 22:17 on a slightly warm morning. It wasn’t anything to be too happy about. I enjoyed riding out to the race with Lance and Betsy. This was the best chance I had to beat Jason Ream and Robert Wiegand in the same race. Both were racing WAY below their potential…. I came up just short of beating Jason. I know he was VERY glad to continue his unbeaten streak against me.

By this point in the season, the amount of training I was doing was much smaller than it typically had been during that point in the year. Work was really piling on.

Xtreme 10 – 10 Mile - Waterfall Glen, IL – 7/23/11

I ran this in 62 minutes and change. The time was brutally slow, but still better than in 2008 (which is probably the worst job I’ve ever done in a race). The conditions, as usual, were extremely humid and sloppy. There was rushing water all over the course. However, placement wise, I was happy with the race. I ran a negative split and managed a top 20 finish at race where I once finished out of the top 60.

Lawndale 5k – Chicago, IL - 9/17/11

This is a really cool small race in North Lawndale, which is not a community one would associate with running. I had high hopes to win this race, however my fitness dictated otherwise. By this point in the season I had not raced for nearly two months.

I wound up running 4th in 17:33. This was my slowest 5k time on a fast course in years. Still not sure exactly what went wrong…. Was I tired? Too Rested? It just wasn’t my day.

It seems that every year I reach a point where I suddenly feel very slow no matter what I do. Sometimes this time period can last a few months and sometimes only a few weeks. This year it was only a few weeks. Perhaps that was due to the lower total mileage during the warm summer months.

Monster Dash – Half Marathon – Chicago, IL

If by some chance you reached this page by googling the Monster Dash. Please do me a favor and don’t sign up for this race in 2012 or ever again. Team Ortho, and all of their races are absolutely awful and overpriced.

I’ve already written and talked to many people about the event, so I’m too burnt out to do it here. Basically, it started extremely late, the street crossings were not closed to traffic, the miles were not marked, the course was not well marked, I had to run against the flow of runners still running out while I was running in, bike marshals went the wrong way, etc etc etc.

As for my race… it was lonely. I could not see any racers ahead or behind me. I wound up in 4th, one spot behind Jason Ream. I ran a PR of 1:17:23. I really don’t know what my splits were like along the course… but I think I ran fairly evenly. I was happy to PR by about 35 seconds. Betsy kindly provided shelter for Jason and I before and after the race!

DH Dash – 10k – Nashville, TN

I love racing in Nashville. I may not win many (or any) races in Chicago, but I’ve won 3 out of the 6 races I’ve ever run in Nashville. This was a pretty small race, but the course was really challenging and cool.

I was alone (although I did have a lovely bike escort) from the time the gun sounded until I crossed the finish line. The course is a lollipop with lots of large and steep hills. I ran 35:03, beating 2nd place by more than 5 minutes.

The highlight of the race was having all of my family there, and running with Drake, Harper, and Riley after the race on the infield of the track.

2008 Chicago Marathon & Beyond

Happy in the Heat

Wow. In my mind this was a celebration to end all celebrations. Most people running in this year's Chicago Marathon probably didn't see it that way as Mother Nature brought difficult conditions to the city of broad shoulders for the second straight year. But, in the end Sunday brought so many wonderful people together on the same stage, with an amazing city as its backdrop, I couldn't help but to be happy. (Jason is shirtless in the middle of this pack, and Verdo is on the right in the blue)

Of course, recording a personal-best time always makes it a little easier to see the bright side of things. I was hoping to crack into the 2:40's and I think if conditions had been a little cooler I would have succeeded. Instead I ran a 2:53:24, which was good for 245th overall. I can also proudly say that I've taken over 25 minutes off of my marathon time from the 2006 Chicago Marathon. It's nice to have something tangible to take from the two years straight that I've spent training since my debut race. That is, if you consider a race time to be tangible.

Race Notes
I ran a large portion of the race with Ric Nielsen. He is such an intense guy at the races. He calls out mile splits for all to hear, and does a countdown as markers approach. I owe him a huge debt, as he did a great job of urging me to stay at 6:30 pace and not to get carried away early on. He pulled away from me around mile 12 before the heat got to him a bit and I reeled him in around mile 19. He still managed a 3:01 despite blowing up a bit.

I ran mile 6.5 through 11.5 alongside Chris Woods (pictured with me after the race). This was very comforting as I consider him to be one of the smartest and smoothest runners in Chicago. One of the highlights of the race was passing the Fleet Feet aid staion around mile 10. Whoever was on the microphone at this point said, "ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Fleet Feet Racing and Dan McDowell" as I began to pass through. The crowds were huge here and a big roar came out and I have to admit I felt really cool. By this point the field was thinning, as many decided to pull out and avoid the heat (Chris was one of several who made this decision) so when I passed large crowds who were applauding, I felt they were all cheering for me since very few runners were around me (and I was delusional by this stage in the race).

At mile 12 my friend Mark Dolgin hopped in to join me. This was pre-planned and he delivered in a big way. He gave me gel and stayed by my side until mile 18. In this stretch I began to hurt and pulling 6:30's became a chore. The good news was that the runners around us were really starting to slow. I began to catch a lot of runners who had secured "Top 100" bibs. I recognized many of them as runners who usually beat me in area races, so this was a good boost to my confidence. Three T100 latched on to Mark and I as we passed them by. I don't want to sound sexist or crude... but they were amazing to look at. They were conversing in a language other than English, and I enjoyed the thought that perhaps I would be in their memories of Chicago as the guy they paced behind for the difficult western and southwestern parts of the course. Mark dropped off and said he'd meet me near the end. (It should be noted that Mark gave Ashley a great boost for the last two miles of her race as well. They are picture on the right later that night at Stanley's. More on Ashley's race below)

I spent the next three miles just trying to hold on to my pace until Chinatown. I slowed slightly and ran a few 6:40's. It was at this point that I knew I wouldn't make the 2:40's and I began tyring to hold on to a PR. I was still passing a lot of runners, so this was a huge boost mentally. I also saw Paul, Brent, Robert, Carolyn, Mike, Ken, Toney, Abbe, Liz, Alicia, Jenn, Joyce, Charles, Ken, and so many others. Their cheers did a lot to stir me on.

Mark rejoined me within 2 miles of the finish, and Robert also hopped in. Robert was looking spry (fresh of an incredible 2:47 in Berlin a few weeks before) and he urged me in vain to speed up. I picked it up slightly until I let out a dry heave and then I just put it on cruise control to the end. After climbing Roosevelt and turning onto Columbus I heard Mike and Brian yelling for me and I tried to give them a wave.

After the Finish
A I walked through the finishers chute a few tears began to fall. When I finish a 5k I am always filled with rage. Pushing myself for 17 minutes makes me want to punch small children. But, the endurance battle of the marathon brings on two things. The desire to throw up... and also an incredible happiness that results in tears. There was so much in those tears besides salt. I wish I could describe everything on here, but I feel like my poor writing ability wouldn't do it justice. I saw Jason and Verdo as I walked out and got the news that J had run 2:39:47 (good for 99th) and Verdo (pictured with me after the race at the CARA tent ran a 2:40 (102nd).


There were so many amazing performances by friends of mine at the race I could go on and on. But, this is a pretty self-indulgent blog (could anything be less a oxymoron?). Ashley (pictured with me before and after the race) and I found one another after the race and she brought good news. She ran a 3:20. This was a 17-minute pr. This came as no surprise to me, as I have the huge pleasure of getting to run with her pretty often. She seemed to be running well, and whenever friends told me they saw her running at other events, they always reported that she looked strong.

Team Tiara
I am proud to say that I raised $558 for Girls on the Run. But, I feel a little silly saying that. As the people who should feel proud are those that contributed. A huge thanks goes out to:

Erica Agran, Phlip Kepler, Ashley Boyle, Betsy Armstrong, Carolyn Wrobel, Michael Swisher, Christy Wessel, Dan Maurer, Chuck Aron, David Carlson, Jason Gromski, Lynn Rogers, and Jim and Brenda McDowell

Sometimes I drink a beer and eat bad Mexican Food
After the race Phlip had several of us up to his place along Michigan Ave. We had a view of the last mile as thousands and thousands of people continued to finish. We also had a chance to celebrate at Stanley's later in the evening. Here are a few additional photos. Jason and some blondes and Mike, Paul and myself hamming it up.



Autumn, second in my hearth to June... oh June!
It's hard to believe that my work at CARA is done. But, having some time away from work has allowed for some great things. I'm working on a few interesting projects (making a little more money will help my move) I may talk about later. I am also running while everyone is stuck in their offices. I ran 8.5 miles today (not bad for two days after a marathon) at 7:15 pace and took a camera with me along the way. Chicago was truly beautiful today (see pictures for visual evidence). It was the absolute perfect day to run. Leaving here will be very hard. Jason is coming with me (as far as Vegas anyway) and we'll be leaving on 11/11. But don't worry, that will allow for me to run the last two 10k's on the CARA circuit.



Here is a short video I took on my run today. This is just south of the Waveland Clock Tower, at Belmont Harbor.

My life has certainly been a blessed one so far. I have much further to go.

I like short shorts.

Nike sent a 3 person crew to Chicago a few months ago to make this video. Its a little embarrassing. But... I'm posting it anyway.

Thank You (Manifest Destiny)

I'm blown away by all of the nice notes and comments I receive from people since it has been announced that I'm leaving CARA. Everyone has been very generous, and I can't thank you all enough.

Working for CARA has been a unique experience. The very best part about the job has been getting to know so many people from all aspects of the running community. I'm reminded of this every time I lace up my shoes and head out for a run. When I'm on the lakefront path on a Saturday morning run I feel like I know every third person that passes me by. The many shouts and hellos on these runs are a great motivator to continue to push myself faster. When I've been in the various communities surrounding Chicago for circuit races and other runs its always comofrting to know that I will see so many familiar faces. Considering I have only been in Chicago for a little over 2 years, it already feels in some ways like a small town.

There is one drawback to holding my job as Volunteer Coordinator. The guilt! The guilt is overwhelming. So many people (too many to count) have volunteered at my request to help with numerous projects all over this great city. I never feel as though I can do enough to say thanks. Sure, CARA rewards volunteers with shirts, parties, and other convieniences, and I'm glad that is the case. However, so many volunteers go beyond the call of duty, work at a moment's notice and as quickly as their work is done dissapear without seeking any notice. With that being said, I've never received any angry correspondence asking for more acknowledgement, so I must say that I appreciate that greatly. I'm impressed by the genuine good-will efforts so many of you have put in.

Many people have asked me what I'm going to do now that I'm leaving CARA. This is an excellent question! I'm asking myself that very question.

Odds are good that I will end up in San Diego or Portland, but that is not for certain. I'll be staying in touch via this blog should anyone be so curious as to see where I end up.

I do, however have two certain plans. I will be running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on 10/12 and the ING New York City Marathon on 11/2. I find this to be a very fitting way to leave. Chicago was the location of my first marathon (3:18 in '06) and I moved here specifically for the race (sounds crazy, but its true). And New York, if anything is a city that has built itself as the capital of the fresh start. It makes an excellent launching pad for me as I move on after the 26.2 mile journey is over.

I'm asking you one last favor before I go. I've paid my own way into both of these marathons, but I still wanted to use them as a chance to fundraise for two organizations with Chicago connections. I will be racing with Team Tiara (Girls on the Run) in Chicago and with Team World Vision in New York. You can read about both organizations and donate to the one of your choice if you so like in the links that I've provided. Even if you are unable to make a financial donation, please know that your support of my work at CARA is what has allowed me to be able to compete in these amazing events.

Keep up all of the running, volunteering, and spirit that makes Chicago one of the best running scenes in the world

-Dan

Electric Boogaloo: MC200 Overall Champions

This weekend I competed in the MC200 relay race. It was an absolute blast.

The 200mile race begins in Madison, WI, travels east to Milwaukee, and then heads south to Chicago. The course is divided into 36 legs and teams are allowed to have up to 12 members. Runners on a team must stay in the same order through-out the race. Teams are given maps of the entire course along with directions. The course is marked (but sometimes difficult to follow, especially at night) and there are HAM radio operators that monitor checkpoints between each leg.

The approximately 120 competing teams use a staggered start based on their predicted finishing time. This means the slower teams started early on Friday (7am), average teams started throughout the day, and the last wave started at 4pm. We were a part of 8 teams that started in the last leg. We had two goals. First, and most important was to win the overall competition with the fastest net-time, and the second was to pass every single team in the race (even those starting at 7 am).

Our team, Electric Boogaloo, was composed of 9 runners, 1 bad-ass driver, 1 bad-ass 12 passenger van, and one sissy Chevrolet HHR. This meant we each ran 4 legs (with total mileage ranging from 19-27 miles each) from start to finish. We are all pretty similar in ability, but we matched our toughest legs with our strongest runners. Here's a look at our team.

Arik Anderson - Showed up wearing a leisure suit and purposely let every team beat him off the starting line so we could have the possibility of saying we passed every team. World-Class Ass-Slapper.

Lance Caldwell - Representing Running Away he proved to each of us that Martineau has friends away from Fleet Feet.

Ken Fandel (on right, in blue) - An amazing photographer, artist and teacher at the Art Institute who can also run with the best of them.  He took almost every photo you are looking at.

Ben Geletka - Ricky Bobby couldn't hold his jock when it comes to driving. Ben stayed behind the wheel for over 27 hours without a nap. He also happens to be a great runner.

Phlip Kepler (driver's side) - It's hard to find this father not smiling. He sometimes dispenses some really sage advice, but that usually comes out in the middle of about 19 jokes that he's simultaneously telling. He enjoys trying to give tool booth operators the wrong amount of change.

Mike Martineau - One of the monsters on our team who churned out really fast miles in high heat on at least two of his legs. One of the lawyers on R Kelly's defense team.

Dan McDowell - I ate a lot of beef jerky.

Jason Ream - Our anchor. A real speed demon that humors me by running by my side now and then. Poster boy for the Cleveland Marathon.

Robert Wiegand - Famed instructor of Rabbit Abs. Friend of Jimmy John. Fast. Not related to Charles.

Chris Woods - The number 1 ranked Hi-Guy impersonator in all of Chicago. A model of speed and efficiency.

At the end of the first leg Arik rolled in about 20 seconds after the leader. He handed the slap bracelet (instead of a baton) to me and I began to chase. The first legs were in the city of Madison and had a lot of turns and busy street crossings. I was so nervous about getting lost that I ran with a map folded up in my hand. The heat and sun got to me and I felt slow. I suffered as I watched the lead open up in front of me.

After reaching the end of my first run I handed off to Robert. As we drove in the van to the next checkpoint was watch Robert obliterate the leading team's man. He caught him very quickly and left him baking in the hot sun. Our teams would continue to trade the lead for the next few legs. However, by the time we had gone through one cycle of our runners we had built a substantial lead. The main team we were racing against had 11 runners. We knew (or were almost certain) this meant that they had their 3 fastest runners going first, as they would be doing 4 legs while the others only did 3.

Nightfall brought great relief as temperatures dropped and running became a lot more comfortable (minus the bugs). During our second cycle through our roster we began to catch teams from earlier starting times. All runners during the night must wear head lamps, glowing vests, and blinking back lights. It makes for a goofy looking spectacle.

My second leg was perfectly straight. It ran along a railway that had been converted to a trail. The scenery was completely rural as I saw no artificial light save for the one on my head. I felt much faster than in my first leg and not worrying about taking a wrong turn made for a very pleasant experience. I ran through some thick tree cover and occasionally ran over some long wooden bridges that covered vast boggy openings. It was a beautiful night with lots of visibility. I saw my first roadkill ahead in the distance and enjoyed closing the gap with each step as I went in for the kill. By the time I handed off to Robert I was positive I had made the right decision in being a part of the race.

Our lead continued to grow throughout the night. There was no way to be sure how big it was. The only way we could measure it was to see how long after our vehicles reached a transition area it would take for our opponent's wheels to arrive. Eventually we were packing up our arriving runner, and heading off to the next transition before the 2nd place team's car even arrived. We knew this was a great psychological advantage.

By the time my third leg arrived it was around 3 a.m. The map called for a 7+ mile jaunt through southern Milwaukee. At this point we were surrounded by a majority of the teams in the race. Most of which had started at least 4 hours before us. If my memory serves me correctly I passed 11 teams along the route. The speed came easy despite the weird hour and location. Running in the middle of a random city street in darkness and calm air gave me an odd adrenaline rush. I could see many slower runners lined up ahead of me, their blinking lights a beacon for my carnivorous desire to pass. A few times during the leg the huge white whale driven by Ben and covered in our decoration rolled by to deliver water and gatorade. The hooting and hollering from inside the van made it easy to roll the legs even faster. A few of my miles were clocked under 6 minutes (which wouldn't normally be something to write home about, but at that hour after being up for almost 24 hours I was extremely happy).

As the sun rose our entire team seemed to be feeling pretty tired. But, the view along lake Michigan in southern Wisconsin was pretty spectacular. Some of us laid sleeping bags out on the ground and tried to catch a little sleep. Meanwhile, Ben continued to drive, navigate, and cheer us on as if it was the easiest job in the world. By this time the van almost always had someone taking a nap in it. The doors were also covered in tally marks as we kept record of every team we passed.

Lost in my recap of this event is the fact that Chris, Mike, Robert and Jason were all really flying. Without a doubt, they were the reason we were turning this race into a blowout. As we cycled through our last legs, Chris had a 8+ miler that put him in some high heat. There were still 3 teams ahead of us from the earlier start times. We hoped he could wrangle one of them is as we wanted to be the very first team across the line at Montrose Beach in Chicago. We had seen no sight of them as Chris left on his run. But, by the time he made it to the end of his leg, they were all left in the dust, wondering what the blur was that had blazed past.

In the last few legs we had managed to piss off a lot of teams. Lots of teams and their fans were waiting quietly in a park for the teams to begin arriving. Ken's Dad even greeted us and watched Ken take his turn. Who were those loud, cocky, sprinters waking us from our naps as they flew through the transition station? Electric Boogaloo, duh! And let 'em know who it is with a little extra honk of the horn big Ben!

By the time we all reached Evanston the beginning of our final leg I was running on empty. All I wanted to was to sleep in my bed. But, for Jason, he still needed to keep himself loose and ready for the final run. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Arik had been done for hours and had to keep himself awake while he waited for everyone to get done. He did so in spectacular fashion with lots of cheering and grab ass.

After Jason raced off to cover the last miles we raced in the two cars along Lakeshore Drive to try to beat him to the finish. We managed to find parking spots and then all gathered 50 meters before the finish line. We ran across the line together and began to celebrate with friends, family, beer, and laughter. It was great to see Ashley again as she met up with me just after we crossed the line. Robert somehow managed to fall on an orange cone as we crossed the line which was quite the contrast to his incredible speed in the first leg. Phlip came through as he always does with some excellent Bell's hand delivered by his Wife all the way from Michigan. Lance's wife gave me an incredibly nice lift back to Logan Square where I managed to nap for a while before the after party at Emmit's later that night.

In the end, we won by over an hour and 13 minutes, passed every team in the race, and had a great time the entire way. I can't say enough about how well everyone got along and how many times we all had to laugh at the fun and absurdity of what were doing. Dong ask. Dong tell.