A Few Steps More

 Earlier, we explored the good, the bad, and the ugly runs. But let’s dive into another concept: a few steps more. Striving for better fitness always involves balancing between too much and not enough. And with today’s technology, like GPS watches, tracking steps has become easier than ever. Adding just a few more steps to reach your walking or running goals may seem elementary, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

The Challenge of Real-Time Tracking

While glancing at your GPS watch to count steps can be helpful, it’s not always practical or motivating in real time. Instead, consider adopting an old-school technique used by track runners for decades: counting steps in your mind during specific workouts.

The Benefits of Counting Steps

1. Staying on Track (Literally)
   On the track, counting your steps for each 400-meter interval can help you stay consistent. If you notice too few steps, you might be running too slow. Too many? Perhaps you’re pushing too fast. This simple habit builds awareness and helps refine your pacing.

2. Breathing Control
   Counting steps while you run can also help regulate your breathing. Syncing your steps with your breath is especially valuable during races when you’ve gone out too fast and need to regain control. With each step, you can find your rhythm, maintain your focus, and settle into your pace.

Always Room for a Few More Steps

Whether it’s adding a few extra strides to finish strong, or using steps as a tool for mental and physical alignment, every step counts. The beauty of running lies in the continuous journey—step by step, we improve, adapt, and grow.

So, with every run, remember: there’s always room for a few more steps.

Keep running, my friends!

 

Galloping into 2025

 

Galloping into 2025

As we step into a new year, let’s take a moment to celebrate your incredible journey through 2024. Every mile, every step, and every effort you’ve poured into your running deserves recognition. The passion and dedication you’ve shown are nothing short of inspiring.

Looking ahead, 2025 promises endless possibilities. Of course, there will be the good, the bad, and the ugly runs—but each of them plays a vital role in shaping your journey.

The Good

These are the days when everything just clicks. From the first stride to the last, your body feels like a finely tuned machine, and every fiber of your being radiates joy. These runs remind you why you fell in love with running in the first place.

The Bad

We’ve all been there: those workouts that should’ve felt easier, those days when running feels like a struggle. But don’t let them bring you down. The good runs are always on the horizon. Allow yourself the gift of recovery—active or inactive—and remember that every tough day is just a stepping stone to better ones ahead.

The Ugly

Ah, the ugly runs—the ones we love to hate but secretly cherish. These are the character builders: the grueling 20-milers in -15°F weather or the hill sprints in scorching 90°F heat. They challenge your resolve, demand resilience, and teach you more about yourself than any good run ever could.

Through it all, these runs—good, bad, and ugly—are what make our hearts race and keep the joy of running alive. From my perspective, there’s something to love in each one of them and you are a champion in orchestrating it.

Let the music begin!

Keep Running my Friends!

Have you run in super shoes

 

Over the years, shoe technology has continually evolved. In the last decade, the advent of super shoes has come to the forefront of this evolution. During this time, countless records have fallen to runners wearing these groundbreaking shoes.

I decided to buy my first pair in 2019 for my fall marathon. I was looking for every advantage in pursuit of a fast time and a Boston Qualifier (BQ). When I picked up the shoes, I was immediately impressed. They weighed just 5.6 ounces compared to my 11.6-ounce trainers. Once I put them on, I could hardly feel them as I walked around the house. However, they had a weird bouncy, squishy sensation that felt unusual.

The next day, I laced them up again and ventured out on a tempo run. As I ran, I felt light and springy on my feet. As I ramped up the pace, it seemed almost effortless. My GPS was tracking my pace, and I could hardly believe the numbers it displayed. When I finished the run and reflected on my first experience with the super shoes, I was all smiles.

However, the next day, my body wasn’t as happy. My calves were extremely sore. I turned to a few online resources to better understand what was happening. I learned that these shoes are designed in a way that can stress your soft tissue if your body isn’t used to them. A gradual progression was recommended to allow for proper adjustment.

Presto! Problem solved. I adhered to a slow mileage build-up in the super shoes. This was manageable for me since I always rotate shoes between runs. As I progressed in my training, the super shoes began to grow on me. They felt like an integral part of my preparation. However, as my marathon approached, the shoes started to show signs of wear. I knew the race would be my last run in this pair.

On race day, I lined up at the starting line and glanced around. There were others who, like me, had been willing to pay $300 for a pair of super shoes. I took a deep breath, and then the gun fired. The race was on. As the miles ticked by, my pace and effort remained perfectly on target for my BQ time. When I crossed the finish line, I was ecstatic—I had come in 7 minutes under the qualification time.

Pleased with the performance of my super shoes, I bought another pair shortly after. In my opinion, super shoes are an excellent tool if you’re chasing a fast time. They’re fun to run in and truly put a spring in your step. While the price tag may be steep, for serious runners, they can be a game-changer.

What about the cold

 

What about the cold

 

People have been running for thousands of years.  During that time, we have run in all kinds of temperatures and terrain.   Today we have vast amounts of high-tech running gear to help us stay warm in the cold and to manage our thermal barrier regardless how hard we work.

 

As we peer back in time the question is how did they deal with the cold?

 

In just my short time on this earth we moved from wool to cotton and maybe some things I don’t even remember to the new high-tech gear we have now. Thanks to advancement in technology, we have great running gear for the cold and warm environments.

 

Let’s drop back in time a little farther and my mind goes straight to furs.  I am sure furs were not easy to come by, but I am sure some people had them. There are a lot of questions how they wore them.  Did they wear them like we do with pants, shirts and short or capes.  Well maybe some anthropologists might have an answer for the general person of that time but what about the runner of that time?

 

Well, maybe it carries it through to everyone in that period.  I am guessing we will not know the true answer but interesting anyway.

 

Let’s move a little farther back in time.  Were people just tougher?  Maybe they were, but without being there who really knows.

 

Let’s think about what about food for the runner of that time? Did they consume more calories as they had to hunt /gather and run in the cold.  We burn more calories so to sustain adequate energy, they would need to eat more.  Did they eat more fat at the time?  My guess is they ate everything they could find regardless of what it was, and fat was highly sought after.

 

The next question is maybe they looked a little different and maybe we were all hairy.   Well, that could be the case, but the fossil record does not tell us that answer.   Maybe they migrated and I am sure that was the case for some people. We still do that today as some people just want to get out of the cold.

 

Back to the main question, what about the cold?  Well, it is cold !!

 

Stay warm runners and keep running!

What About Hills

 

 

 

Do you run hills?  I have always incorporated running hills into my training.  They are great in the winter when doing track work is impossible because of the snow.  They help you with strength and form and let’s not forget about the mental toughness you get from running them.

 However, there are other sides to the hill.  There are hill races that are on the roads and trails.   There are exploring runs that can take you to extreme heights  and we can’t forget about downhill.   Yes, there are down hill races of all distances like Jack and Jills downhill marathon. 

I have had the honor to participate in every type of these runs.  I am sure many of you have also.  Here are a few of my favorite hills.

Elk Mound run to the Castle

Ogema to Timm’s hill (Highest point in Wisconsin)

La Crosse Civic center to Grand Dad bluff and back

Mt Washington Road Race (NH)

Smugglers pass  in Aspen (Co)

King Arthurs Seat Scottland England at the end of the royal mile,

 

Let us know your favorite hill near or far for we love them all!

 

Good Running  Friends!

Do you have a Running Bucket list

 Hello Friends!

Do you have a running Bucket list?

I decided that the need for a BUCKET LIST of things that I want to accomplish is prudent.  

 I think this is something that most runners should consider. The first items I added to my bucket list were simple.  I decided that I want to run a race at every possible distance up to 50K.  This was a great idea because I could also obtain some new PR’s with these new and obscure distances.    The next items were a little bit dreamy and not as easy to achieve but were well worth putting on the list.  I thought running a few more marathons were in the picture.  I decided that New York and London Marathons should be on the list and possible all the marathon Majors.  Then I thought how about trying something a little bit crazy.  I added to the list Running of the Bulls in Spain to try something with heart pumping adrenaline.  As I worked on this list I came to the conclusion that there will never be an end to my bucket list and always something I will aspire too.  I believe that every runner needs something to dream about even if you are not into racing.  It gives you a purpose to get out and run on the tough and stressful days.

Good Running

Spring Fever 2023

With Covid in the review mirror we are  honored to have brought back this longtime staple race  of ITC.  As times change and new challenges present themselves, we at ITC had to evolve also to make Spring Fever happen.

It is no secret that non profit groups struggle to get volunteers in todays environment.  ITC falls into this category.   With limited resources a small group pulled together in  November 2022 and set forth on bringing the Spring Fever race back to life.

The challenges:

For over 20 years the Spring Fever race resided in Altoona, WI. For those who live in the area know that there have been many changes to this community.   This posed a few challenges but also new opportunities,  With all  these changes Altoona developed a wonderful trail system.  After spending some time running the new trails we decide on a route that started at Hobbs and took advantage of the beautiful trail that ran along the Eau Claire river.  

The next challenge was all the paperwork  that was needed  for permitting the event. We worked with the city of Altoona  to make this happen.  They were very helpful and instrumental to make our event happen safely.  We thank you for our support of the event!  

The last challenge, volunteers for the race.  We were able to secure volunteers for the race from the Mondovi tack and cross-country team and some longtime ITC members.  All the pieces came together for race day.   

The race :

The weather was cool and cloudy for the race and better than the forecast that predicted rain.   People started showing up for registration and packet pick up. The race was close to starting and we could feel the stress as we had a new course and a lot of unknowns as it was a new course.

We called the runners to the starting line at 8:57.  Once the runners massed together we gave a some last-minute instructions  about the route and let the runners know the first half was all down hill for the first 3 miles, down to the river and the second half there were some hills, so run accordingly. Then at exactly 9:00 we gave  the start!

The lead biker was off and the runners hooked onto his tire and the conga line was off and running. As each second ticked off we were wondering what was going in the runners space.   Would they like the course , is the course marked well enough, is anybody going to get lost, were our efforts worth while.  

As we stood there with these thoughts racing through our mind we saw the lead biker and our first runner approaching .   We were now anticipating the first feed back of the race.  We stood by the clock at the finish line and then he was in.  It was Austin John a young man that never ran any of the Altoona trails before.  We walked directly to him to get his feedback.  He liked the route and said he had no issues and would not change anything.  It was a little bit of relief but he had the lead biker to follow so we still had some concerns.  As the runners continued roll in we felt more and more relief as there were very few issued on the course.

After the race we presented awards to the runners and chatted with the finishers for feed back for the 2024 race which was appreciated.

In conclusion ITC was pleased to bring this race to you and thanks you for running/walking.  We strive to put on events to help people get out the door and train for something  that helps your health!

Thank you for supporting ITC.  Your support helps  us keep putting on these events.

Here's to good running and good heath!