Races #21 & 22 COUNTDOWN

25 DAYS AND COUNTING...COUNTING DOWN!
RACE #21

Hard to imagine that in less than 3 weeks my racing days will come to an end. ...still trying to embrace the suck, the feelings of the ending of my journey, though honestly, I'm ready... Can I do this? #Leadman...in heart failure? Damn, gonna give it my all...dig through those dark times in my final 3 races...maybe roll the dice, see what happens!
(Dark times...keep reading as I addressed dark-times on day/memory #22...)

I had great conversations with two really good friends today. Mike...hell, I've known and run against/with Mike for the better part of the past 40 years...Mike is also doing #Leadman this year (Currently in 10th place OA...) ...and Gabe, also running the Leadville 100 trail Run on August 17th/18th with Mike and I... IF I can somehow finish both the Leadville 100 MTB and the 100 trail run, my last awards ceremony as an athlete will be at noon on Sunday August 18th with 2 of my best friends...ALL wearing our finisher belt buckles...THAT'S how I want to finish this crazy running 'career'! Bring on the suck!

So let's talk about running/racing memory #21... I'm going to preface this 'story' by saying, I've met some amazing people/friends and have forged so many life-long relationships because of running/racing...and one of my best is with Dale Bahr.
When I moved to Mankato in the summer of 1993 to run for MSU, one of the first athletes I met was Dale...we clicked right away. We ended up running a LOT of miles together, and spent too many nights at the Albatross (Sorry coach...). Dale was coming off a knee injury, but the cat was a beast...DII National Champion in the indoor 800...amazing athlete...and boy could he drink, damn! ...may have gotten in trouble a time or 3 with D, but that's a story (...long story...) for another day.
So many memories with Dale...road-tripping to the UP for the Big Bay Relay (BIG win...); or our still-standing Med-City Marathon Relay course record (...run with 2 others...) ...or the time we were out running on a hot day...Dale needing to stop and poop on the side of the trail, only to wipe his a** with poison oak...he was a red/swollen mess for weeks!
But for this story, #21 on my memory list, the 1997 Trail Mix 25K, held at Hyland Park/Bloomington, MN. 
I have run TM 4-5 times...anywhere from 1:39 to 1:49...loved the race, the course...sweet shirts as well!
Dale and I, now out of college and living in Mankato, still running well, decided to test the waters at TM as we prepped for the Big Bay Relay.
Two 7.75 mile loops...rolling/soft trails. ...and Dale and I take it out hard, building a solid 1:30+ lead after the first loop. 'D, I gotta crap...'. ...seriously, Dale? Now?
Yep...off Dale heads to the restroom, conveniently located at the 1/2 way point...1 minute, 2 minutes, and as I'm watching the clock, I'm watching our 1st place turn into 3rd, 5th...and by the time Dale is 'done' and ready to run, we're in 7th place...ugh, well, let's start picking 'em off. One...there's another...2 more...and we can see the leader now, Dave Anderson, I think he was running for SDSU when we were at MSU...solid runner, but we're gaining, working hard...just not enough room. We ended up tying for 2nd place in 1:44:14...Dave running 1:43:30. 
Didn't get the win that day, and TM is a race I never won, by a 2nd place tie with Dale, I'll take it!
See you at Hairball later this summer, Dale!

...Dale and I kneeling up front. Picture is from the 1997 Big Bay Relay.

Running playlist song #21: F.O.D. - Green Day

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25 DAYS AND COUNTING...COUNTING DOWN!
RACE #22
I have been talking to friends, fellow athletes and coaches lately about the Leadville races coming up next month, and mentioning that if I have ANY chance of finishing the 2 longer races, I'm going to have to be comfortable in a 'dark' place for an extended period of time, maybe miles of 'dark'.
What is your 'dark' place? It's where you go when things get ugly, REALLY ugly.
I have been in that dark-place so many times while competing that while I wouldn't call in 'comfortable', I expect it if I want to compete... Some athletes can't get there, some are afraid to go there...others thrive and do well by going dark/deep. 
One of my former athletes, Jordan Roby, who TODAY quailified for KONA at IM Canada...BEAST...sent me a text after his huge race: 'Thanks coach! Went to a super dark place but got it done. Reminded me of Marquette...' (I added the 3 dots...). Kid is a beast, and he's a beast because he knows what to do in his dark-place... 
Where am I going with this? Wondering if I can still go deep...it's been so long since I've had to put in that type of 'dark' effort, and I'm going to need an effort like that...

Race memory #22 did NOT need that type of effort.
Funny, looking up results for this race...15 years ago, really? Doesn't seem that long ago...seems like just...well, I guess it was a long time ago.
Decided to drive to New Orleans and surprise my mom for Mother's Day in 2002...drove the 19.5 hours on Friday, getting 4 hours of sleep Friday night and scooted off to a local 5K the next morning with my sister, The Gospel and Blues Run, held in downtown New Orleans on May 15th. ...and I was tired, really tired. I wanted to race, but not really...and was quietly hoping that the field was not that competitive so I could just run 18 minutes...just doing enough to win.
Gun goes off and wouldn't you know it, there is some clown who wants to race...f***. Hoping he blew his wad in the first .5 mile and that he was just a poser...mile 1 in about 5:20...nope, what the hell, I had ZERO desire to run this fast. By 1.5 miles I realize that he wants to run...so, being tired and cranky, I start pulling from my bag of tricks. Wide road, we're all alone, I'm running right off his left hip, yet I 'accidentally' bump into the back of his elbow a time or 3, irking him, I'm sure...maybe a splash or 2 from puddles from overnight rain.
Damn, I can't shake this kid...what else can I do? Still running about 5:20-5:25 pace, and still on his left hip, I let out the Scott Steuernagel 'sigh', the 'give-up sigh', giving him the impression that I was done...he made a little move, probably too soon...I just needed to time it right, and I did, winning by a second or 2 with a furious kick. (Furious is relative...) 
I know, I'm a dick, and I do feel bad that I was a dick, but we talked after the race and I told him what I did and why, and he was cool. We went on a cool-down run together...and funny, we found each other on Facebook a few years ago...friends.
Hoping that by being friends with him now, that he crosses me off the 'list', similar to the 'list' Steve Buscemi had in the movie Billy Madison, right before he applies that awful shade of lipstick.

Why did this 5K race make the list? I've run/raced 100's of 5K's, winning more than my share. This race was an experience and part of my journey... Having run so many races/5K's, I honestly don't remember a lot of them, though looking back at this race, it was a win, it was an amazing weekend with family...and it makes a for great story, especially after 3 shots of Goldschlager...

Honorable Mention...tired, not today. 

Running playlist song #22: Sandstorm - Darude

Race #23 COUNTDOWN

25 DAYS AND COUNTING...COUNTING DOWN!
RACE #23
Coming in at #23...
When I sat down to make my 'list' of favorite races/memories/experiences, I found it easy to find races where I ran well...races where I either won, or anchored a team, or ran on a winning team...but how about the tough races? Tough races, that may take more time...maybe when I finally sit down and write my auto-biography, maybe then more of the tough races/crash-and-burn races will appear.
A few weeks ago near the end of and after the Silver Rush 50 MTB, a race that really beat me up, physically AND emotionally, I knew it was one of the hardest races I've ever done. The course beat me up, and for the first time, I felt like I was in heart failure...duh. But where did I place it on my suck-o-meter? Top 3, for sure. Top 10 'tough' races WERE all run at the marathon distance, UNTIL that MTB race... Coming in at #2, and #23 as it pertains to this countdown, is the 2008 Chicago Marathon...a day I do NOT want to have back!

2008 was a 'fine' year of running for me...I had 1:23 and change at a trail half-marathon in Woodville, WI earlier that year...and had one of my best races ever at the Lumberack Days 10 Miler, but that race makes the list down the road.
Chicago, in shape to run sub-2:50 or so, but was lost as to what to do...pace? Race? Sit this one out? ...as it was going to be a scorcher, and we all know how I handle the heat...not.

...quick, phones ringing...who? Jenny Wilcox? Wants me to pace her...3:00? Deal... Jenny was an athlete of mine at the time...rock-solid runner and multi-sport athlete, and if she needs/wants me to pace, hell yea! I have purpose!
I honestly don't remember much about the travels and/or pre-race nutrition, though I KNOW I should have taken it more seriously...ugh.

Jenny and I both had 'preferred' bibs for the race so she was easy to find...but it was already warm, with plans of mid-80's, if I remember correctly.
Mile 1, 6:59, mile 2, 6:58...and so it goes...we hovered right at/under 7:00 pace through at least 16, maybe 17 miles, but holy cow, it was getting warm. I remember at some point past the United Center, mile 17 or so, I stopped to use a 'potty', which is a good sign...'I'll catch up, Jenny' I remember telling her. Quick break, maybe :25 seconds...out I go on a mission to find Jenny...I took off at sub-6:30 pace looking, searching...and I held that pace for at least 1 mile, maybe longer...but then I was done...it left that quick (...and I never did find Jenny...) ...the wheels fell off, hard. 
I don't remember much about the final 10K...it was a lot of walking, sitting on curbs, walking with that 'tilting-left' lean...oh boy was it ugly.
1st half in 1:31 and change, 2nd half in 2:10+...and it was an UG LY second half...wouldn't wish that upon anyone...
Once I crossed the finish line, done...I found a chair/trash can and vomited over and over...and that finish-line/chute area must have been 2 miles long...I'd walk for a bit, then sit and vomit...felt like it took hours!

(Medal is here...somewhere...)

In hind site, I should have given the race the respect that it deserves, I was coming off a number of races that I crushed...maybe my head was too big for my own good? Well, whatever it was, it sucked...#2 on the 'painful' scale.
On the bright side, Jenny rocked...3:03, maybe? #beast

Splits

Split	Time	Diff	min/mile	miles/h
05K	00:21:37	21:37	06:58	8.63
10K	00:42:48	21:11	06:50	8.80
15K	01:05:09	22:21	07:12	8.34
20K	01:26:35	21:26	06:54	8.70
HALF	01:31:21	04:46	07:00	8.58
25K	01:48:43	17:23	07:10	8.38
30K	02:13:11	24:28	07:53	7.62
35K	02:39:15	26:04	08:24	7.15
40K	03:16:42	37:27	12:04	4.98
Finish	03:42:42	26:00	19:04	3.15

So the 2008 Chicago Marathon makes the list at #23, not for how fast I ran, or the crazy dinner/travel plans, more because this race was a true beating...a race that will be forever etched in my brain...a race that put my running/racing on hold for at least 2 years, as I did NOT want to have to dig that deep again.

I did, however, run 4 more marathons in 2009, but I paced them all, (3:15-3:35) as I was not ready to toe the line. (I'm a p****...)

I preach to athletes to NOT put that next BIG race up on a pedestal, because once you do, the race won. But there's a difference between putting the race on a pedestal and respecting the race...I found out the hard way!

HONORABLE MENTION for today...it's just another story.

Racing and memories...so many, but also, SO many amazing workouts...and workout partners!

...like races, a number of workouts really resonate with me...sometimes wondering how I did that.
I think back November of 1992, coming off a 15:36 5K (7th place), I was ready to rumble! 
That Saturday I supposed to race a 5 miler, but I couldn't afford the entry fee, so I headed to the track with my girlfriend for some 'frustration' 400's... 42 degrees, chilly with a light wind...one of those days...I'm ready. Wanted to run 70's solid, 12-14 miles total. 
2 miles easy/stretch and strides...then I proceeded to run 16 x 400 meters, averaging 69.42 for the 16, rotating 200/400 recovery jogs... 'D' stayed and ran the stopwatch and ran some of the recovery laps with me. What a workout...I had done 16, 20, even 24 400's as part of a workout in the past, but never did they feel that easy...and consistent. ...wish I had raced! 

I'll always remember this workout for what it was, I'll also remember this girlfriend, but that's a story for another day, for sure. Now THAT would make a great read...

Running playlist song #23: Who's Your Daddy (Original Extended Play) - Benny Benassi

Race #24 COUNTDOWN

25 DAYS AND COUNTING...COUNTING DOWN!
RACE #24 
Coming in at #24...
Race #24 didn't make the list because of the race time or place, though I did win, but the story that comes with it!  (Stories, I have more than a few...)
Aug. 10th, 2002...in pretty decent shape...training for 'insert race name here'.
I was coming off a solid summer, including being a sub 2:59:59 pacer at Grandma's Marathon only a couple of months earlier...mission accomplished, by the way, but that's another 'story' for a later date
Back to the race in question, the Gopher to Badger 5K, a race course that starts in MN and has you running over the St. Croix River, finishing in beautiful downtown Hudson, WI. 
Because I'm Derek Lindstrom, I ran the course from finish to start to get in my warm-up...strides, and I'm ready to hammer. 
...gun goes off and I take it out hard (?), wanting to get some separation. Mile 1 was run in 5:09...mile 2 in 5:13, with a pedestrian mile 3 (5:19) to finish in 16:11...or did I?
As I approach the band-shell in Hudson...running through the empty chute, glancing over to see the race clock not yet started, I hear someone yell to the RD (race director) that the winner was here. I run all the way through the finish-line, with a solid 'kick'...to emptiness...to nobody. RD runs up to the finish and starts the race clock, though by this time 3 of us have finished. 'What was you time?' he asks me...and I, being a smart-ass (surprised?) answered, 'What did the clock say?' ...I'm so funny :)
I picked up my $5 Running Room gift card for being the OA winner
(Note in the results that we are all separated by 10 seconds, though I had at least 2 full blocks on 2nd place...)
I picked up my $5 Running Room gift card for the BIG win and finished off the morning with a 7 mile cool-down run with the 'crew'... Thumbs up day!
You know, not my fastest race, not the best race 'field', but I will always remember this race for what it was...a great story, a great running memory...a story I love to tell. 

HONORABLE MENTION for today...it's just another story.
As you may or may not know, I like to clown/joke around...this sometimes spills out into my running. A great example...
Back in the day when we wanted to race but not 'compete', we would just bandit the race...it was cool back in the day...but times change, and running as a bandit became frowned upon years ago :( So instead of running as a bandit, I would sign up for races using random/famous names...when I was pacing and/or didn't want posted results...Juma Ikangaa, Tony Bennett...whatever was handy.
The race in question, the fall 2012 (?) St. Therese 5K (Deephaven, MN)...not knowing what kind of shape I was in, I ran over to the church before the race and signed up as Justin Timberlake...yep, I'm a tool.
Small race, maybe 150/200 runners...and I didn't run real fast, maybe 16:45, but I won! ...and after doing so, a 'sister' from the church tracked me down to give me my $50 BP gift card for winning and asked me my name... 'Justin Timberlake', I say with a dumb smirk...she gives me an equally 'dumb' smirk and says, '...are you sure you want to go with that, your name is going on a plague in the church...'.  
Bested by a 'sister' at the church...

Tomorrow, race/memory :23...ready?

Running playlist song #24: A Love Bizarre - Sheila E

Thinking Back...25 Days/25 races

25 DAYS AND COUNTING...COUNTING DOWN!
Thanks for stopping by and taking a peak... It's been quite the ride...running and racing pretty consistently over the past 40+ years, but as you know, those days are coming to an end on August 18th of this year, the finish line of the Leadville100 Trail Run, the final race in the #Leadman series. 
As I sit here, readying myself for my final 3 races before I hang up the trainers, I thought it might be fun to look back at my 25 favorite races, though not necessarily the fastest, I guess we could say the 25 most 'memorable'.
I would hate to guess how as to how many races I have raced and/or paced since I started running in August of 1976...has to be close to 600+ races, and maybe someday I'll tackle the counting of races, but for today, we'll just say that 'I've raced a lot'. ...and I LOVE(D) to race...1 mile on the track/roads, marathons, trail ultras, just get me to the starting line healthy, and I'll give it my all. A lot of times giving my all meant a BIG win, other times I would blow-up and wind up finishing 7th...but I learned SO much every time I raced, and while I never got to the 'next level', I could usually get myself in sub 16 minute 5K shape pretty quick, it's the consistency that would always curtail my training/racing. New job, new girlfriend...whatever, but I always had my running, and eventually it was back to racing. Running, I will surely miss you...but I need to focus on the next 'journey' that life has in store for me...
25 days of races, leading up to the finish of the Leadville 100...

So, let's get this party started...drum-roll, please...coming in at #25:
June 8th, 1991, this whole summer/fall for that matter, but of all the racing I did that summer, the Racine Lighthouse 10 Mile Run really stands out. 
I get to the race late, shocking, I know...quick packet pick-up, throw on the flats and BANG, gun goes off, but I'm still a block away at the car! There was no 'chip' time back then, so the clock is running...but I'm in solid shape, let's see how many I can catch. Get to the start line with the clock at :41 seconds, but with so many people, I never had to run alone. 
I don't remember many of my splits, (mile 6 in 5:19) but I do remember how GREAT I felt...legs felt strong and springy, and I really got into a groove early...and with the exception of a little 'struggle' over the final .5 mile, I felt (and ran) rock solid. Strong field, as usual for this race, but I crossed in 55:56 (55:15) to finish 22nd place overall. ...I still wonder how fast I could have run had I gone out with the leaders, but either way, this race will always be a highlight. ...I also remember that we did a 11+ mile cool-down after the race, for some reason, maybe to make up for the warm-up that never happened.

1991 was a good running year for me, with 19 races (winning 7 of them). 
May of that year I was on the winning Big Bay Relay team, a couple of weeks later I won a 5K in Peshtigo,WI; June had me at the Lighthouse Run, and then later that month I won another 5K, this time in Cambridge, WI...nothing fast (16:01), but a win. 
Badger State Games (4 x 800 anchor); 4th place at the Rockford Mile (4:18) in August; Schneider National 2 Mile Champs, big win in 9:39 in September...and in October, the Lodi Library Fund Run (15:54 for 2nd) and the Beloit Classic the following weekend, same time, same place...

SO many races...I hope you check back from time to time over the next 25 days...not only a lot of races, a LOT of stories...with so many friends/relationships made!

Running playlist song #25: The Pretender - Foo Fighters
Tomorrow, #24, is gonna be fun :)

Emotions...

Deep breath, Derek. 

...still coming down from the high/low/emotionally charged race from this past Sunday, the Silver Rush 50 Mile MTB...a race that really beat me up.

Back up a step...as I get deeper into this #leadman quest, I have found myself becoming more and more emotional, similar to how I felt in the Spring of 2018 when I first found out about my heart failure and the numerous hospital visits/stays over that summer. I found it really easy to blog/write as my emotions were so raw...lately, more than likely because I know what my path/journey has in store for me, I have been less emotional...in general, more at peace with the 'process'.

Well, emotions were out in full-force this past Sunday...

Let's go back to June for a sec...ran the Leadville Trail Marathon on June 15th, race #1 on the Leadman calendar, running the first 11+ with Lisa, then just 'got through' the race, feeling great every step of the way. Tough course, though one of the easier marathons I have run. (Now at 111 marathons...) I ran just a tick over 6 hours, making my time cut-off by over 2 hours, moving me on to race #2, the 50 MTB. ...during the later miles of the marathon I needed to sit at an aid station for a few minutes and regroup, I was becoming very emotional, knowing that this was probably going to be my last marathon, and that was hard. My life has been all about running/riding for so long...the friendships, the relationships I have enjoyed during my 40+ years of competing...this was more than likely it...and I found that hard. 

I had a good training cycle for the 3 weeks between the 2 races, mixing in riding/power-walking and 'running'...really thought I was ready, though I have been in this game long enough to know that every race brings upon a new challenge, and the bike certainly did.

Even though I am in heart failure, and I'm doing things that I shouldn't be able to do with an ejection fraction of 17% (heart pumping function), I believe that because I have been so active, SO efficient for so many years, that certain types of activities just don't bother me...like running the five 1 mile repeats at the Big Bay Relay in May, averaging around 6:30 with my heart-rate hovering around 130. I think I am able to do that because my body is 'efficient' working hard like that. Now granted, there was a time when I could average 4:37 for the same race, so we'll keep that in perspective, but still, I believe it's all about the efficiency.  I can still get on the MTB for hours, on a paved/gravel trail, and hammer out 18-19 mph with a HR hovering around 120, and I feel great...again, because of years of efficiency. What I AM noticing, however, is that I have limited power for any type of climbing on the bike, or easy running for that matter. 

Hear me out for a sec. I can race (mile repeats) at 130 HR...still hard, but efficient. When I go to run 'easy', say 9:30-10:30 pace, the HR jumps to around 160...I believe it jumps because my body is not efficient at that pace...which is gonna suck at the 100 mile run in August. Ugh...

So let's go back to last Sunday, the 50 MTB. I'm ready...bike is fit, and thanks to Cycle For Life out of Leadville, the bike is ready to be ridden hard. 
The race starts at the bottom of a ski hill, and for the first 2:30 of the race, you're pushing your bike UP the f'n ski hill...what? 2:30 into the race and I'm ready to die...oh my. The next 10-11 miles of the race are ALL uphill, going from 10,200 elevation to near 12,000 feet, and I'm sucking wind the WHOLE time...but the downhills are coming, right? Well, the downhills were SO rocky, and when I say 'rocky', I'm not talking gravel...rocks! Some of the cats came cruising down at 35-45 mph, I ended up maxing out at 30.9 mph, though most of the time I had a handful of brakes. SO hard on me...physically the course beat the shit out of me, from the first step on. Emotionally it was just as hard...because I'm wired the way I'm wired, I have a hard time doing anything 'easy', so even though I was a couple of hours under the race cut-off, I had to keep pushing, and it took a toll. I was hoping to finish in 6:15, though I'm not sure where I got that time 'goal' from...well, finished in 6:28 and change, but it was a hard 6:28. When I finished, Lisa was there waiting for me, and did I all could do to not break down and cry...hold it together, Derek...you're Derek Lindstrom, and you can do anything! 

Raced on Sunday July 7th and spent the next day driving back to MN...took 2 days off, then it was back to the bike for a 2+ hour urban MTB, but my body was not ready...at about 15 minutes in it was screaming 'I need another few days off'...so what do I do? I spent the next night power-walking with Gabe in the pitch dark for 3 hours/12 miles at Hyland Regional Park...NOW I'm tired, and will take today as an off day. ...just don't know how to manage my days.  Am I tired from the race...or do I factor in the heart failure? 

I have 4 weeks until the 100 MTB and 5 until the 100 trail run, so I just need the body to hold up for 5 more weeks! ...duct tape and Tylenol til then?

So, it's time to re-group, put on my big-boy pants and toughen up...don't be such a pansy, Derek...it's just running and riding, right? ...Lisa was asked yesterday 'how is he doing that', knowing that I am in heart failure...and honestly, I don't know. Maybe because I'm Derek Lindstrom? Maybe I'm just too stubborn to quit? ...maybe, or probably, I NEED to finish this Leadman series this summer so I can 'retire' on MY terms, not having to quit because someone/doctor has told me that I can't do it any longer. So I'm going to toe the line 3 more times in August, I will race as hard/smart as I can...I will do my best to be on stage Sunday after I finish the 100 mile trail run, along with 35 other Leadman finishers, 35 of the fittest athletes in the world...  'I'm Derek Lindstrom, and I can do anything!'

Stay tuned...