Now that I’m unemployed (anyone want to hire me?) I’ve got time on my hands to actually catch up and do some work on this website, which is why I’ve actually had some posts recently.  Among my list of things to write about was a review of the shoes that I wore a great deal through this summer – the Saucony Grid Type A5.  Of course the day before I was planning to sit down and write a review the most prominent shoe review on the web, Peter Larson aka Runblogger, also posted his review.  His description says it all and I can’t add too much to his reviews as I think we generally like the same type of shoe.

Runblogger says that the A5 is a “phenomenal racing flat.”  I think it’s pretty good, too, but I bought it from Running Warehouse for one main reason – the drainage holes in the sole.  This summer was hot and anyone who knows me knows that I sweat… a lot.  On a hot and humid morning run it sometimes only takes 45 minutes before my feet are sloshing around in sweat in normal shoes.  With the A5’s drainage holes all that sweat gets pushed right out the bottom.  My feet might remain wet, but they aren’t swimming.  The other reasons I bought it instead of one of the few other shoes with drainage holes: they’re not expensive (I got mine for $76 and they’re currently on sale at Running Warehouse for $69) and I kind of liked the blue color.  Those are good reasons to buy shoes, too, right?

The drainage holes cause problems, too.  I won’t be wearing this shoe in the winter, for instance, as the holes can also easily suck water up into the shoe and turn a wet foot into a cold foot.  Nor do I like wearing it on trails or gravel as I have gotten back from trail runs and literally had a rock in every single hole in the sole (note a few rocks still in the holes in the photo).

These shoes don’t offer a lot of cushioning, but there is enough for me.  I’ve run 800+ miles in cush-less Vibram Five Fingers but I can’t go more than a mile in a pair now without the bottom of my right foot hurting.  I do need just a little cushioning and the A5s provide just the right amount without interfering with my attempts to run with better form.   The limited cushioning means they are also light.  I have long feet (size 13) and each shoe weighs 7.0 oz on the kitchen scale.  There might be lighter shoes out there, but not too many.

The A5s seem to be a significant improvement over their predecessors. I was given a pair of Saucony A3s several years back and ran about 350 miles in them, but never really liked them much.  These are way better, with a lower heel, lighter weight and an improved fit.

One of my pet peeves with running shoe reviews is that so many people review shoes after only a few runs in them and say things like “Durability is excellent… they’ve held up great through 30 miles of running, including a long 8 mile run.”  Fine, but how are they after 100 or 200 miles?  I’ve got about 250 miles on my A5s and they do seem durable enough.  I have no doubt that they’ll make it easily to 600 or 700 miles.  While I’m not putting in the long runs (yet) that I did last year I’ve been out on plenty of 13+ mile runs in the A5s and up to almost 16 and I would have no problem running a marathon or longer in them.

Do I have any complaints about them?  Aside from their magical ability to collect debris and bring it home (which is more than offset by their sweat evacuation abilities) my only issue is that the knobs on the outsole feel squirmy on concrete and are kind of loud.  This isn’t a big deal, but after the first few steps of every run I notice the squirminess and think to myself how it’s annoying… and then promptly stop caring for the rest of the run.

I don’t know if I’d go as far as Runblogger and call this shoe “phenomenal” but it’s pretty darn good.  I like it and it will be on the short list of shoes to buy when I need another pair.

As a first year student last year at Wartburg College in Waverly Alana Enabnit started her collegiate career hampered by injuries early in the cross country season.  She came on strong in what was only her second season of cross country ever and finished 10^th at the NCAA Division 3 National Championships held at UW-Oshkosh.  But it was this past track season where Enabnit really made her mark by winning both the 5k and 10k national championships on the track and helping the Knights to a dominating 77 point victory [results].  Her performance in the distance double there opened some eyes and is drawing inevitable comparisons to another former Wartburg star, Missy Buttry, who won 14 NCAA titles and twice represented the U.S. at the World Cross Country Championships.  Following her victorious races at D3 nationals Enabnit went on to place 3^rd in the 5k at USA Junior National Championships. Enabnit, who graduated high school from Clear Lake High School, won the state championship in both the 3k and 1500m on the track her senior year but had spent much of her time prior to that focusing much more on figure skating.  She definitely has a very bright future ahead of her and fans of Iowa runners should keep their eyes on her over the next few years!

PRs

1500m – 4:38

3000m (indoor) – 9:58 (but covered 3000m during a 5k in 9:46)

5000m – 16:25

6000m (Cross Country) – 21:13

10,000m – 35:03

Enabnit winning state in HS

Can you briefly describe your high school running career and how you got into running in HS (or before)?

I ran track in middle school, but I did not do cross country till my senior year. I started track in 7^th grade just because that was the only sport that my rigorous figure skating schedule could fit in. I did it more as an extra hobby till HS.  By the time I was a senior, my passions changed, and my love for running really blossomed.  Much of the transition from skating to running came from the fact that I felt like God really was calling me to use my running career as a testimony and reflection of my faith.

What made you choose Wartburg? Did you have opportunities to run at Division 1 schools?

I did receive offers from Division I programs but nothing extremely serious. I was probably overlooked by many because I didn’t really enter the “serious group of runners” until my senior year. I was introduced to Coach Johnson by my high school coach, and from there I fell in love with the Wartburg program. Wartburg has an amazing reputation on the academic level, but what really drew me in is the passion the school has for improvement, relationships, and lifelong development.

Wartburg has had some incredible runners over the years… To what do you attribute that? Coaching? Recruiting? A culture of success? Something else?

I think the recipe for success at Wartburg is a result of many simple things combined under one program.

-A passion for running

-A passion for family (team) success

-A dedication to hard work

-Individualized training

-Amazing athletic trainers

-Personally invested coaches who care about EVERY runner on the team no matter their position

-Encouragement and faith in each other

Good high school runners don’t always find success right away in college, but you did pretty well, placing 10th at Nationals in cross and winning the 5/10k double outdoors. How was the transition from high school to college life and collegiate running for you?

My transition was actually pretty rough. I had a stress fracture and IT band syndrome to start out my cross season last year. I was only able to run the last three races of the year. I learned that I needed to trust my coach with my training. I started my summer training with a “more is better” mentality. That led to overtraining and injuries. After those experiences, I began to understand that training development is a slow process, and I needed to trust the knowledge of my coach.  Once I learned those lessons, my training and racing fell into a much better place.

Buttry, winning her 2nd of 3 consecutive national championships in cross country

Your success as a freshman is going to draw inevitable comparisons to Missy Buttry. Do you feel any pressure to achieve the same sorts of success that she did at Wartburg?

Whenever I am compared to Missy, I feel extremely honored.  If I do feel any pressure to achieve the same sorts of success that she did, I have put that pressure on myself. She was an amazing athlete and person, and I want to hold myself to those standards. However, we are completely different athletes with different strengths.  I pray that I can make the impact that she did on Division III athletics but in my own way.

What are your goals for this year? For your final 3 years as a Knight? Beyond that?

For cross, I really want to help our team bring home a National Team trophy . I would love to bring home an individual title as well.  Winnings are not the most important thing on my goal sheet.  I really just want to keep improving on my racing and training from last year, and I want to see how tough I can compete.  However, my number one goal is to make sure that I praise God with every stride I take, because He gave me the gift to run, and I want to let people know what He has done for me.

For track, I would love to run under 16:10 this year in the 5k and under 34:10

Wearing Number 1 for good reason.  (Photo from ncaa.com)

in the 10k. I do not like to get to ahead of myself with future goals. I have big dreams, but a lot can happen in three years. You never know what life will throw your way, and that is why I enjoy every moment. I have the tendency to let myself get into the “I want it all, and I want it now!” mentality, but I am taking life, training, and racing a season at a time.

What’s your favorite running experience so far?

My favorite moment has to be going 1-2 with my teammate Laura Sigmund in both the 5k and 10k at Outdoor Nationals. Sharing the experience with one of my best friends was incredible.

What’s your favorite workout? Favorite race distance?

My favorite workout is our River Road tempo. It is a two lap loop that we do that equals out to be about 5.4 miles. I try to run so that my average pace is about the same as my 6k.  It is the most mentally tough and rewarding workout we do, and doing it with our guys makes me push myself that much harder. In track I have a love hate relationship with 800 repeats. I feel my sharpest when I complete some quality 800 repeats. My favorite race distance is currently the 5k on the track. I haven’t raced the 10k enough to make an honest comparison, but I have a feeling it will soon be my favorite.

Thanks so much for your time, Alana, and best of luck to you and your teammates at Wartburg this year!

Trail races and ultra distance races are rapidly growing in popularity across the country and in Iowa, too.   I certainly favor longer races and less pavement makes the race “more better” as a wise friend used to say.  This is why I’m excited that the gun is set to go off for a new race, the Running Village Fall 50k, on October 13 starting near downtown Cedar Falls.  The race promises to offer runners a competitive and fun trail ultra.

To my knowledge there are four ultras in Iowa and the Running Village Fall 50k promises to be the most “traditional” trail ultra race in some respects .  The others are great races but the Wildcat 50k near Muscatine (no pre-registration, honor-system-write-your-own time for 6 mile out/back course), Hawkeye 50k near Solon (some technical trails, but 2/3 is road or crushed gravel bike path) and Triple D between Dyersville and Dubuque (January run on flat crushed limestone bike path) all differ from what many people think of a as a trail race to a degree.

Race director Scott Gall notes that most trail races start and finish in the middle of nowhere but the RV50k will be unique in that it is starting and finishing behind The Runner’s Flat store in downtown Cedar Falls.  The course will consist of two 25k loops that will be 90 percent dirt and grass and feature a lot of twisty singletrack, and an extended stream crossing where the course will follow the creek for what Gall estimates is 150 yards.  The course won’t be full of hills but Gall says that there will be some stairs and each loop will have one hill that takes runners 3 to 4 minutes to climb – enough to feel some burn.

Gall, who owns The Runner’s Flat along with his wife, Sarah, is an accomplished racer in his own right but will be sitting this one out and wearing his race director’s hat.  He’s taking a long-term approach to the race and hopes to make it a bigger deal in the next five years; for him a first year turnout of 50 to 100 people would be good and at press time he estimated he had 25 pre-registered.  Still, he is already offering $500 for the men’s and women’s winners, so he’s sure to draw some top notch regional runners to the race in the first year.  He hopes to grow the race in the next few years and has plans to run it in conjunction with other events, including bike races, to create a more exciting festival atmosphere

“I love the atmosphere at trail races.  They’re more homegrown, more fun, and that’s what this will be.  I’m not going to sweat the details too much this year but I guarantee it will be fun,” he said.  He also promises that he will “mark the heck out of the course” to ensure nobody goes off course or even has to slow down at an intersection wondering which way to go.  Another unique feature of the race will be the neutral, rolling start (common in bike races) where all runners will run the first mile together at about 10:00 per mile pace on a paved bike trail paced by a couple bikes.  This will be a good warmup and a chance for all racers to socialize.  However, once the bikes peel off and the course hits the dirt the race is on!  For those not ready to run the full 50k (31 miles) there is the option of running “only” 25k

Gall promises a simple Running Village shirt that “you’d actually want to wear around” and lots of great awards and door prizes, and the race website touts one of the biggest post-race parties in the midwest.  While that might be asking a lot, don’t underestimate Gall.  I’ve seen the guy in action on the race course and if he’s as determined to turn this race into something special as he is to cross the finish line first, this will become a must-do fall trail race for trail runners across the midwest.

(Gall is not only one of the country’s top mountain runners, snowshoers and X-Terra triathletes but he is also a coach and is offering a training camp in Colorado Springs, CO, November 8-11 where athletes will have a chance to spend lots of time running and/or snowshoeing, depending upon conditions.  The short training camp will conclude with a climb of 14,110 ft tall Pike’s Peak and costs $500 which includes meals, transportation, lodging and an assortment of gear.  For more info contact Gall at The Runner’s Flat… 319-227-1154)

The former Lisa Koll winning the NCAA 10k in 2010. (Photo from letsrun.com)

Former ISU star Lisa (Koll) Uhl is returning to Ames and her college coach, Coreh Ihmels, to train and help coach the Cyclones.  Uhl says that she gave Portland, OR, a chance, but it just wasn’t the right fit for her.  Her arrival in Ames will surely help invigorate the women on the ‘Clones’ cross country team, as they are currently ranked 5th in the first USTFCCCA poll, right behind defending champion Georgetown.

Also, be sure to pick up the latest Running Times issue for a great article (complete with cover shot!) about former Iowa star and 2012 Olympic marathoner (representing Burundi) Diane Nukuri-Johnson who still lives in the Iowa City area and trains under Iowa coach Layne Anderson.  If you’re wanting to read the article but don’t want to purchase the magazine on the newsstand you’ll have to wait as it is not yet available online.

You may have heard of Lopez Lomong, one of the “lost boys of Sudan” who is now a US citizen and will be representing the US at the London Olympics in the 5k.  Well, here’s the fantastic story [free registration required] of another Sudanese refugee, Guor Marial (who ran track and cross country for ISU) who is hoping to represent his country, South Sudan, in the marathon.  Truly an inspiration!

The Olympic Trials in Eugene wrapped up yesterday.  Highlights included Galen Rupp’s double in the 5k and 10k, Ashton Eaton’s world record in the decathlon, a tie for third in the women’s 100 and an agonizing fight for the third spot on the women’s 5k team.  Lisa Uhl and Lolo Jones will be representing the state in London in a few weeks.

Here’s a summary of how runners with Iowa ties placed:

10k – Lisa Uhl (Fort Dodge, ISU), 4th in 32:03, qualifies for Olympics; Meaghan Nelson (ISU), 12th in 32:32

800 – Tyler Mulder (Unity Christian, UNI), 5th in final in 1:45; Erik Sowinski (Iowa), 15th in semis in 1:50

800 – Ashley Miller (Tipton), 15th in semis in 2:05

100 hurdles – Lolo Jones (DM Roosevelt), 3rd in 12.86, qualifies for Olympics

Steeple – Shayla Houlihan (Sioux City East, UNI), 22nd in semis in 10:08

1500 – Katie Flood (Dowling Catholic), 14th in semis in 4:11; Ashley Miller (Tipton), 16th in semis in 4:11

5k – Lisa Uhl (ISU), 6th in 15:24

200 – Justin Austin (Iowa), 14th in semis in 20.91

Newton, Iowa: elevation 940 feet vs Leadville, Colorado: elevation 10,152 feet.

I have experience running in Leadville, having been there four or five times to vacation, visit family and eat the world’s best pizza at High Mountain Pies.  I know just how hard it can be to go for a run there after arriving from the flatlands of Iowa.  The elevation can inflict pain and make even the easiest running pace seem hard.

Seemingly everyone has heard of Leadville thanks to the publicity generated by the epic 100 mile run and bike races there.  For runners, the book Born to Run also drew worldwide attention to the small town and a movie version is in the works.  While the Leadville 100 races may be the big draw there are plenty of other races leading up to them and one Iowan did them all in 2011, and plans to do them again in 2012.

Last year Newton’s Matt Scotton was one of 25 athletes from around the country who completed the “Leadman” competition.  To earn the label of Leadman he had to run the Leadville Marathon , compete in either the Silver Rush 50 mile mountain bike or run race (Ed. note: why not both?), ride the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, run the 10k the following day and then complete the Leadville 100 run a week later.

Scotton is director of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Skiff Medical Center in Newton.  A baseball and football player in high school, he didn’t really get into cycling until after graduating from Central College in Pella when he tried a few days of RAGBRAI and then was convinced to try a triathlon followed by a mountain bike race.  This progressed on to 12 hour mountain bike races and then the Breckenridge 100 race in 2010.  Running went along with the triathlon and at age 32 Scotton began the way many beginning runners do: run a block, walk a block and repeat.  Within a couple years it was on to central Iowa’s Dam to Dam 20k. A few years later, it was the Des Moines Marathon.  By 2009 he had completed the challenging Sawtooth 50 mile run on the Superior Hiking Trail of northern Minnesota.  Now he has become hooked on the comaraderie and contagious energy and enthusiasm he finds at the ultra distance events.

After crewing for a friend competing in the LT100 bike race and competing in the nearby Breckenridge 100 in 2010 Scotton knew he wanted to compete in the LT100 bike but didn’t think that his odds of getting in through the lottery process would be very good.  So rather than rely on luck he simply decided to enter the Leadman competition, which would guarantee his entry in 2011, provided he could finish the earlier races within the time limits.

So in 2011 Scotton and his wife made four separate trips out to the town to “explore nature and human performance.”  Scotton got plenty familiar with the

Scotton, his pacer Lori and a llama pose during the LT100 near Hope Pass

big beautiful mountains of the area spending 47 hours, 46 minutes and 43 seconds competing in the thin air.  His combined time was the 8^th fastest of the 25 Leadman finishers and he aims to lower that time this year by being faster in each event and place in the top 5 overall.  One hundred people have signed up to compete in 2012, including one other Iowan, Brian Block from Adel, president of Ames Adventure Outfitters.

Scotton balances a full time job and a family with the need to train enough to make it through the grueling races.  He says that on average he manages to put in 30-40 miles of running and 6 to 12 hours of cycling in each week, and his lunch hours are crammed full of running and weight training. Trips to watch his high school daughters’ swim meets, soccer games and tennis matches are often done via bicycle, and when he arrives he finds clean clothing and food waiting for him, packed by his wife or a daughter.  While Scotton is quick to thank his wife, Sandy, and his daughters for being so supportive during his training and racing, one of his colleagues at Skiff just happens to be Olympic Trials marathon qualifier Robyn Friedman of Iowa’s Runablaze racing team and Scotton credits her with providing some of the motivation to get out and train.

Scotton and his biggest fans at the LT100 finish

While simply putting one foot ahead of another in Leadville can be hard for those of us used to plentiful oxygen, Scotton says that within 72 hours of arrival at 10,000 feet he is usually feeling like he can run and has re-learned how to consume enough oxygen to make forward motion at something faster than walking pace possible.  To that end Scotton is heading west with family and some running friends, including teammates from his recent Relay Iowa trek across the state, this week to compete in the first of this year’s races – the Leadville Marathon.  In it he will face some of the toughest terrain of the whole series, a brutal climb up (and subsequent descent) of 13,185 foot Mosquito Pass at the midpoint of the race.

Certainly many runners I know in Iowa and elsewhere go out of their way to avoid hills.  For some Iowans, though, the lack of challenging terrain and the ease of running with abundant oxygen are enough to send them in search of something harder.  And in the Leadman competition Scotton has indeed found a challenge unlike anything available in Iowa.

We will be following Scotton’s adventures in Leadville through the course of the summer so stay tuned for updates.

We’re now several days into the Olympic Trials in Eugene and Iowans are running well.

Lisa Koll Uhl is headed to London after finishing 4th in the women’s 10k with a time of 32:03.  Nobody ran under the Olympic ‘A’ standard in the race meaning that the three slots for London would go to those who had previously hit the ‘A’ mark of 31:45.  As a result the team will consist of Amy Hastings, who won with a time of 31:58, Uhl, and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, who was sick but still finished 7th.  (Third place finisher Shalane Flanagan is opting out of the 10k at London to focus on the marathon.)

Uhl (L) with her 10k Olympic teammates. (Photo from letsrun.com)

The race was not without some drama for Uhl, who had to stop and tie her shoe around the mile mark.  Fortunately for her Flanagan, her teammate, went to the front of the pack and slowed the pace down while Uhl raced to catch up.  ISU runner Meaghan Nelson finished 12th to cap off an outstanding season for her.  Look for her presence at the front of races in the future!

In other races, former DM Roosevelt athlete and Drake Relays favorite Lolo Jones qualified for another Olympics in the 100m hurdles, finishing third.  (DM Register recap here.)

Ex-Tipton athlete Ashley Miller, now at Nebraska, made it to the semi-finals of the women’s 800m but did not qualify for the finals.

Former UNI Panther Tyler Mulder did advance to Monday’s final in the men’s 800, running a 1:46.14 in Saturday’s semi-finals.  The University of Iowa’s Erik Sowinski, who finished 2nd at NCAAs, bowed out in the 800 semis finishing last in his heat.

Besides Mulder, two other Iowans will be at the start line tomorrow as Shayla Houlihan will compete in the women’s steeplechase prelims and Lisa Uhl will again be competing, this time in the 5000m prelims.

The Olympic Trials running events are set to kick off tomorrow and the first finals are the men’s and women’s 10k.  The men’s race should be fantastic with Galen Rupp, who is being mentioned as a possible medalist in the Olympics, the heavy favorite.  Team tactics may play a factor as Rupp could work with teammate Dathan Ritzenhein to get Ritz the Olympic ‘A’ standard after Ritz came in an agonizing 4th in the Olympic Trials marathon this winter.

The former Lisa Koll winning the NCAA 10k in 2010. (Photo from letsrun.com)

For Iowans, especially Cyclone fans, the women’s 10k is the race to watch.  There is a possibility, albeit a remote one, that two Cyclones could stamp their ticket to London.  Lisa Uhl and Meaghan Nelson were among the top 7 qualifiers for the race.  Uhl, who graduated from ISU in 2010, and Nelson, who just finished her sophomore year in Ames will be towing the line Friday night in Eugene.  Uhl has already run under the Olympic ‘A’ standard and just has to finish in the top 3 to guarantee a trip to London and in reality she may just have to finish the race as their are only two other women with Olympic ‘A’ standards in the race that intend to compete in the 10k. (Shalane Flanagan will run the marathon.)

Nelson’s road to Olympic Stadium is much harder as she would have to not only finish in the top 3 but would also have to dip under the 31:45 time.  That’s not inconceivable, but for someone just coming off the lengthy NCAA track season and who has ‘only’ run 32:14,

Nelson in the 2012 NCAA 10k championships. She placed 4th. (Photo from Iowa State Daily)

it’s not likely.  Still, it’s cool to think that we’re even discussing having two Cyclones represent the U.S. in an Olympic event.

The men’s 10k goes off at 8:45 Iowa time with the women running at 9:20.

TV coverage is on NBCSN.

Recent articles and links:

Letsrun.com women’s preview here. (Men’s here.)

Iowa State daily feature on Nelson here.

Runner’s World Brief Chat with Uhl here.

Brief bios of Iowa natives who may be running in the Trials, courtesy of The Next Level Iowa.

Complete schedule, results and everything else at the official Trials website.

Some of Iowa’s top runners strapped on the snowshoes and competed to become the state snowshoe champion and qualify for the national championships in Colorado.  Team Runablaze athletes and experienced snowshoers Scott Gall and his wife, Sarah, took the championships.  Seeing the “championship” label makes me wonder, though… why doesn’t Iowa have certain road races designated the “state championship?”  Lots of other states do that so why couldn’t we have a state championship 5k? 10k? Half marathon? Trail race? Something to ponder…