Iroquois Thanksgiving Run - Race Report

The Iroquois Hill Runners Thanksgiving Day Run is in the books! I ran 35:45 for the 5-mile distance on a beautiful morning in Louisville, good for 48th place overall. Temps were about 32 degrees at race start, and the course was modified due to some downed trees the night before.

I'm happy with the result and loved the race. It was nice to go into this with a few recent runs under my belt, whereas there have been too many since college where the training is basically nonexistent. I was probably averaging two runs a week leading up to race day, which is very far from ideal (even for a busy schedule) but a lot better than two runs a month. 

My first mile was a little too slow (around 7:49) as I tried to feel out my pace without blowing up. Since I averaged 7:09 overall, that opening tempo definitely could have been a touch more aggressive. The course was an out-and-back; I didn't actually check my halfway split, but things were a little wild after the turnaround with different runners from the 5K and the 5-miler going different directions without any particular delineation of traffic flow - again, this was a last-minute course change and we all made it work. By about mile 3.5, the traffic flow was orderly again. 

Overall, the course was pretty continual gently rolling hills, some tougher than others. My lowest point physically was during Mile 5 on the last major climb before the last descent and mostly flat finish. I was getting a little worried about my breathing, which I just couldn't get under control as I continued to try to push uphill. I ended up slowing down a little as I approached the top - I'm not sure if that was necessary in hindsight - but you probably could have heard me wheezing and heaving for air from a hundred yards away. I recovered enough to accelerate again on the downhill, and then it was just a long and brutal push to the finish.

It felt just wonderful to be done, and to enjoy a post-race hot chocolate, muffin, and granola bar. 

I really like the 5-mile distance, having now raced it twice. My first time was nine years ago (wow!) in the 2016 Cleveland Turkey Trot, where I ran 30:08. At that point, I was running 40-50 miles per week and in the middle of marathon training. It was also a pretty well flat course. It's pretty stunning to compare, but the training begets the results. Leading up to this race, I was running 0-15 miles per week. 

The next obvious milestone is getting back under 7:00 per mile. I can now see that sub-35 is absolutely attainable; I think that with a better 1st mile, and a little less weaving in and out of traffic, this race could have been closer to 35:00 than 36:00. One thing I've learned over the years is that running progress usually seems to come more slowly than I expect it to, but even with that in mind, I could realistically target sub-35 in the spring. 

Next up, I'd like to run the St. Malachi 5-miler in Cleveland coming up in March, with a goal of seeing how far I can dip below 35. I'd like to get into a routine of 3 focus races each year - March, July, November, each 4 months apart. March and November would be shorter races (5 miles!) with a longer endurance effort in July (eventually, Lord-willing, the Burning River 50 miler). My vision is something like...

March '26: Sub-35

July '26: 50K Run

November '26: Sub-34

March '27: Sub-33:30

July '26: Burning River 50

I wonder how many years of steady training it would take to get back to PR shape in the 5-miler. Four years? Five? I think it would be really neat to get all the way back down to 30 flat, and then dip under 30 in a 5-miler one of these years.

Anyway, this was a good first step! Thanks to all the volunteers at Iroquois Park! I'd love to do this race again, and on the usual course, which involves a big uphill (like a mile long), a loop at the top of the park, and then back down. 

My plan moving forward is as follows:

1. Take the rest of Thanksgiving weekend off.
2. Since I didn't really have an actual training block to recover from, start training Monday for the St. Malachi Run.
3. Stop writing more plans that I never end up following. Just do what I did at my running best in college, and start training consistently. Train a few times a week all through the winter - maybe it's only twice in crazier weeks, and maybe it can get up to 6 on routine weeks! The more the better. Just keep getting out there. If I can average 3-4 solid runs a week, that'll get me up to 10-20 mpw. That would be a great and reasonable next step. 
4. Break 35:00 on March 14th!

 

Meie Isa Palve

 

It's been a minute!

While almost 3 months have passed since the last blog post, there have been plenty of Rhythm of the Sword things happening. Here's a quick update:

• The Fortress Logbook is a real and well established pocket notebook, and better yet, has settled into a fairly stable design! Since the preview I shared in August, I've made only minor alterations, and filled up several Logbooks along the way. They are performing beautifully and have become my favorite notebooks, which could not be said of any of my previous homemade creations. While they are not yet publicly out for sale online, it is still a long-term goal of mine to make them available. Every few weeks, I tinker with another thing or two in the Logbook's brief written materials, and I think we're nearly there.
• Meie Isa Palve is a Psalm-based prayer structure that's been really helpful over the last few months. Like the Logbook, it has settled into a stable form and has really been a good devotional resource. You get a little bit of everything - familiar liturgies of some favorite Psalms, wide exposure to the New Testament, and repeated read-throughs of longer sections of Scripture to help learn them by heart.
• Exercise is on and off, which is better than just off! I have a Turkey Trot coming up, and am running about twice a week. My latest theory is that I train best without a training plan, which is what I did in college and was in the best shape of my life. Future plans include a possible St. Patrick's run in Cleveland, a Murph in Cleveland this summer, and a 20-30 mile homemade effort sometime in July.

Finally, along with Meie Isa Palve has come a tool I've really come to love, which I call "The Fortress." It's just a set of prayers for use throughout the day, where you can pick a shorter or longer form based on time or preference. These prayers form the foundation for Meie Isa Palve. All are sung aloud in the given sequences, but any part can of course be taken individually and sung, as well. Sticking with the Fortress theme, I'm giving a name for each prayer. All numbers are from Lutheran Service Book - each prayer can be found on the given page...

Tower:                    196

Stronghold:     192 196 210

Fortress:   130 192 196 210 223

Fortress Logbook

 

The Fortress Logbook

It's been nearly three months since I last shared some thoughts about my little homemade notebook project. In the last few weeks, I finally brought it across the finish line, and am very pleased with the results!

What used to be called the Endurance Logbook is now the Fortress Logbook, from Psalm 91:1-2 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust" (ESV). The fortress image is prolific, with 19 uses in the book of Psalms alone, and I think it's fitting for a Lutheran-geared Logbook that's also made to withstand a beating.

The Fortress Logbook uses Rite in the Rain weatherproof cardstock for the cover. I prefer the real-paper feel, and it's much easier to write on. Similar to the Terraslate waterproof paper, this solves the splash and sweat issues, which constitute the most common issues that my pocket notebooks encounter. The cover features two illustrations, both in the public domain; one of a fortress and the other of Christ crucified. I've transitioned all the writing to Merriweather font, as opposed to Courier, which I feel is an aesthetic improvement.

The interior pages are made of Mr. Pen 5x5 graph paper, which is thicker than your average graph paper, but not as beefy as Field Notes. I think it does the job beautifully, offering quality and durability without unnecessary bulk. I accidentally got 4x4 paper most recently, so we will have 10 or 11 notebooks with bigger squares. Mr. Pen has always been a delight, in my experience.

There is no flyleaf; this notebook is simpler, and I wasn't finding the flyleaf particularly useful in reality. The inside front cover has space for all the personal information I want it to hold, and the inside back has a devotional writing, along with some other fun info. To maximize space, the outside back is used as well; there is a Scripture passage and a little paragraph about the Fortress Logbook.

Testing, Planning, and Making

To date, I've made five Fortress Logbooks. I filled one, am using another, and give the other three to family members for testing. I've made a couple minor alterations, and now feel that the Logbook is nearly in its final form. There are four color options, corresponding with the four cardstock offerings from Rite in the Rain: White, Gray, Green, and Tan. A code on the inside back of each Logbook indicates the color. Long term, I'd like to make a little stockpile of these and open up an Etsy store to the public. For now, we are still in a very small-scale phase of the operation. My costs are very low, and I believe I can offer competitive pricing in the pocket notebook space. In testing, my first notebook did a great job; it didn't have any tearing or durability issues, and I ran some water from the sink over the cover at the start, with very pleasing results. It's satisfying to use, with useful and high-quality features and materials.

My building process itself has also become more streamlined, with it only taking ten minutes or so to put a notebook together. There is also very little waste; the Logbooks measure 5.5 inches high, allowing me to cut an 8.5 x 11 paper in half, to create two covers each already at the correct height. The cutting, folding, stapling, and trimming process is simple and satisfying, and produces a quality product (now that the computer tinkering has been ironed out). I've really enjoyed using my new utility knife from Milwaukee for the trimming steps. All my tools and materials are up to date and well-suited for the job.

A Note on Writing Utensils

For a couple months now, I've been using a new pen that has become my favorite: the Uni-ball Micro 207 Plus. After having some consistency issues with the Sharpie S-Gel, I decided to try something new, and boy has it been impressive. Normally, my pens end their life either lost or damaged. But this pen has been absolutely rock solid through weeks and weeks of daily writing, with smooth, dark, consistent ink, no spring issues, and just great overall performance. This is a great example of Japanese craftsmanship. For a week or two now I've been waiting for the ink to finally run out; every now and then I unscrew the tip to check how much is left, and it's almost written itself dry. The Uni-ball works great for the Fortress Logbook interior pages. For the cover, I would recommend an extra-fine sharpie, a nice dark ballpoint (which I don't have yet), or a pencil. Regular Sharpie is a little too thick for the space; pencil worked great in my current Logbook.