Fueling with Sidney:
My favorite pre-run snack is Chocolate Chip Kodiak Protein Waffles. Plenty of carbs to get me fueled and a little bit of protein to top it all off! Pop it in the toaster real quick and you’re out the door!
Stretching with Blake:
Here are Blake’s five favorite stretches to warmup his body before he heads out for a run!
First he starts with dynamic legs swings (back and forth/side to side), next a y- forward full. Taking your feet a little past shoulder width apart and bending at the hips to reach for the earth beneath you. Maybe you find yourself swinging side to side a little bit as well, reaching for each of your feet. Following this, we have an Achilles wall/ curb stretch. Find a wall or curb and prop your foot up against it, keeping your heel on the earth. Push yourself into the wall a little bit to add pressure and feel the stretch on the back of your calf. Next we have a nice quad pull. Pull your foot to your butt and if you feel balance take your free hand and extend it in front of you and lunge forward to deepen the stretch. And lastly we close with a standing forward fold. You can have your feet together or shoulder width apart. Reach your hands overhead on your inhale, then exhale, bend at the hips and reach for your toes. Now you’re ready for your run!
Welcome back! You completed your run! Now let’s cool down together. Find yourself in a cozy space and take a seat with your legs long. Point or flex your toes out in front of you, reach upwards then bend at the hips reaching for your toes. Take your legs apart for a seated y - forward fold. Reaching through the middle, then to your right leg, then to your left. Next stretch is a pigeon stretch. Find yourself in a downward dog, then draw your right ankle to your left wrist and place your left leg on the ground. You can hold her with your hands planted, or you can fold over your bent leg for a deeper stretch. Hold here for a few moments then switch sides. Next stretch, find yourself back up and seated with your legs extended. Cross you right leg over your left and plant your right foot on the outside of your left knee. To deepen this stretch you can hook your right elbow on the outside of your right knee and gaze to the back of the room finding a spinal twist as well. To close our stretching, you can take a couple of lunges. Right foot stepping forward and bending through your right leg. You can take this grounded by planting your left knee on the ground as well and pushing your hips forward.
Hopefully these stretches help you feel amazing pre and post run!
Pushing Past Your Daily Routine - 223.8 Miles across Michigan
By: Shannon Myers
In an incredible display of grit and comradery, Running Lab employees Nick Gapp and Keith McCaffery completed their grueling and record setting run across the state of Michigan just before the sunset on Memorial Day, 2024.The start of their route was in Empire on Lake Michigan, and they ended in Oscoda on Lake Huron. Planning this run, making the accommodations and setting a time frame that allowed them to embark on this adventure took Nick and Keith almost 6 years. To support them on this endeavor, Nick and Keith had Carly Kish, Marie Clos, as well as Laura and Nancy Gapp to crew alongside them, providing food, fluid, clothing changes, and shoe swaps at their planned out aid stations. There were a few other friends, trail enthusiasts and co-workers who went out to support them on their grand adventure.
After dipping their toes in the waters of Lake Michigan along Empire Beach, Nick, Keith, and their third companion, Jay Vanderhovel set off toward the trailhead of the Michigan Shore-to-Shore Trail, the path that would take them through the forests and streams of their home state to the shore of Lake Huron in Oscoda, 223.8 miles away. Their plan was to complete the journey in 84 hours. It didn’t take long for the three runners to find themselves in a bit of a situation, with their GPS leading them to a cemetery instead of their trailhead
“It was pretty funny and ironic,” said Keith. “Here we are, about to take on this massive challenge and our GPS is like, why don’t you just go straight to the graveyard instead?”.
Trying to find their way back to the living, the trio finally spotted an old rundown sign marking the beginning of the Shore-to-Shore trail. The trail was overgrown and covered by a thick layer of dead leaves, but knowing they were now on the right path kept the runners calm and cheerful. From here, it was on to the Garey Lake trail camp that was 27 miles out, where they would see their crew, which was comprised of Keith’s fiance, Carly Kish and her mom Marie Clos as well as Nick’s wife Laura Rivera and his mom Nancy Gapp, for the first time.The trail to Garey Lake eventually became more open and there were even some sections of roads which allowed for some faster paces.
The following stretch proved to not be so friendly. Between Garey Lake and Lake Dubonnet lay 26 miles of roads linked by ORV trails consisting of deep rutted sand that the runners said made it almost pointless to try to run through. There was also not much coverage through this section, so they were forced to deal with the unforgiving summer heat.The extra effort it took for them to trudge through the soft sand was exhausting and Keith ran out of water while still two miles out from the next camp. At Lake Dubonnet, Keith and Nick got together with their crew and came up with a new plan to meet up every 10 - 15 miles instead of running a marathon between every aid station. Vanderhovel also said farewell to the duo at this point, continuing on, but at his own pace.
“Coming into Lake Dubonnet was probably the worst I felt the whole trip,” said Keith. “I realized we were going to need to ask more of our crew, and they came through big time for us.”
Towards the end of their first day, they found themselves in a terrain they were more familiar with. A beautiful scenic route with shady tree coverage and flowing streams to cool themselves off in. One of the many unplanned surprises that come with covering a distance like this include the surprising amount of ticks they found all over them. From running trails for so long, ticks are not foreign to Keith and Nick, but throughout this four day journey, they estimated to have pulled off over 100 ticks each.
The duo of Nick and Keith trekked on, well fed and rejuvenated, toward their day one end point at Scheck’s trail camp just south of Kalkaska. The cooler temperatures of dusk and friendlier terrain helped them along the way as well. Running on narrower trails through deeper sections of woods did, however, bring about the next challenge they would face. Ticks! Nick was getting the worst of it, having to pull off dozens of the nasty blood suckers in just a few mile stretch. Having covered over 73 miles in 18 hours Nick and Keith stopped at a motel in Kalkaska to rest for a few hours before tackling the rest of their trek.
Gaining as much sleep as they could while staying on schedule was key in making their goal of 84 hours. The original plan of a 6 a.m. start time turned to an 8 a.m and the miles in front of them dwindled from 72 miles to 58. The first day was a little longer than expected and allowed for a little more wiggle room for day two. The reason for this change was because they wanted to optimize their energy to get them through the next couple of days. They headed back to Scheck’s Trail Camp a little after 8 a.m. and took off onto the trails. The terrain that was in store for them today consisted of deep sand, roads, trails, and an unexpected beaver dam. Ticks continued to be a nuisance, making them have to make frequent pauses to pull them off of their bodies.
Dan Hughes, a running friend, joined Keith and Nick at Goose Creek Trail Camp to refuel and run together through challenging terrain to get them to 4 Mile Trail Camp, their next refueling stop. Not minding the warning of a sandy section ahead of them, Keith and Nick managed to run through the sand, adding an extra 4 miles to their day for a total of 55 miles for day 2. Their home for the night was provided for them by a family member in Mio. Again having to adjust next day's plans due to longer trail times than they predicted. With 2 more days ahead of them, Nick and Keith snatched a couple of hours of rest, eating and peace before they put their body through another challenging day. Keith and Nick got a couple hours of sleep, waking up excited the next day to keep chopping away at their goal distance.
Finally having cooler weather and single-track trails Nick and Keith were able to fall into their routine of terrain they are used to. Scenic views of the Au Sable River Valley provided a beautiful distraction to what their bodies were feeling. Being more in the woods this day led to the continuation of pit stops to check for/pull ticks off of their bodies. Despite the pleasant scenery, injuries arose on this day for Keith. Keith started to develop shin splints and ankle pain, At his aide stations he put on compression socks and an ankle brace to try to subdue the pain. After three miles in the brace, he noticed that it was adding to the pain, not working to eliminate it. He made it through the next couple of miles, pushing himself to keep running as much as he could because that motion felt better on his body rather than walking. Quitting was never a thought that passed through Keith’s mind. Having Nick to push him and keep their momentum going helped Keith to stay focused in the miles they needed to accomplish. At their next aid station, Keith went to change his compression socks and when he took off the sleeve, he felt a little bit better. He made the decision to keep the sleeve off and let his ankle swell the way it wanted to. Giving himself a little bit more comfort, Keith and Nick worked to run longer this day to shorten their distance on the last day, in case Keith’s ankle turned worse in the morning.
The hours that they ran that night brought encounters with wildlife critters such as badgers, possums, and even a surprising porcupine. “When I saw the porcupine I paused so quickly that Nick thought I must have spotted a bear,” said Keith. “When Nick recognized it was just a porcupine he laughed and remarked, ‘Oh my god it runs like an idiot.” This sighting made them stop and laugh hysterically that night. They went a couple miles past McKinley Trail Camp to end day 3 at 11 pm. Stopping at Keith’s dads house to sleep briefly and check in on his leg. Reluctant to stop at this time because they didn’t want to slow their progress, they knew the best thing for them to still accomplish their goal was to stop now and go out in the morning to finish their last miles. Covering another 52.3 miles that night, they recovered from the day and prepared for their last day.
Being blessed with great weather and terrain yesterday, the conditions went back to something that was not optimal. Day 4 brought constant rain that no matter how many times they may have changed their soaks, they were never dry. Keith’s leg felt a little better, and due to that they made up some time for their first 15 miles. They arrived earlier than expected at South Branch Trail where their amazing crew was waiting for them with a surprise of pancakes and bacon. Welcoming this surprise, they savored their food and let it fuel them and motivate them through their final day. Having another day of a beautiful view of the Au Sable River, they felt just a little bit better about the constant rain that was pouring down on them. Using these poor weather conditions to motivate them to finish earlier than planned was what kept them going. When they reached River Road Trail Camp, they paused to warm up with some hot soup provided by their loving crew. Keith’s dad and step mom arrived to motivate and support Keith through this last day. A friend and fellow co-worker, Jen Crutchfield joined the run for the final 14.5 miles.
“Knowing that Jen was there to finish with us was re-invigorating, I needed that at this point. Being so drenched, cold and tired, seeing our trail sister made the finish that much more enjoyable.”
Keeping them entertained and moving forward through this tiring, cold, and wet run. Keeping a steady pace for the last half marathon, they ditched the trail and entered Oscoda. With 2 miles left, their crew was preparing a makeshift finish line for them to cross and enter into the waves of Lake Huron to finish their journey. Exhausted, emotional, triumphant and fulfilled, they were surrounded by their loved ones who celebrated this amazing accomplishment. Keith and Nick had finished this adventure of 223.8 miles in 83 hours and 55 minutes, beating the previous course time of 108 hours and 43 minutes.
“It's so amazing to know I have that many people in my life that are willing to come along on a journey like this. To set aside everything they were doing in their lives and come out to support me and Nick chasing a crazy dream was magical. It's humbling and makes you feel so loved. If it wasn't for them the outcome would have not been possible.”
We are so proud of our amazing co-workers who pushed themselves to their physical and mental limits, and came out successful and changed for the better! A huge congratulation to Nick and Keith! Onto the next one now.
