I got the lab results back from my latest physical. I've saved previous results from 1991, 95, 2000 (the year before I started marathon running), 2005, 2009, 2012, and 2014, and thought it'd be interesting to compare and look at trends. My doctor said I don't need to go every year unless I feel something has changed.
Most of my levels are well in the normal range, with not too much noteworthy. I have to admit I don't understand all of the tests, though for nearly all of them I have a general understanding of what it assesses, such as liver, kidneys, heart, etc. I rarely dig deeper unless I'm out of range or see a big change.
One thing that really stands out is my HDL ("good" cholesterol) count and LDL/HDL ratio, which indicates risk of heart disease. In 2000, the ratio was 2.9, a bit better than average. It has steadily improved to 2.5, 2.41, 2.09, and finally 1.87. My LDL is staying pretty stable, but the HDL has risen a lot. As I look at advice for raising HDL, other than eating a bit more fish, I haven't really changed my diet to improve it. The factor that sticks out is improving endurance. Yay for ultra running. My father survived a major heart attack in his late 50s so I'm always happy to see any indication that my heart disease risk is low.
Blood pressure is another area of improvement. 20-30 years ago it was 150/90 or higher. This time it was 126/78. It has fluctuated between 140/80 and 115/70 from when I measure this at the doctor, giving blood, or at home. It's not great, but we have a family history of high blood pressure, so I have a cuff at home to measure it and it's good to see this move in the right direction. I got some improvement by cutting back on salt years ago (though I'm still bad with some hidden salt in barbecue sauce, pizza, and processed foods), and the rest has almost certainly come with running.
Some of the CBC numbers were down, but not to the level of anemia, and my doctor wasn't concerned. It's probably more likely due to donating blood 15 days earlier and running a 50 miler 10 days before that. They test for hemaglobin when donating and the nurse said I was well within the needed range.
It's helpful to have a doctor who runs or at least understands running. We discussed whether ultras are too much, and he said as long as my joints can handle it he is not concerned. He said a goal should be to be able to continue running for many more years, more than trying to pack in more and longer races. He had no concerns with me running 100 this spring.
Again, yay for ultra running. It's good to see some quantifiable proof of improved health almost certainly due to running.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Training
I've always done best when I've mapped out a training plan for a race. I followed a Higdon plan for my first marathon, and it went well. I modified a Pfitzinger plan when I wanted to qualify for Boston, and BQ'd by over 10 minutes. For most other races, I've just winged it and hoped that just generally running "a lot" with some longs runs would work. Sometimes it did, sometimes not. So again, I've mapped out a plan. It's my own, based on some plans I've seen and what I think will work for me.
For most of my long runs I'll be running on routes similar to Umstead, like the Piney River Rail Trail (a bit too flat really), Coal Road, Dick Woods Road, and the Fox Mountain Loop. For at least some of them I'll try to hold to a 10 min/mile pace while running, and mix in some walking. So far on 2 rail trail runs I've walked about 0.1 miles out of every 2. I'll still go on some mountain group runs with the CATS too.
My plan is missing speed work but since I run in the mountains out of or near my house 2 or 3 runs a week I figure running those hills is similar enough. Plus I run with Marc Griffin once or twice a week up here and push harder to keep from slowing him down too much.
Adding to this I'm trying every day to at least do hip flexor stretches and planks. Often I throw in some push ups, one legged squats and lunges, all with a Bosu ball.
My other goal in training is to figure out nutrition to add to some of the things I know I can handle, such as most gels, bananas, and perpetuem. So far I've found that Ensure churns up my stomach and is off the list; Zone Perfect power bars are fine, as long as I take in a lot of fluid; a roast beef sammich seems good.
In my fourth week now, and I'm pretty well on track with the training. My hips and back get achy and tired on some runs but I'm hoping the core work I'm doing will help with that. My feet are also taking a beating. I'm running in Altras a lot, hoping their extra padding will help. Hokas are just too narrow for my Morton's neuroma, while the foot-shaped Altras are allowing me to run without my custom orthotics. I haven't decided whether to go that way or not, but in any other shoe if I don't have the orthotics with the built in met pad, my neuroma flares up within 4-6 miles. Dealing with the feet pounding and pain probably worries me as much as anything as far as getting through training and the race.
- 2x 5 miles, at an easy recovery pace if needed
- 1 mid week middle distance run, building up to (maybe) 14 miles
- weekend long run, starting at 20-25 at building up to 40
- weekend medium distance run, about half the long run, if I can keep it up.
For most of my long runs I'll be running on routes similar to Umstead, like the Piney River Rail Trail (a bit too flat really), Coal Road, Dick Woods Road, and the Fox Mountain Loop. For at least some of them I'll try to hold to a 10 min/mile pace while running, and mix in some walking. So far on 2 rail trail runs I've walked about 0.1 miles out of every 2. I'll still go on some mountain group runs with the CATS too.
My plan is missing speed work but since I run in the mountains out of or near my house 2 or 3 runs a week I figure running those hills is similar enough. Plus I run with Marc Griffin once or twice a week up here and push harder to keep from slowing him down too much.
Adding to this I'm trying every day to at least do hip flexor stretches and planks. Often I throw in some push ups, one legged squats and lunges, all with a Bosu ball.
My other goal in training is to figure out nutrition to add to some of the things I know I can handle, such as most gels, bananas, and perpetuem. So far I've found that Ensure churns up my stomach and is off the list; Zone Perfect power bars are fine, as long as I take in a lot of fluid; a roast beef sammich seems good.
In my fourth week now, and I'm pretty well on track with the training. My hips and back get achy and tired on some runs but I'm hoping the core work I'm doing will help with that. My feet are also taking a beating. I'm running in Altras a lot, hoping their extra padding will help. Hokas are just too narrow for my Morton's neuroma, while the foot-shaped Altras are allowing me to run without my custom orthotics. I haven't decided whether to go that way or not, but in any other shoe if I don't have the orthotics with the built in met pad, my neuroma flares up within 4-6 miles. Dealing with the feet pounding and pain probably worries me as much as anything as far as getting through training and the race.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Mountain Masochist, the exciting race against cuf-offs
Nutrition is such a big part of running an ultra, and it seems that I fell short here at the 2014 Mountain Masochist 50 mile Trail Run on Nov 1. I didn't really have a solid plan other than stocking my bag with 4 gels and 2 servings of Perpeteum plus what I had in my bottle, and a resupply bag at the mid point, and planning to eat a lot of solid food at aid stations. As I evaluate a disappointing finishing time, I blame much of it on not taking in enough calories.
This was the 32nd running of this classic Virginia race, my third. Around 9200' of gain and 7200' of loss starting at Camp Wildwood just north of Big Island on the James River, and finishing in front of the Montebello general store in Nelson County.
After last year's debacle I was not going to run this again, but my nephew Kyle wanted to come out from Nebraska to run, so I decided I'd join him. He's finished a 100 and a few other ultras, but mostly flatter races, and not as technical as Masochist can get. Much of MMTR is on back country and jeep roads, but there's at least 10 miles of singletrack, and the leaf cover on much of the course is a challenge. We toured some of the course, including the last mile or so of the loop (5.5 mile trail around the top of Mount Pleasant), on Thursday to give him an idea of the terrain.
Early in the week the weather looked perfect, 40s and dry all day. As race day neared, so did the chance of colder, wetter weather. I made the mistake of finding a website that gives forecasts for some of the mountain tops, and the one adjacent to Mount Pleasant showed up to 6 inches of snow coming the night before the race and throughout the day. This threw me (and everyone else) in doubt about what to wear. Even the night before the race, one weather service said 90% chance of precip in the area, while another said 30%, and partly cloudy in the afternoon. I packed a couple different jackets, and would decide which to wear on race morning, and leave the other in my mid-race drop bag.
As I was trying to fall asleep Friday night, I realized that if it snowed on other nearby mountains, it could snow on Wintergreen, and it might take a lot longer to drive to the start. But the temps were around 36 and a quick check on the site I use on our mountain showed no snow. I woke up at 1:30, 2 hours before my alarm, and couldn't fall back to sleep so at 2:45 I just got up. As we started the drive Wintergreen had really thick fog, but it was clear and dry at the bottom. About 10 miles before we arrived at the start it began to rain but it was just a mist when we got there, and about 40 degrees, so I went with my lighter jacket. My son Jon agreed to crew us, so it was nice to skip the bus ride to the start and from the finish. But, the longer ride meant an earlier breakfast at home and I only brought a banana for pre-race, so I wasn't starting with as much in the tank as I'd like.
Before long, it was 6:30 and the race began and 300+ headlamps lit the way around a small lake, down a road for a mile, and into the woods. We crossed a small stream, and then went under the parkway where I lost my balance in a knee deep pond before the tunnel and had to use my hands to keep from falling. Good save, but now my gloves were soaked and hands were cold. At least I was able to avoid the multiple falls and turned ankles I had in the hour of darkness last year. I was running with Becca Weast, Jenny Nichols, and Annie Rorem, all of whom would pull away from me at some point but it was good company while it lasted.
Sunrise was a pretty pink through the clouds when I dared to take my eyes off the trail and look over my shoulder at it. 11 miles in and Jon was at the second aid station to take my headlamp and tell me that Kyle was doing fine. As I left I realized my race belt bib holder was coming off and I had to try to re-thread the cord with cold hands as I was walking and finally just stopped to do it. This happened twice, so I'll have to figure out what the issue was. After aid station 3 I caught back up to Jenny and we laughed about our up and down relationship. I run downhills a lot better than her but she's strong on the uphills, so we spent some time together and some time chasing each other over the next 10 miles. I was still feeling good, and my legs were fine other than a bit of a sore calf, which never got worse.
There must be something in the air near the Lynchburg reservoir, because this is where past races have gone bad, and I started feeling weaker here. I had thought I might hit the Long Mountain Wayside halfway point in 5 hours, which would set me up for a 10:30 finish if I stayed strong, but that hope was getting dimmer. I ate at every aid station, but apparently not enough. I'm a pretty picky eater and there wasn't that much I liked. Mostly I'd grab a handful of pretzels (which seemed to be low salt? Why, since we all take salt supplements while running?) and/or cookies, M&Ms, and bananas, which weren't always available. Rena from Richmond caught up to me after Jenny sailed away and it turns out we both ran Steamtown Marathon 3 weeks earlier, so we had something to chat about and take our minds off this long section. My hands were starting to swell and we both agreed that could be due to low salt, even though I had taken a few S Caps. The wind kicked up and the temps dropped. I'm actually glad it happened here because I decided I would get my warmer jacket at the midpoint.
Finally reached Long Mountain and my drop bag, and swapped jackets, got a dry set of gloves since I had to take off the wet ones, and refilled my pack. I looked for salty snacks and another runner offered me more S caps, which I gratefully accepted. I left the aid station right at noon, 5.5 hours and now looking at the prospect of chasing cut-off times meant to keep runners on track for the 12 hour race limit time. If you miss a cut-off, you have to take a bus back from certain aid stations or hitch a ride with someone's crew.
1/4 mile up the long trek on Buck Mountain I realized I didn't get any other food. This is an ideal time to take as much as you can carry because mortals walk much of the way up. Really stupid. I think it was in this section I started to feel light headed so I immediately took a gel and that helped. I walked up at a good clip and felt ok about the climb. My hands warmed up with the new gloves and I realized the swelling was probably due to cold, since I have mild cold urticaria. Good thing, because I couldn't find my small case with S caps. More carelessness, but at least I had the ones the other runner gave me. It was a limited aid station at the top and nothing appealed to me so I stuffed some pretzels in my pocket and moved on.
At Wiggins Springs aid station (mile 31) I figured I better start paying attention to cut-offs. I came in 35 minutes ahead. 1.5 miles up the road I came into the loop 33 minutes ahead, but feeling low. Jon was there, along with Christian's wife Jamie, and they tried to get me to eat while telling me that Marc was flying, Christian was pretty steady, and Kyle was still in the loop and in good spirits but the course was giving him all he could handle. Once Kyle got in, Jon was going to drive to the finish to make sure he was there with warm clothes for Kyle to change into while waiting for me. Partway
around the loop I wished I had asked him to wait and send his bag with Jamie in case I missed cut-off, since last time many people missed this cut-off. I was not going to quit, but I would not argue a missed cut-off to end my race, and an immediate ride back in a car would be nice.
The loop was pretty rough. It starts off pretty easy but even in good weather the terrain gets tougher. But now at what is normally the warmest part of the day, it had dropped below freezing, and we were getting snow and sleet flurries, with some howling wind gusts putting the wind chill in the teens. I was very thankful for my warmer Marmot Precip jacket and never really affected by the cold. A couple of falling leaves also hit me in the face, to add to the experience. I saw a couple guys in short sleeves and wondered how they were doing, but I'm sure they didn't want to dwell on it so I didn't ask. I struggled to run the easy parts, and had to take a bio break in the woods. I hiked up the rocky out and back overlook to punch my race bib at the turnaround. As I headed back down I briefly considered sabotaging my race to miss the cut-off and take a warm bus back to the finish, but I would've needed to slow down, which would make me colder. Short-term comfort won out so I kept moving, thereby sabotaging my sabotage. Exited the loop at mile 38 with 15 minutes to spare. They didn't have much food left, which is an advertised danger for a back of the packer like I had become, but did offer a pulled pork sandwich. I knew I needed to run the upcoming downhill, so I passed and just stashed a few cookies and pretzels in my pockets. Decent idea to stash food for later, but I would finish with some still in my pockets.
I thought I had moved well to Salt Log Gap, and slowed to a walk as I approached so I could get my bottle ready to refill. A volunteer warned me that I needed to keep moving and was just 5 minutes ahead of cut-off. Yowza! 10 minutes lost in 3 miles, even though I had run a good bit of it. And looking at my own watch, synced to the start, I was really 4 minutes ahead, so I couldn't count on the next aid station being generous with an extra minute. I saw the bus there ready to pick up those a few minutes slower than me. So after a quick refill I moved on, up a mile climb to the next aid station where I gained a minute. I found out later that if you missed this cut-off, you had to walk a mile back to the previous aid station since the bus couldn't make it up the hill. I thought they might do that, and worried I'd be stranded on a cold dark mountain if the bus left before I got there.
But I was still in the game. The next section had some beautiful single track trails, with some plenty of climbs. I didn't know what the cut-off was, so I ran all the downhills and flats and mild climbs. Not very fast, but I was moving. I realized in here that my stomach was fine, and my legs were tired but still working, so even though this was going to be my worst clock time, I was kind of enjoying most of it. There was one short steep climb that really ate me up my last two times, but I marched up it pretty well this time. I also remembered that the aid station would appear out of the woods from seemingly nowhere, but it was a long time coming. I didn't see a sign with the cut-off time and didn't ask, but I did know that I had 53 minutes for the final 3.8 miles, all downhill. I finally had confidence I would finish in time.
I did the math, and figured that was about a 14 min/mile pace, so I could mix in a bit of walking as needed. At this point I would be happy with a 11:59 time and my back was hurting so I didn't want to push much harder than needed. I remembered that a gate was about the 2 miles left mark, and I still had 34 minutes there, so I felt safe, as long as my memory was accurate. At the one mile mark freshly chalked on the ground, which I knew for sure was accurate, I had 21 minutes to go. The pavement in the fish hatchery facility began, and as it flattened out near route 56 I walked more. Once I hit the final .4 miles on the highway I decided to walk until I came in sight of the finish, so I could at least look good, relatively speaking.
Just then John and Michelle Andersen and barefoot Nick came slowing driving by and rolled down the window to cheer my on. They stopped and I opened up the car door and said I was just too tired and needed a ride in, but I couldn't pull it off without a laugh. John and Nick had great races, finishing 6th & 7th. I heard noised from the finish, then saw the finish line and crowd of people and ran it in. 11:51:47, a full 8 minutes to spare!
Even down in Montebello it was cold and getting dark, so after a few minutes of catching up with other finishers, I started shivering and feeling a bit dizzy so it was time to get in the car. Christian and Jamie joined Kyle, Jon and I for post-race dinner, beer and good times at Devil's Backbone.
At times during the race I had doubts that I should even try a 100 miler since none of my 50s have gone very well. But even though my 50s had plenty of low spots, I've always came out of it and
felt good even before I smelled the barn, so I figure the same has a
reasonable chance to happen in a 100. I'm now much more willing to abandon a 24 hour finish and just come in under the allotted 30 hours. Now, one might think this is a no-brainer, since I barely did half a 100 in half of 24 hours, but Umstead is a groomed, flatter course, which plays much better to my strengths. I'll still give myself a shot at 24 but I'm not tying my race to it.
Finally, the food issue. I think the 8 loop format of Umstead will make it easier for me to manage a food plan and have my own aid station with stuff I know that I should be willing to eat. I'll have a crew with instructions to keep me from being negligent. People who can eat anything may not understand my issue, but as I said before I'm picky, and when I don't feel like eating, I have a lot of trouble forcing down food I don't care for.
So, I barely finished the race in the allotted time, but I had a good time running around in the woods with friends, freaks, and family.
This was the 32nd running of this classic Virginia race, my third. Around 9200' of gain and 7200' of loss starting at Camp Wildwood just north of Big Island on the James River, and finishing in front of the Montebello general store in Nelson County.
 |
| Course profile, with aid stations |
After last year's debacle I was not going to run this again, but my nephew Kyle wanted to come out from Nebraska to run, so I decided I'd join him. He's finished a 100 and a few other ultras, but mostly flatter races, and not as technical as Masochist can get. Much of MMTR is on back country and jeep roads, but there's at least 10 miles of singletrack, and the leaf cover on much of the course is a challenge. We toured some of the course, including the last mile or so of the loop (5.5 mile trail around the top of Mount Pleasant), on Thursday to give him an idea of the terrain.
Early in the week the weather looked perfect, 40s and dry all day. As race day neared, so did the chance of colder, wetter weather. I made the mistake of finding a website that gives forecasts for some of the mountain tops, and the one adjacent to Mount Pleasant showed up to 6 inches of snow coming the night before the race and throughout the day. This threw me (and everyone else) in doubt about what to wear. Even the night before the race, one weather service said 90% chance of precip in the area, while another said 30%, and partly cloudy in the afternoon. I packed a couple different jackets, and would decide which to wear on race morning, and leave the other in my mid-race drop bag.
As I was trying to fall asleep Friday night, I realized that if it snowed on other nearby mountains, it could snow on Wintergreen, and it might take a lot longer to drive to the start. But the temps were around 36 and a quick check on the site I use on our mountain showed no snow. I woke up at 1:30, 2 hours before my alarm, and couldn't fall back to sleep so at 2:45 I just got up. As we started the drive Wintergreen had really thick fog, but it was clear and dry at the bottom. About 10 miles before we arrived at the start it began to rain but it was just a mist when we got there, and about 40 degrees, so I went with my lighter jacket. My son Jon agreed to crew us, so it was nice to skip the bus ride to the start and from the finish. But, the longer ride meant an earlier breakfast at home and I only brought a banana for pre-race, so I wasn't starting with as much in the tank as I'd like.
 | |
| Kyle and I at the start |
Sunrise was a pretty pink through the clouds when I dared to take my eyes off the trail and look over my shoulder at it. 11 miles in and Jon was at the second aid station to take my headlamp and tell me that Kyle was doing fine. As I left I realized my race belt bib holder was coming off and I had to try to re-thread the cord with cold hands as I was walking and finally just stopped to do it. This happened twice, so I'll have to figure out what the issue was. After aid station 3 I caught back up to Jenny and we laughed about our up and down relationship. I run downhills a lot better than her but she's strong on the uphills, so we spent some time together and some time chasing each other over the next 10 miles. I was still feeling good, and my legs were fine other than a bit of a sore calf, which never got worse.
There must be something in the air near the Lynchburg reservoir, because this is where past races have gone bad, and I started feeling weaker here. I had thought I might hit the Long Mountain Wayside halfway point in 5 hours, which would set me up for a 10:30 finish if I stayed strong, but that hope was getting dimmer. I ate at every aid station, but apparently not enough. I'm a pretty picky eater and there wasn't that much I liked. Mostly I'd grab a handful of pretzels (which seemed to be low salt? Why, since we all take salt supplements while running?) and/or cookies, M&Ms, and bananas, which weren't always available. Rena from Richmond caught up to me after Jenny sailed away and it turns out we both ran Steamtown Marathon 3 weeks earlier, so we had something to chat about and take our minds off this long section. My hands were starting to swell and we both agreed that could be due to low salt, even though I had taken a few S Caps. The wind kicked up and the temps dropped. I'm actually glad it happened here because I decided I would get my warmer jacket at the midpoint.
Finally reached Long Mountain and my drop bag, and swapped jackets, got a dry set of gloves since I had to take off the wet ones, and refilled my pack. I looked for salty snacks and another runner offered me more S caps, which I gratefully accepted. I left the aid station right at noon, 5.5 hours and now looking at the prospect of chasing cut-off times meant to keep runners on track for the 12 hour race limit time. If you miss a cut-off, you have to take a bus back from certain aid stations or hitch a ride with someone's crew.
1/4 mile up the long trek on Buck Mountain I realized I didn't get any other food. This is an ideal time to take as much as you can carry because mortals walk much of the way up. Really stupid. I think it was in this section I started to feel light headed so I immediately took a gel and that helped. I walked up at a good clip and felt ok about the climb. My hands warmed up with the new gloves and I realized the swelling was probably due to cold, since I have mild cold urticaria. Good thing, because I couldn't find my small case with S caps. More carelessness, but at least I had the ones the other runner gave me. It was a limited aid station at the top and nothing appealed to me so I stuffed some pretzels in my pocket and moved on.
At Wiggins Springs aid station (mile 31) I figured I better start paying attention to cut-offs. I came in 35 minutes ahead. 1.5 miles up the road I came into the loop 33 minutes ahead, but feeling low. Jon was there, along with Christian's wife Jamie, and they tried to get me to eat while telling me that Marc was flying, Christian was pretty steady, and Kyle was still in the loop and in good spirits but the course was giving him all he could handle. Once Kyle got in, Jon was going to drive to the finish to make sure he was there with warm clothes for Kyle to change into while waiting for me. Partway
around the loop I wished I had asked him to wait and send his bag with Jamie in case I missed cut-off, since last time many people missed this cut-off. I was not going to quit, but I would not argue a missed cut-off to end my race, and an immediate ride back in a car would be nice.
The loop was pretty rough. It starts off pretty easy but even in good weather the terrain gets tougher. But now at what is normally the warmest part of the day, it had dropped below freezing, and we were getting snow and sleet flurries, with some howling wind gusts putting the wind chill in the teens. I was very thankful for my warmer Marmot Precip jacket and never really affected by the cold. A couple of falling leaves also hit me in the face, to add to the experience. I saw a couple guys in short sleeves and wondered how they were doing, but I'm sure they didn't want to dwell on it so I didn't ask. I struggled to run the easy parts, and had to take a bio break in the woods. I hiked up the rocky out and back overlook to punch my race bib at the turnaround. As I headed back down I briefly considered sabotaging my race to miss the cut-off and take a warm bus back to the finish, but I would've needed to slow down, which would make me colder. Short-term comfort won out so I kept moving, thereby sabotaging my sabotage. Exited the loop at mile 38 with 15 minutes to spare. They didn't have much food left, which is an advertised danger for a back of the packer like I had become, but did offer a pulled pork sandwich. I knew I needed to run the upcoming downhill, so I passed and just stashed a few cookies and pretzels in my pockets. Decent idea to stash food for later, but I would finish with some still in my pockets.
I thought I had moved well to Salt Log Gap, and slowed to a walk as I approached so I could get my bottle ready to refill. A volunteer warned me that I needed to keep moving and was just 5 minutes ahead of cut-off. Yowza! 10 minutes lost in 3 miles, even though I had run a good bit of it. And looking at my own watch, synced to the start, I was really 4 minutes ahead, so I couldn't count on the next aid station being generous with an extra minute. I saw the bus there ready to pick up those a few minutes slower than me. So after a quick refill I moved on, up a mile climb to the next aid station where I gained a minute. I found out later that if you missed this cut-off, you had to walk a mile back to the previous aid station since the bus couldn't make it up the hill. I thought they might do that, and worried I'd be stranded on a cold dark mountain if the bus left before I got there.
But I was still in the game. The next section had some beautiful single track trails, with some plenty of climbs. I didn't know what the cut-off was, so I ran all the downhills and flats and mild climbs. Not very fast, but I was moving. I realized in here that my stomach was fine, and my legs were tired but still working, so even though this was going to be my worst clock time, I was kind of enjoying most of it. There was one short steep climb that really ate me up my last two times, but I marched up it pretty well this time. I also remembered that the aid station would appear out of the woods from seemingly nowhere, but it was a long time coming. I didn't see a sign with the cut-off time and didn't ask, but I did know that I had 53 minutes for the final 3.8 miles, all downhill. I finally had confidence I would finish in time.
I did the math, and figured that was about a 14 min/mile pace, so I could mix in a bit of walking as needed. At this point I would be happy with a 11:59 time and my back was hurting so I didn't want to push much harder than needed. I remembered that a gate was about the 2 miles left mark, and I still had 34 minutes there, so I felt safe, as long as my memory was accurate. At the one mile mark freshly chalked on the ground, which I knew for sure was accurate, I had 21 minutes to go. The pavement in the fish hatchery facility began, and as it flattened out near route 56 I walked more. Once I hit the final .4 miles on the highway I decided to walk until I came in sight of the finish, so I could at least look good, relatively speaking.
Just then John and Michelle Andersen and barefoot Nick came slowing driving by and rolled down the window to cheer my on. They stopped and I opened up the car door and said I was just too tired and needed a ride in, but I couldn't pull it off without a laugh. John and Nick had great races, finishing 6th & 7th. I heard noised from the finish, then saw the finish line and crowd of people and ran it in. 11:51:47, a full 8 minutes to spare!
Thanks to Yvette Stafford for the finish video.
Even down in Montebello it was cold and getting dark, so after a few minutes of catching up with other finishers, I started shivering and feeling a bit dizzy so it was time to get in the car. Christian and Jamie joined Kyle, Jon and I for post-race dinner, beer and good times at Devil's Backbone.
 |
| I needed a minute to recover after the race. |
Finally, the food issue. I think the 8 loop format of Umstead will make it easier for me to manage a food plan and have my own aid station with stuff I know that I should be willing to eat. I'll have a crew with instructions to keep me from being negligent. People who can eat anything may not understand my issue, but as I said before I'm picky, and when I don't feel like eating, I have a lot of trouble forcing down food I don't care for.
So, I barely finished the race in the allotted time, but I had a good time running around in the woods with friends, freaks, and family.
 |
| Kyle and I celebrate with Jon |
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Steamtown Marathon Debacle
Perfect weather, my PR course, lots of training miles in, what could go wrong? Apparently, lots, as my race turned into a death march.
I ran a 3:19 at Steamtown in 2010, and was excited to return. I was hoping to get a BQ of under 3:30, hopefully well enough under to actually get in for 2016, as opposed to my BQ-0:23 for 2015.
Steamtown is a downhill race, from Forest City, PA to Scranton. It drops about 1000 feet, mostly in the first 6 miles. I looked forward to putting a couple minutes in the bank on those miles, and holding onto 8 minute mile pace or a bit better the rest of the way. 8 minute pace is almost a dead on 3:30. I felt like I possibly had a 3:25 in me. I wanted 3:28.
Pre-race, I slept restfully right up to the alarm, had breakfast, found a parking spot close to the finish, and hopped on a bus to the start, where we waited in a warm gym. Mid 30s for the start, so I wore a throwaway long sleeve shirt over my race clothes.
The race starts, and its clogged early. I remember this a bit from 2010 when I actually saw a guy in front of me walking in the first 200 yards. I checked the chip and gun times and 3 of the slowest 10 people started on or near the line, even though they have pace signs for where to line up. Frustrating, but within 1/4 mile or so I was running pretty free. Mile 2 is a big uphill, but mile 3-6 is a steady drop and I thought I was moving well. But at mile 3 I was right at 24:00, and at mile 6 I was only about 20 seconds under. Also, whenever I tossed my long sleeve, I lost my favorite running cap along with it, not noticing until I went to pull it down more to block out the sun and came up empty. Bummer.
After mile 6, the course flattened out. As we went over a bridge, a woman I was running near called out "Hole" to warn about a pot hole, and I told her to not call me names. Somewhere in here I felt a sudden clenching in my innards. I hated to lose time, but I had to find a portajohn, but it was a couple miles before one came, and there were a couple guys waiting. I took some advantage of the downtime to fish out an imodium, gel, and electrolyte. Once I took care of everything, I was about 3 minutes off. I figured I'd just chip away at it and hope I was back on pace by mile 20, when the toughest part of the course hit. However, I was barely putting a dent in the time each mile. Came into the half in 1:47 and a lot of change.
At this point I decided to stop looking at the watch until mile 16 and run by feel, and see where I was at then. I actually felt pretty good, and thought I'd at least get a minute back. 16 came, and I had lost a few more seconds. OK, let's check again at 18, while pushing just a bit more. Over 3 minutes off at 18, and I knew I wasn't coming back. 18-20 was at least respectable, but at 20 I was finished. Fatigue settled into my hips, my back and knees took turns hurting, while my feet ached full-time. I started walking some. Then more than some. Once things went off the tracks it came crashing down, and with a 50 miler coming 20 days later, I resigned myself to mailing the rest of the race in. The first of 3 hills hit and I walked it all. I remember that last time I handled the hills very well, but this time they defeated me. The 100 mile monster looms in my mind and I wonder if I'll feel like this with 75 miles to go in that race. On the second bigger hill there was a big neighborhood party going. I just wanted to stop and join in. Someone was handing out dixie cups of beer and I took one. We were running on one side of the road with the other lane open to traffic in both directions, which I couldn't really figure out. Neither could the pickup truck driver who came cruising down our side, right behind me even though I was off to the side with room to get by. Finally a volunteer yelled at him to get over. Pretty sure he knew him by name, assuming his name is Hey Idiot.
A bit later another volunteer told us "There's a light at the end of the tunnel." I replied "I think it's an oncoming train." Finally I made the final turn, about a mile left, and I managed to keep moving up the final hill and into the finish. 3:51 something. Nearly 11 minute mile pace for the last 10K. Ugh.
Post-race, I walked back to the car and had a beer and then walked back to the lawn by the finish. Found a bench and chatted a bit with others, and sat back in the sun and napped a bit. On my way back to the hotel I picked up a pizza and had half of that, and slept more, woke up for awhile, and slept more. Not sure I've ever been this tired. I think I just wasn't at full health. For my stomach issues, I had an instant breakfast drink as part of breakfast, and I think that was too much milk. I don't know if that ruined my race or just cost me 3 minutes. I feel like it was more the latter.
What else went wrong? I'm not trying to make excuses, just trying to figure out why my spring marathon I felt unprepared for went so well (3:29) and this one after a decent summer of training didn't. I think my lead-up to the race was bad for a goal race. No, I know it was bad. Two weeks before I did a 5K on a Friday and a trail marathon on a Saturday. Didn't race hard, but went harder than intended. Then the week before I paced a friend for the last 20 miles of a 100 miler. Lots of walking, but 2 steep 2500 foot climbs and drops. Usually that doesn't affect me much, but my quads ached for days, and I still felt them as late as Thursday. By race day they seemed fine but probably weren't all recovered. A couple days post-Steamtown, and my quads are fine but calves are sore, so go figure. In any case, I never really did feel a good spring in my legs.
Next up: Mountain Masochist 50 miler on November 1. I've had two pretty mediocre races here, with rough going for about 15 miles each time, so I'm hoping for some redemption.
I ran a 3:19 at Steamtown in 2010, and was excited to return. I was hoping to get a BQ of under 3:30, hopefully well enough under to actually get in for 2016, as opposed to my BQ-0:23 for 2015.
Steamtown is a downhill race, from Forest City, PA to Scranton. It drops about 1000 feet, mostly in the first 6 miles. I looked forward to putting a couple minutes in the bank on those miles, and holding onto 8 minute mile pace or a bit better the rest of the way. 8 minute pace is almost a dead on 3:30. I felt like I possibly had a 3:25 in me. I wanted 3:28.
Pre-race, I slept restfully right up to the alarm, had breakfast, found a parking spot close to the finish, and hopped on a bus to the start, where we waited in a warm gym. Mid 30s for the start, so I wore a throwaway long sleeve shirt over my race clothes.
The race starts, and its clogged early. I remember this a bit from 2010 when I actually saw a guy in front of me walking in the first 200 yards. I checked the chip and gun times and 3 of the slowest 10 people started on or near the line, even though they have pace signs for where to line up. Frustrating, but within 1/4 mile or so I was running pretty free. Mile 2 is a big uphill, but mile 3-6 is a steady drop and I thought I was moving well. But at mile 3 I was right at 24:00, and at mile 6 I was only about 20 seconds under. Also, whenever I tossed my long sleeve, I lost my favorite running cap along with it, not noticing until I went to pull it down more to block out the sun and came up empty. Bummer.
After mile 6, the course flattened out. As we went over a bridge, a woman I was running near called out "Hole" to warn about a pot hole, and I told her to not call me names. Somewhere in here I felt a sudden clenching in my innards. I hated to lose time, but I had to find a portajohn, but it was a couple miles before one came, and there were a couple guys waiting. I took some advantage of the downtime to fish out an imodium, gel, and electrolyte. Once I took care of everything, I was about 3 minutes off. I figured I'd just chip away at it and hope I was back on pace by mile 20, when the toughest part of the course hit. However, I was barely putting a dent in the time each mile. Came into the half in 1:47 and a lot of change.
At this point I decided to stop looking at the watch until mile 16 and run by feel, and see where I was at then. I actually felt pretty good, and thought I'd at least get a minute back. 16 came, and I had lost a few more seconds. OK, let's check again at 18, while pushing just a bit more. Over 3 minutes off at 18, and I knew I wasn't coming back. 18-20 was at least respectable, but at 20 I was finished. Fatigue settled into my hips, my back and knees took turns hurting, while my feet ached full-time. I started walking some. Then more than some. Once things went off the tracks it came crashing down, and with a 50 miler coming 20 days later, I resigned myself to mailing the rest of the race in. The first of 3 hills hit and I walked it all. I remember that last time I handled the hills very well, but this time they defeated me. The 100 mile monster looms in my mind and I wonder if I'll feel like this with 75 miles to go in that race. On the second bigger hill there was a big neighborhood party going. I just wanted to stop and join in. Someone was handing out dixie cups of beer and I took one. We were running on one side of the road with the other lane open to traffic in both directions, which I couldn't really figure out. Neither could the pickup truck driver who came cruising down our side, right behind me even though I was off to the side with room to get by. Finally a volunteer yelled at him to get over. Pretty sure he knew him by name, assuming his name is Hey Idiot.
A bit later another volunteer told us "There's a light at the end of the tunnel." I replied "I think it's an oncoming train." Finally I made the final turn, about a mile left, and I managed to keep moving up the final hill and into the finish. 3:51 something. Nearly 11 minute mile pace for the last 10K. Ugh.
Post-race, I walked back to the car and had a beer and then walked back to the lawn by the finish. Found a bench and chatted a bit with others, and sat back in the sun and napped a bit. On my way back to the hotel I picked up a pizza and had half of that, and slept more, woke up for awhile, and slept more. Not sure I've ever been this tired. I think I just wasn't at full health. For my stomach issues, I had an instant breakfast drink as part of breakfast, and I think that was too much milk. I don't know if that ruined my race or just cost me 3 minutes. I feel like it was more the latter.
What else went wrong? I'm not trying to make excuses, just trying to figure out why my spring marathon I felt unprepared for went so well (3:29) and this one after a decent summer of training didn't. I think my lead-up to the race was bad for a goal race. No, I know it was bad. Two weeks before I did a 5K on a Friday and a trail marathon on a Saturday. Didn't race hard, but went harder than intended. Then the week before I paced a friend for the last 20 miles of a 100 miler. Lots of walking, but 2 steep 2500 foot climbs and drops. Usually that doesn't affect me much, but my quads ached for days, and I still felt them as late as Thursday. By race day they seemed fine but probably weren't all recovered. A couple days post-Steamtown, and my quads are fine but calves are sore, so go figure. In any case, I never really did feel a good spring in my legs.
Next up: Mountain Masochist 50 miler on November 1. I've had two pretty mediocre races here, with rough going for about 15 miles each time, so I'm hoping for some redemption.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Double Training Race Weekend
Sometimes training gets a bit old, and you have to break it up with some races, with the plan to not go all out so you can resume training quickly after the event. It's not easy to do because others are racing, and you've got both pride and prizes on the line. I need to get better at holding back, but I combined fun and training this weekend with not one, but two races.
The first one was the Autumn Toast 5K on Friday evening at Barren Ridge
Vineyards, part of the Corkscrew series. I hadn't planned to run it,
partly because I think their races are overpriced and mostly because I
had a marathon in the morning, but I got a comp entry by responding to a
Blue Ridge Life Magazine facebook post. They are one of the race
sponsors.
Beautiful setting, out in the country northwest of Waynesboro, mostly dirt road. I took off a bit fast, with a 7:04 first mile, and reigned it in a bit until the final half mile when I decided to make a move on a few people. I stayed out of the "pain cave" but ran fast enough to win my age group. My prize was a bottle of their wine.
Saturday was the Belmead Trail Fest near Richmond. I opted for the marathon, which was held along with a 50K and 50M. I wrote a description of the race itself on the CAT blog. I had planned to stay slow and steady and hoped to run the last miles around the same speed as the beginning, but I got caught up with a few people on the first loop and went out too fast. Suffered some as it warmed up and I walked more of the last 10 miles than I'd have liked to, but mostly I just felt tired, not bad. I did manage to take 5th overall out of 17 and 3rd of 11 men for a $30 gift cert to Lucky Foot in Richmond. It was a really nice course and a well done race, one I'd like to do again.
(1)%2B(Medium).JPG)
Next up this weekend I'll be running as much as 35 miles at Grindstone, pacing Christian Dahlhausen. I've run a couple times this week but my legs are a bit dead, so other than the pacing I'm tapering down for the Steamtown marathon in Scranton, PA, on October 12.
Beautiful setting, out in the country northwest of Waynesboro, mostly dirt road. I took off a bit fast, with a 7:04 first mile, and reigned it in a bit until the final half mile when I decided to make a move on a few people. I stayed out of the "pain cave" but ran fast enough to win my age group. My prize was a bottle of their wine.
Saturday was the Belmead Trail Fest near Richmond. I opted for the marathon, which was held along with a 50K and 50M. I wrote a description of the race itself on the CAT blog. I had planned to stay slow and steady and hoped to run the last miles around the same speed as the beginning, but I got caught up with a few people on the first loop and went out too fast. Suffered some as it warmed up and I walked more of the last 10 miles than I'd have liked to, but mostly I just felt tired, not bad. I did manage to take 5th overall out of 17 and 3rd of 11 men for a $30 gift cert to Lucky Foot in Richmond. It was a really nice course and a well done race, one I'd like to do again.
(1)+(Medium).JPG)
Next up this weekend I'll be running as much as 35 miles at Grindstone, pacing Christian Dahlhausen. I've run a couple times this week but my legs are a bit dead, so other than the pacing I'm tapering down for the Steamtown marathon in Scranton, PA, on October 12.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Umstead Insanity
Not long after I ran my first marathon in 2001, my sister told me about a plane trip she had recently taken to Raleigh, when she sat next to someone who was going there to run the Umstead 100. She asked if I was going to ever run something like that. I emphatically said, no, that would be insane! So, by my own admission, 13 years later I've gone insane.
How did this happen? Well, despite my late start, not running my first marathon until age 39 and my second (actually a 50K mountain trail race) until 3 years later, I got hooked on endurance running. I've finished over 30 marathons and ultras (anything over 26.2 miles), which to many of my friends is unfathomable, and to others is pretty ho-hum. I've run 3 50 milers, and it's a natural progression in the ultra world to take the next step up to 100K or 100 miles. However, none of those 50 milers went well for me, each having about 15 miles of abject misery. Some of you will remember that after last years well-named Mountain Masochist race I swore I'd stick to marathons and 50Ks. But then my nephew Kyle signed up for Masochist this year, so I signed up again as well. But a 100 was out of the question. I talked with my son Jon about it on a recent trip, and he wisely said, "If you aren't going to enjoy it, then why do it?" There's also some evidence that running 100 miles is possibly as harmful and dangerous to your health as it is good. (I don't want to go down that rat hole topic, just indicating my mindset against doing a 100.)
But my races this year have been better. Some of them I just took easier, at least at the start, but I'd feel good from start to finish. I even got back to a qualifying time for Boston at the Lincoln Marathon in May. So I decided if I was ever going to do one, this was the time to do it.
Why Umstead? I've learned that I'm not a very good technical trail runner, nor am I that strong going up and down mountain trails, especially since my ACL surgery a couple years ago. Umstead has hills, but the longest climbs look to be about 150 over 1/2 mile or longer. Most of the trail is crushed granite, wide, soft and non-technical. The 8x12.5 mile loops can be boring and tempting to bail out at the end of any loop, but logistics become very easy. It's a 3.5 hour drive from home, and I lived in the Raleigh area from 1984-2000 and am very familiar with the park. I wasn't much of a runner then, but I did hike the single track trails a lot. I also ran the Umstead Trail marathon there a few years ago. I know what I'm getting into there, and overall I think it plays into my strengths.
So I set out to claim one of the coveted entries when registration opened at noon the first Saturday in September. It's a browser refresh race. Near noon you keep refreshing the event page if and until the register button shows up, at which point you click on it and hope it takes you to the registration page. If you're lucky enough to get in, you have 12 minutes to complete the form, otherwise it is released for someone else to get.
I did not even see the register button from 12 to 12:02. I was also following the Umstead facebook page, where the RD said that the 250 spots were in the process of being filled in. My only hope is that some would not be completed. I knew that some people would be trying from multiple PCs and having other friends try at the same time, so if they had multiple successes they would use just one. I had been using 2 different browsers on the same PC. Shortly before 12:12, I started hitting F5 on the page again. No luck the first few times. What's that? The button? Click it! Did I just...there's the registration page! And a clock telling me I have 12 minutes to complete, 11:59, :58. Hands shaking, I type in the form, and submit it. I still think something will go wrong, but I get a confirmation page, and then an email, and then I look at the other browser (which also had the register button!), refresh it, and see my name among the name of entrants.
Then it hits me. What have I gotten myself into? One of the ironies is that I had run in a marathon that morning, and it went really poorly for me in the heat and humidity. So poorly, in fact, that I quit at 12 miles. I can't dwell on that, I have to put it behind me as a non-goal race that I didn't want to ruin my fall goal races.
A day later, the questions are piling up. Am I willing to put in the endless miles to get ready for this? Can I train smart enough to get to the start line healthy? Will my legs hold up for 100 miles? What about my Morton's neuroma foot nerve issue that can flare up anytime? Can I keep forcing in food and drink to fuel and hydrate even after I just don't want any more? Will I have the patience to start slowly and leave myself something for the later laps? Do I have the mental toughness to go back out on the course after each loop when my car is right there? Do I know how to prepare for whatever weather is thrown at me? Will I remember to keep on top of any blister or chafing issues? Will I be able to stay awake? If the answer to any one of this questions isn't a pretty solid YES, I will almost certainly fall short. I don't even know if I know all the questions to ask of myself.
But I'm going to give it a shot. I'm touched by all the responses I got on facebook when I announced this, especially the offers for crewing and pacing. I'm undecided whether a larger team would be a help or not, but it's just great to have options, and such support, whether in spirit or in person.
It's on now. Training started today. I went and finished yesterday's marathon distance, running 14.4, at a relaxed pace, walking up some of the hills.
I'd better do this right, because I'm only going to try a hundo once.
Unless I get into Western States.
Or I forget the awful parts and talk myself into another one.
Or I don't finish but don't die and feel like I have to vindicate myself.
Remember, not that long ago I swore I'd never run anything longer than 50K again, and here I've got a 50M and a 100M on my calendar in the next 7 months.
To quote Major Clipton in the final line from Bridge on the River Kwai, "Madness! Madness!"
I just hope I'm not the train plunging into the river!
How did this happen? Well, despite my late start, not running my first marathon until age 39 and my second (actually a 50K mountain trail race) until 3 years later, I got hooked on endurance running. I've finished over 30 marathons and ultras (anything over 26.2 miles), which to many of my friends is unfathomable, and to others is pretty ho-hum. I've run 3 50 milers, and it's a natural progression in the ultra world to take the next step up to 100K or 100 miles. However, none of those 50 milers went well for me, each having about 15 miles of abject misery. Some of you will remember that after last years well-named Mountain Masochist race I swore I'd stick to marathons and 50Ks. But then my nephew Kyle signed up for Masochist this year, so I signed up again as well. But a 100 was out of the question. I talked with my son Jon about it on a recent trip, and he wisely said, "If you aren't going to enjoy it, then why do it?" There's also some evidence that running 100 miles is possibly as harmful and dangerous to your health as it is good. (I don't want to go down that rat hole topic, just indicating my mindset against doing a 100.)
But my races this year have been better. Some of them I just took easier, at least at the start, but I'd feel good from start to finish. I even got back to a qualifying time for Boston at the Lincoln Marathon in May. So I decided if I was ever going to do one, this was the time to do it.
Why Umstead? I've learned that I'm not a very good technical trail runner, nor am I that strong going up and down mountain trails, especially since my ACL surgery a couple years ago. Umstead has hills, but the longest climbs look to be about 150 over 1/2 mile or longer. Most of the trail is crushed granite, wide, soft and non-technical. The 8x12.5 mile loops can be boring and tempting to bail out at the end of any loop, but logistics become very easy. It's a 3.5 hour drive from home, and I lived in the Raleigh area from 1984-2000 and am very familiar with the park. I wasn't much of a runner then, but I did hike the single track trails a lot. I also ran the Umstead Trail marathon there a few years ago. I know what I'm getting into there, and overall I think it plays into my strengths.
So I set out to claim one of the coveted entries when registration opened at noon the first Saturday in September. It's a browser refresh race. Near noon you keep refreshing the event page if and until the register button shows up, at which point you click on it and hope it takes you to the registration page. If you're lucky enough to get in, you have 12 minutes to complete the form, otherwise it is released for someone else to get.
I did not even see the register button from 12 to 12:02. I was also following the Umstead facebook page, where the RD said that the 250 spots were in the process of being filled in. My only hope is that some would not be completed. I knew that some people would be trying from multiple PCs and having other friends try at the same time, so if they had multiple successes they would use just one. I had been using 2 different browsers on the same PC. Shortly before 12:12, I started hitting F5 on the page again. No luck the first few times. What's that? The button? Click it! Did I just...there's the registration page! And a clock telling me I have 12 minutes to complete, 11:59, :58. Hands shaking, I type in the form, and submit it. I still think something will go wrong, but I get a confirmation page, and then an email, and then I look at the other browser (which also had the register button!), refresh it, and see my name among the name of entrants.
Then it hits me. What have I gotten myself into? One of the ironies is that I had run in a marathon that morning, and it went really poorly for me in the heat and humidity. So poorly, in fact, that I quit at 12 miles. I can't dwell on that, I have to put it behind me as a non-goal race that I didn't want to ruin my fall goal races.
A day later, the questions are piling up. Am I willing to put in the endless miles to get ready for this? Can I train smart enough to get to the start line healthy? Will my legs hold up for 100 miles? What about my Morton's neuroma foot nerve issue that can flare up anytime? Can I keep forcing in food and drink to fuel and hydrate even after I just don't want any more? Will I have the patience to start slowly and leave myself something for the later laps? Do I have the mental toughness to go back out on the course after each loop when my car is right there? Do I know how to prepare for whatever weather is thrown at me? Will I remember to keep on top of any blister or chafing issues? Will I be able to stay awake? If the answer to any one of this questions isn't a pretty solid YES, I will almost certainly fall short. I don't even know if I know all the questions to ask of myself.
But I'm going to give it a shot. I'm touched by all the responses I got on facebook when I announced this, especially the offers for crewing and pacing. I'm undecided whether a larger team would be a help or not, but it's just great to have options, and such support, whether in spirit or in person.
It's on now. Training started today. I went and finished yesterday's marathon distance, running 14.4, at a relaxed pace, walking up some of the hills.
I'd better do this right, because I'm only going to try a hundo once.
Unless I get into Western States.
Or I forget the awful parts and talk myself into another one.
Or I don't finish but don't die and feel like I have to vindicate myself.
Remember, not that long ago I swore I'd never run anything longer than 50K again, and here I've got a 50M and a 100M on my calendar in the next 7 months.
To quote Major Clipton in the final line from Bridge on the River Kwai, "Madness! Madness!"
I just hope I'm not the train plunging into the river!
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