Ankle bone's conencted to the shin bone...

I've been having a bit of a foot/ankle issue for the past week. It is on the inside of my left foot from the back of the arch up to the bottom inside part of my ankle. I have had trouble here before and am pretty sure it is a minor bit of tendinitis. There was certainly no traumatic event that caused it so it is most likely some for of overuse injury.

The strange thing is that it didn't hurt at all after the Mt. Diablo 50K. I took Sunday completely off other than some walking and ran 3 easy treadmill miles Monday evening. On Tuesday I did 7 miles that felt really good. Wednesday I had to cut my run to 4 miles due to some GI distress (bad lunch food choice coming back to get me). I don't remember the foot hurting then, but I do remember that when I went to run on Thursday it was already hurting and I wasn't surprised. I pushed through the run, but it hurt more near the end and I finished with a modified gate which is never a good side, but further confirmed my tendinitis diagnosis. I took the next 3 days off, but I felt it all weekend.

I have been icing and taking it easy. I did discover some very surprising trigger points my shin that actually seemed to help when I got them to release. I've had moderate success with trigger point self-therapy, but this seemed more dramatic since the pain was lessened to an extent that I could now roll my foot outward without pain. I have continued icing and self-massage and was able to complete a 9.7 miler yesterday, but it hurt again afterwards. Further treatment helped again and I ran just over 8 miles tonight with less pain. However, I am still at a loss as to what caused (or is causing) this in the first place since it didn't seem to be a direct result of my race. I have some theories based on examining what was different in my routine over the past week. Here are my theories in increasing order of "likely contributing factor".


1) New work shoes
I bought some new shoes for work last week. They are slip-on Clarks and seem to have a decent insole and OK support. However, they are a little different from my previous shoes which were Borns and had a bit of a wider fit. I prefer to wear slip-ons as I take my shoes off when at my desk. I am going to try a different pair of older shoes for a little while.
2) Yoga DVD
I recently bought a DVD called Yoga Conditioning for Athletes which is actually quite good. While I think it is unlikely to be a primary cause, it probably didn't help as any of the one-legged stands on my left foot became increasingly difficult. I have stopped the conditioning for now, but will restart once I feel confident in my foot/ankle.
3) New running shoes
These would seem like a VERY likely candidate prima facie. However, while they are a new model they are an update of my older model that I have been using for a few years and they fit very similarly. The new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 really didn't change much over the 6 except in the cushioning technology. That said, I must admit that after running in my 6's today (which I was planning to reserve only for trail running), I definitely feel more isolated from the ground in the new 7's and didn't feel as good on uneven paths. I will stick to my older shoes for the time being, but if it is the shoes I have a bigger problem long-term :-(.
4) Too much too soon (too asphalt-y)
While I didn't feel any problems immediately after my race, I did jump back into running with only one rest/recovery day. It was a tough 50K and perhaps I didn't respect the impact on my body and take more rest than I normally would after a "mere 31 miles". I also have been running on the road due to life and time constraints which is never preferable. After taking the weekend off I feel like I can run so long as I take care of my foot/ankle after and don't push too much into the pain zone.

If the modifications above don't continue to show improvement then I know that a longer break period is definitely called for whether I like it or not. Tahoe is a long ways off and it would be MUCH better to take time off now than closer to the race.

Devil in the Mix

Mt. Diablo wasn't on my original plan for the year though I've always wanted to race it since I do still consider it "my mountain". So, when I had to bail on Ohlone I decided to throw the Mt. Diablo 50K into the mix. Ohlone is a tough 50K with 7800+ft of climbing. The Diablo course adds more than 1000ft of extra climbing over the same distance. That's 8900ft of climbing in just 31 miles; only 600ft less than Miwok which is twice the distance! Add in some nice warm temps, a body still in recovery, a dive in the dirt and your usual mix of brain-dead ultra errors and you've got the making of an epic! So, join me as we take a voyage where I mix it up with the mountain named after the devil and learn that....

SOME THINGS JUST DON'T MIX


Sunglasses and Shade don't mix
The race started innocently enough. I stayed at my sister's house just 2.5 miles from the start so I got to sleep in a bit. I still arrived at the start early enough to hang out and chat with some ultra friends and put some faces to people I have only met on the PCTR Forums. I started the first loop at a nice pace. I was doing a nice consistent shuffle-jog, not much walking, but not pushing and no heavy breathing. I was among a lot of 25K runners so I knew my pace was probably a bit faster than it should be, but I knew it was going to get warm later and so I wanted a good time buffer under my belt for the first lap. A couple of the 25K runners seemed to be working much harder than me so I was pretty pleased with how I was moving along. I really never felt like I was working and I made it to the peak in a little under 2 hours.

It was warm and I was drinking well, but got a little hint of things to come later when I felt like my calves were cramping as soon as I started the downhill. I was surprised because I didn't feel fatigued or dehydrated. However, I had been sick for a week and I did have spasms in my calves when I tried to run through it. I stopped and stretched and took an S!Cap (and decided to continue taking them every hour). I also put my sunglasses on for the downhill. I don't usually wear them in my races, but for some reason decided to try. They became too fogged up on the climb, but I figured they'd be OK going down.

One of my favorite trail names in all of California is on Mt. Diablo. It is called "The Trail Through Time". I was somewhere in the upper Jurassic / Cretaceous Period up above Juniper Campgrounds heading down towards the only on-course aid station. I actually really like this section of trail that winds around a bit and dips through some trees. I liked it so much that I failed to pay attention to the fact that wearing sunglasses in the shade made it impossible to see the rocks and roots along the trail. I went down in an instant and did a nice forward plant in the dirt. Luckily, it was a relatively soft landing, but hard enough for some nice long scrapes on my shin and beautiful skinless bloody patch on my upper left leg. I cursed, but continued. I cursed some more, but mainly at my own stupidity. I stopped at the aid station, but decided to wait until the bottom to clean off as I didn't want to deal with it until I had finished my first loop.

The leg slowed me down a bit on the downhill and I finished my first loop in a little over 3:10. I spent some time cleaning up at the bottom and it definitely hurt more once it was clean. However, I was trying hard not to be distracted and wanted to get back underway or I would end up staying down there way too long. I saw Miki and had her take a picture of my leg for posterity. I then headed out almost tripping over an orange cone as I left.



Conquest and NUUN don't mix
I should have realized that the trip over the cone was my addle-minded brain trying to tell me something. I wasn't thinking straight. I really didn't spend enough time at the aid station to hydrate and eat properly for the second climb on this, now quite warm, course. I also made a really, really dumb mistake which I have made once before. I was running with my normal two water bottles. One in which I would mix a NUUN tablet with water and the other with plain water. I was about 10 minutes into the second loop when I took a sip of my "plain water" to realize it was not so plain. I had filled with Conquest. This meant that my other bottle was a syrupy sweet mix of two different hydration formulas. I avoided it as long as I could. The climb got warm and hard. I really needed all the hydration I could get so I forced myself to drink it. It was disgusting.

Mentally, I was not in a great place. I was not at all heat trained. My fall had taken more out of me than I wanted to admit. I was under-hydrated and feeling crampy and, to top it all off, I had to force myself to try and drink this awful mix which made me gag with each mouthful. Some of it wouldn't stay down and I had visions of my stomach issues coming raging back forcing me to drop at the next aid station. For some reason, I had it in my mind that there was a water spigot at Deer Flat, but I don't know why. Perhaps I just didn't want to deal with the fact that I knew all my fluids would be gone by that point and the steep climb up the the aid station was still ahead. I trudged along dreaming of that aid station and just sitting down.

Heat and Empty Water Bottles don't mix
I managed to get to that last climb and, somehow, was able to shuffle up it. I could feel that I was pushing and my legs were on the verge of seizing, but I wanted to be at the station so bad. I couldn't take in any gel without water nor could I take my (overdue) S!Cap without it. I came to the station, sat down and started drinking, eating and trying to cool down in the shade. The front-runners had past by on their way down earlier and I dreamed of feeling a small fraction as strong as they had looked. I probably didn't sit as long as I thought, but I made myself just keep eating and drinking. I also dumped water on my head and this seemed to help more than anything. It was at this point that I realized I really hadn't been taking proper care of myself and decided to up my sodium level. I had plenty of S!Caps and vowed to start on a 1/2 hour regimen for the remainder of the race. So, I guess that's it. I was going to continue with the race.

I continued along towards the peak, walking a lot more than I would have liked to, but resigned to finishing this thing. I made it to the peak and took another look out over the area where I grew up. My first trip up here was under the 2 hours mark, now it was about 6 hours into the race. My second trip up had taken more than 40 minutes longer. As I was filling my water up, I met Fred Ecks and we headed down together on the section back towards the aid station. I was on my second S!Cap since my last visit and was feeling pretty good. It was here that I realized that I had really not hydrated properly throughout the race nor had I taken enough electrolytes to compensate for the relative heat. If I had this race to do over again I would probably carry a pack or do as I did at Miwok and spend some extra time at the later aid stations drinking my fill.

Finally, getting the mix right
My last visit to the Juniper AS I almost made the same mistake again and started filling with Conquest (doh!). This time I caught myself. I got my mixes right, drank some extra water, took my final S!Cap and vowed to run the downhill as best I could. I was, after all, a downhill runner. A low-7 hour goal had long left me, but a 7:30 was still in sight and it is this sort of goal that always helps me focus on getting to the end of these races. Fred had headed out before me, but I caught him on the initial downhill as I forced myself to get my legs moving. I passed a woman not long after that and then another guy further down. I was feeling like my old self a bit. Truth be told, I would still rather run down the singletrack as I had to push to make myself go at a good pace in the hardpack dirt road. I ran on the side in the gravel as much as possible since it didn't hurt my feet as much.

I got to the bottom and knew I was gonna finish, but the last two miles of this trail are my least favorite. I think I would rather end on an uphill like at AR50 than on the flats. I'm just never quite sure how much I can push at the end on flat ground. It always seems so much longer than it is and my biggest fear is to push myself over the edge before I even get to the end. I just tried to stay within myself and looked for that last sign post. There it was, one mile to go and I had just enough water left to keep me happy. Not that it really matters at the end, but somehow it always seems psychologically important to me to keep drinking during my final miles. I dropped my bottles once I saw the finish and kicked it in a bit as I didn't know how close to 7:30 I was. I managed to cross the line at 7:27.

Mixing it up
I decided to hang out at the finish for a while and chat and cheer on others. There was a really great group at this race and everyone was enjoying sharing the tales of finishing a hard race. Sarah (the RD) even told me that Beverly Anderson-Abbs had called the course "tough". Somehow it is reassuring to hear that someone who just knocked over an hour off the womans course record and came in only 8 minutes behind the mens record also felt that this was a tough course. I had vowed off ever running this again numerous times while up on the mountain, but now I can't wait until next time it comes around. Isn't that always the case?

I'm back (almost)

Well, after the Thursday ordeal, I actually took two entire days off. I was feeling generally better on both Friday and Saturday, but my stomach was really not happy. I new that running would have produced pretty much the same results as I had "enjoyed" on Thursday. Sunday, I was feeling a little better still and couldn't take it any more. I decided a nice little afternoon run would be in order. I wouldn't set the distance, but run how I felt. After a couple miles I realized that my stomach was still not very happy. However, in all other ways I felt fine. I decided to cut it to just 4 miles. As I was heading back home, at mile 3, a little bit of stomach content came up. However, I felt fine and was able to finish the run without issue and my pace was fine, perhaps even a little faster than normal. Monday, I went for another run. At mile 2 things fell apart. I stopped and stretched and felt bad. My stomach didn't feel horrible, but I felt weak again. I sat down with my head between my knees feeling sorry for myself. It was weird that I hadn't felt weak in a while and here it was. It almost felt like I was "bonking." I thought about it and realized that I hadn't really been eating much at all lately and was probably a bit dehydrated as well. I got up and decided to go get some water in the park and just try to finish my run back home for another measly 4-miler. Well, somehow things got better. I felt stronger and stronger so I continued on past my house. I could have gone further, but I decided to stop around 6-1/2 miles. Afterwards my stomach was still a bit upset but everything felt OK. For the first time in a week I felt sure I would be better in time for Mt. Diablo. However, I vowed to take a couple more days off and just do a test run on Thursday to make sure everything was in proper order.

Tuesday and Wednesday things felt better still. I went to the gym and rode the stationary bike to get in some exercise without the jostling. I felt great, ready to run. It took an entire week for the bug to run its course. I know, it probably would have taken much less if I actually had let it run its course rather than fighting it. There was one side effect of my being sick that actually had a positive effect. Since I haven't been able to eat much over the past week I have lost even more weight. I was already down close to 10lbs for the year, but now I am another 5lbs lighter. In fact, I haven't seen 160lbs on a scale in about 22 years! Furthermore, I discovered an even better side effect last night when I did my promised 4 mile test run. I felt like I was running fairly easy, like my normal low-mid 8 min/mi pace. However, I knew my legs were moving faster and I felt lighter. I tried not to look at my watch until I finished and was shocked to see the time of 30:42 staring me in the face! A sub-31 minute 4-miler without effort? That has NEVER happened before! I generally have to push myself at least a little to maintain any pace below an 8-minute mile. This will either be a great boon for Diablo as I enjoy cruising up that mountain in my new lighter frame or a total disaster as I go blazing out at a pace that destroys me later in the race. Either way, I can't wait!!!

The real question is, what should I call my upcoming article for Trail Runner Magazine?
"Improve Your Performance While Lying in Bed"
"Stop Running, Stop Eating, Get Faster"
"The Bulimic Guide to Speed Work"
"Forget the Taper, Get Sick Before Your Next Race"
"10 Common Viruses to Help You Run Better"
"Run, Puke, Rest, Repeat"

OK, I'll put my sick (pun intended) humor away for now.

Fhat the wuck!

So, a glance at my race calendar will show that I have finally taken the plunge and signed up for the Headlands Hundred race in August (I also singed up for Firetrails 50 in October). As fate would have it, the very afternoon I signed up, I started feeling ill. It is way too early for pre-race hypochondria. Besides, I am actually more worried right now about running the TRT50 than about HH100. I have never run a race at altitude and have no idea how I will adapt. At first I just passed off the "illness" as my being tired from four days in a row of not getting enough sleep. It was a bit of a mystery, though, as I had run a little over 8 miles at lunch and while it was warm out, it was nothing that felt taxing; in fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the run and felt great afterwards. I tried to get to bed early that night, but waking up the next morning it was clear that this was neither just residual tiredness nor was it simply in my head. I was sick. I tried going to work, but ended up leaving early to spend the afternoon back in bed. The only thing I could figure was that I must have contracted something over the weekend while working at my son's basketball tournament. See, that's what I get for spending the entire weekend indoors with no running! It was a little odd in terms of illness as there was no head or nasal congestion, my chest felt fine and while I felt warm I didn't really have a fever. It was simply total fatigue and some muscle aches. At any rate, an indication that my body was fighting something off.

I stayed home the next day both to get some extra rest and because I had to pick a car up in Hayward for my older son. I drove to BART in Fremont, took the train to Hayward and then walked the 1.5 miles to the car place. I felt pretty good walking which made me happy. When I got home, I forced myself back to bed for more rest. I felt much better after another nap. I ate and felt strong. I was originally planning to ride my bike the 8+ miles back to BART, but I felt so good I decided I could actually run it...

Yes, I know.
What was I thinking?
How many times does one person need to learn the same lesson.

Repeat after me:
"Running when you aren't feeling well is dumb"
I've done this before....and, apparently, need reminding again...

Running with bronchitis does not simulate running at altitude with reduced oxygen!

Running with a fever does not equate to heat training!

Running when your body is fatigued does not give you the experience of pushing yourself late in a race when you are tired. It does give you the experience of having your body revolt against the effort as it slows down of its own accord and increases its production of stomach acid.

I started feeling bad after about 4 miles. I made it to Lake Elizabeth in central Fremont, about 7 miles, before the contents of my belly decided that they needed to be deposited into the dirt next to the sidewalk. The next 1.2 miles to the BART station was a long and slow walk. I called my wife at work to remind her that she is married to an idiot. I stopped and sat down on some steps and watched as the muscles in my calves involuntarily twitched off and on. Fascinating stuff. The funny thing is that, as I walked, I didn't feel too bad. I could tell that my body just wasn't ready to be pushed.

Went to bed early last night and slept well. Feel really good this morning. I'll probably try another run this afternoon. I was planning to do Mission Peak today, but I'm thinking that maybe (just maybe) something a bit less strenuous and less committing might be in order.

The Key Thing

With my son's AAU Basketball Team hosting a tournament all weekend, I knew that I was not going to have any time for running. So, I decided to get a good run in on Friday afternoon before helping to set up for the tourney. I decided I would run up Mission Peak doing the first part of the Ohlone 50K race that would be held on Sunday. I had a couple of hours so I was going to run up to the peak via the race route then follow it along the Eagle Trail around back and then head back to Horse Heaven and return down the same way I came up. It would be around 9-10 miles in total.

I arrived at the Standford Ave parking lot and figured I would just use a single UD Quickdraw handheld and a single Clif Shot as this wasn't too long a run and I could re-fill on the backside of the peak. I put the gel in the handheld's pocket and then put my key in there. I usually don't like to do this. I don't like putting stashing my key in any pocket that I may have to open during a run. I told myself I would just be careful when I took the gel out. The mental state before a run and during a run have very little to do with one another.

The run itself was great. Apparently, the fireroad has been recently graded so there were not many "hoof holes" on the cut-over to Horse Heaven and even the cow patties were pretty sparse. With this, no mud and moderate temperatures, the Ohlone runners were getting a much easier than usual start. Of course, easy is relative. I don't usually run Horse Heaven even though it is a really nice single track because I almost always get off course. The trail was pretty well groomed so I felt more confident this time. When I got to a split in the trail I thought that going left was the cut-over to the Grove Trail so I went right. After about a 1/2 mile of downhill, it was clear that I had once again made a wrong turn on Horse Heaven. Oh well, I guess some extra miles are always good. I made it to the top in pretty good time (1:08) and headed down without pause.

Somewhere on the way down, along Eagle Trail (I think), I took out the gel and ate it and then put the empty wrapper back in the zipper pocket. I didn't even think about it. I filled the bottle with water and headed back down enjoying the rest of my run. Enjoying it until I returned to my Jeep and went unzipped the pocket to pull out my key. The stream of expletives that spewed forth from my mouth are not fit to print (nor were they suitable language for the families in my vicinity). Not key. My wallet and phone were also locked in the car. No way to call anyone. Someone offered me a phone, but I thought about it and realized that the only people who I could call had phone numbers that are only remembered by little tiny computers that obviously have better memories than I do.

Luckily, I only live about 4 miles from the trailhead so I ran home. What was that I said earlier about extra miles being good? These weren't good miles. Anyway, I made it home, called AAA for a locksmith and found someone to drive (and wait) with me back in the parking lot. By the time I got it all taken care it was after 9pm and I had missed the meeting to setup for the tournament. I guess I had an excuse for not helping out. However, I still had to go to Kinkos and pick up banners which ended up taking until 11:30pm (another story).


I have learned my lesson. Never put your keys any place that you will be accessing on the run. Also, I plan to buy one of these as soon as possible.

Three goals

In just most of my major races I set three separate time goals. Don't get me wrong, in all of my ultras my most important goals are simply to finish and have a good time. However, these are races and if I didn't set some sort of goal for myself in terms of finishing time, I would likely find myself just strolling around at a slow walk between aid stations, especially late in a race.

Stretch
First, I like to have a "stretch" goal. This is a goal that I really don't expect to hit, but just might be able to approach if my body holds up, the weather cooperates and the stars are all perfectly aligned. While I have only once hit my stretch goal, this is generally the time I keep set in my mind for most of the race. If I set any splits they are based on hitting this time even though an expert could probably look at the splits and know that I would not reach the end goal based on them. However, they are formulated (if that's even the correct word since I am not that scientific about my running) based on the idea of making the stretch goal possible not on assuring that it is accomplished. The stretch goal is the one that generally keeps me motivated during the early miles and first half or so. It is easily modified and dispensed with later in the race as its infeasibility becomes evident.

Satisfied
At the other end from the stretch goal is my "satisfied" goal. This is sort of the "outside" goal that I would still consider a fairly major accomplishment even if things don't go great. I generally look at the race and assume this to be a time that I should be able to hit unless things go horribly wrong. In my first ultra, I'm not sure if I really set this goal separate from "just finishing", but in all my other races it was there. This is the time that keeps me most motivated throughout the race. I generally want to be well under this time and seeing it "looming out there" keeps me moving. This worked especially well at both AR50 and Miwok where others mentioned that I could still make it under-X where X was basically my "satisfied goal" target, I was convinced that I could hit something much lower than that.

Main
My main goal generally falls between the other two, though not necessarily right in the middle. This goal is also the most fluid and least specific. If my stretch goal is a sub-7 hour run and under 8 is my satisfied goal, then the main goal might be to finish in the low-to-mid 7s. I may get to the half-way or turnaround point in a race and realize that, say, 7 hours just isn't going to happen. At this point I may decide, that 7:30 is still quite do-able (especially if someone tells me to shoot for sub-8). As I approach the finish I may adjust this up or down based on how I am doing. Sometimes I'll set it low and adjust it up, "OK 7:15 can't happen ... now how about 7:20 ... 7:25 ...". Other times I will set it more conservatively and it goes down as I have a good second half "Fine, I'll make 7:30 ... I might be able to hit 7:20 ... can I make 7:15 ..." This motivation that keeps me moving during the latter part of the race and is definitely what gets me to the finish. I generally hit my main goal, but then, it does get solidified to just about match where I am going to finish.

Results
Ohlone
- Stretch: 7 hr, Satisfied: sub-8(?), Main: 7:xx, Actual: 7:05
Santa Cruz
- Stretch: 6hr, Satisfied: sub-7, Main: 6:xx, Actual: 5:55
Big Basin
- Stretch: 6hr, Satisfied: 6:30, Main: 6:15, Actual: 6:23
Firetrails
- Stretch: 10hr, Satisfied: sub-11, Main: 10:30, Actual: 10:30
Pirates Cove
- Stretch: 5:30, Satisfied: 6hr, Main: sub-6, Actual: 5:35
AR50
- Stretch: 9hr, Satisfied: sub-10, Main: 9:30, Actual: 9:15
Miwok
- Stretch: 12hr, Satisfied: Sub-13, Main: 12:30, Actual: 12:26

Ohlone - out, Mt. Diablo - in

Family time is busy the next few weeks. My son's AAU team has three basketball tournaments in a row including one that we are hosting next weekend. Since I'll be helping out all weekend to support our team, I had to bail out of the Ohlone 50K. It's not an important run training wise and I only signed up to close the loop on my first year of running (and try for a sub-7). The race director was kind enough to let me transfer my bib to another runner so I am happy that someone who wasn't able to get in will now have a chance to run the race.

In the place of Ohlone, I have decided to run the Mt. Diablo 50K on June 2. I have always wanted to run a race on Diablo as I will forever consider it "my mountain". I grew up on the back side of the mountain, went to school in Clayton and have hiked, biked and done training runs all over. However, I have never participated in an organized race there. My sister lives about 2 miles from the trailhead so it is pretty much a no-brainer. I also really like the fact that the course is pretty much all-up, followed by all-down. It kinda suits my running style. The only thing I don't like is the multiple loops, but we'll see if I can keep from blowing up after the first. I want to shoot for a sub-7 hour which is a pretty good goal for this race with almost 9,000ft of gain over the 50K distance. Should be a great time!

As for my training, things are going to be a bit thin here for a few weeks as I will pretty much have no time on the weekends to get in any long runs. Last week, I did about half my normal training mileage which was just fine for me after Miwok. The next two weeks I am just going to run when I can and try to get in some good workouts at the gym to focus on my core and some of my muscle imbalances.

Finally, I haven't yet signed up for the 100, but I'm getting there. I am also considering running the Tahoe Rim Trail 50M in July. I was looking for a longer race to do in July before my 100 and its timing just 3-weeks back seems perfect. However, it is a very tough race and is all above 6500ft elevation (tops out close to 9000ft). It is also only one day before we leave for a trip to Las Vegas so I would need to head right back to the Bay Area to get up early the next day and get on a plane. I'll have to think about it.

Recipe for success

"Don't push, don't push. Keep a maintainable pace, don't push..."

I'm repeating this mantra in my head as I begin chugging up the climb from the Randall Trail turnaround. I'm finally starting to feel better and have my mind set on the next aid station at Bolinas Ridge during this, the longest leg between stations. I've just managed to get myself out of hydration-debt and I want to be careful to not go there again. I know after the next aid station is a long run along the exposed ridge and then Pan Toll Station at which point, I've been telling myself, I will know that I can finish. However, that's still a ways off with plenty of struggle ahead and I should probably start this report with the tale of how my race almost ended before it even began.

=====

I'd taken off early from work on Friday in order to get all my things together and assure myself some rest that afternoon. I told Chihping that I would pick him up at 4am so I was planning to wake just a little after 3. I'd packed my drop bag including my trail shoes (though I intended to stay in my road shoes), a change of socks, a change of shirt if needed and a few other items that wouldn't be included in my waist pack where the important stuff went. I didn't want to make the mistake I had at Firetrails last year where I had left some items in my drop bag that I should have taken with me such as advil and extra electrolyte tablets. I had both my water bottles setup, a larger 26oz bottle in a UD FastrDraw Plus holder and a 20oz bottle that would go into my Nathan G-Trek waist pack. The bigger bottle would hold NUUN and the smaller, plain water. I had found and cleaned out my old gel flask (don't ask how long the it had been sitting at the bottom of my gear drawer) since I lost my new one at AR50. I carefully filled it with my combo of Clif Shot flavors (chocolate, mocha and double espresso) and clipped it to the front of my waist pack where it would be less likely to fall out than if it was in the integrated holder in the back. I then loaded up the front pocket with three baggies, one holding 12 NUUN tablets, another holding about 10 S!Caps and a final one with a few Advil. I then picked out my clothes for the race (especially my signature fluorescent green gloves) along with some warm things to wear before and a few things to change into after including the all important nubby sandals. Everything either into the bag or next to it depending on whether it needed to be worn or brought to the race. Alarm set, coffee setup, time to rest.

It's 3am and I'm awake. I don't wait the extra 5 minutes for my alarm, I just get up and put on my headlamp to tool around the room without waking my wife. I actually got some sleep combined with a short nap the previous afternoon and so I feel fine. Shower. Breakfast. Coffee. Drink some water and see if I can "take care of business" before heading out, but the body says that's gonna have to wait until Rodeo Beach. OK, 3:45. Time to go. Grab my gear bag. Kiss Zane on the forehead. Review the directions to Chihping's house and I am off.

Chihping and I have a good chat on the way up (as best we can over the sound of my noisy Jeep Wrangler). We arrive at Rodeo Beach in good time. He heads to the check-in, I head to the john. My body cooperates and I am very happy. My biggest pre-race fear now seems to be out of the way. The line of guys waiting when I come out all look very fast. Especially one particularly recognizable Western States record holder standing in front. "Guess I won't see him until after he hits the turnaround", I think. I go check in and get my picture taken by Chihping before heading back to the car to get the rest of my gear.



That smile was soon to disappear. I got back to my jeep and opened the back. I took out my water bottles and then reached for my waist pack inside my bag. It wasn't there. I looked around for a while, but I knew immediately that I'd left it. I just stopped and stared down at my bag, frozen in disbelief. I could feel the fear starting to creep into my head as my vision for this race crumbled into dust. There was left than 10 minutes until race start. Runners were beginning to gather. There was really not time to do anything about this situation and certainly no time to let that fear seep in any further. I'd tried running with two water bottles in training and found it very awkward. I like swapping my single bottle between hands. Furthermore, the fact that one bottle didn't have a hand-strap was something I wasn't prepared to deal with right now. I put the extra bottle in my drop bag and decided I would run with just one until Pan Toll (mile 21.7). I would have to drink whatever they had on course. I had a few S!Caps and some gels in my drop bag which I stuffed in the small pockets of my shorts. I then tied the bag up, walked to the pile of dropped bags and tried not to think about it. Finally, I went through the important mental exercise of throwing out all expectations. My "stretch" goal of low-12s. Ha! My sub-12:30? Out. Sub-13? Unlikely. Just finish. I imagined myself spending lots of time at aid stations, struggling to get from one to the next especially late in the race.

The runners were starting to move. We walked towards the beach in one big group. I put everything negative out of my mind. Told myself to just make it to Pan Toll and reassess. I told myself that running sans waist pack would make me feel light. I told myself a single bottle would make me efficient. I looked down at my bright green gloves and I smiled.

It was cold on the beach before the start. We all sort of huddled together like emperor penguins. Then we went. The mass moved across the beach. The front runners did what front runners do. The rest of us made it to the first hill and, abruptly, came to a halt. This bottleneck is famous and if you want to avoid it, you better be in front. I had pretty much adopted a "whatever" attitude at this point and just rolled with it. I normally like to get running and warmed up immediately in races, but I knew I would be forced to walk for a while here. We eventually got through the bottleneck and to the road. I don't remember a lot about this part. I think I walked some, ran slow some. Basically, just looked around a lot and waited to get through to the trails and then the first downhill. The whole first part of the race basically just "went by" in my mind. I wanted the time to pass. I wanted to focus on hours not minutes. I remember running some great, fairly technical downhill and passing lots of people (many of whom would pass me on the next uphill). I remember hitting the aid stations and focusing on salted potatoes especially after I realized I had dropped all but one of the few S!Caps I had stored in my pocket (and most of the my Clif Shots as well). The Gu2O they had on course was not bad, but even between these early aid stations, I was pretty much draining my bottle. I remember the climb up to Pan Toll through the woods. I'd been on these trails before both at the Double Dipsea and the Muir Woods Marathon. It was beautiful, but it was also beginning to warming up. However, I had managed to find the groove of my patent-pending SHLOG (SLow SHuffle jOG) and was moving pretty well. I felt OK.

Pan Toll. Even before I get in, an aid station volunteer is taking my water bottle, asking my number to go and get my drop bag, asking what I want from it. Wow! I feel almost embarassed by this level of support (which would go on throughout the day...these guys ROCKED!) I take just my extra water bottle from the bag as I am feeling a bit behind in drinking and the ridge is going to be warm up ahead. Hydration is on my mind. I try to drink as much as I can at the station. I ask around for electrolytes. No dice, so I eat as much salted stuff as I can take and I can feel it in my stomach a bit. I don't like to stay too long at aid stations for fear that I will never leave so I head out towards Bolinas Ridge.

Things go downhill. The trail is actually uphill a bit and the ridge is rolling, but my state was going in a singular direction. I was really having trouble with these two bottles. I normally keep my FastDraw in my left hand and only swap to my right on occasion. I was having a lot of difficulty holding that other bottle in my right hand. It was frustrating me. Frustration and ultras don't mix. I tried holding both bottles with one hand. Not happening. I even tried putting a bottle under my arm. Lame! I finally switched my FastDraw to my right hand and the plain bottle to my left. This felt OK. I went with this, occasionally switching hands for variety. The ridge was beautiful, but I wasn't enjoying it as much as I should have. I was focused on making sure to drink during this 6.7 mile section. Part of the trail is really slanted and the idea of a twisted ankle added further stress to my fragile-growing mental state. Finally, we got off the exposed part of the ridge and into the woods. The trail headed downhill and I took off running in my typical "no brakes" style until I ran smack dab into a downed tree. This was just a small one and I managed to slow enough to not go flying over it. At another point, there was actually a VERY large downed tree which I had fun climbing over (but I heard others complain).

I made it to Bolinas Ridge aid station and once again the awesome volunteers took care of me taking both my bottles and filling to my directions. I ate and drank some more knowing that this next section was over 7 miles. I still wasn't feeling great. I pulled over shortly after to give my hydration level a check. Hmm...too little, too yellow. Yep, I've been in hydration-debt for some time. The next section was totally new to me so I focused on just looking around for a while. We were still technically on the ridge, but we were in the woods for a little bit. Then we came out and had a couple more rolling hills in the sun. I took my one electrolyte tablet. Cresting one of the hills, I noticed someone up ahead pushing through the bushes to get around a rather large mud puddle. He immediately took off running. I thought, "he can't be in the race running like that this far in". Then I noticed he had a race number on and my only thought was "that's the front-runner, holy sh*t he's flying". I had just been passed by the (now) legendary Lon Freeman. There would be more runners coming behind him, but not for a while, about 5 minutes or more. I distracted myself watching and cheering on these speedsters. A guy behind me caught up and I decided to run with him. I had been abnormally unsocial for most of this race and really needed all the distraction I could get in order to make it to the turnaround. The guy's name was Harris. He's from Pleasanton and seemed to be having a little difficult time as well. After talking to him and discovering that he ran 8:13 at AR50, I realized how far off pace he was. We ran and talked watching the fast people go by the other way. I think the most impressive sight was seeing Kami and Nikki come running by, stride-for-stride. They looked as if they were just cruising along and chatting on a nice spring day. Well, except for the fact that their pace was incredible and they were somewhere around mile 40 in a 62 mile race!

Harris told me that we were approaching the left turn that would lead us down the Randall Trail to the turnaround. This section reminded me of Firetrails except we were in the shade and on softer trail. I left Harris and decided to just let my legs go for the mile and a half of downhill knowing that the climb (or crawl) back up would be long and slow. I saw lots of people coming up here including many I either recognized or knew ("hey, Chihping!"). As I started recognizing people I had been running near earlier in the race. It made me feel good knowing that I hadn't fallen too far back. I got to the aid station, handed over my bottles and started drinking and eating fresh fruit. I started dipping food into salt at will. Potatoes, fresh fruit and even a peanut butter sandwich at one point...not bad. The 7.2 miles back behind me was going to be the longest section of the whole race, but I was already over half way and feeling happy. I don't remember exactly, but I hit the half-way point somewhere around 6 hours or so. Harris arrived at the aid station and we headed back out together.

About 5 minutes of walking uphill and I felt the need to pull over for a pit stop. Finally, I was re-hydrated! I walked with Harris a little while longer and then told him that I wanted to let my legs move a bit. Time to shuffle. That was the last I saw of him. Ahead was a woman whom I had seen a few times earlier in the race. We'd swapped places a few times as she was pretty good at the power-hike thing (my weakness) and close to or faster than me on the flats. I stuck behind her for a little bit, but eventually shuffled on past. She seemed to have an amazing amount of energy as I could hear her behind me cheering on the runners heading down with incredible exuberance. I tried to do my part, but usually just managed a simple "good job", "keep it up" or "way to work". I saw more people I knew and had fun encouraging everyone. I realized that cheering people on usually does as much for my own spirits as it is for theirs. It also usually helps my mood to be reminded that there are plenty of people behind me working hard. Just keep moving.

This is the part where things get better ("they never, always get worse"). I was mostly running in my shuffling sort of way. I sometimes walked and the woman with lots of energy caught up and we continued exchanging places and pleasantries up until the Bolinas Ridge Station. Here I learned that they had run out of Gu2O. I drank some coke and ate some more salted potatoes. I also grabbed some "Espresso Love" Gu which I had been taking occasionally. I wasn't too happy about the prospect of running on the exposed ridge in the early afternoon sun with only water and no electrolytes approaching the 50 mile point. However, I had earlier told myself that all I had to do was make it back to Pan Toll and finishing was assured. I headed out. The woman with whom I'd been playing yo-yo went as well. We talked for a while and I learned that her name was Meridith. She's from Texas and is running States this year. She ran Miwok last year and said that she "fell apart" out here on the ridge. We stuck together and encouraged each other. After expressing my concern over my water-only, no electrolyte situation she offered me some of her S!Caps. This was a life saver as far as I was concerned. I told her I'd get her through the ridge and we both committed to dipping our legs in the ocean back at Rodeo Beach. Together, we made it to Pan Toll.

Things were looking good. 12.5 miles left. Fresh socks on the feet. Rub my legs down with some ibuprofen cream. I still didn't have any Advil, but all I had to do was mention it and two different volunteers hunted some down for me! I drank and ate some more and filled both bottles which should be more than enough for the next 5.2 miles. I stuck with Meridith for this part as she ran last year and I knew there was a tricky turn somewhere up on this section. We also ran with a guy and his pacer who also appeared to know the course. We left Pan Toll station with under 10 hours on the clock and Meridith commented that as long as we take no more than 3 hours to finish, a sub-13 was in the bag. I said that I thought a sub-12:30 was still possible. She agreed, but said we would need to run a good pace from here on out and push it up the last couple of hills. They were supposedly real killers. It didn't matter, my mind was set.

The next couple of miles had some nice downhill and then some flats through thick overgrowth. Then the first climb started up switchbacks to climb towards Hwy-1. It was time for me to just go heads down, low gear. I left Meridith and the other couple behind. I was pushing, but still at a maintainable pace. The switchbacks went on for a while, but I was focused. I finally got to the top and crossed the road. I focussed on efficiency at the aid station asking for my water to be filled only part way and Gu2O a little below the top (only had to last 3.7 miles). I grabbed a couple bites and a Gu and was off. The next hill was a grind and I recognized it as the part I had run fast down early that same morning. This, then went on to a firetrail that continued to climb further. I could see others up ahead and even though the climb was pretty relentless it didn't seem as bad. There was some shade and it was a pretty good grade as far as I was concerned. I seemed to be the only one without a pacer, but I prefer to run within myself near the end of a race anyway.

I made the last aid station and got through in similar fashion as the previous. Only 3.8 miles left and one last climb, but it looked steep. I was determined to just "get it done" at this point. I used my "granny gear" as best I could only walking briefly on one hill where I started slipping. I could see where the trail started to level and go around the hill. I hit this section and put it in cruising gear. I passed one last person and asked if the hills were done, they confirmed that there was a last little uphill and then it was pretty much down from the road. I realized that 12:15 wasn't possible, but thought maybe 12:20. I got to the road and had a moment of panic. There were pink ribbons both to the left and the right and the finish was directly below me. However, the left went slightly uphill so I started right. I saw some hikers and asked if it was the right direction and they confirmed. Time to go. Well, that is, except for the road. I wanted to let it fly, but running downhill on the road was not my idea of the good late-race terrain. In fact, I almost slipped at one point trying to run on the grass shoulder and had this great image of myself face-flat on the ground less than a mile from the finish. At this point I realized that 12:20 wasn't gonna happen and 12:25 was a stretch. However, I was pretty sure 12:30 was in the bag so I made up my mind to just take it easy and enjoy the last bit of this race. I made it to the dirt and cruised on down, beelining the corners.

The great thing about the end of Miwok is that people can see you coming a ways off as you wind down the last hill. You can also see the parking lot and finish line getting closer and closer as you descend.

Off the dirt, down a little grass hill and into the parking lot. I toss my watter bottles to the side so I can run in with style. I'm still wearing my green gloves. Even though it was much too warm to need them, at some point they became my good luck charm and they weren't bothering me so I left them on the whole run including up on the ridge. I cross the finish line with green gloves raised.

12:26:25

Amazingly, I still felt good. However, I was very glad to have it done. Unlike after my first ultra at Ohlone or my first 50M at Firetrails, I did not immediately think that I could come back and run this better next year. Just finishing Miwok in whatever time I could is such an accomplishment that coming back and doing it again would just be icing. This race was tough. Really tough. But, the best part of ultras is the retrospect. Sitting here typing this I can't recall the really tough spots; only the glow of accomplishment, having conquered a challenge I set for myself.

There was one thought I did have at the end. After finishing and getting my metal. I turned and looked back up at the trail. I asked myself, "Could I head back out there and somehow do another 38 miles of these same trails?" I was as surprised as anyone to discover that the answer was an unequivocal "YES". So, I guess that's it. I have to sign up for the Headlands Hundred.


Oh yeah...
One more thing, the real recipe for success. To guarantee yourself a successful race, make sure to have your emotional low point right there at the start of the race. Things can only look up from there :-).

Coming soon...

I should have my Miwok race report up by the end of the day. Return later to learn how my race was almost over before it started.

Miwok (me, walk?) countdown

I mentioned before that my taper for the race this weekend has been to do lots of walking. I have been dropping the boys at school early (6:30am) for basketball and have spent an hour before work walking. I try to walk at a brisk pace to help convince myself that it is still a sort of training (even though it is totally flat near my work). It has allowed me to explore the Guadalupe River Trail which is near our new office. It is a little longer than the map indicates as you can continue north of 880 right alongside the airport. There are lots of runners out there in the morning which has made it VERY difficult to just walk. I have had to hold myself back on numerous occasions. Last night I decided to hit the gym while Freddy was at (yet another) basketball practice. I wanted to test my walking pace at various inclines on the treadmill. I started at 15% doing 3.5 mi/hr then I dropped it to 12% and upped the speed a bit and then to 10% and upped the speed a bit more. It was hard to keep it as just a walk at 4 mi/hr so I decided to see what speed I could run at these inclines without working too hard. I upped it to 4.5 @10% and then 4.2@12% and then tried to keep it at 4.0@15%, but that was work. I then tried to make myself walk a little more, but once I hit the 2 mile mark, I just couldn't take it any longer. I dropped the treadmill down to a 2% incline and ran the last mile at an 8min pace. It felt good. I needed it. I made myself walk at the end to assure all was good with the legs. So, I sorta ran 3 miles yesterday. I only have 2 days left and plan near total rest. However, I think I will do my countdown runs like I did before my first 50K last year. Today I will run a very easy 2 miles just to stretch the legs and then I will do 1 mile tomorrow of simple strides to keep things loose.

3...2...1...

What's a run for?

I probably ran too long considering how late I started. I probably ran too far considering how tired I was to begin with. I probably ran too hard considering my knee and hip are a bit stiff, my ingrown toenail is not totally healed and I am less than a week away from my longest race to date. However, this was not a run for time. This was not a run for distance. This was not even a run for any sort of training that I needed to get in. This was, pure and simply, a run for sanity.

Since my Friday afternoon run up Mission Peak, I have spent over 12 hours of this past weekend behind the wheel of a car. Friday night Freddy had a league game up in Oakland which is normally a pretty quick drive, but it was a 7pm game which meant rush hour driving combined with the fact that both the Warriors and the A's had games that evening. Considering all this we got pretty lucky on the way up and only hit normal slow Friday traffic. Our mojo ran out on the way home as a crash which included an overturned vehicle was on 880 south just below the intersection we would be coming off of. Saturday, we had to be up early to drive up to Sacramento where Freddy's team would be playing in the AAU Under-16 regional qualifiers. There's no traffic at 7am Saturday morning, but it is a 2 hour drive nonetheless. It was also a little over 2 hours home. We had to be back up there Sunday morning as well. We could have stayed up there, but Zane needed to stay home Sunday to pack for a business trip and get some work done. So, Sunday morning was another 2 hour drive. So far, it wasn't terrible. About 8 1/2 hours driving, but most of it straight forward and only one major traffic issue to get through. The team did well placing 3rd and beating a very tough team that beat us earlier in the tournament. So, it was time to head back. I needed to drop someone off in Oakland so I planned to head down 80 to 580. Anybody who lives in the Bay Area (or pretty much anyone who had actually paid attention to the news on Sunday) can guess what this meant for me. Had I been paying attention, I would have realized that earlier that day THIS had happened. I could tell the whole story of me not getting the news until too late, of my failed attempt to avoid the traffic by taking city streets along with all the (many, many) other clever people. Suffice it to say that somewhere between 3.5-4 hours after leaving Sacto, I finally arrived home.

Over 12 hours of driving. I thought about it and realized that I could have been at the Grand Canyon after that much driving. My legs were stiff, my back was achy and I was cranky. I needed to go for a run. I told Zane that I needed to go only shortly after I got in the house. She understood. She asked "How long? Or, are you just gonna go?" (She knows me too well). I said that I wouldn't be taking my normal route as I needed a run with no loops. I was going to head out toward Ed Levin and just turnaround when I was "done". I needed to just run to move my body and clear my head.

In the end, it was just under 12 miles and my head was much clearer. This ended my week with a little over 40 miles. A little unplanned taper week as time controlled the distance. My plan to keep at around 60mi/wk was a little off, but not too bad. This would be my last real run before Miwok as I plan to want to keep my mileage around what I have been at and the race is 62. My plan is to do some walking this week in place of my running. Since Freddy has early morning workouts at school this week, it will actually help with two of my goals. I will be getting up much earlier than usually helping to ease the transition to Saturday morning and I will be using the extra hour after dropping him off to walk near my work. I don't like the sluggish feeling my legs get if I make my taper a cliff and do nothing. I also always need to work on my walking especially of I want to complete a 100 miler in the (hopefully not-too-distant) future.

A tale of two tablets

They were the best of salts, they were the worst of salts....OK, that's a bit silly.

Anyway, I have long been a fan of NUUN electrolyte tablets and have used them at all my ultras thus far with great success. I like that they have no calories since I prefer to get my calories from solid (or semi-solid) foodstuff. I am blessed with an excellent digestive faculty. I also like that they are easy to carry in races and dissolve without the need for shaking and without any clumping. I enjoy the mild flavor (I only use lemon-lime) and the fact that they allow me to get my electrolytes as I go which is supposed to help with fluid absorption. I mix them a little bit dilute and then supplement with Succeed! Caps as needed especially when the temps are higher. I will also occasionally drink a little bit of the on course drink when the desire hits me or sometimes just drink some plain water when I am eating.

My only concern about NUUN comes from a comment that Karl King (inventor of Succeed!) made once on the ultralist:

As you know, there is a lot of chloride in sweat and blood plasma. Nuun supplies none, so using this product robs your body of the chloride it has to find within itself to match up with the sodium that goes out as the sodium chloride in sweat. That's probably no big deal in a short run. In a 100 miler it might eventually put one in electrolyte imbalance that would at least affect digestion since the production of HCl for the stomach could be compromised.

Since I do use S!Caps, I figure I am still getting some direct chloride in the mix even if not in the proportions recommended by Karl. However, I am always on the lookout for new products both simply out of wanting to try new things and to see if there are better options out there. Also, I am wondering if my strategies will need to be adjusted as I move up into ultras beyond 50 miles. I was at REI picking up some gels for Miwok on Friday afternoon when I noticed the new Camelbak Elixir tablets. They looked pretty similar to NUUN so I bought a tube to give them a try. It was a nice warm day and I was planning a run up Mission Peak so it was a perfect opportunity to give them a test run. Here is my analysis of the comparison.

First, the objective stuff. One tablet of NUUN is supposed to be mixed with 16oz of water (I generally use 20) while one tablet of Elixir is supposed to mix with 24oz of water.

Basically, they are chemically pretty similar with a slightly different mix of sodium/potassium. Both have some magnesium and calcium along with Vitamin C. NUUN includes some Riboflavin while Elixir includes the aforementioned Chloride and a small amount of Manganese. Personally, I am no expert and do not know how to evaluate the chemical differences.

However, someone out there may be interested so here's the exact chemical breakdown (per tablet):

Nutrient	NUUN	Elixir
Sodium	360mg	410mg
Potassium	100mg	70mg
Magnesium	25mg	18mg
Calcium	12.5mg	36mg
Vitamin C	37.5mg	86mg
Riboflavin	250mcg	0
Chloride	0	68mg
Manganese	0	1.4mg

Now the subjective stuff. The Elixir is sweeter probably due to the fact that it contains sucralose (Splenda). It also tastes a bit "thicker" which I attribute to the fact that the tablets are formulated fully for the 24oz bottle size that I was using. I imagine they would be a bit too strong in the smaller 20oz bottles I often use. The NUUN is a bit "fizzier" which some people don't like, but I have grown accustomed to it and actually like they way it sort of wakes up my tongue. However, they are sometimes too fizzy on the run and I have been inadvertently squirted on a number of occasions while the tablets were dissolving. The basic flavor is pretty similar in each aside from the strength/sweetness differences mentioned above. I really didn't notice any major difference in the effects, but my run was only about 1.5 hours so it isn't a very conclusive test.

Overall, I think that I will stick with the NUUN in the near term. I am used to them and see no immediate benefit in switching right now. I also worry that I would have trouble with the stronger flavor of the Elixir tabs over time. The fact that I tend to use the NUUN even more diluted than recommended means that I am generally getting even less sodium per bottle than I would if I switched especially with Elixir's already higher sodium per tablet level. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I would have to rethink the pattern of supplementing with the tried and true S!Caps if I switched. I like the formula I have now where I use 1 every 1.5 hours on average upping it to 1/hr in hot weather and 1/2hr in cool weather. I will try the Elixir again (I have a whole tube) on a longer run and see how they hold up. For the upcoming Miwok race, I will stick with what I know.

Fitting it all in

The theme for last week: Split runs

Friday Night, Freddy Time
Friday was a rest day and there really wasn't time for running as Freddy had a basketball game up in Oakland. His team, the Bay Area Wildcats were to face their old nemeses the Oakland Bulldogs up in the heart of Oak Town. We definitely didn't have the home court advantage here. It was tough going at parts, but, in the end, the Cats beat the Dogs by a score of 45-35. On the drive home I got Freddy's "full analysis" of the game, his play, his teams play, etc. Ah...the 15-year old perspective. Truly, it was Freddy Time.

Plans
When I got home I thought a bit about how I was going to fit my running in with all the other things I wanted to do this weekend. I planned to get up early (yes, on a Saturday) and get a decent run in to get things started. My wife had spent the week taking care of her younger half-sisters while her parents were on vacation. She was staying at their house in Pleasant Hill and I planned to go get her and her youngest sister and go to Great America on Saturday. So, an early morning run was the only way I was going to get any significant miles in.

Saturday Morning
Sometimes the body overrides the mind and it pays no head to the plans that may have been lain for it. Perhaps, it actually resents the fact that the mind went and made plans without first consulting it. At any rate, Saturday morning, my body decided that it needed sleep. My plans for a medium-length run disappeared as 6:30, 7:30 and then 8:30 rolled by and I was unable to extricate myself from the warm comfort of the bed. My body needed sleep. It got it. I can't remember the last time I actually slept for 9 full hours! Of course this left no time for a run of any length so I thought I would continue my pattern of two-a-day runs this week and get a 6-miler in before heading off and then see what I could get done in the evening. Turns out, the extra sleep did me good. My legs felt great and seemed to want to go. So, I let them. The morning run became a bit of a tempo run as I knocked off close to 7:30's the whole way. Happy to get at least some running in to start the weekend, I was ready to go.

The Dog Run
We had a great time at the amusement park even if the weather wasn't perfect. It probably helped keep the crowds down. Afterwards we grabbed some food and headed to Pleasant Hill where stay with my wife whom I hadn't seen pretty much all week. Her parent's have a great dog named Roxy. She's a very excitable Golden Retriever who seems to want to run whenever you take her for a walk. So, I thought I would try to take her for a run. The Contra Costa Canal Trail is right near the house so despite the sprinkling rain, Roxy and I went for an evening run. I figured a nice little 4.5 miler would test Roxy's real energy levels. I guess there's a reason people say you have to train dogs to run with you as Roxy tried to drag me for the first 1/2 mile, but, by the last 1/2 mile home, seemed to expect to be dragged by me. In between was a lot of fits and starts. I purposely took breaks to make sure she was OK with the distance. However, every time I stopped she seemed to be ready to take off and then when I would get back into a nice pace she seemed to want to slow or stop. Not exactly the smoothest run I've ever done, but it had its own kind of interesting.

Eat, Run, Visit, Eat, Run
Sunday morning. Nice big breakfast. Run some errands. Plan a run (or two). My wife's parent's house is a couple of miles from the end of the Contra Costa Canal Trail and a look at the map reveals that my Parent's house is only a couple of miles from the other end of the trail. While the two houses are less than 4 1/2 miles apart by a direct route, the horseshoe shaped trail gave a nice run of more than 10 1/2 miles between. I threw on my Camelbak and loaded up a change of clothes so I could change and visit with my parent's a bit before heading back. I've been on parts of this trail before as I once ran the Iron Horse Trail from Pleasanton to my parent's house. Contra Costa is writhe with suburban multi-use trails. It's really quite nice if you can stand the asphalt (which for some reason I seem to have more tolerance for after AR50). There are even trails connecting the major open spaces including Las Tramps, Briones and The Diablo Foothills. There is also the California Riding and Hiking Trail still under way that will connect Martinez to Diablo. There is even a plan to link the Iron Horse all the way down to Niles Canyon in Fremont. Perhaps when that is complete I will finally do the run all the way from my house to my parent's. At any rate, the run along the CCC Trail was nice. The weather alternated between cool and warm as the sun and wind took turns making their presence known. I arrived at my parent's after a little over an hour and a half leaving time for a decent visit.

Say "no" to Mom?
I had a nice visit with my parents and it's always good to surprise them. I was able to successfully stave off my mom's multiple offers to drive me back. However, I was not able to deny her offer of a plate of her wonderful leftovers. My mother is an excellent cook who seems to be able to conjure a gourmet meal out of a seemingly empty fridge. When she put down a plate containing chicken, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel spouts, yams and cranberry sauce, I told her it was too much food. "Just eat what you can" she insisted. So, of course, I pretty much cleaned my plate. I knew this wasn't a wise decision, but I have always prided myself on my ability to eat and run. Preparing to head out I got up from my seat and "ouch! what was that?" Actually, I knew what it was as soon as I felt it. It had been a long time since I had run with a pack and I failed to put some SportSheild on my back beforehand. There was a nice raw patch on my back where skin used to be. So, the way back would be sans-pack. I would have to swing by and pick up my things later. Not a problem except for the fact that it meant I would head off to finish my 21+ mile day with not but a single little bottle of water. I started the run feeling fine, in fact, quite good considering how much I had eaten. I felt pretty fast and was praising Mom's food as good running fuel. Things continued to go well until I ran out of water. I thought I could finish no problem as I felt hydrated enough to finish the last few miles. However, about a mile and a half or so from the end, things went south. The lack of water combined with my full stomach was a bad combination. As digestion stopped, I could feel the load in my belly. The suburban cruise was turning into an epic slog to finish, at least, that is, to finish without leaving my mark all over the trail. I managed to make it to a drinking fountain which helped, but now things were sloshing and I was battling nausea the whole way. A couple walking breaks, a slower pace and lots of drawing on my mental training got me to finish.

Week's End
I had just finished running up the hill to her parent's house when out came Zane with Roxy the dog going for a walk. She said I didn't look too good and I managed a smile before describing my battle with my meal. She just laughed at me knowing that part of me actually likes these self-imposed struggles I put myself through. I walked with them for my cool down and then spent a little time laying on the floor before saying our goodbyes (two more days) and getting ready to drive home. On the way home I thought that I really had managed to fit it all in this weekend. I hit my mileage goal, got in some quality family-time, and even rode some roller-coasters.

While I may not of gotten in an actual "long run" I did hit a new milestone in terms of the most individual runs I have done in one week with 9 total runs. Not bad considering I only ran on 5 separate days. Take it where you can get it. This coming week is going to be an even bigger challenge as I have a busy week at work, Zane will be coming home and the weekend will be totally full of basketball with AAU qualifiers in Sacramento. The good thing is that Miwok is less than two weeks away so I can always designate this a taper week if need be.

Run Strong.

Recovery? Check.

I'm constantly surprised at how quickly the body can recover from this big efforts. Either my efforts to keep my weekly training miles relatively constant through races is paying off or I am not running my races hard enough. Regardless, I prefer quickly recovery to running myself into the ground. I took two full days off from running after AR50. I felt pretty stiff on Monday, but an evening walk with my wife seemed to help (should have walked both days actually).

Somehow, I managed to get up at 5:30 Tuesday morning and actually run. It was slow and my legs were very stiff, but I was able to keep moving for a short run. It actually kind of felt like how I feel near the end of a race. Time constraints (and my inability to get up REALLY early) have forced me to split a lot of my runs in two. I actually am learning to like this as I think it helps my recovery and also gives me the feeling of running "all the time". I've been able to run a little more each day and have a good base going into the weekend.

Tue: 4mi (am) + 5.5mi (pm) = 8.5mi
Wed: 9.2mi (pm)
Thu: 4.4mi (am) + 6.2 (pm) = 10.6mi

A total of 28.3mi so far this week. If I can get 30 (or a little more) miles in this weekend I will keep pretty much on target. The legs actually feel pretty good. However, I am still trying to decide if I should shoot for one serious long run (20+) with a shorter supporting run or if I should aim to split the weekend closer to half and continue the patter of longer runs each day (i.e. 12-15 Sat, 15-18 Sun). Most likely it will all depend on how I schedule around all the other weekend needs.

Two weeks 'til Miwok. Another big race, a new distance, a new experience. Is it too early for the excitement and nerves to begin? I mean, it's only 12 more miles, right? Right? RIGHT?!?!?

Everything comes together when the weather falls apart

Every race is a learning experience. First time on a new course, especially so. Sometimes you learn something new about yourself and sometimes you reaffirm long held beliefs. Saturday was my second time running 50 miles and my first time at the American River Endurance Run. The AR50 is really two different races placed end-to-end. It is basically a road marathon (with a couple small trail sections thrown in) followed by a nice rolling-hills trail run that ends on a relatively steep last few miles. One thing I definitely confirmed in this race is that I am, first and foremost, a trail runner; a mountain man to the core. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the start.

Picture courtesy of Chihping Fu

This course was very different from my previous 50-miler at the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 last year. Even when attempting something new, I still like to set myself a "stretch goal" to keep myself moving and the 9-hour mark was what I put in my mind for this race. However, I didn't really know how to plan for such a course as my normal strategy of running fast on the downhill, enduring the uphills (with my patent-pending slog) and then simply maintaining on the (normally rare) flats, really wasn't appropriate here.

Knowing that I rarely keep to any plans that I may set for myself up front, I stated my race plan as follows:

- I plan to go out way too fast on the flats
- Run hard through the marathon mark
- Hit a 50K PR
- Slowly degrade in performance over the next 10 miles
- Suffer badly through the next 5
- Crawl slowly and painfully up the final hill to the finish

I figured that stating this publicly was my best insurance against it actually happening. I think it may have worked.

Every race report about this year's AR50 is bound to mention the weather and especially the abnormally, dead-on, prediction for race-day rain in the midst of great weather on all the surrounding days. There...now I've mentioned it as well. OK, I'll say a little more. It rained from the start. We all complained (my ultralight rain jacket was useless). It let up. We all rejoiced and were, therefore, punished with worse rain, wind, cold and lots of mud later on. Personally, I think I was less bothered by the conditions than some, but then I wouldn't be a trail runner if I didn't enjoy at least a little bit of slipping and sliding.

Anyway, I started the race very conservatively. I stayed in the middle of a very tight pack of runners for at least the first mile or so and tried to run as slow as possible and still keep a comfortable stride. Eventually, I fell into a nice pace and tried to maintain it as evenly as I could. Pacing is certainly not my forte and so I like to find someone else who seems to have a good pace and try to just stick with them. For most of the flat road section I kept myself right behind a woman who seemed to be keeping a perfectly metered gait. I just told myself to match her pace and do not pass. Despite the fact that I spent a couple of hours basically staring at the back side of a women who was obviously in very good shape, I really was not enjoying this part of the run. There was plenty of variety in scenery around and the path was very nice, but this constant, flat running was really wearing on me both mentally and physically. I remember how happy I was when we had a little bit of uphill over a bridge and then some downhill on the other side. I flew by a number of people going down as I let my stride open up. It felt good. Then we hit more flats and my (unwitting) pacer passed by me and I fell back into line.

A few more hills before the Beal's Point aid station helped my legs a bit, but I was beginning to feel the results of all this constant, repetitive motion. Both my ITBs and hips were tightening up. I was glad to have packed some Ibuprofen rub into my drop bag. It was no longer raining at this point and so I simply changed socks and decided (perhaps not so wisely) to stick with my road shoes. The rain hadn't been too heavy so far and, given my last 50-miler experience, I was worried more about my feet hurting than any potential muddy sections. I actually wasted a lot more time at Beal's than I had intended as I had difficulty finding my bag (note for future, make sure your drop bag is unique in some way!) I wanted to be in-and-out of Beal's in under 4 1/2 hours figuring that, at 27.4 miles, it should be at least half way given that the remaining 22.6 miles would be much slower going. I eventually got going again (after some awesome chicken soup). It was now close to 10:40am and I had to admit that a 9 hour finish was pretty much gone. An older guy I was talking to said that the remainder would take significantly longer than what I had done so far, but that a sub-10 hour finish should still be doable. I was convinced that I would still be well below 9 1/2, but didn't want to vocalize my (possibly over) confidence.

I knew the remainder was all trail. Based on the course profile, none of it looked too steep by my standards other than the very end. It was time to live up to my "Mountain Man" persona. My feet felt good, my energy reserves were high and I was definitely looking forward to no more flat stuff as I felt as though my hips would totally lock up. The course from here on was just my style. It was basically rolling hills for the next 20 miles or so. Other than some sections with steps (which my short legs don't like), it was perfectly suited to my body and my training. I put myself into low gear on the uphills just moving at that slow-shuffle-jog I call "The Slog". Then, I let gravity (and my big stumpy thighs) do their thing on the downhill. I passed a lot of people on both. I was passed a few times, usually on the flats or some of the lesser uphills. I did very little walking which convinced me more than ever that my uphill slog is actually more efficient and less taxing for me than the power hiking that many others (especially taller others) do on the hills. The rain came back with a vengeance, but I left my jacket off for the most part except when the wind really picked up. The mud came on with an even greater vengeance and I did start to question my choice of shoes. However, I learned that I just had to deal as trying to slow or walk actually made me slip more. The real solution was to keep lifting my feet, taking short , choppy strides (not a problem here).

I really only hit one or two bad spots here. The worst came when I stopped for a check of my hydration level (i.e. take a pee) and began to feel lightheaded. I was in-between aid stations and was feeling low on energy. I reached back for my trusty gel flask filled with my proprietary blend of black sludge (Clif Shot mix of Double Espresso, Mocha and Chocolate). It wasn't there. My low physical energy was now being multiplied by low psychological energy. A bad combination in an ultra. I then remembered my Clif Blocks in my waste pack. I let a couple people pass me as I slowed to a walk and struggled to open the bag of Black Cherry flavored gelatinous squares. I pretty much stuffed them all in my mouth at once and began to feel better almost immediately. I switched into a run and passed both the guys I had just let by on a flat, open section. It is rare for me to pass on the flats late in a race. I opened my stride up and found a pace that felt good, but maintainable. From here on I was able to just keep going. Slowing a bit for the uphills, speeding a bit for the down. I had filled my water full at the Manhattan Bar aid station and was on my way to Last Gasp.

I knew that there was a little over 2 miles from the last aid station. I knew that 9 hours was impossible given the time, the the mud, the rain and the steep final climb. I reserved some energy, taking it easy on the last little downhill before the steepest part of the whole course. I looked up and could see everyone up ahead walking. The good thing about training on Mission Peak is that it makes everything else seem a little less steep. I decided I would use my low-low gear. I shuffled past people on this section up to the final aid station. I topped off my water and was ready to take on the remainder of the uphill, gravelly dirt road. A caught up with a guy who passed me at the aid station and asked if the remainder was about the same grade as what we were now running. He confirmed that it was and so I decided to push it. He told me to "dig deep" as I headed off. I was thinking that a 9:10 might still be in site, but as I reached the "2 miles left" sign I realized that that would require running under 9-minute miles on something close to 10% incline so I set my sights on a 9:15. I must have passed close to a dozen people up this last section.

My legs were tight, but I knew I could keep running. I opened my stride. The sign marking the "last big hill" and the growing sound of voices let me know that the parking lot was just up above. I slowed a little in prep for the run to the finish. I hit the flat road and gave it whatever I had left. My watch said I could make it under 9 hours 15 minutes and when the official clock came into view I knew it. I know there are various opinions about sprinting to the finish of an ultra and, truth be told, it does seem a little silly to try and make up a few seconds after running for well over 9 hours. But, it's these little goals we set for ourselves that keep us going. I wanted to beat that time. I had to get it. As someone yelled "here comes green gloves" in reference to my day-glo asics running gloves, I gave it all that was left.

Official finish time: 9 hours 14 minutes 52 seconds

Official finish thought:
"If you never give it all you have, you'll never have more than you've got."

Taper?

I didn't plan to taper for the American River 50 this coming weekend, but I think I will pretend that was my intention last week rather than just bailing on my running. With two very early mornings and a trip to Vegas, my overall mileage was just about cut in half. I did manage to squeeze in a couple of trail runs as well as some very short filler runs, but it was a pretty light week overall.

I only managed to get one run in during the trip, but at least it was a beautiful one out at Red Rocks Canyon. I actually did the same route that I did a little less than a year ago there. I planned to make it a little longer by doing the full White Rock Loop before heading back up and back to the La Madre Spring. My wife was going to hike starting the opposite direction going to the spring and then doing some of the loop until we met. Well, once again, our attempt at a hiking/running meet-up go awry. I expected I would meet Zane before the Loop trail hit the Springs trail, but no dice. I figure she is either up on the last half-mile section to the springs or decided to just do an out and back and is relaxing back at the start. She was carrying extra water and I am out so I decide to head to the car where I can at least fill. No Zane. I decide she must have been up on near the Springs so I head back out. I get to the Springs. No Zane. I think, maybe we just missed each other and she is out on the Loop trail. I head out for a bit back on the loop trail. I go maybe 3/4 of a mile out and realize that the time is now around where we agreed to finish so she shouldn't be out any further. I head back and then down to the car again. No Zane. On the way down I ask numerous people if they have seen the woman carrying a pink water bottle. No. Zane? Back at the car it hits me. When I showed her the map I emphasized the straight out Springs Trail with the Loop Trail peeling off part way up. I didn't think about the fact that she would be starting on the Rocky Gap 4x4 road going right up the mountain before the La Madre Springs Trail actually peels off. Knowing Zane and her propensity to "just go" she was probably half way up the mountain. I headed out and didn't get far before I met her coming down and confirming that, "yes" she was "out there" where one buy in a Jeep asked if she realized she was "in the middle of no where". She immediately turned my worry into a smile by saying "see, you always get a longer run when I go hiking". We both laughed about it on the drive back to the Hotel. We topped off our very non-Vegas, Vegas day with a stop at the Whole Foods for an awesome Salad Bar lunch.

While the week was lacking in running, it was a great trip. My son's tournament was good. Zane and I stayed over Sunday night and went to see "O" for her birthday and then the we visited the Bodies exhibit on Monday. The exhibit was very cool and if you ever want to see what all those muscles, veins and nerves are doing inside your body from an up-close and personal perspective there is no better display.

The countdown to AR50 has begun. I am doing some light mileage this week before the race, but nothing serious. I'm heading up to Auburn Friday afternoon and will be getting up VERY early to catch the bus down to the start in Sac. This will be my second 50 miler, but a much more flat course. I am actually thinking about time goals, but don't want to jinx myself by actually mentioning them :-). In the end, it is still mainly training for Miwok which is less than a month away!!!

South Bay Foray

Monday is normally a rest day and with a 4am wake-up to drive my wife to the airport and needing to spend the work day unpacking from our office move, my only plans were to try and get to bed early.

My plans for Tuesday, however, were swirling around in my head. This week is going to be tough to get the miles in so I thought I would try for a double day on Tuesday to start the week off right. My plans to run 7+ miles in the morning went to 6 and then 4 and then none as I had difficulty getting my head off the pillow and my eyes open. A lunch run wasn't an option as Tuesdays I need to leave work early to take my son and his basketball teammate to their trainer in Los Altos.

Their trainer is right near the very popular running destination of Rancho San Antonio in the Los Altos Hills. I had around an hour to get a run in there. I studied the map a bit and decided to try and do the PG&E hill which I looked to be about 6.5 miles with some good uphill. I hadn't been to Rancho in years so I couldn't recall how steep it was. I planned to just turn around if I couldn't make the full loop. Had I found this site first, I might have been able to plan the run better. The climb up turned out not to be too steep compared to what I have now become accustomed to. It is a good climb going up the PG&E trail, but is totally runnable so I pushed it as hard as I could to try to make good time. I managed the 4 1/4 miles (1700+ft climb) to the Vista Point in around 46 minutes. I was assured by a hiker that the full route back down to the valley was "around 6 miles" so I thought I would be able to get down in a little over an hour assuming it was straight downhill. Dispite the shade on the way up, it was pretty warm and I was sweaty so I was looking forward to heading down fast. I charged down the High Meadow trail and seemed to be making good time until I hit a bunch of trail intersections (I should have memorized the route or at least grabbed a map at the start!). I kept asking people, "this way down to the trailhead parking lot?" with somewhat mixed results. When I finally made it down to Dear Hollow Farm, I realized why. This wasn't the parking area, but it was the "start" of the trail up. I still had over a mile to go to get back to the car. Out of water and already worked, I kicked in what I had left in my legs to get back to the car in just over an hour and a quarter. It was a good time for the 8 or so miles, but I had told myself I was going to do another run after dropping the boys home (if I could) .

I headed to the Alameda Creek / Quarry Lakes area to see what was left in my legs and try to top off the days running. Some nice flat stuff should make it easier and once they warmed back up my legs felt OK (except for a very small knee pain that developed over the weekend). I headed out on the Alameda Creek Trail and then decided to finish with a figure eight loop around the lakes. The warmth of the South Bay was nowhere to be found here as I turned into a nice strong head wind that cooled me, but made this less of an easy relaxing, run than I had hoped. I finished with a little under 6 miles giving a daily total close to 13 and a bit over two hours. Nice to get it in the books.

The rest of the week will simply be played by ear. Less than two weeks until AR50 so next week is taper time before the race. A 60 mile goal may not be reasonable for this week, but we'll see.

Get that run in...get that run in...

We're heading into a very busy time coming up here. It started this past weekend with my son's first basketball tournament in Fresno with his AAU team. We have another this coming weekend in Vegas and then he has one in Oakland the following weekend, but I will be running AR50 for part of that. I then have Miwok 3 weeks after, but also have my wife's and my mother's birthdays to fit in. It's either time to strike a balance or just live with a crazy hectic schedule....hmmm, wonder which I will choose ;-)

We were to drive to Fresno Saturday morning and stay overnight so I knew a long run on the weekend wasn't very likely. Luckily, I had a half day on Friday at work since we are moving to a new building. This allowed me to get a nice afternoon run in on the Mission Peak to Sonol and back route. Since I set a 3.5 hour time limit on myself, I only hit the peak once for a little over 17 miles. I did take a little time to stop at the Ohlone Wilderness sign-in and leave a note for those doing a little more "serious" run that day. I'd taken an extra day off earlier in the week since I needed to assure I recovered from the previous weekend. However, I still wanted to shoot for my 60 miles. I stood at a little over 34 heading into Saturday.

My wife wanted to get her run in at the gym Saturday morning so we managed to get over there before the car trip. She hit the treadmill for a few miles and I headed to a nearby trail. I was under strict orders to keep it to an hour, a "real" hour, not an "hour-ten" or an "hour-five" or a "that doesn't include stoppage time to go pee or tie my shoes" hour. It was to be an hour on the clock and not the chronometer...ah she knows me too well. I guess that meant following my long run with a nice 7 1/4 miles of tempo running in 56:30. I always seem to run faster when I worry about making her wait for me. Maybe I should ask Zane to come to my next race and tell me "now, honey...you need to be finished in X hours like you promised." We headed home, packed the car for the 2.5 hour drive and made it just in time for the first game after which we headed to the hotel (got lost), checked in and headed back for the second game. I had looked up a local Rails-to-Trails trail in Fresno called the Sugar Pine Trail. Zane and I switched into running clothes and quickly drove to the trailhead just at dusk. I headed out hoping to get around 5 or so more miles in and Zane decided to do a few more of her own. Again, she would be waiting for me so I pushed it a little on the way back, though it was pretty dark so I couldn't push it too much. I ended up with close to 5 1/2 and Zane did 2 1/1 herself. That earned us both a nice sushi dinner that evening :-). I planned to head back to the trail the next morning and get a couple of hours in before the first game on Sunday. The problem is that I didn't find out what time the game was until Sunday morning. A 10am start left me with only about 1.5 hours for the run so I made the best of it and got in a little over 10 miles. Back to the hotel to shower and checkout, back to the gym for the game then lunch and the second game. The team did great in their first tournament winning all their games even though they are "playing up" a year. It wasn't a particularly strong tournament, but it was a good confidence booster before heading to Vegas wear the competition will be MUCH tougher. Anyway, packed it up and hurried home so that Zane could pack for a business trip. I did my math and found myself exactly 3 miles short of my weekly goal. However, occasionally wisdom does prevail in my head and I decide that with a 4:30am wakeup time the next morning, I needed sleep more than I needed a silly little 3-4 mile run. I am not a slave to some random number in my electronic log book!

However, how am I going to hit that number THIS week with Vegas coming up...