Saturday, December 27, 2008

Week Log:

12/28 Sun, AM 20 min TM warmup, lift legs, total time 1 hour.
12/29 Mon, 0
12/30 Tue, AM 1:05 min TM @ moderate pace (8:00,15), PM 45 min work loop @ moderate pace, total time 1:50
12/31 Wed, AM 1:00 TM @ easy pace. 179 lbs this morning.
1/1 Thur, 0
1/2 Fri, 0
1/3 Sat, RUN A MILE FOR DAN, 4:00 track run, 25 miles. Late start, tired legs last 7 miles.
Total 7:10, 12/28 Weight 181

A pretty good week. In trying to not add too much time on my feet too rapidly, I took 3 zero days this week knowing that I would be finishing off the week with the RAMFD. Doubling up by running before work and then again at lunch is proving to be a good way to add time without impacting my family life. The RAMFD was very enjoyable. Around 400 people turned out for the track event. Some ran a lap and then headed off towards Robie Pt. and the Western States Trail. Others, like me, were being paid by the mile so were bound to the track for purposes of accuracy. The last 7 miles were tough and reminded me how much farther I need to go with training before I will feel in control running events longer than 25 miles. I just need to be patient, keep working and it will come. It was a great event in support of a great person. I'm feeling a little sore this morning but will be fine. Planning on getting out for a couple hours of easy trail running later. So far, so good.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Run A Mile For Dan

Right after Thanksgiving, my friend Dan Moores of the Auburn Running Company in Auburn CA was diagnosed with leukemia. Quite a shock to say the least. How this disease picks its targets is beyond me. Dan, besides being a wonderfully generous person, is an accomplished ultra runner. I just cant say enough about Dan and how much I appreciate having people like him in my life. As an example, I am not what you would consider a known figure in the world of ultra marathons - just the opposite actually. However, every time Dan and I cross paths he always goes out of his way to say hello and see how I'm doing. Whit Rambach is like this too. These guys don't need to know me from Adam but always say hi when they see me. As my Grandpa used to say "They've got a spot by my campfire for life".
Dan and I have exchanged emails over the past few weeks as he bides his time in the hospital waiting to hear the results of the chemo therapy treatments.
**UPDATE - as I write this blog, Dan emailed me with the news that his hospital stay has been extended another month - more chemo slated. Damn.**
Anyway, his coworker Matt Keyes has organized a fundraiser scheduled for January 3rd and I am going to do everything I can to generate some funds for Dan's cause.
Click on RUN A MILE FOR DAN for all of the event information. I hope to see everyone at the Placer High School track on January 3rd at 8:00 am!

Week Log:

12/21 Sun, 0
12/22 Mon, 0
12/23 Tue, 1:05 (20 TM, 45 work loop with Scherpinski) easy pace. Lifted.
12/24 Wed, 0
12/25 Thu, 55 min @ easy pace, Fort Ord with Chico.
12/26 Fri, 3:20 @ easy pace, Toro Park with Grant.
12/27 Sat, 1:20 @ moderate pace, Fort ord with Chico
Total 6:40 12/21 weight 181

Merry Christmas! An interesting week. 3 zero days with 3 quality days including a session of lifting that left me very sore for a couple days. In fact, I'm still feeling it today, Saturday. I ate everything in sight this week so I'm pretty sure that I regressed slightly with regards to the goal of dropping a few pounds to get to a more reasonable running weight. I'm going to be 175 lbs. by the end of January and see how that feels. The long run on Friday left me feeling encouraged as I finished feeling fine and was able to get out for a 1:20 run on Saturday with no problems. Next week should be another good one to be finished off with the Run A Mile For Dan. I'm shooting to get 25 miles in 4 hours. I'm pretty sure that's doable but not certain since I really have no idea what kind of distance I have been running - all of the runs I'm doing are recorded by time instead of miles. Saturday will be a good test.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Race report from my first ultra - Dick Collins 50m 2004

Hello Blogsters - What follows is a quick recap of my first shot at running an official ultra event - The Dick Collins Firetrails 50 on Oct 9th in Castro Valley:
I slept well friday night. Better than I have all week. The race went really well, pretty much just as I had planned it. I was surprised at how good I felt almost the entire way. I ate and drank continuously staying well hydrated. The weather was optimal. Low 50’s at the start and getting to the mid 70’s by the afternoon. I used primarily Gu and Gu2o/Gatorade as my fuel source. I tried some pbj’s and half a payday bar as well as a Boost Plus 1 hour before the start and another diluted in one of my bottles during the run. The diluted one I didn’t care for very much because running with it shakes it up and makes it foamy and hard to drink. I probably got three quarters of it in and dumped the rest.
My family crewed for me and were a huge help. At each aid station that they had access to they were there with anything I needed and that helped me save some time. I think the longest aid station stops were the two where I did a sock change and those were shorter than 5 minutes. Probably more like 3 or 4 minutes tops. I had to change socks twice during the race due to blisters which started to occur around mile 20. The worst one is on the ball of my left foot behind my big toe. It is about the size of a half dollar and popped on its own at about mile 45. I didn’t start with hydropel on that area and that may be the reason it blistered. There is another in the same spot on the other foot but smaller.
My plan was to get to the turnaround point (mile 26) 30 minutes ahead of 10:30 pace. I arrived 25 minutes ahead and outside of the blisters felt great. The climb back to mile 30 is a long one and by the time I got there the cushion had shrunk to just 5 minutes (I passed 5 runners on this section). I was a little worried with 20 miles to go, a slim 5 minute cushion, and expecting to slow due to fatigue. So I decided to concentrate on moving as fast as possible on all the runable sections and of course keep fast walking the ups. This worked out well and I passed several more runners over the next 20 miles and made up time. When I got to the mile 37 aid station I had made up a bunch of time and had around 3 hours left and 13 miles to finish in under 10:30. I knew it was in the bag at that point and turned my attention to try breaking 10 hours. 5 miles to the next aid station.
At the mile 42 aid station is where I made my only mistake of the day. I was getting tired of eating Gu and decided that with 8 miles to go and being ahead of schedule, and feeling great, I would run it in without eating anymore. The blisters were hurting but not enough to make me want to stop for repairs and miss breaking 10:00 so I decided to run it in. After the last aid station at mile 47, I started to get tired from lack of fuel. I would have had to run 3, 10 minute miles from that point to break 10 hours and with no fuel in the tank, some hills comin up, etc, I was not able to muster the strength to do it. I was pooped. I think if I would have continued to eat I would have finished the last 3 stinkin miles much stronger.
Anyway, I finished in 10:06:33. 62nd out of 120 finishers. OK by me for a first ultra. That’s good enough to get into the WS100 lottery and I sent my application in yesterday..Oh Yeah!!! With the exception of the last 3 miles I felt strong and in control the whole way. And the last 3 miles were not like a fall apart/bonking type of deal, I was just too tired to break the 10:00 time which was no big deal since I only needed a sub 10:30 to qualify for Western. The hamstring problem was never an issue. That’s huge. The only thing that got sore were my knees later in the race from the downhills but that never really slowed me down either. I do need to figure out how to avoid the blisters. I have blistered in the same place twice now. Both on long hilly runs of more than 25 miles. Also, this is weird because I have not been sick in years but, I have developed a sore throat and am coughing up some lung junk similar to what I remember bronchitis being like. Not sure what is going on there.
I really dug the course and will for sure want to run this one again next year (except next year I want to be faster). Meeting Ann Trason and Carl Anderson was great. They were both there to high five me as I crossed the finish line. I got a cool DC50 wine glass, a tee shirt and a polo shirt for being a rookie finisher.
Keeping my fingers crossed for the WS lottery on Dec. 4th. So far all is going according to plan.

Week Log:

12/14 Sun, 90 min @ easy pace, Fort Ord with Chico
12/15 Mon, 0
12/16 Tue, 60 min TM pyramid @ moderate pace (8:00,10)
12/17 Wed, 60 min TM @ easy pace (10:00), lift legs
12/18 Thu, 63 min @ moderate pace, Fort Ord with Chico
12/19 Fri, 40 min TM pyramid @ moderate pace (7:30,5), lift legs
12/20 Sat, 0
Total 5:13 12/14 weight 181

Another good week with consistent effort. Everything is feeling good with zero problems. The 3 treadmill runs, while pretty boring, I found to be a convenient way to get a run in at lunch and avoid the cold, wet weather. That completes 1 month back running.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Note: the 2009 race filled in 8 minutes, 54 seconds!



At 8:00am Sunday morning, I duked it out (virtually) with who knows how many other runners for an entry into the Way To Cool 50k. Each year, registration for this event fills in about 10 minutes so a fast internet connection, an Active.com account and a little luck are what's needed if you want in. I got lucky. After about 5 minutes of flogging the mouse/refresh botton, I got through. Now that the tough part is done, all I have to do is train well and go run it. I have never run this one before but I hear it's a lot of fun and generally known as the informal kickoff to the 2009 Sierra Nevada ultra running season. Lots of top runners and ultra legends show up to run so it will be interesting to see who will be there. I'm looking forward to my first ultra of 2009...should be a blast!

Week Log:

12/7 Sun, 2:23, rolling hills @ moderate pace, Laguna Seca loop
12/8 Mon, 0
12/9 Tue, 47 min, flat work loop @ hard pace
12/10 Wed, 43 min, rolling hills @ moderate pace with Chico
12/11 Thu, 0
12/12 Fri, 55 min, tempo, flat work loop with Scherpinski
12/13 Sat, 60 min, rolling hills @ easy pace with Chico
Total: 5:48, 12/7 weight 181

Good week with some quality runs. Feeling good and trying to be smart and rest when I think I need it. Tired legs after the Sunday run but recovered quickly. Still very early in my training but am feeling pretty good. I've noticed that my weight is not coming off as quickly as it had in the past with the same amount of running - slower metabolism due to age? Not sure. Chico (my dog) is loving being back on the trails and is starting to look more fit as well.

Week Log:

11/30 Sun, 55 min, rolling hills @ moderate pace with Chico.
12/1 Mon, 0
12/2 Tue, 55 min, cement bridge loop @ moderate pace.
12/3 Wed, 0
12/4 Thu, 0
12/5 Fri, 65 min, rolling hills @ moderate pace with Chico.
12/6 Sat, 0
Total: 2:55, 11/30 weight 185

Light week - just getting back into it. Feeling fine with no injuries/physical issues. Now running in Brooks Adrenaline and loving them. Brooks just seem to fit my feet really well. I run in the Cascadias, Glycerine and now the Adrenaline and really like all 3.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

More Info....Why the blog?

Last month, I finally admitted to myself that I have an obsession with the Western States 100 and that if it's the last thing I do, I need to complete the race. Simply put, I have unfinished business with that trail and the score needs settling. The dnf in 2006, while at the time made sense and was what I considered to be my best option, has set up camp in my mind and can't be bumped out until I do right by this race. With the rising popularity of ultra events and the WS100 in particular, it may be a long time before I get another swing but I have decided to go after it - time and cost be damned. What's really hard to swallow about the dnf is that I know my legs were there to get me to the finish, however I had lost my will to run. Truth is, I was quitting all the way from Millers defeat (mile 35) but didn't actually leave the course until Michigan Bluff (mile 55). it was a HOT day but that's not why I quit. I quit because I lacked the mental toughness to continue once I hit my first mental rough patch of the race. I felt great all the way to Robinsons Flat...leaving there things changed and now I think I know why.

My history as an ultra runner and a runner in general has been an inconsistent series of being inspired to run and getting into decent shape, combined with periods (several months sometimes) of no running at all and falling out of shape. For some reason, I have not been able to maintain the training consistency I believe I need in order to run 100 mile ultras. Physical?? Mental?? I think I burn myself out.

Well here I am again, inspired to run and thinking this will be the time I remain consistent. I have several races/events on my calendar for 2009 for which I am now training. The goal is to keep it fun and be patient.

Why blog it? I'm thinking if I memorialize my training, in my mind the training becomes part of the goal instead of just focusing on the 100 mile distance. I believe if I can patiently chip away at the process, while keeping track of the experience through this blog, the process will be the focus and ultimately bagging the 100 mile distance will simply be a nice by product of the training I put in. Sounds reasonable and nothing I have tried before - hence the blog...but really more like a fun training diary with pictures.

Friday, December 12, 2008

The birth of a blog...

Hello

I'm starting from scratch.

All the running I've done until now is ancient history...done in a way not condusive to training for and completing a 100 mile trail ultra.

I have started this blog in order to track and record my progress as I train to ultimately complete a 100 mile trail race sometime in the future. My previous attempt at Western States in 2006 ended in a dnf at Michigan Bluff and has been haunting me since. In hindsight, I was not properly trained and didn't give this arduous 100 mile trail ultra the respect it deserves. Live and learn and man did I learn...THE HARD WAY.

More later...