Q: What do you get when you combine "Survivor" with "Gilligan's Island?"
A: The Team Hung-Kwong Ng Crew for the Badwater Ultra-Marathon!
Oh hell no, I am not crazy enough to run the 135 mile Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley! But ever since I saw the movie Running on the Sun a few years ago, Badwater has intrigued me. I never had any real desire to run that course in that kind of heat (and don't have near the experience needed to do so), but I wanted to see and experience the race as closely as possible without running it. My friend, Hung-Kwong Ng (pronounced "Ing"), received a last minute invitation to enter the race after some runners dropped out. The invitation came in May, eight weeks before race day. Hung-Kwong ran this race in 2009 and felt he had maintained a competitive level of training, so he accepted with little hesitation. The Badwater Ultra involves such grueling conditions through a desert with temperature highs upwards of 120 degrees and elevation climbs of 10,000 feet that it bills itself as "the world's toughest footrace." While the claim may or may not be true (if the Barkley is considered a footrace, then I would say that one is harder), there is no doubt that the level of difficulty is through the roof.
Also indisputable is the fact that a runner cannot complete Badwater alone. A crew is essential to a successful finish-- well, to any finish, successful or not. Crew duties include "hopscotching" their runner, that is, driving a short distance ahead, stopping to take care of him or her, driving ahead, stopping... for 135 miles; having cold water and sports drink mixed and ready to offer at every stop; spraying the runner down with ice water, icing the runner down, or filling and replacing ice in bandanas or hats, whatever method the runner chooses to keep cool; having food, sports gels, advil, tylenol, sunblock, extra shoes-- whatever the runner requested-- ready to go; tracking the runner's weight and body temperature at regular intervals to monitor for dehydration and overheating; keeping ice chests and gas tanks filled; setting up rest stops and timing them; tending to blisters and other foot problems; and whatever the runner wants. The sole focus is getting the runner to the finish line and doing what it takes to get him or her there.
Runners finish Badwater anywhere from about 24 hours to the cut-off of 60 hours. Hung-Kwong finished in 33 hours last year, and wanted to run under 33 this year. Due to the short notice Hung-Kwong had to put a crew together, as well as the fact that it's really hard to find nutcases willing to travel across the country to cater to a runner who is not 1) themselves 2) related to them or 3) friends with them, our crew consisted of four total strangers and one overworked rental minivan (the race instructions actually advise runners, "do NOT tell your rental company what you will be doing with the car!" ). The ideal crew has five or six members and two vehicles, which allows two people to drive ahead and grab some rest before relieving two others. The better rested the crew, the more efficient. Two vehicles also allows one to take care of an emergency, for instance, to refill the ice chests or get the runner food, without leaving the runner unattended. But we did the best we could with what we had.
I arrived at LAX on Saturday, July 10, to meet up with Hung-Kwong and the rest of the crew. They were all dudes! And yes, Jimbo, you were all hot! Two guys were Ironman finishers, all were accomplished ultrarunners. I guess I was the Gilligan here. Trust me, as proud as I was when I finally, finally qualified for Boston, I would have felt like a complete dork wearing my Boston shirt among this sea of 100 mile, Ironman, and previous Badwater finisher tees. Amazingly, considering we were complete strangers, we all clicked and worked together well throughout the race. Everyone seemed to have a different talent to contribute to the crew, and we all seemed fairly easy-going but serious about our responsibilities. From LAX, we went straight to buy supplies. The list was endless, and organizing all the food, sunblock, water, first-aid supplies, and miscellaneous items in the tight space of the minivan was a daunting task. Traveling to pick up borrowed items including a huge cooler, a smaller cooler, and a folding chair from Hung's friends in California, and getting it all organized took up all of our time until the start of the race on Monday morning.
On Sunday we hit the expo in the aptly named Furnace Creek, CA, to pick up Hung's race packet. The thermometer outside the building read 117, and it was in the shade. A breeze was blowing, and it felt just like having someone point a hot hair blower in your face. And PLEASE don't say "But it's a dry heat!" 117 degrees is 117 degrees, dry or not! We were required to show that Hung and every crew member had their own night-time safety vest and two red blinking lights for the race before we could enter the expo. I walked in, and the very first person I saw was my all-time hero, Deena Kastor. She was crewing for Shannon Farar-Griefer, founder of the Moeben arm pantie company. I met Kastor a short while later and got a photo and her autograph, and knew that no matter what the rest of my experience there would be, this just rocked! Meanwhile, my male cohorts went off to flirt with the "Moeben Chicks," the rest of Shannon's crew, who were all dressed in short, tight Moeben dresses and arm panties and were giving white arm panties with the Badwater logo to the runners. The remainder of the expo was spent listening to a lecture on the many rules for the race; the funniest part was when the safety director told us what would happen if we had car trouble and needed Triple A. He picked up a big rock with "AAA" painted on it and explained that in the desert, the rock was all the Triple A we would get if we locked our keys inside, and it was going straight through our car window .
Then all the runners were introduced. The cast included well-known ultra-runners, including Pam Reed, Marshall Ulrich, Amy Palmiero-Winters, and Jaimie Donaldson (who would be the first place female and set a new woman's course record of 26:16:xx). Seventy-five year old Jack Denness, featured in "Running on the Sun," was also there. Palmiero-Winters had a special prosthetic leg made for Badwater, of white material instead of the usual black, to retain less heat; however, she had just run Western States two weeks earlier, and had problems with blistering in the desert heat, so she ended up dropping out of Badwater after 30 miles. She could just have felt sorry for herself and gone on home, but instead, she and her crew (who all wore bright pink wigs during the race) stayed and cheered runners all along the course right up to the finish line. She and her crew were phenomenal.
Suddenly it was race day, Monday morning. 78 runners started (only seven would DNF) the race in three waves, with the slowest runners starting at 6 am, faster at 8 am, and the fastest at 10 am. Hung started at 10 am. We were all up early to prepare the van and get to the start at Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level and the lowest point in North America. The race ended at Mt. Whitney Portal, at 8371 feet above sea level. It was quite a sight, about thirty runners standing in front of big race banners, surrounded as far as the eye could see by desert and huge salt flats. After much photo taking, the national anthem was sung and the horn sounded.
How do I condense 36 hours of an intense experience into a few paragraphs? I guess I can't, so forgive me if this sounds lame. It took about two hours for us to unify into a real crew. The work, and the focus it required, was constant. The organization we had worked so hard to achieve before the start evaporated all too easily as the day turned into the night and into the second day. Any mistakes made, however, (and there were a few at the beginning) were simply not a big deal. If we forgot the water bottle inside the van at a crew stop, we had it ready for him three or four minutes down the road at the next stop. We finally got a rhythm going, though, and things moved along smoothly through the desert. For the next 36 hours, we jumped in and out of the van every five minutes or so to spray Hung down with ice water, offer sports drink, gels, food, or set up a chair so he could rest. He never rested more than 20 minutes, and that only happened twice. Most of the time he rested for only five or ten minutes. After 17 miles runners were allowed to have, not exactly a pacer, but one crew member running behind to support him or her; the three guys on the crew each did substantial support running, carrying a spray bottle with ice water for distances of 25 to 30 miles. I had told Hung before the race that I wouldn't pace, but I did follow him, carrying water and a spray bottle, during a walking phase for about 5 miles during the hottest part of the first day of the race.
Death Valley (hey Chris, it's a national park!) was huge and unforgiving. It could be (and probably was) the setting for every Clint Eastwood western ever made, with vast tracts of land empty but for tumbleweeds, salt flats, and the occasional ragged Joshua tree. Towns (which greatly resembled the sets in Blazing Saddles, seriously ) were 30 to 50 miles apart or more. There weren't bathroom facilities (or even bushes to duck behind), gas stations, or convenience stores with ice and food where you might need them. Cell phone service was sporadic, and internet was non-existent, so advance planning was vital to a race like this. "What can we do if [insert emergency situation here] happens" ran through my mind constantly. But in spite of the locale's desolate nature, the race officials charged with enforcing race rules managed to drive right up to us in seconds whenever our car was parked over the white line on the road (a major infraction), so I wasn't too worried about getting help if we needed it . Fortunately, we never did.
Hung went out hard on the first day, the hottest part of the race with a high of 120 degrees F, and ate no solid food, only sports drink and water until the evening, when he took in some gels. He thought after the race that this may have left him without enough energy to pick up the pace at night, when it cooled off slightly (although not nearly as much as last year-- it was still about 100 degrees at 10 pm). But his perseverance was incredible, and just before noon on the second day he started running again at about a 10:00 pace, and kept this up for the most part until he reached the steepest part of Mt. Whitney. Interestingly he did eat some solid food the second day, Cliff Bars and Poptarts.
After about 120 miles, the steep climb up to Mt. Whitney Portal, elevation 8371 feet, began. At this point every one of us was pumped up with the knowledge that we would finish, and relatively soon. Hung didn't stop to change his shoes, or for anything that took longer than a few seconds, except when he met up with a group of his cheerleaders (Amy and her crew). As he stopped to pose for pictures and do some flirting, a runner whom we had dubbed "Camo Girl" for her camouflage running capris power-walked right past him and stayed in front of him all the way to the finish. After that I, and the rest of the crew put a lid on Hung's social life until we reached the finish, but I was absolutely amazed at how Hung was smiling after being awake in the heat, running and walking, for more than 30 hours. The climb to Mt. Whitney Portal was the most intense part of the race, physically and emotionally. The runners had already crossed 120 miles in extreme heat, and now had to climb a damned mountain! But at the same time, the ascent marks the final stage of the race and everyone feels elated when they start the climb. Amy Palmiero-Winters' pink-haired Girl Power team really eased Hung's ascent, cheering him on and even hiking a large chunk of the course with him. They all posed for pictures with us at the finish line.
Finally, after a few hours of running and hiking, we saw and heard the lights and noise of the finish line. The runners were so spread out by this point that each one ran through his or her own finish line tape, where they received their finisher's medal and, for the sub-48 hour runners, their silver belt buckle. All the crews ran with their runners across the finish line, which was a nice touch. Hung crossed the finish in 35:5x, slightly over two hours more than last year. Amazingly that's only a bit more than a minute per mile slower. Given the fast start and the night-time heat, the time was more than respectable, and after the initial disappointment of not meeting his goal he seemed quite satisfied with the race. After some finish line photos, we headed back to our hotel. I think it took me an hour in the shower to scrub off the rings of desert sand and dust around my ankles, and fresh clothes never felt so good.
The finish line officially shuts down 60 hours after each staggered start, though the last finishers were 6 am starters so the finish line closed at 6 pm on Wednesday. Jack Denness finished just under 60 hours and set a record as the oldest runner to complete Badwater. As the finish line closed, the post-race pizza party was starting in Lone Pine. Denness came straight from the race to the pizza party, entering to thunderous applause from the crowd of runners and crew members. He gave a little speech and swore he would be back only as a volunteer, but he looked so good and so much younger than his true age of 75 that I am betting he'll complete at least one more Badwater.
My experience was quite an epic adventure, and I met some incredible people (not the least among them were my crewmates!). I would do it again. Death Valley is a place I probably never would have considered visiting if I wasn't crewing, but now that I've been there I would recommend it as a vacation spot (although not necessarily in July). Many people unrelated to the race were there to hike Mt. Whitney and the other mountains in the area, and the towns were full of cowboy history. That said, it was a relief to head back to LA on Thursday, where the team dropped me off at an old college friend's place. Dining at a posh ocean-side restaurant in Malibu that evening, I thought about how absolutely bizarre it was that the day before I had been in the middle of a desert with nothing but Poptarts and protein bars to eat, assisting a guy who was racing 135 miles to the middle of Mt. Whitney. It's a crazy awesome life!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sunday, August 16, 2009
#118 Badwater 135
Sat, July 11th:
Heather and I arrived in Vegas Saturday morning. I did a 2 mile run at Red Rock Canyon in 105 degree heat. I was wet from sweating; I thought the sweat was supposed to evaporate in the dry heat??
Sunday:
Status: My back was stiff from moving luggage and loading up water. I felt pain in my left calf and glutes.
We did a one mile test run at noon on Sunday at the Badwater race start ( -282 feet elevation) . The road temp was 167 degrees and the car thermometer read 116F. The white line is indeed 5 to 10 degrees cooler. The side of the road was just as hot. We averaged a 10:00 mile -- so I got over the fear of showing up for the race and refusing to get out of the car. The time spent in the 180 degree sauna at the Y definitely helped!
Bob from Drymax socks, had magnetic signs for our crew vehicles. Thank you Bob. At picket pickup, I asked last year's female winner, Jamie Donaldson, how often she changed her Drymax socks. Answer - every 20 miles. One of our signs blew off the vehicle; my crew found Jamie's sign on the road. Her sign is now a very large refrigerator magnet at home.
I was bitten by a bunch of fire ants while Heather posed for a picture with Charlie Engle - the guy who ran across the Sahara in a Matt Damon's documentary "Running the Sahara". We had first met him at the Boogie 50 miler. I asked Charlie if I should skip the long pants/long sleeves and wear shorts and a shortsleeve shirt. I spent $190 on the "space suit". He recommended shorts and a cotton shirt. I ended up not using the space suit at all.
After dinner, we walked by an outdoor thermometer. At 9pm it was 103F!
Monday: max temps 115-127 in the shade 165 asphalt
With my body clock still on East Coast time, I was fully awake by 4:30am.
We were interviewed at the start. Heather said I just ran 178 miles across Florida. I said that Badwater is shorter but a little bit hotter. I was about to say my goal was to finish when Heather chimed in with a 36 hour goal. I said that we are supposed to say finishing was our goal in public. We both broke out laughing.
I told the interviewer that Heather and I met the rest of our crew at a bar at Disney. We were meeting them for the 2nd time yesterday. They were a little bit surprised back in February when I took them up on the offer to crew after I learned that my application was accepted.
To Furnace Creek:
The Moeben hood given away at the packet pickup worked marvelously. I am all about trying something new during a race - since I never run long in training. The goal was to maintain a body temp of 100 to 102. I peaked around 101 and was below 100 most of the time. That's when I realized I had to do a lot of running. I had expected to take it easy and do a lot of walking to cool off. Now I had no reason not run it. Yikes!
To Stovepipe:
My feet were getting uncomfortably hot; the ground temp got up to 165F. I stood on a bag of dry ice at a couple of crew stops.
I ran a 9:46 pace to the 17.4 checkpoint. I was running a 7:30 to 8:30 pace between half mile crew stops. For the first 42 miles, I averaged a 10:54 pace. Some of the crew were trying to get me to slow down. But with a decent body temp and an excellent job of part of the crew to keep me cool, I argued that I was running a natural pace and would eventually slow down anyway.
To Townes Pass:
I left my copy of Pam Reed's book at home because my luggage was overweight. Little did we know that we would passing each other repeatedly for about 50 miles. (She started 2 hours later). Her crew and my crew got to know each other. My quads did not take a beating at all so I ran past her on the downhills. Eventually my left shin quit working. She finished 4hrs 42 min ahead of me as the 2nd place woman.
Since overnight temps dropped close 70 degrees, I expected record finishing times but the 10am wave said it was hotter this year.
I developed tightness in my left ankle from going downhill on canted roads. My bowleggedness already predisposes me to shin issues; my foot has to travel further than a normal foot. I learned that the winner had taken 24 minutes out for a massage. Maybe I should have stopped to massage the knot out or at least stretch it out. Instead, I ran with a limited stride for the next 70 miles. I had an opportunity to get a massage therapist on the crew but I did not follow through.
Tues:
I hit the 50 mile split at around 9hrs30mins. The 100 mile split was faster than the Keys 100, Rocky Raccoon 100 and Old Dominion 100. I suspect that weight loss during the race and the week before increased my running speed. The 135 mile split was faster than the 2008 Sunrise 170 miler and 2009 Sunrise 178 miler. I realized that with great crew support, this is a relatively easy course as long as you stay in your comfort zone.
I was living in the moment or thinking about what I needed at the next crew stop. Sometimes I felt like I was in the "Running On the Sun" movie. I missed out on looking up to see shooting stars.
To Lone Pine:
At Lone Pine, I was well ahead of my 36 hour goal. I decided the race was done and that it was a 13 mile walk to the finish line. My mind went elsewhere. I forgot to remind the crew I wanted to run across the finish line with a pancake rolled up as a burrito.
I got overhydrated and nauseated walking up the Mt. Whitney Portal. I didn't need as much fluids since I wasn't running. I gained 3lbs up from a target of 148. (I started at 155). My hands were swollen. I checked my oxygen saturation to rule out high altitude hypoxia; it was fine at 96 percent O2 sat. I reconfirmed that altitude was not an issue when I hiked up to 10,640 feet the next day.
Overhydration and hyponatremia were issues in Death Valley. Geoff Linton dropped out due to overhydration and excess sodium. "It was pretty complicated. Basically, fluid started to fill up my lungs," Linton said. "There were a lot of factors that are involved in this. The way they explained it to me, my salt levels were a little high, but were in a normal range. The problem was that there was too much fluid also that got sucked in. Any excessive fluids got sucked in to around my lungs."
To Finish:
My crew came up with the one-off design of a team shirt with "HungStrong" written on it. Since I have had a song adapted for me at our local runners annual victory breakfast called "Secret Asian Man" , I was game to wear the team shirt. I finished in 19th place in 33hrs45mins. The finish time would have been good enough for a 10th place finish last year. I caught up to everyone from my 8am wave except for 2 runners.
This year's competitors were a lot stronger than last year's' even though the leaders ran a slower race. I set the 36 hour goal based on how one of my closer competitors did at the 2008 Badwater. Maybe I should have set a more demanding goal, which would motivate me to get out of my comfort zone. Having a GPS watch that worked would have helped me keep pace; I may run with jerry-rigged charger next time.
We had an excellent adventure and my time goal goals were met. I didn't come to any great realizations. Except for 2 periods of nausea and 2 points of fatigue, I pretty much enjoyed running the whole race. I enjoy being in the zone or having "flow" throughout the whole process from application, to planning the logistics, to executing the plan. Some people tell me that I inspire them -- to do what, I am not sure? Dean Karnazes inspired a lot of people to get active even though they don't want to do what he does.
The ultrarunning community is relatively small. At this race, I got to saw hello and hang out with friends from other ultras and meet new friends. Charlie Engle from the Boogie 50. Kermit from San Fran 24 and Ultracentric 48. Adrian and Keith from Ultracentric. Dean from various marathons. Alisa and Nattu from the Keys 100. Rick from Iron Horse 100. From the crews - Mike C from the Dean's blog. Jenn and Lane Vogel, Lisa, Sister Mary Beth, Brian, Bob Becker from the Keys 100.
I regretted not stopping the car to chat with Dean on the way down the mountain; he wasn't having a good day and I didn't want to impose.
Crew:
Thank you again for your help -- I could not have done as well without you. I am just 2 legs for the crew. The crew kept me cool which made me run faster. Part of the crew rotated off. Heather stayed with me the whole time. She paced me for 45 miles. I didn't sleep or lose my mind. There really was a dead rabbit on the road.
Lessons learned:
If I run BW again, I might have a massage therapist on the crew. I didn't run any hills in training for this race so all I could do was run/walk intervals on the first 2 mountains. Next time, I will do weekly hill training so I can run up all 3 mountains.
Looking at some of the data my crew collected, it is amazing how the body knows to take in less sodium and fluid when it gets cooler by changing the mix of sports drink and water consumed. Since the sports drink was sweet, I am amazed that I drank less of it when I seem to need less salt. With the crew keeping me cool, my fluid requirements were a lot lower than anticipated for the conditions. I did not take any electrolyte capsules. One bottle got wet and all the capsules fused together.
My Drymax socks held up well. Blisters were not an issue in this race. My feet never really got wet.
I put my digital camera in the glove compartment. It is no longer working -- possibly due to the heat.
Crew lessons learned: for organizing supplies - buy plastic storage bins and label them. I couldn't find the Advil or Tylenol that I brought with me. I would like to have a better spreadsheet for capturing data and a transition plan for passing improvised steps to the next shift.
Rick's crew chief suffered a heart attack and is fine now. We should think through the scenarios should one of the crew members have a medical emergency.
Wed:
There was a forest fire which closed the finish line around 10pm. I didn't know until I woke up the next morning. It is like the 2007 Chicago marathon when I crossed the finish line before the race was canceled. Having the race clock time continue may not seem to be the fairest approach to those stopped by the fire and then were allowed to return to finish the full 135 miles, but I don't see any fairer way.
The mountain was re-opened in the morning. While we had permits to summit Mt Whitney (14500 ft), the mountain was closed at 3:30am anyway. We were so busy socializing that we didn't head toward the summit until 1:20pm.
We met Vicki and her husband on the mountain. She is a core Dean Karnazes's blogger. We also came across Mike C, another Dean blogger who was on Phil's crew.
We made it up to Mirror Lake at 10,640 ft before turning around at 3:20pm. We ran into Jenn Shelton, Connie Gardner and Jimmy D on the hike. They crewed for Shannon, the owner of Moeben.
We had to get to the 6pm post-race party before the beer ran out, so I handed Heather my backpack and ran down the hill on my good leg. It turned out there was no alcohol at the party (: Maybe we should have gone for the summit instead. We got in a good 9 mile workout on Wednesday.
Back home:
Massage - my lower left leg was really swollen and my calves and back were tight but my shins were fine. My quads and glutes were not beat up at all. Other than the ankle tendonitis, I was pretty much recovered. My leg press strength is close to max and I am ready to race again. I decided to run the 24 hour in Boston 10 days after Badwater.
It was as exciting reading the Facebook messages as it was running it. Maybe if I run it again, I'll rent a satellite phone (there is no cell service) -- so that my friends can tell me to run faster!
I lost 9 lbs. I caught a cold (maybe from congratulating the finishers and shaking hands). I had a bloody nose from the dry air - which doesn't help repel viruses.
What's next?
I am already thinking about doing Badwater 2010 if I can afford to. I think I can break 30 hours. (There may be some beginners luck when most everything worked.) The next challenge may be in endurance cycling or bike time trials. Or the 191 mile Ragnar run across FL. I am thinking about training for my first triathlon in 2010.
Postscript:
July 25th - I ran 114 miles in the Wakefield 24 hour ultra, finishing 2nd place. If I hadn't taken a nap on a park bench at mile 109, I would have gotten first place. Without crew support every half mile, and given that humidity -- it was a lot tougher to run than Badwater. On this flat course, I set PRs in the 50k, 50 mile and 100 mile distance. Running almost 3 mins/mile faster, it took 8 days to recover. But yes, dry heat is much easier to run in, even at 127 degrees!
Heather and I arrived in Vegas Saturday morning. I did a 2 mile run at Red Rock Canyon in 105 degree heat. I was wet from sweating; I thought the sweat was supposed to evaporate in the dry heat??
Sunday:
Status: My back was stiff from moving luggage and loading up water. I felt pain in my left calf and glutes.
We did a one mile test run at noon on Sunday at the Badwater race start ( -282 feet elevation) . The road temp was 167 degrees and the car thermometer read 116F. The white line is indeed 5 to 10 degrees cooler. The side of the road was just as hot. We averaged a 10:00 mile -- so I got over the fear of showing up for the race and refusing to get out of the car. The time spent in the 180 degree sauna at the Y definitely helped!
Bob from Drymax socks, had magnetic signs for our crew vehicles. Thank you Bob. At picket pickup, I asked last year's female winner, Jamie Donaldson, how often she changed her Drymax socks. Answer - every 20 miles. One of our signs blew off the vehicle; my crew found Jamie's sign on the road. Her sign is now a very large refrigerator magnet at home.
I was bitten by a bunch of fire ants while Heather posed for a picture with Charlie Engle - the guy who ran across the Sahara in a Matt Damon's documentary "Running the Sahara". We had first met him at the Boogie 50 miler. I asked Charlie if I should skip the long pants/long sleeves and wear shorts and a shortsleeve shirt. I spent $190 on the "space suit". He recommended shorts and a cotton shirt. I ended up not using the space suit at all.
After dinner, we walked by an outdoor thermometer. At 9pm it was 103F!
Monday: max temps 115-127 in the shade 165 asphalt
With my body clock still on East Coast time, I was fully awake by 4:30am.
We were interviewed at the start. Heather said I just ran 178 miles across Florida. I said that Badwater is shorter but a little bit hotter. I was about to say my goal was to finish when Heather chimed in with a 36 hour goal. I said that we are supposed to say finishing was our goal in public. We both broke out laughing.
I told the interviewer that Heather and I met the rest of our crew at a bar at Disney. We were meeting them for the 2nd time yesterday. They were a little bit surprised back in February when I took them up on the offer to crew after I learned that my application was accepted.
To Furnace Creek:
The Moeben hood given away at the packet pickup worked marvelously. I am all about trying something new during a race - since I never run long in training. The goal was to maintain a body temp of 100 to 102. I peaked around 101 and was below 100 most of the time. That's when I realized I had to do a lot of running. I had expected to take it easy and do a lot of walking to cool off. Now I had no reason not run it. Yikes!
To Stovepipe:
My feet were getting uncomfortably hot; the ground temp got up to 165F. I stood on a bag of dry ice at a couple of crew stops.
I ran a 9:46 pace to the 17.4 checkpoint. I was running a 7:30 to 8:30 pace between half mile crew stops. For the first 42 miles, I averaged a 10:54 pace. Some of the crew were trying to get me to slow down. But with a decent body temp and an excellent job of part of the crew to keep me cool, I argued that I was running a natural pace and would eventually slow down anyway.
To Townes Pass:
I left my copy of Pam Reed's book at home because my luggage was overweight. Little did we know that we would passing each other repeatedly for about 50 miles. (She started 2 hours later). Her crew and my crew got to know each other. My quads did not take a beating at all so I ran past her on the downhills. Eventually my left shin quit working. She finished 4hrs 42 min ahead of me as the 2nd place woman.
Since overnight temps dropped close 70 degrees, I expected record finishing times but the 10am wave said it was hotter this year.
I developed tightness in my left ankle from going downhill on canted roads. My bowleggedness already predisposes me to shin issues; my foot has to travel further than a normal foot. I learned that the winner had taken 24 minutes out for a massage. Maybe I should have stopped to massage the knot out or at least stretch it out. Instead, I ran with a limited stride for the next 70 miles. I had an opportunity to get a massage therapist on the crew but I did not follow through.
Tues:
I hit the 50 mile split at around 9hrs30mins. The 100 mile split was faster than the Keys 100, Rocky Raccoon 100 and Old Dominion 100. I suspect that weight loss during the race and the week before increased my running speed. The 135 mile split was faster than the 2008 Sunrise 170 miler and 2009 Sunrise 178 miler. I realized that with great crew support, this is a relatively easy course as long as you stay in your comfort zone.
I was living in the moment or thinking about what I needed at the next crew stop. Sometimes I felt like I was in the "Running On the Sun" movie. I missed out on looking up to see shooting stars.
To Lone Pine:
At Lone Pine, I was well ahead of my 36 hour goal. I decided the race was done and that it was a 13 mile walk to the finish line. My mind went elsewhere. I forgot to remind the crew I wanted to run across the finish line with a pancake rolled up as a burrito.
I got overhydrated and nauseated walking up the Mt. Whitney Portal. I didn't need as much fluids since I wasn't running. I gained 3lbs up from a target of 148. (I started at 155). My hands were swollen. I checked my oxygen saturation to rule out high altitude hypoxia; it was fine at 96 percent O2 sat. I reconfirmed that altitude was not an issue when I hiked up to 10,640 feet the next day.
Overhydration and hyponatremia were issues in Death Valley. Geoff Linton dropped out due to overhydration and excess sodium. "It was pretty complicated. Basically, fluid started to fill up my lungs," Linton said. "There were a lot of factors that are involved in this. The way they explained it to me, my salt levels were a little high, but were in a normal range. The problem was that there was too much fluid also that got sucked in. Any excessive fluids got sucked in to around my lungs."
To Finish:
My crew came up with the one-off design of a team shirt with "HungStrong" written on it. Since I have had a song adapted for me at our local runners annual victory breakfast called "Secret Asian Man" , I was game to wear the team shirt. I finished in 19th place in 33hrs45mins. The finish time would have been good enough for a 10th place finish last year. I caught up to everyone from my 8am wave except for 2 runners.
This year's competitors were a lot stronger than last year's' even though the leaders ran a slower race. I set the 36 hour goal based on how one of my closer competitors did at the 2008 Badwater. Maybe I should have set a more demanding goal, which would motivate me to get out of my comfort zone. Having a GPS watch that worked would have helped me keep pace; I may run with jerry-rigged charger next time.
We had an excellent adventure and my time goal goals were met. I didn't come to any great realizations. Except for 2 periods of nausea and 2 points of fatigue, I pretty much enjoyed running the whole race. I enjoy being in the zone or having "flow" throughout the whole process from application, to planning the logistics, to executing the plan. Some people tell me that I inspire them -- to do what, I am not sure? Dean Karnazes inspired a lot of people to get active even though they don't want to do what he does.
The ultrarunning community is relatively small. At this race, I got to saw hello and hang out with friends from other ultras and meet new friends. Charlie Engle from the Boogie 50. Kermit from San Fran 24 and Ultracentric 48. Adrian and Keith from Ultracentric. Dean from various marathons. Alisa and Nattu from the Keys 100. Rick from Iron Horse 100. From the crews - Mike C from the Dean's blog. Jenn and Lane Vogel, Lisa, Sister Mary Beth, Brian, Bob Becker from the Keys 100.
I regretted not stopping the car to chat with Dean on the way down the mountain; he wasn't having a good day and I didn't want to impose.
Crew:
Thank you again for your help -- I could not have done as well without you. I am just 2 legs for the crew. The crew kept me cool which made me run faster. Part of the crew rotated off. Heather stayed with me the whole time. She paced me for 45 miles. I didn't sleep or lose my mind. There really was a dead rabbit on the road.
Lessons learned:
If I run BW again, I might have a massage therapist on the crew. I didn't run any hills in training for this race so all I could do was run/walk intervals on the first 2 mountains. Next time, I will do weekly hill training so I can run up all 3 mountains.
Looking at some of the data my crew collected, it is amazing how the body knows to take in less sodium and fluid when it gets cooler by changing the mix of sports drink and water consumed. Since the sports drink was sweet, I am amazed that I drank less of it when I seem to need less salt. With the crew keeping me cool, my fluid requirements were a lot lower than anticipated for the conditions. I did not take any electrolyte capsules. One bottle got wet and all the capsules fused together.
My Drymax socks held up well. Blisters were not an issue in this race. My feet never really got wet.
I put my digital camera in the glove compartment. It is no longer working -- possibly due to the heat.
Crew lessons learned: for organizing supplies - buy plastic storage bins and label them. I couldn't find the Advil or Tylenol that I brought with me. I would like to have a better spreadsheet for capturing data and a transition plan for passing improvised steps to the next shift.
Rick's crew chief suffered a heart attack and is fine now. We should think through the scenarios should one of the crew members have a medical emergency.
Wed:
There was a forest fire which closed the finish line around 10pm. I didn't know until I woke up the next morning. It is like the 2007 Chicago marathon when I crossed the finish line before the race was canceled. Having the race clock time continue may not seem to be the fairest approach to those stopped by the fire and then were allowed to return to finish the full 135 miles, but I don't see any fairer way.
The mountain was re-opened in the morning. While we had permits to summit Mt Whitney (14500 ft), the mountain was closed at 3:30am anyway. We were so busy socializing that we didn't head toward the summit until 1:20pm.
We met Vicki and her husband on the mountain. She is a core Dean Karnazes's blogger. We also came across Mike C, another Dean blogger who was on Phil's crew.
We made it up to Mirror Lake at 10,640 ft before turning around at 3:20pm. We ran into Jenn Shelton, Connie Gardner and Jimmy D on the hike. They crewed for Shannon, the owner of Moeben.
We had to get to the 6pm post-race party before the beer ran out, so I handed Heather my backpack and ran down the hill on my good leg. It turned out there was no alcohol at the party (: Maybe we should have gone for the summit instead. We got in a good 9 mile workout on Wednesday.
Back home:
Massage - my lower left leg was really swollen and my calves and back were tight but my shins were fine. My quads and glutes were not beat up at all. Other than the ankle tendonitis, I was pretty much recovered. My leg press strength is close to max and I am ready to race again. I decided to run the 24 hour in Boston 10 days after Badwater.
It was as exciting reading the Facebook messages as it was running it. Maybe if I run it again, I'll rent a satellite phone (there is no cell service) -- so that my friends can tell me to run faster!
I lost 9 lbs. I caught a cold (maybe from congratulating the finishers and shaking hands). I had a bloody nose from the dry air - which doesn't help repel viruses.
What's next?
I am already thinking about doing Badwater 2010 if I can afford to. I think I can break 30 hours. (There may be some beginners luck when most everything worked.) The next challenge may be in endurance cycling or bike time trials. Or the 191 mile Ragnar run across FL. I am thinking about training for my first triathlon in 2010.
Postscript:
July 25th - I ran 114 miles in the Wakefield 24 hour ultra, finishing 2nd place. If I hadn't taken a nap on a park bench at mile 109, I would have gotten first place. Without crew support every half mile, and given that humidity -- it was a lot tougher to run than Badwater. On this flat course, I set PRs in the 50k, 50 mile and 100 mile distance. Running almost 3 mins/mile faster, it took 8 days to recover. But yes, dry heat is much easier to run in, even at 127 degrees!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
#112 Tallahassee Marathon (Feb. 1, 2009)
temps 37 to 55 sunny
Sat:
I have been trying to qualify for 2010 Boston all month; after 2 marathons, 1/2 marathon and a 5k - my legs felt fresh and ready to go. I signed up for the Tallahassee Marathon on Tuesday once I was confident that race day weather was going to be cool.
Race morning:
I spotted Clarence warming up on the track. It was hilly at the beginning but otherwise flat. I banked time in the first 20 miles averaging a 7:45 pace since it was forecasted to be sunny and warm by 10am. I had my fastest first half split at 1:41:53. As in the marathon 2 weeks ago, I lost some seconds getting lost. At mile 14, I saw Anna from Reston Runners group in VA; there was a contingent that came down for the race.
Since the marathon had a relatively late start of 7:30am, it got warm in the last hour. I may have been the only runner finishing shirtless; I left my shirt at the mile 18 post. A lot of runners were wearing tights. I thought of trying for a 3:24 PR but I decided to take it easy after it got warm. I didn't want to risk a calf cramp that I had in the marathon at Albany last October. I had plenty of time in the bank so I enjoyed a leisurely 8:30-8:45 pace in the last six miles. I was happy to see Heather at mile 25; she was eager to pace me in. But since I was 3 minutes ahead of schedule, I wasn't willing to suffer. I was running with another guy who also needed 3:30 for Boston. I said I'd kick it at the finish. He picked up the pace at mile 26, so I had to make my move. I quickly closed the 50 feet gap with him but he finished a leg length ahead of me. However we finished with the same clock time of 3:28:00. My net chip time was 3:27:54 - almost 7 minutes faster than my last marathon 2 weeks ago. It's my first qualification for Boston; I got a Boston race number working for the sponsor in 1999 and ran as a bandit in 2001. It has taken me 92 marathons to qualify for Boston. (The other 20 races out of 112 were ultras). Now I can spend my money on other challenges!
I think I am pretty much recovered from my 2007 quad injury that left me limping for 4 months. I haven't run this pace in 2 years. Even though this wasn't a marathon PR, I think I am in better shape than in Oct. 2007. While I was sore postrace, I no longer feel tightness in the last 3 marathons compared to the first 109 races. Strange. I attribute it to cross-training and a better diet. I have been working on my glutes in the past month; I think that helped me knock 3 minutes off my marathon time in 3 weeks. (Or maybe, you just get faster by running faster marathons; I don't feel like running another marathon this weekend to test that hypothesis.)
I don't know what is next regarding marathons. My only goal is to get faster when Heather gets faster. I think I could do well on the bike because my biomechanics won't be working against me as much. I started spinning 3 weeks ago. I might get a road bike. I would like to see if I have any talent in time trials. Maybe I can swim later this year. I haven't trained (by running) much since the injury so I am afraid to put in the miles -- I am sticking with my 30-minute workouts at the Y. I miss socializing at the group runs but I seem to run healthier at my own pace. By avoiding the turns at track, I have had fewer alignment issues..
Tues - No tightness at all but some soreness. The top of my left foot is bruised from wearing my new shoes for the second time. I continue to wear Drymax socks in marathons so that I don't have to worry about blisters. I thought my recovery would be delayed from the kick at mile 26 so I was surprised that my single leg, leg press test showed my legs to be stronger today than before the marathon. I was able to warm up to 3:40 min/mile strides. As a recreational athlete I stay in my comfort zone 95% of the time; I don't beat up my body as much as a competitive athlete who trains for 2 marathons a year.
Sat:
I have been trying to qualify for 2010 Boston all month; after 2 marathons, 1/2 marathon and a 5k - my legs felt fresh and ready to go. I signed up for the Tallahassee Marathon on Tuesday once I was confident that race day weather was going to be cool.
Race morning:
I spotted Clarence warming up on the track. It was hilly at the beginning but otherwise flat. I banked time in the first 20 miles averaging a 7:45 pace since it was forecasted to be sunny and warm by 10am. I had my fastest first half split at 1:41:53. As in the marathon 2 weeks ago, I lost some seconds getting lost. At mile 14, I saw Anna from Reston Runners group in VA; there was a contingent that came down for the race.
Since the marathon had a relatively late start of 7:30am, it got warm in the last hour. I may have been the only runner finishing shirtless; I left my shirt at the mile 18 post. A lot of runners were wearing tights. I thought of trying for a 3:24 PR but I decided to take it easy after it got warm. I didn't want to risk a calf cramp that I had in the marathon at Albany last October. I had plenty of time in the bank so I enjoyed a leisurely 8:30-8:45 pace in the last six miles. I was happy to see Heather at mile 25; she was eager to pace me in. But since I was 3 minutes ahead of schedule, I wasn't willing to suffer. I was running with another guy who also needed 3:30 for Boston. I said I'd kick it at the finish. He picked up the pace at mile 26, so I had to make my move. I quickly closed the 50 feet gap with him but he finished a leg length ahead of me. However we finished with the same clock time of 3:28:00. My net chip time was 3:27:54 - almost 7 minutes faster than my last marathon 2 weeks ago. It's my first qualification for Boston; I got a Boston race number working for the sponsor in 1999 and ran as a bandit in 2001. It has taken me 92 marathons to qualify for Boston. (The other 20 races out of 112 were ultras). Now I can spend my money on other challenges!
I think I am pretty much recovered from my 2007 quad injury that left me limping for 4 months. I haven't run this pace in 2 years. Even though this wasn't a marathon PR, I think I am in better shape than in Oct. 2007. While I was sore postrace, I no longer feel tightness in the last 3 marathons compared to the first 109 races. Strange. I attribute it to cross-training and a better diet. I have been working on my glutes in the past month; I think that helped me knock 3 minutes off my marathon time in 3 weeks. (Or maybe, you just get faster by running faster marathons; I don't feel like running another marathon this weekend to test that hypothesis.)
I don't know what is next regarding marathons. My only goal is to get faster when Heather gets faster. I think I could do well on the bike because my biomechanics won't be working against me as much. I started spinning 3 weeks ago. I might get a road bike. I would like to see if I have any talent in time trials. Maybe I can swim later this year. I haven't trained (by running) much since the injury so I am afraid to put in the miles -- I am sticking with my 30-minute workouts at the Y. I miss socializing at the group runs but I seem to run healthier at my own pace. By avoiding the turns at track, I have had fewer alignment issues..
Tues - No tightness at all but some soreness. The top of my left foot is bruised from wearing my new shoes for the second time. I continue to wear Drymax socks in marathons so that I don't have to worry about blisters. I thought my recovery would be delayed from the kick at mile 26 so I was surprised that my single leg, leg press test showed my legs to be stronger today than before the marathon. I was able to warm up to 3:40 min/mile strides. As a recreational athlete I stay in my comfort zone 95% of the time; I don't beat up my body as much as a competitive athlete who trains for 2 marathons a year.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Museum of Aviation Marathon, Robins AFB, GA (Jan. 17th, 2009)
#111 Museum of Aviation Marathon, Robins AFB, GA Temps 20 to 35F. Finish Time 3:34:01
I had planned to try again for Boston by running Miami in 2 weeks if the weather is cool but Heather mentioned to me that the weather was going to be cold in the coming weekend. It occurred to me on Wed to look for a marathon to run in the coming weekend. The Museum of Aviation in Robins AFB just south on Macon, GA had a marathon on Saturday. It seemed relatively flat. On Thursday, I decided to sign up for the Sat. marathon after seeing the 10-day forecast for Miami (60F-74F). I went to Track Shack to pick up a new pair of shoes. They were sold out but the new 2009 model was due in soon. Instead I ordered the new model online and got it Friday. My legs were still sore from a calf workout on Monday and "jumping" squat movements from spinning Monday & Wednesday. I was hoping to recover in time for the marathon.
Sat morning.
Temps were forecasted to be 18 to 25 degrees. I overdressed - wearing shorts, knit cap, and longsleeves. I should have worn a short-sleeved tech shirt. It warmed up to 35F. With only a 3 day taper, my pace was 5 seconds slower than at Disney -- the course was rolling hills with 2 hard hills and 2 moderate hills. I lost about 40 seconds from getting lost; I could see no one ahead of me. Still, I am pleased at the consistency in the past 3 weekends after running slow all of 2008. I took it easy till mile 26 when I ran hard to pass anyone that could be in my age group. I got 4th in my age group - 3rd place was the only person that passed me in the 2nd half. Also, I wanted to show Heather that heat was the cause of my slowdown at Disney. I hardly lost any speed in the last six miles of this cold weather marathon.
The Museum had some neat planes: a B52, U2 and SR71. The spy planes have been decomissioned and replaced by satellites.
Sun morning.
The next day, I came across some friends who told me the Boston Qualifying time allowed 59 extra seconds. I did not have to break 3:30:00 but could have run a 3:30:59. I knew this to be true for my previous qualifying time of 3:20:59 qualifying but never reasoned it to 3:30:59. Had I not made this mental error, I am could have easily qualifed at Disney last week by running 39 secs faster. I felt frustrated, Hopefully, Tallahasee (in 2 weeks) will have cool weather and I can run 1.5 secs faster per mile. I didn't get any blisters in either marathon by using Drymax's Maximum Protection socks. I thought about using their wamer trail socks but stuck with what works.
I had planned to try again for Boston by running Miami in 2 weeks if the weather is cool but Heather mentioned to me that the weather was going to be cold in the coming weekend. It occurred to me on Wed to look for a marathon to run in the coming weekend. The Museum of Aviation in Robins AFB just south on Macon, GA had a marathon on Saturday. It seemed relatively flat. On Thursday, I decided to sign up for the Sat. marathon after seeing the 10-day forecast for Miami (60F-74F). I went to Track Shack to pick up a new pair of shoes. They were sold out but the new 2009 model was due in soon. Instead I ordered the new model online and got it Friday. My legs were still sore from a calf workout on Monday and "jumping" squat movements from spinning Monday & Wednesday. I was hoping to recover in time for the marathon.
Sat morning.
Temps were forecasted to be 18 to 25 degrees. I overdressed - wearing shorts, knit cap, and longsleeves. I should have worn a short-sleeved tech shirt. It warmed up to 35F. With only a 3 day taper, my pace was 5 seconds slower than at Disney -- the course was rolling hills with 2 hard hills and 2 moderate hills. I lost about 40 seconds from getting lost; I could see no one ahead of me. Still, I am pleased at the consistency in the past 3 weekends after running slow all of 2008. I took it easy till mile 26 when I ran hard to pass anyone that could be in my age group. I got 4th in my age group - 3rd place was the only person that passed me in the 2nd half. Also, I wanted to show Heather that heat was the cause of my slowdown at Disney. I hardly lost any speed in the last six miles of this cold weather marathon.
The Museum had some neat planes: a B52, U2 and SR71. The spy planes have been decomissioned and replaced by satellites.
Sun morning.
The next day, I came across some friends who told me the Boston Qualifying time allowed 59 extra seconds. I did not have to break 3:30:00 but could have run a 3:30:59. I knew this to be true for my previous qualifying time of 3:20:59 qualifying but never reasoned it to 3:30:59. Had I not made this mental error, I am could have easily qualifed at Disney last week by running 39 secs faster. I felt frustrated, Hopefully, Tallahasee (in 2 weeks) will have cool weather and I can run 1.5 secs faster per mile. I didn't get any blisters in either marathon by using Drymax's Maximum Protection socks. I thought about using their wamer trail socks but stuck with what works.
Disney Marathon, (Jan. 11th 2009)
#110 Disney Marathon. Temps 60 to 69 sunny. Finish time 3:31:38
Friday morning:
Heather and I met Jeff, a high school friend, for breakfast before packet pickup. We naturally, talked mostly about running. He was in town as a member of the Clif Bar Pace Team. He autographed my copy of his book "My First 100 Marathons". We swapped Drymax and Clif Bar samples.
Sunday morning:
There was little room to warm up at the start. I got in 15 minutes and felt good. I saw Heather stopped at mile 13. She dropped due to an injury. (She also didn't want me passing her:) My goal was to run every mile at 8:00 or under. I have not raced or trained more than 3 miles at a 8 min pace since Oct 2007 (except for the 1/2 marathon the week before). So I was pleased I somehow remembered how to hold pace. As the temps went up, my pace slowed. I took it easy. I missed the Boston Qualifier time by one minute 38 seconds.
We had plans to meet up again with Jeff after the race. He introduced us to other members of the Clif-Bar Team. Darris and Star, from the pace team, expressed an interest in crewing for me if I got selected to run Badwater this year. The team had a number of accomplished and extreme runners.
There were no blisters on this run; the Drymax socks worked again.
Friday morning:
Heather and I met Jeff, a high school friend, for breakfast before packet pickup. We naturally, talked mostly about running. He was in town as a member of the Clif Bar Pace Team. He autographed my copy of his book "My First 100 Marathons". We swapped Drymax and Clif Bar samples.
Sunday morning:
There was little room to warm up at the start. I got in 15 minutes and felt good. I saw Heather stopped at mile 13. She dropped due to an injury. (She also didn't want me passing her:) My goal was to run every mile at 8:00 or under. I have not raced or trained more than 3 miles at a 8 min pace since Oct 2007 (except for the 1/2 marathon the week before). So I was pleased I somehow remembered how to hold pace. As the temps went up, my pace slowed. I took it easy. I missed the Boston Qualifier time by one minute 38 seconds.
We had plans to meet up again with Jeff after the race. He introduced us to other members of the Clif-Bar Team. Darris and Star, from the pace team, expressed an interest in crewing for me if I got selected to run Badwater this year. The team had a number of accomplished and extreme runners.
There were no blisters on this run; the Drymax socks worked again.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Sunrise to Sunset 170 mile race across FL (Mar. 27 to Mar. 29th 2008)
Start - Thurs 6:45pm Jensen Beach - east coast of FL - 74 degrees
Finish - Sat 5:33pm Fort Myers - west coast of FL.
Fri weather 65 to 84 sunny some clouds, Sat weather 59 to 90, sunny. Enough humidity to add to the heat index.
Distance - 171.26 miles (there was an extra mile because the sign to turn left was on the new Rt78 instead of the old Rt 78 on Leg 26).
Total time: 46 hours 48 minutes.
Avg pace 16:24 per mile includes sleep, walking, overheating and nutrition stops.
Pre-race Thoughts
- I had no idea what it would be like to go beyond 117 miles. I would be happy if I got to 150 miles. I expected heat, blisters and sleep to be bigger factors than distance. I hoped to bank some miles before my legs got stiff. I had checklists which I did not follow. Since you can't really train for a 170 mile run, I would rely on muscle memory from a race six months ago.
- Terrible first 100 miles
My left hip flexor felt tight by mile 20. I ran with the issue for the last 150 miles. I got blisters on both forefeet by mile 80 and ran the 90 miles with them. I taped the right foot - the blister moved up to the top of the feet and became a blood blister. The untaped blister on my left foot broke while running. I had expected to be further along than I was. It took me 9hrs 40 minutes to reach the first 50 miles which is about an hour slower than a month ago. My quads were already feeling stiff. It took me longer to reach mile 65 than last year, where I had dropped out. I reached halfway at mile 85 in 21 hours. At mile 86 I started walking when I realized Barb was walking faster than I was running. My 100 mile time (26 hours) was slower than my old Dominion 100 time which was in 95 degree heat and 14,000 of elevation gain. I think a tight hip flexor shortened my stride. I tapered for the whole month - training only 5 days averaging 5 miles and then not running for 16 days - I was surprised by the quad/hip flexor issues so early in the race. I think the extended taper allow my muscles to heal and form adhesions in an area (the TFL/IT band) that is not normally worked on in massage. Running frequently will break up scar tissue and prevent stiffness. 17 hours into the race, I started taking Tylenol every 8 hours and Advil every 2 hours.
- Calories
I estimated that I burned 27,000 calories over 171 miles and replaced 11,000 calories. The 16,000 calorie deficit resulted in a lost of 4.5 lbs of body fat lost. (3%). On the bodyfat scale, my bodyfat dropped from 17.5% to 14.5%. I got most of my calories from liquids including Hammer products, Accelerade and 14 cans of Red Bull. I used 35 bottles of water. I was afraid solid food would cause nausea and take too long to digest. Skinnier runners would have trouble running extreme distances because of their limited body fat!
-Sleep and mental acuity
I stayed awake pretty much from 7am Thurs to 8pm Sat. when I got back in the car. Walking made me sleepy but a painful pinch in the arm knocked me out of my daze. I decided to start taking naps on Friday night when I realized I wasn't moving off the shoulder when tractor trailers were coming towards me. I took 3 20 minute naps on late Friday night. Laurel drove for 130 miles and biked 40 miles. She stayed awake for as long as I did - 60 hours. That's pretty amazing; I think that driving is more difficult to do. I had no hallucinations or much trouble thinking as far as I could tell.
-Possibility of quitting
I felt worse after stopping to take my first nap. I think my blood pressure dropped and the body began to shut down for repairs. I wanted to throw up but nothing came out. I sat in the car for another 30 minutes and got going again. I figured I could always walk it in by 8pm Sat. I should not be feeling bad before reaching the distance of my longest run (117 miles). I was only at mile 110. I stayed in for my crew and because I quit last year.
- Mental aspect
The problem once you slow down in the heat is that once it cools off, it is hard to run faster again. The mind seems to be stuck in the slower pace. At 2:30am Saturday, I decided to run to each telephone pole and walk for a few seconds. My stride lengthened and I was running a 11 to 12 minute pace. Most of the time I am in the present moment. With oncoming traffic zipping by, you have to stay in the present. Occasionally I would do the math in the my head to determine when I would finish if I walked a 20 minute mile. I felt fine in the last 15 hours of the race; I just wanted to get it done.
-Heat and chafing
While walking on Lake Okeechobee in the heat Friday I said - What was I thinking? Who is to blame for telling me about the solo division of this race! By 12pm Sat. it was getting pretty hot. My body temp was 100. The temp on the shoulder of the road was 115. I bet that the road surface is over 120 degrees. The reading on my Wet Globe Thermometer was 77 - the gadget accounts for the radiant heat from the sun. The American College of Sports Medicine considers 77 a red flag - with a high risk of heat injury. I sat in the minivan for 10 minutes to cool off. I decided to be safe, and walk instead of run. It was 90 degrees in North Ft Myers at 5pm Sat. I figure the heat index was close to 100. I forgot to get a Wet Globe reading there. Ice underneath my safari cap felt good but it caused chafing. I tried a ziploc bag of ice. Cold packs around the neck felt good but didn't last long. I had water pored on my skin tight shirt. It cooled off well but the dripping caused chafing in the underarms and between the legs.
-Overhydration and blisters from too many electrolytes.
I panicked when I dropped 5 lbs in the sun at 10:30am Friday. I starting taking one Succeed per hour. I should have waited till I craved salty foods. The electrolytes are cumulative -- it might not hurt in a marathon even if you don't need them. Taking one capsule per hour adds up to 31 capsules in 31 hours and totals 10,580 mg sodium. That's in addition to what was in the liquid nutrition and 200mg per can in Red Bull. Blood holds about 15,000mg of sodium. When I reweighed and gained back 3 lbs, I should have realized I was overhydrated and should have stopped the Succeed (there is normal weight loss from glycogen depletion and fat burning). For 4 days, I had swollen feet and legs. My blood pressure was elevated. (156/93 and 138/89). To rid the excess water and sodium, I have been drinking coffee, wine and beer. The water retention caused my feet to swell and created the blisters.
- Potential dangers
When I was lying down to the grass to stretch - I noticed the vultures circling :). When we left at lake at Moorehaven, we were swarmed by mosquitos. I forgot where I packed my Deet repellant. The mosquitos bit through the Calf Guards. I saw plenty of dead snakes and a scorpion on the road. I saw a wild boar on the side of the road. Most of the dogs were fenced in. I got chased by dogs twice. I ran across the street. The second time, I had already put my doggie mace in the car. Thursday night, they were a couple of pickup truck drivers screaming about my reflective wear. When the trucks approached, I stepped off the white liine, onto the grass. I was never sure what was in the grass. Whenever a fast moving vehicle passes, I would step into the road to enjoy the turbulence wind. This turned out to be unsafe because I cannot see passing traffic coming up from behind me. One car passed me by several feet -- the driver may not be expecting that I would wonder onto the road.
-Run to the finish - 12:58pm Sat
I decided if I was going to make it to the party by 6pm, I need to run again. Athletes have been known to run well in body temps as high as 104 degrees. I felt fine; I had no symptoms of heat exhaustion. However, the ear thermometer could be under-estimating core body temperature; I wanted some margin of safety. I decided to push on despite an mildly elevated body temp.
- Directions
The maps and directions were pretty good for the most part. The sight of S2S signs were reassuring. The first team to pass me was at mile 104. They didn't follow the map and went the wrong way by taking a left turn. As mentioned earlier, the sign for leg 26 was on the wrong Rt. 78. The directions were good to the Edison House was good but I still got lost. I had been up for 57 hours by then.
-Finish-line.
I drank a can of Diet Pepsi and a bottle of Sam Adams. Beer is a good diuretic. After 171 miles, I didn't really feel tired. I was moving better than after my 117 miler. My next challenge will be to run 185 miles in the Ultracentric 48 hour race in November.
-Mistakes Made
a. overhydrated with electrolytes
b. Didn't apply and reapply anti-chafing cream to armpits and between legs.
c. Forgot to apply chapstick and reapply sunscreen
- Finish Celebration
Overall, an excellent adventure. The most enjoyable part was the celebration at the finish. It was an incredible experience. I felt like a rock star for 2 hours. The relay teams cheered me in. I answered questions, posed for pictures and autographed a runner's arm. The local news station showed my finish but did not put my interview on the air. I received a cool award, a painting with a Sunrise to Sunset race theme. Everyone I showed the painting to liked it. When I won the Iron Horse 100 miler last year - only the race director and his wife was around. The 50 miler, and100km runners had already gone home. It was a quiet celebration. Without my crew, Barb and Laurel, I would not be running this race. I am grateful for their time. I am also appreciative of the cheers and concern from the relay teams along the course, as well as the water and ice offered. I also glad that the race directors came up with the idea of having solo division and offered to provide whatever support was needed to complete the race.
http://www.winknews.com/sports/local/17138846.html
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=A4&Date=20080329&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=803290807&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=90
- Milestones
I improved last year's course record by15 hours.
My longest race was 23 hours, is now 46 hours
My longest distance was 117 miles, is now 171 miles.
I would estimate that I could have placed in the top 5 in 48 hour races.
I passed the distance of Badwater(135 miles).- although Badwater is 115 degrees hot but less humid.
- PostRace
We got back to Orlando around 1am Sunday. We unloaded the mini-van and I soaked my legs in cold water. I went to sleep at 2am. I expected to sleep in but I was up by 7am. I drove to meet my Sunday running for breakfast. I guess there was no cumulative sleep debt.
- Recovery
I've had a runners high all week from the new milestone and the finish line celebration. The event was a focused 3-day vacation. I hope to carry forward the focus in my daily life. I am not really sore. I could run but I am waiting for the foot blisters to drain and heal. On Tuesday, my single leg press test was 145 lbs right leg/ 140 lbs left leg. (Thurs 165/155). That is better than after my last 50 miler. I was only going 10-12 min miles while running and 15-16 minute miles while shuffling along. So I really didn't work my muscles very hard. I had a deep tissue massage and the only issues were tight calfs. These longer races are easily on the body than shorter ultras.
Finish - Sat 5:33pm Fort Myers - west coast of FL.
Fri weather 65 to 84 sunny some clouds, Sat weather 59 to 90, sunny. Enough humidity to add to the heat index.
Distance - 171.26 miles (there was an extra mile because the sign to turn left was on the new Rt78 instead of the old Rt 78 on Leg 26).
Total time: 46 hours 48 minutes.
Avg pace 16:24 per mile includes sleep, walking, overheating and nutrition stops.
Pre-race Thoughts
- I had no idea what it would be like to go beyond 117 miles. I would be happy if I got to 150 miles. I expected heat, blisters and sleep to be bigger factors than distance. I hoped to bank some miles before my legs got stiff. I had checklists which I did not follow. Since you can't really train for a 170 mile run, I would rely on muscle memory from a race six months ago.
- Terrible first 100 miles
My left hip flexor felt tight by mile 20. I ran with the issue for the last 150 miles. I got blisters on both forefeet by mile 80 and ran the 90 miles with them. I taped the right foot - the blister moved up to the top of the feet and became a blood blister. The untaped blister on my left foot broke while running. I had expected to be further along than I was. It took me 9hrs 40 minutes to reach the first 50 miles which is about an hour slower than a month ago. My quads were already feeling stiff. It took me longer to reach mile 65 than last year, where I had dropped out. I reached halfway at mile 85 in 21 hours. At mile 86 I started walking when I realized Barb was walking faster than I was running. My 100 mile time (26 hours) was slower than my old Dominion 100 time which was in 95 degree heat and 14,000 of elevation gain. I think a tight hip flexor shortened my stride. I tapered for the whole month - training only 5 days averaging 5 miles and then not running for 16 days - I was surprised by the quad/hip flexor issues so early in the race. I think the extended taper allow my muscles to heal and form adhesions in an area (the TFL/IT band) that is not normally worked on in massage. Running frequently will break up scar tissue and prevent stiffness. 17 hours into the race, I started taking Tylenol every 8 hours and Advil every 2 hours.
- Calories
I estimated that I burned 27,000 calories over 171 miles and replaced 11,000 calories. The 16,000 calorie deficit resulted in a lost of 4.5 lbs of body fat lost. (3%). On the bodyfat scale, my bodyfat dropped from 17.5% to 14.5%. I got most of my calories from liquids including Hammer products, Accelerade and 14 cans of Red Bull. I used 35 bottles of water. I was afraid solid food would cause nausea and take too long to digest. Skinnier runners would have trouble running extreme distances because of their limited body fat!
-Sleep and mental acuity
I stayed awake pretty much from 7am Thurs to 8pm Sat. when I got back in the car. Walking made me sleepy but a painful pinch in the arm knocked me out of my daze. I decided to start taking naps on Friday night when I realized I wasn't moving off the shoulder when tractor trailers were coming towards me. I took 3 20 minute naps on late Friday night. Laurel drove for 130 miles and biked 40 miles. She stayed awake for as long as I did - 60 hours. That's pretty amazing; I think that driving is more difficult to do. I had no hallucinations or much trouble thinking as far as I could tell.
-Possibility of quitting
I felt worse after stopping to take my first nap. I think my blood pressure dropped and the body began to shut down for repairs. I wanted to throw up but nothing came out. I sat in the car for another 30 minutes and got going again. I figured I could always walk it in by 8pm Sat. I should not be feeling bad before reaching the distance of my longest run (117 miles). I was only at mile 110. I stayed in for my crew and because I quit last year.
- Mental aspect
The problem once you slow down in the heat is that once it cools off, it is hard to run faster again. The mind seems to be stuck in the slower pace. At 2:30am Saturday, I decided to run to each telephone pole and walk for a few seconds. My stride lengthened and I was running a 11 to 12 minute pace. Most of the time I am in the present moment. With oncoming traffic zipping by, you have to stay in the present. Occasionally I would do the math in the my head to determine when I would finish if I walked a 20 minute mile. I felt fine in the last 15 hours of the race; I just wanted to get it done.
-Heat and chafing
While walking on Lake Okeechobee in the heat Friday I said - What was I thinking? Who is to blame for telling me about the solo division of this race! By 12pm Sat. it was getting pretty hot. My body temp was 100. The temp on the shoulder of the road was 115. I bet that the road surface is over 120 degrees. The reading on my Wet Globe Thermometer was 77 - the gadget accounts for the radiant heat from the sun. The American College of Sports Medicine considers 77 a red flag - with a high risk of heat injury. I sat in the minivan for 10 minutes to cool off. I decided to be safe, and walk instead of run. It was 90 degrees in North Ft Myers at 5pm Sat. I figure the heat index was close to 100. I forgot to get a Wet Globe reading there. Ice underneath my safari cap felt good but it caused chafing. I tried a ziploc bag of ice. Cold packs around the neck felt good but didn't last long. I had water pored on my skin tight shirt. It cooled off well but the dripping caused chafing in the underarms and between the legs.
-Overhydration and blisters from too many electrolytes.
I panicked when I dropped 5 lbs in the sun at 10:30am Friday. I starting taking one Succeed per hour. I should have waited till I craved salty foods. The electrolytes are cumulative -- it might not hurt in a marathon even if you don't need them. Taking one capsule per hour adds up to 31 capsules in 31 hours and totals 10,580 mg sodium. That's in addition to what was in the liquid nutrition and 200mg per can in Red Bull. Blood holds about 15,000mg of sodium. When I reweighed and gained back 3 lbs, I should have realized I was overhydrated and should have stopped the Succeed (there is normal weight loss from glycogen depletion and fat burning). For 4 days, I had swollen feet and legs. My blood pressure was elevated. (156/93 and 138/89). To rid the excess water and sodium, I have been drinking coffee, wine and beer. The water retention caused my feet to swell and created the blisters.
- Potential dangers
When I was lying down to the grass to stretch - I noticed the vultures circling :). When we left at lake at Moorehaven, we were swarmed by mosquitos. I forgot where I packed my Deet repellant. The mosquitos bit through the Calf Guards. I saw plenty of dead snakes and a scorpion on the road. I saw a wild boar on the side of the road. Most of the dogs were fenced in. I got chased by dogs twice. I ran across the street. The second time, I had already put my doggie mace in the car. Thursday night, they were a couple of pickup truck drivers screaming about my reflective wear. When the trucks approached, I stepped off the white liine, onto the grass. I was never sure what was in the grass. Whenever a fast moving vehicle passes, I would step into the road to enjoy the turbulence wind. This turned out to be unsafe because I cannot see passing traffic coming up from behind me. One car passed me by several feet -- the driver may not be expecting that I would wonder onto the road.
-Run to the finish - 12:58pm Sat
I decided if I was going to make it to the party by 6pm, I need to run again. Athletes have been known to run well in body temps as high as 104 degrees. I felt fine; I had no symptoms of heat exhaustion. However, the ear thermometer could be under-estimating core body temperature; I wanted some margin of safety. I decided to push on despite an mildly elevated body temp.
- Directions
The maps and directions were pretty good for the most part. The sight of S2S signs were reassuring. The first team to pass me was at mile 104. They didn't follow the map and went the wrong way by taking a left turn. As mentioned earlier, the sign for leg 26 was on the wrong Rt. 78. The directions were good to the Edison House was good but I still got lost. I had been up for 57 hours by then.
-Finish-line.
I drank a can of Diet Pepsi and a bottle of Sam Adams. Beer is a good diuretic. After 171 miles, I didn't really feel tired. I was moving better than after my 117 miler. My next challenge will be to run 185 miles in the Ultracentric 48 hour race in November.
-Mistakes Made
a. overhydrated with electrolytes
b. Didn't apply and reapply anti-chafing cream to armpits and between legs.
c. Forgot to apply chapstick and reapply sunscreen
- Finish Celebration
Overall, an excellent adventure. The most enjoyable part was the celebration at the finish. It was an incredible experience. I felt like a rock star for 2 hours. The relay teams cheered me in. I answered questions, posed for pictures and autographed a runner's arm. The local news station showed my finish but did not put my interview on the air. I received a cool award, a painting with a Sunrise to Sunset race theme. Everyone I showed the painting to liked it. When I won the Iron Horse 100 miler last year - only the race director and his wife was around. The 50 miler, and100km runners had already gone home. It was a quiet celebration. Without my crew, Barb and Laurel, I would not be running this race. I am grateful for their time. I am also appreciative of the cheers and concern from the relay teams along the course, as well as the water and ice offered. I also glad that the race directors came up with the idea of having solo division and offered to provide whatever support was needed to complete the race.
http://www.winknews.com/sports/local/17138846.html
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=A4&Date=20080329&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=803290807&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=90
- Milestones
I improved last year's course record by15 hours.
My longest race was 23 hours, is now 46 hours
My longest distance was 117 miles, is now 171 miles.
I would estimate that I could have placed in the top 5 in 48 hour races.
I passed the distance of Badwater(135 miles).- although Badwater is 115 degrees hot but less humid.
- PostRace
We got back to Orlando around 1am Sunday. We unloaded the mini-van and I soaked my legs in cold water. I went to sleep at 2am. I expected to sleep in but I was up by 7am. I drove to meet my Sunday running for breakfast. I guess there was no cumulative sleep debt.
- Recovery
I've had a runners high all week from the new milestone and the finish line celebration. The event was a focused 3-day vacation. I hope to carry forward the focus in my daily life. I am not really sore. I could run but I am waiting for the foot blisters to drain and heal. On Tuesday, my single leg press test was 145 lbs right leg/ 140 lbs left leg. (Thurs 165/155). That is better than after my last 50 miler. I was only going 10-12 min miles while running and 15-16 minute miles while shuffling along. So I really didn't work my muscles very hard. I had a deep tissue massage and the only issues were tight calfs. These longer races are easily on the body than shorter ultras.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Iron Horse 100 (Mar. 1, 2008)
Orange Park, FL (Jacksonville)
temps 48 to 77 degrees , sunny after 10am, heat index -- feels like 87 degrees
50 miles - 8hrs 46 mins - avg pace 10:32.
I ran an extra marathon (#99 Breast Cancer Marathon at Jacksonville Beach) just so my 100th marathon/ultra would be a 100 miler. Last year I came into this race two weeks after pulling my left achilles at the Rocky Raccoon 100. I had cut notches in my heel tab and was ready to drop if necessary at the end of each 25 mile loop. I stayed in because I moved into 2nd place. I slowed down the least and finished in 1st place. This year I got to wear the bib #1.
I am just about recovered from a right quad atrophy that developed after the 117 mile 24 hour run in San Fran last Oct. I had lost two thirds of my right quad leg strength. A strength imbalance remains between my left and right quads. I have been training about 3 miles a week to regain my fitness. I am now about 35 seconds a mile slower than last October.. Would that matter in a 100 miler?
I was thinking of using a run/walk strategy but at the Breast Cancer marathon, the Galloway pace groups were not able to keep up with their pace leader. I was hoping that the pace groups would be successful in showing that you could finish faster by taking walk breaks. I considered slowing down to a shuffle instead of walking. Another option was to stop at each aid station for 5 minutes to stretch out or whenever my pace fell below a 10 minute mile. I ended up taking 20 seconds every mile to hydrate. My 100 mile goal was a 10:48 pace for 18 hours - it would depend on the weather.
There were familiar faces from last year's Iron Horse, Luna Chicks 50, Tallahassee 50 and Old Dominion 100. I have difficulty remembering names. Chris from Orlando is running his first 100km. A couple of the runners mentioned that when they googled for blogs about this race, my race report came up. Someone I don't know may be reading this!
The first 25 miles felt easy and relaxed at a 9:43 pace. I was going faster than I expected. I think I got my aerobic fitness is back. I was running a leisurely pace -- I didn't want my shin splints to turn into stress fractures. Going into the race, my calfs were really tight; I felt sluggish. I had to be careful since my 4 month old injury originated from running track with tight calfs. I didn't run for a week to give my calfs a rest. I ran the Breast Cancer 2 weeks ago at the same pace for the first 26 miles but this felt a lot easier. If a week off is good, maybe two weeks off would be better. Since Dec. 1st, I've run 12 races, including this one: 3 x 50 milers, 5 x full marathons, 1 x half marathon, 3 x 5k races. That averages about 22 miles in a week in racing on top of 3 miles a week in training. Marathon pace has improved from 12:44 to 8:25; 5k pace has improved from 8:22 to 7:26. I am still trying to figure out the best combination of racing, recovery, training and tapering. I have had very little time to do lower body weight training. I've noticed my quads lose about 30 percent strength on the leg press the day after a marathon. In 4 or 5 days, the strength comes back, but it is too late to do weights because the next race is 2 days away.
The sun came out in full force sooner than was forecasted. I wasn't prepared. I was miserable between miles 32 and 50. Around 42 miles, I was thinking about bailing at 50. Amy Costa was 4 miles ahead of me at the 50 mile turnaround, She finished only 24 seconds ahead of me at Rocky Raccoon 100. But her 50 mile times are fast - 7hrs 21 mins on a warm day. I didn't think I could catch up to her. I may have stayed in had I not googled her race times on my iPod Touch Friday night at the hotel. More importantly, It wasn't much fun running in the heat. I would have to suffer another 3 hours if I had continued. Chris (the RD) and some seasoned 100 milers switched to 50 miles in the Old Dominion 100 when it was 95 degrees out. I continued on at OD for a 100 miles. I had nothing to prove here. Plus - there was a race medal for 50 miles and it would free up plans for Saturday evening.
I decided to switch to Gatorade at the mile 44 aid station. It made me nauseous. I didn't carry enough water for the heat. I guess I expected the hourly weather forecast to be accurate. I didn't super-hydrate the day before. 16 ounces per hour was too much for the first 32 miles but too little thereafter. Something about using a 16 ounce water bottle compared to cups at a marathon -- I didn't think to drink additional fluids while at the aid station. By mile 46 I was out of fluids. I got a couple ounces of water from a 100k runner. (thanks!). I came across a plant nursery and asked for water. I filled up from a spigot. There was a sub-division fountain/pond that was tempting to soak in. Had it been right next to me, I would have jumped in. It's a mind game where heat training would have been beneficial. I don't think I was in danger of heat exhausation but I just couldn't go any faster until I saw the finish line/turnaround - then I sprinted in. Miles 46 to 50 were the toughest.
With a better forecast, I would have banked some time by running the first 50 faster and relaxing for a few hours till the sun when down. Oh well. Hindsight.
Everyone was friendly and relaxed at the finish. Had I stayed in, I don't think it would have been as much fun around midnight - there would be fewer people around. If it looked like cloud cover was coming in, I would have gone back out. Instead I am saving my legs for the 170 miler in 4 weeks.
I finished in 8hrs46minutes, only slightly slower than my best 50 mile time at the 2006 JFK50. I ran that one in 8hrs40min on hilly terrain in cold weather. At Iron Horse, I was told I came in 1st for men. (I think a couple of runners didn't finish the 100k and received medals and placing based on their 50 mile lap time) Sarah Logan finished 1st for women at 7hrs47mins. I was running a leisurely pace for a 100 so I didn't run as hard as I would for a 50. I didn't carry any caffeinated gels that I would normally use to kick in the last 25 miles. My last 50 at Luna Chicks in December was 9 hours 58 mins -- so I improved by 1min25secs per mile.
I wore both calf guards and compression shorts. I think the additional insulation caused slight blisters on my forefoot. I wore the same shoe/sock combination for two other 50 milers without compression tights and did not get blisters. I have been wearing the calf guards in marathons -- they end up caked in salt. I'm still not sure if compression shorts create extra work for the hip flexors. I had plans to change out of the compression shorts at mle 50. My left quads got stiff around 30 miles in. It was my fastest 50 and 100 miler starts. Last year, I pretty much ran even 5 hour, 25 mile splits. My best guess is that I would have finished around 18:45 if I continued. It would have been a PR (from 19:52). Amy Costa did slow down but still finished in 17hrs46mins.
You have to plan for contingencies and visualize the scenarios before the race. Chances are if you improvise, something obvious will be forgotten. Mental acuity probably diminishes with heat. For example, even though I packed an extra pair of different running shoes and blister treatment supplies --- it did not occur to me to change shoes had I decided to stay in the race. Maybe, developing checklists would be a good idea.
I enjoyed a nice runners high on the drive back and it had carried over to the next day. I feltl like those runners who suffer through marathons and decided that 1/2 marathons are more fun. I know I have said that I like 100 milers because 50 milers are tough to compete in warm temps whereas a 100 miler allows me to pass runners after sunset in cooler temps. I think I will start at the 170 miler after sunset on March 27th to avoid running 2 days in full sun. I plan on recovering for a week, training for a week, and do a no running taper in the last 2 weeks.
Monday - My left quads are sore but surprisingly not tight. My shins splints have gone away. As my massage therapist would agree, ultras and marathons are so much easier on the legs than training 3 fast miles a week. Overall, I made some mistakes, learned a few things, and had a great time.
Saturday - I wished I had to stayed in - so I would have had a good chance of making Ultrarunning Magazine's top 100 list of fastest times for 100 milers for 2008. I made it on the 2007 top 25 list of the fastest men - 24 hours.
Later, I heard that Amy ended up in the hospital with an IV. So maybe the 50 mile option was the smart choice.
temps 48 to 77 degrees , sunny after 10am, heat index -- feels like 87 degrees
50 miles - 8hrs 46 mins - avg pace 10:32.
I ran an extra marathon (#99 Breast Cancer Marathon at Jacksonville Beach) just so my 100th marathon/ultra would be a 100 miler. Last year I came into this race two weeks after pulling my left achilles at the Rocky Raccoon 100. I had cut notches in my heel tab and was ready to drop if necessary at the end of each 25 mile loop. I stayed in because I moved into 2nd place. I slowed down the least and finished in 1st place. This year I got to wear the bib #1.
I am just about recovered from a right quad atrophy that developed after the 117 mile 24 hour run in San Fran last Oct. I had lost two thirds of my right quad leg strength. A strength imbalance remains between my left and right quads. I have been training about 3 miles a week to regain my fitness. I am now about 35 seconds a mile slower than last October.. Would that matter in a 100 miler?
I was thinking of using a run/walk strategy but at the Breast Cancer marathon, the Galloway pace groups were not able to keep up with their pace leader. I was hoping that the pace groups would be successful in showing that you could finish faster by taking walk breaks. I considered slowing down to a shuffle instead of walking. Another option was to stop at each aid station for 5 minutes to stretch out or whenever my pace fell below a 10 minute mile. I ended up taking 20 seconds every mile to hydrate. My 100 mile goal was a 10:48 pace for 18 hours - it would depend on the weather.
There were familiar faces from last year's Iron Horse, Luna Chicks 50, Tallahassee 50 and Old Dominion 100. I have difficulty remembering names. Chris from Orlando is running his first 100km. A couple of the runners mentioned that when they googled for blogs about this race, my race report came up. Someone I don't know may be reading this!
The first 25 miles felt easy and relaxed at a 9:43 pace. I was going faster than I expected. I think I got my aerobic fitness is back. I was running a leisurely pace -- I didn't want my shin splints to turn into stress fractures. Going into the race, my calfs were really tight; I felt sluggish. I had to be careful since my 4 month old injury originated from running track with tight calfs. I didn't run for a week to give my calfs a rest. I ran the Breast Cancer 2 weeks ago at the same pace for the first 26 miles but this felt a lot easier. If a week off is good, maybe two weeks off would be better. Since Dec. 1st, I've run 12 races, including this one: 3 x 50 milers, 5 x full marathons, 1 x half marathon, 3 x 5k races. That averages about 22 miles in a week in racing on top of 3 miles a week in training. Marathon pace has improved from 12:44 to 8:25; 5k pace has improved from 8:22 to 7:26. I am still trying to figure out the best combination of racing, recovery, training and tapering. I have had very little time to do lower body weight training. I've noticed my quads lose about 30 percent strength on the leg press the day after a marathon. In 4 or 5 days, the strength comes back, but it is too late to do weights because the next race is 2 days away.
The sun came out in full force sooner than was forecasted. I wasn't prepared. I was miserable between miles 32 and 50. Around 42 miles, I was thinking about bailing at 50. Amy Costa was 4 miles ahead of me at the 50 mile turnaround, She finished only 24 seconds ahead of me at Rocky Raccoon 100. But her 50 mile times are fast - 7hrs 21 mins on a warm day. I didn't think I could catch up to her. I may have stayed in had I not googled her race times on my iPod Touch Friday night at the hotel. More importantly, It wasn't much fun running in the heat. I would have to suffer another 3 hours if I had continued. Chris (the RD) and some seasoned 100 milers switched to 50 miles in the Old Dominion 100 when it was 95 degrees out. I continued on at OD for a 100 miles. I had nothing to prove here. Plus - there was a race medal for 50 miles and it would free up plans for Saturday evening.
I decided to switch to Gatorade at the mile 44 aid station. It made me nauseous. I didn't carry enough water for the heat. I guess I expected the hourly weather forecast to be accurate. I didn't super-hydrate the day before. 16 ounces per hour was too much for the first 32 miles but too little thereafter. Something about using a 16 ounce water bottle compared to cups at a marathon -- I didn't think to drink additional fluids while at the aid station. By mile 46 I was out of fluids. I got a couple ounces of water from a 100k runner. (thanks!). I came across a plant nursery and asked for water. I filled up from a spigot. There was a sub-division fountain/pond that was tempting to soak in. Had it been right next to me, I would have jumped in. It's a mind game where heat training would have been beneficial. I don't think I was in danger of heat exhausation but I just couldn't go any faster until I saw the finish line/turnaround - then I sprinted in. Miles 46 to 50 were the toughest.
With a better forecast, I would have banked some time by running the first 50 faster and relaxing for a few hours till the sun when down. Oh well. Hindsight.
Everyone was friendly and relaxed at the finish. Had I stayed in, I don't think it would have been as much fun around midnight - there would be fewer people around. If it looked like cloud cover was coming in, I would have gone back out. Instead I am saving my legs for the 170 miler in 4 weeks.
I finished in 8hrs46minutes, only slightly slower than my best 50 mile time at the 2006 JFK50. I ran that one in 8hrs40min on hilly terrain in cold weather. At Iron Horse, I was told I came in 1st for men. (I think a couple of runners didn't finish the 100k and received medals and placing based on their 50 mile lap time) Sarah Logan finished 1st for women at 7hrs47mins. I was running a leisurely pace for a 100 so I didn't run as hard as I would for a 50. I didn't carry any caffeinated gels that I would normally use to kick in the last 25 miles. My last 50 at Luna Chicks in December was 9 hours 58 mins -- so I improved by 1min25secs per mile.
I wore both calf guards and compression shorts. I think the additional insulation caused slight blisters on my forefoot. I wore the same shoe/sock combination for two other 50 milers without compression tights and did not get blisters. I have been wearing the calf guards in marathons -- they end up caked in salt. I'm still not sure if compression shorts create extra work for the hip flexors. I had plans to change out of the compression shorts at mle 50. My left quads got stiff around 30 miles in. It was my fastest 50 and 100 miler starts. Last year, I pretty much ran even 5 hour, 25 mile splits. My best guess is that I would have finished around 18:45 if I continued. It would have been a PR (from 19:52). Amy Costa did slow down but still finished in 17hrs46mins.
You have to plan for contingencies and visualize the scenarios before the race. Chances are if you improvise, something obvious will be forgotten. Mental acuity probably diminishes with heat. For example, even though I packed an extra pair of different running shoes and blister treatment supplies --- it did not occur to me to change shoes had I decided to stay in the race. Maybe, developing checklists would be a good idea.
I enjoyed a nice runners high on the drive back and it had carried over to the next day. I feltl like those runners who suffer through marathons and decided that 1/2 marathons are more fun. I know I have said that I like 100 milers because 50 milers are tough to compete in warm temps whereas a 100 miler allows me to pass runners after sunset in cooler temps. I think I will start at the 170 miler after sunset on March 27th to avoid running 2 days in full sun. I plan on recovering for a week, training for a week, and do a no running taper in the last 2 weeks.
Monday - My left quads are sore but surprisingly not tight. My shins splints have gone away. As my massage therapist would agree, ultras and marathons are so much easier on the legs than training 3 fast miles a week. Overall, I made some mistakes, learned a few things, and had a great time.
Saturday - I wished I had to stayed in - so I would have had a good chance of making Ultrarunning Magazine's top 100 list of fastest times for 100 milers for 2008. I made it on the 2007 top 25 list of the fastest men - 24 hours.
Later, I heard that Amy ended up in the hospital with an IV. So maybe the 50 mile option was the smart choice.
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