Dec. 30th New Port Richey
temps 69 to 81, heat index 83, humidity 84% to 56%, more sun than clouds
I worked out my atrophied quads over the Christmas break by walking up and down the stairs of my brother's 2 story house. It felt more controlled toward the end of the week. I happily confirmed this at the Y where I could push 12 more lbs on the leg extension machine. My healthy, overused left leg has become stronger than before my injury. Since both legs are getting stronger -- they remain unbalanced. On Thursday, I ran my first training run in 10 weeks and finished the last 1/2 mile at a 8:35 pace.
Each week I am making some progress as my rights quads get stronger and I learn how to control them.
10/20 15:00 pace - San Fran 24 hr after injury (last 26 miles)
10/29 13:25 pace - USMC marathon
12/01 12:44 pace - OUC 1/2 marathon
12/08 12:00 pace - Tallahassee 50 miler - (1st 26 miles)
12/16 10:46 pace - Jacksonville marathon
12/30 10:32 pace - Luna Chicks 50 miler (1st 26 miles)
The pre-race lunch/dinner for the 50 miler consisted of low fiber, mostly junk foods: waffles, ramen noodles, instant mashed potatoes, eggs and grapefruit juice. I woke up at 2:15am and drove to New Port Richey for a 5am start I saw Jim and Sue from Orlando and recognized some runners from last year.
The course consists of 5 loops of out-and-back on a flat, sandy trail. It is not a fast course. I happened to trip over the same tree root twice. There were some long sections with no shade. My first goal was to beat my Jacksonville marathon time in the 1st 26.2 miles. I got there in 4hrs 36 min -- 14 seconds/mile faster than 2 weeks ago.
With the increasing heat, my strategy was to bank the miles. My 10 mile splits were 1:43, 1:43, 1:56, 2:14, 2:22. It got hotter and I naturally slowed down. Also my uninjured leg was getting tired from overuse. Jim told me I was limping again by the 3rd lap. The last 3 laps were not much fun in the heat. The slowdown was somewhat mental. My brain commanded my legs to slow down in th heat. When I had ice cold water pored down my back, I was able run 1 minute a mile faster for 20 minutes. The heat has given me 2nd thoughts about entering Badwater. Does anyone actually enjoy running in 120 degrees with no shade?
I didn't really plan my nutritiion as this is a short race, So my blood sugar bounced around -- I ate a lot at mile 25. I drank when I was thirsty and eat potato chips when I craved salt. I drank about 20 ounces an hour. I peed regularly so dehydration was not an issue. I didn't take any electrolytes. My weight dropped by 5 lbs the next morning. Yeah - I need to drop a few pounds before Disney. By not taking electrolytes in the heat, I don't have the residual fluid retention that I have had running ultras.
I finish in 9 hours 58 minutes (avg 11:58 pace) - 31 minutes faster than the 12/8 Tallahassee 50 miler. I came in 3rd place.
Next year, the race will start in the afternoon and go into the night. I've lost interest in 50 milers but I'll do this one again - because it's a small, friendly race and the race organizers, who are veterinary nurses, treated me as a regular. The race fees benefits a animal rescue group.
For 2007, I ran 8 marathon and 8 ultras - totaling 842 miles.
1st place at the Ironhorse 100
2nd place at the San Fran 24 hour run
3rd place at the Luna Chick 50 miler
5th place at the Old Dominion Memorial 100
My best guess for training miles is 160 miles for the year and about 771 miles of social running (11, 12 min miles).
I got an email today from the race director of the Iron Horse 100. He says I get a free entry into the 2008 race since I won it last year. How cool is that!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Jacksonville Marathon (Dec. 16, 2007)
temps 67 to 60, overcast, sunny, 93% to 53% humidity
The forecast was for rain/thunder for the 1st 2 hours. Fortunately, by race start it didn't look like it was going to rain. It wasn't ideal weather but it was pretty decent running conditions.
I think the 50 mile run last weekend taught my legs a more efficient stride. On Saturday, I was still at 60% normal strength in the right quad but it felt easier to flex my right knee. This gave me confidence that I could break 5 hours.
I started out at a 12:30 pace and sped up to as fast as a 9:40 pace. I got to the half at 2:20 but at mile 16, my right calf felt like it was ready to spasm. I slowed down a little and finished in 4:42. I ran this race in 3:37 last year. I don't think I could have gonna any faster because my weakened quad was fatigueing and the calf was taking over.
While I still limped, my stride is getting longer.
My average pace was 10:46:
2 minutes a mile faster than the OUC Half two weeks ago.
74 seconds a mile faster than the 1st 26 miles of last weekend's 50 miler.
I had a good race and a good day. I enjoyed the company driving to the race, celebrating with wine in the parking lot and lunch with our Track Shack runners.
The forecast was for rain/thunder for the 1st 2 hours. Fortunately, by race start it didn't look like it was going to rain. It wasn't ideal weather but it was pretty decent running conditions.
I think the 50 mile run last weekend taught my legs a more efficient stride. On Saturday, I was still at 60% normal strength in the right quad but it felt easier to flex my right knee. This gave me confidence that I could break 5 hours.
I started out at a 12:30 pace and sped up to as fast as a 9:40 pace. I got to the half at 2:20 but at mile 16, my right calf felt like it was ready to spasm. I slowed down a little and finished in 4:42. I ran this race in 3:37 last year. I don't think I could have gonna any faster because my weakened quad was fatigueing and the calf was taking over.
While I still limped, my stride is getting longer.
My average pace was 10:46:
2 minutes a mile faster than the OUC Half two weeks ago.
74 seconds a mile faster than the 1st 26 miles of last weekend's 50 miler.
I had a good race and a good day. I enjoyed the company driving to the race, celebrating with wine in the parking lot and lunch with our Track Shack runners.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tallahassee Ultradistance Classic 50 miler (Dec. 8, 2007)
Temps 51 to 78, some sun, humid.
I gained 12 lbs since my injury in October. My right quad had atrophied after I decided to stay in the San Fran 24 hour race despite the shutdown of my right leg 94 miles in. I stuck it out for another 23 miles to earn 2nd place when it would have been wise to quit.(it was supposed to be a training run for the 48 hour event but my competitiveness kicked in) The trigger was a calf strain from running a 6:16 mile PR 4 days before. But the cumulative trauma of running a 3:25 marathon PR on a quad burning downhill course with tight calfs and shins in St George followed by a 4:04 marathon the next day in Chicago in 88 degree heat, probably left me with few healthy muscle fibers in reserve. I ran 2 100 milers in 2 weeks in Feburary, coming in 1st place in the 2nd 100 miler --- so high race mileage in itself wasn't the culprit.
If you do the same thing all the time, you won't learn anything - either from you successes or failures. You really don't know what's going to happen unless you try whether intentionally or from a arbitrarily packed schedule.
Some of that weight gain is from eating more carbs - oatmeal, brown rice and gluten free bread. It all becomes bodyfat if you don't use it.
Since my injury, I've made attempts to run 100 meters to see how my recovery is coming along. I limped my way through the OUC 1/2 marathon last week. My healthy leg buckled, perhaps to give the injured leg more time to stride.
As I have gotten defensive about running while injured (RWI?), I was very quiet about signing up for this 50 miler. Only 3 people knew. There was a 50k option, but if I am going to drive 4 1/2 hours, I may as well run 50 miles. The prevailing wisdom is to wait till I am back to 100% strength before going though the process of learning to run again. It generally takes about 4 months to run with a normal gait. Then I would still need more months to work on recovering my speed and endurance.
My immediate concern is weight gain, the lost of cardiovascular fitness as well as running specific muscular fitness. I already missed the 48 hour race. I still wanted to finish the year with 8 marathons and 8 ultras totaling 842 miles for 2007, about 340 miles further than last year. My original goal was to double my race mileage to 1000 miles.
This is my 2nd run since October -- so I have lost much of my aerobic fitness. Since this was an easy run with no time goal other than making the 10 hour cutoff at mile 48, I did not follow any particular nutrition plan. As an easy run, I didn't bother to get my hips aligned by my chiropractor.These shorter distances are more of a challenge in patience.
My physical therapist emailed me last week and suggested that I shouldn't run until I am back at full strength. I was up to 60% last week up from 30%. I should be getting close enough to sufficient strength for a normal gait. She is right, that I would run the risk of developing overuse injuries on the good leg. My good leg and lower back have been getting tight.
I need to email her back my compromise. Except for a few races (1/2, 2 fulls, 2 50s, 1 100), I am giving my right quads 5 months to regain its strength. I won't be running for 5 months but I will be crosstraining at the gym.
On Thurs, I asked Ruth to observe me while I attempted to run 20-30 feet. She came up with a great idea. Instead of trying to make the injured leg run like the uninjured leg, I should try to mimic the injured leg. I was running with a horrible gait that I developed to take the load off the injured leg even though the injured leg is now stronger. I needed to learn to incorporate the new strength into my gait.
I tried speeding up my heathly leg and not bending as much. It worked! My gait was much more balanced and I could go faster. I acquired new confidence about running a good 50 miler. Thanks Ruth!
In 50 miles. I will plenty of time to work on running form. When I started, a fast walker, asked me whether my limp is something that worked itself out during the first few miles. By mile 12, I was running with a decent form. The volunteers said I was running with a better gait toward the end of the race.
I passed the marathon mark around 5:15 averaging a 12:00 pace. It was 44 seconds per mile faster than my time at the OUC 1/2 last week. It was 85 seconds per mile faster than my Marine Corps time - one week after my injury. But it is still 53% slower than my best marathon.
It was hot and humid by noon and I started running slower. My forearms were encrusted in salt.
I needed to make the cutoff -- I had to be at the 48 mile mark in 10 hours. I starting getting nervous around 8 and 1/2 hours. I hyperventilated. I wasn't totally sure that the mileage on my GPS was exact. I ran a little harder and made the cutoff in 9:59:33. A good 27 seconds early.
After making the 48 mile cutoff, I lost all motivation and finished the 50 miler leisurely. I apologized to the timekeeper for taking an extra 2 minutes. I finished in 10hrs 29mins. averaging a 12:35 pace.
The race fee was only $35 including a t-shirt and a plaque - the best value for marathons and ultras. The volunteers and runners were friendly. I would do this one again despite the short distance. When my legs are healthy, I would still be too slow to place well at this distance.
This is my 7th ultra this year with an average distance of 83 miles. One more to go.
I gained 12 lbs since my injury in October. My right quad had atrophied after I decided to stay in the San Fran 24 hour race despite the shutdown of my right leg 94 miles in. I stuck it out for another 23 miles to earn 2nd place when it would have been wise to quit.(it was supposed to be a training run for the 48 hour event but my competitiveness kicked in) The trigger was a calf strain from running a 6:16 mile PR 4 days before. But the cumulative trauma of running a 3:25 marathon PR on a quad burning downhill course with tight calfs and shins in St George followed by a 4:04 marathon the next day in Chicago in 88 degree heat, probably left me with few healthy muscle fibers in reserve. I ran 2 100 milers in 2 weeks in Feburary, coming in 1st place in the 2nd 100 miler --- so high race mileage in itself wasn't the culprit.
If you do the same thing all the time, you won't learn anything - either from you successes or failures. You really don't know what's going to happen unless you try whether intentionally or from a arbitrarily packed schedule.
Some of that weight gain is from eating more carbs - oatmeal, brown rice and gluten free bread. It all becomes bodyfat if you don't use it.
Since my injury, I've made attempts to run 100 meters to see how my recovery is coming along. I limped my way through the OUC 1/2 marathon last week. My healthy leg buckled, perhaps to give the injured leg more time to stride.
As I have gotten defensive about running while injured (RWI?), I was very quiet about signing up for this 50 miler. Only 3 people knew. There was a 50k option, but if I am going to drive 4 1/2 hours, I may as well run 50 miles. The prevailing wisdom is to wait till I am back to 100% strength before going though the process of learning to run again. It generally takes about 4 months to run with a normal gait. Then I would still need more months to work on recovering my speed and endurance.
My immediate concern is weight gain, the lost of cardiovascular fitness as well as running specific muscular fitness. I already missed the 48 hour race. I still wanted to finish the year with 8 marathons and 8 ultras totaling 842 miles for 2007, about 340 miles further than last year. My original goal was to double my race mileage to 1000 miles.
This is my 2nd run since October -- so I have lost much of my aerobic fitness. Since this was an easy run with no time goal other than making the 10 hour cutoff at mile 48, I did not follow any particular nutrition plan. As an easy run, I didn't bother to get my hips aligned by my chiropractor.These shorter distances are more of a challenge in patience.
My physical therapist emailed me last week and suggested that I shouldn't run until I am back at full strength. I was up to 60% last week up from 30%. I should be getting close enough to sufficient strength for a normal gait. She is right, that I would run the risk of developing overuse injuries on the good leg. My good leg and lower back have been getting tight.
I need to email her back my compromise. Except for a few races (1/2, 2 fulls, 2 50s, 1 100), I am giving my right quads 5 months to regain its strength. I won't be running for 5 months but I will be crosstraining at the gym.
On Thurs, I asked Ruth to observe me while I attempted to run 20-30 feet. She came up with a great idea. Instead of trying to make the injured leg run like the uninjured leg, I should try to mimic the injured leg. I was running with a horrible gait that I developed to take the load off the injured leg even though the injured leg is now stronger. I needed to learn to incorporate the new strength into my gait.
I tried speeding up my heathly leg and not bending as much. It worked! My gait was much more balanced and I could go faster. I acquired new confidence about running a good 50 miler. Thanks Ruth!
In 50 miles. I will plenty of time to work on running form. When I started, a fast walker, asked me whether my limp is something that worked itself out during the first few miles. By mile 12, I was running with a decent form. The volunteers said I was running with a better gait toward the end of the race.
I passed the marathon mark around 5:15 averaging a 12:00 pace. It was 44 seconds per mile faster than my time at the OUC 1/2 last week. It was 85 seconds per mile faster than my Marine Corps time - one week after my injury. But it is still 53% slower than my best marathon.
It was hot and humid by noon and I started running slower. My forearms were encrusted in salt.
I needed to make the cutoff -- I had to be at the 48 mile mark in 10 hours. I starting getting nervous around 8 and 1/2 hours. I hyperventilated. I wasn't totally sure that the mileage on my GPS was exact. I ran a little harder and made the cutoff in 9:59:33. A good 27 seconds early.
After making the 48 mile cutoff, I lost all motivation and finished the 50 miler leisurely. I apologized to the timekeeper for taking an extra 2 minutes. I finished in 10hrs 29mins. averaging a 12:35 pace.
The race fee was only $35 including a t-shirt and a plaque - the best value for marathons and ultras. The volunteers and runners were friendly. I would do this one again despite the short distance. When my legs are healthy, I would still be too slow to place well at this distance.
This is my 7th ultra this year with an average distance of 83 miles. One more to go.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Marine Corps Marathon (Oct. 28th, 2007)
Sunday Oct. 28th Washington DC
temps 56 to 60 degrees, winds 21mph
I had troubling recovering from a right strained calf and compensating muscles injuries. I went up to DC anyway without committing to run the Marine Corps Marathon. I didn't take any painkillers all week.
We followed the signs for RFK Stadium and drove past several do not enter signs and arrived at packet pickup rather quickly. At the pasta tent, I met a few runners from Dean's blog. It seems that MCM is always short on safely pins for the bib. I circled back to get some.
By Saturday night I was finally able to walk using both legs. I decided to go to the race. I got up at 5:20am race morning and noticed that I pinned my number on the back side of the shorts instead of the front. In earlier races, I had on my shorts on backwards. We left 25 minutes late and arrived at the 5:00 hour pace sign 5 minutes before the race start. Jim and the Orlando runners spotted me. As I jogged across the start line, I knew immediately that I was limping and dragging my right leg. I should have stopped. I kept going and patiently waited out the miles to pass for what I expected to be a six hour marathon. I didn't wear a watch and there was no clock at the start but I couldn't help re-forecasting my finish time whenever the official time was announced. I proceeded slowly and steadily.
The weather was near perfect for my pace. I haven't run in the back of the pack in several years. It used to be more fun. But a lot of runners are using IPods and zoning out. Some guy ran with a cow bell; I found that extremely annoying but could only run at one speed. Also, runners in the back would take walk breaks together in packs of 2, 3 or 4 across. It was a pain to weave around them.
Some power walkers passed me while I was running. I tried walking too but couldn't keep up with the walkers. So I ran again.
I didn't see many characters on the course. I saw Super Girl and a Bee. In previous years, I saw Jesus and the jump rope guy.
I wore the Northface Endurance Challenge t-shirt with Dean's quote on the back about never quitting and crawling to the finish if you have to. That got some favorable comments from several runners.
6 hours is a long time and past my lunch hour. I happily partook offerings from spectators - including sugar wafers, cheese crackers and mini bagels. I had money for pizza but wanted to make the 14th St Bridge cutoff first.
Being in the back, I saw some of the early water tables being swamped. I felt my foot slipping on a banana peel and saw colorfuly squished Jelly Bellies on the asphalt.
I sprinted up the hill to the finish dodging a bunch of walkers and finished in 5hrs 51 minutes. It was my slowest marathon. In some ways, it's kind of boring since I was not exploring a new distance or place. The most interesting part of my weekend was spending time with friends and family. I averaged a 13:25 pace. My pace in the last 26 miles of my 117 miler last week was at a 15:00 pace. So I guess I am making progress recovering.
The wait for the Metro was over 90 minutes. I limped across the Key Bridge and met a friend for coffee and compared notes on the marathon. He ran with the mayor of DC and started at the front; at the VIP stand, he could see the finishers come in. We got some stares at Starbucks when we took our off shoes - I had my toesocks on; he had a blister.
This year's Marine Corps medal is twice the size and weight of medals in previous years. I whacked myself on the head with it while taking it off to show my sister. I found a small cut on my eyebrow from the sharp point of naval anchor on the medal.
btw-It's interesting that the website reports the runners body weight as well as the splits.
temps 56 to 60 degrees, winds 21mph
I had troubling recovering from a right strained calf and compensating muscles injuries. I went up to DC anyway without committing to run the Marine Corps Marathon. I didn't take any painkillers all week.
We followed the signs for RFK Stadium and drove past several do not enter signs and arrived at packet pickup rather quickly. At the pasta tent, I met a few runners from Dean's blog. It seems that MCM is always short on safely pins for the bib. I circled back to get some.
By Saturday night I was finally able to walk using both legs. I decided to go to the race. I got up at 5:20am race morning and noticed that I pinned my number on the back side of the shorts instead of the front. In earlier races, I had on my shorts on backwards. We left 25 minutes late and arrived at the 5:00 hour pace sign 5 minutes before the race start. Jim and the Orlando runners spotted me. As I jogged across the start line, I knew immediately that I was limping and dragging my right leg. I should have stopped. I kept going and patiently waited out the miles to pass for what I expected to be a six hour marathon. I didn't wear a watch and there was no clock at the start but I couldn't help re-forecasting my finish time whenever the official time was announced. I proceeded slowly and steadily.
The weather was near perfect for my pace. I haven't run in the back of the pack in several years. It used to be more fun. But a lot of runners are using IPods and zoning out. Some guy ran with a cow bell; I found that extremely annoying but could only run at one speed. Also, runners in the back would take walk breaks together in packs of 2, 3 or 4 across. It was a pain to weave around them.
Some power walkers passed me while I was running. I tried walking too but couldn't keep up with the walkers. So I ran again.
I didn't see many characters on the course. I saw Super Girl and a Bee. In previous years, I saw Jesus and the jump rope guy.
I wore the Northface Endurance Challenge t-shirt with Dean's quote on the back about never quitting and crawling to the finish if you have to. That got some favorable comments from several runners.
6 hours is a long time and past my lunch hour. I happily partook offerings from spectators - including sugar wafers, cheese crackers and mini bagels. I had money for pizza but wanted to make the 14th St Bridge cutoff first.
Being in the back, I saw some of the early water tables being swamped. I felt my foot slipping on a banana peel and saw colorfuly squished Jelly Bellies on the asphalt.
I sprinted up the hill to the finish dodging a bunch of walkers and finished in 5hrs 51 minutes. It was my slowest marathon. In some ways, it's kind of boring since I was not exploring a new distance or place. The most interesting part of my weekend was spending time with friends and family. I averaged a 13:25 pace. My pace in the last 26 miles of my 117 miler last week was at a 15:00 pace. So I guess I am making progress recovering.
The wait for the Metro was over 90 minutes. I limped across the Key Bridge and met a friend for coffee and compared notes on the marathon. He ran with the mayor of DC and started at the front; at the VIP stand, he could see the finishers come in. We got some stares at Starbucks when we took our off shoes - I had my toesocks on; he had a blister.
This year's Marine Corps medal is twice the size and weight of medals in previous years. I whacked myself on the head with it while taking it off to show my sister. I found a small cut on my eyebrow from the sharp point of naval anchor on the medal.
btw-It's interesting that the website reports the runners body weight as well as the splits.
San Francisco One Day Run (Oct. 20th, 2007)
Oct. 20th- 21st. San Francisco One Day Run - temps 57 to 60, winds 11mph - results 2nd place finish with 117 miles in 23 hours 43 minutes averaging 12:10 pace.
I started running 100 miles in races this year. I wasn't tired at the finishes so I searched for longer races. I started a 170 mile race across Florida but DNFed in the 90 degree heat. I signed up for a 24 hour run in San Fran to be followed by a 48 hour run in Nov. I considered but was intimidated by the 72 hour Across the Years run. Maybe 2008. I place better at the longer distances - 39th, 1st, 5th and now 2nd.
Going into this race, I was optimistic about running a good race. In the past couple of weeks, I had a marathon PR, 2 mile PR and 1 mile PR. I am at my lowest running weight ever. I expected to have a new 100 mile PR -- my best one was 19hrs52mins. I got that one 2 weeks after a tough 100 miler where I pulled my Achilles tripping over a tree root. 24 hours will be my longest time running; My longest time running previiously is 22hrs43minutes. With a later start and the time change, I would be awake beyond noon East Coast time. I had a good recovery from 2 marathons over one weekend two weeks ago. But my calves have been aching, particularly the right one. Having lost a couple of lbs from the double marathon, I decided to run a 2 mile and 1 mile PR last week. I realize now that it was a dumb idea to do a time trial several days before the 24 hour run. I thought since I would be going slow that it wouldn't matter.
I stayed with a friend about a mile and half from the course. I had salmon and some wine at dinner and ice cream for dessert. We went to meet his female friend at a bar. I have forgotten that the level of conversation is more interesting in a city - although it might be I am just talking to intense individuals. I had a beer and went to sleep at around 2am East Coast time.
The race starts at 9am Sat. It was a long walk to the start; I was weighed down with an extra pair of runnnings shoes, sports drink mix, Red Bull, headlamps, batteries, socks, blister repair, extra layers of clothing etc. Most runners arrived by car and packed coolers and chairs. Some had a support crew.
My smallest goal was to run at least 101 miles. I was certain I could do 112 and likely to do 120. I had plan to take stretch breaks but did not. I looked at the race results last year and figured I could place somewhere in the top 5. During the race, I learned that this year's race drew faster runners. As a road runner trained on flats, I figured I had some advantage over stronger trail runners whose legs would tire on pavement.
The course is a 1.0179 mile loop. The race was sold out. There were 50 24 hour runners and 50 12 hour runners. I didn't know what pace to run - so to easily keep track of the laps, I aimed for 3 laps every 30 minutes. Then I would stop for get fluids. It would be like running 48 5ks. I kept a slower pace and didn't take any walk breaks until after the 1st 50 laps.
16 runners had laps faster than my fastest lap. So I was plodding along. Slow and steady. Most runners had their fastest lap in the 1st 10 laps or the last lap. My fastest lap was at lap 54 when I ran at the 9:04 pace. The fast guys seemed unusually tall. Akos ran past me 18 times. He was wearing a shirt with flames on it. I thought there were 2 runners with the same team shirt. I realize now there was only one whizzing by 18 times. I thought he was running the 24 hour but it turned out he was in the 12 hour race. He finished 83 miles in 12 hours.
The course is scenic; there was the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, seals and birds. Kites were being flown. There was a good number of casual runners milling about. I was people watching for the first 8 hours. There were also a large number of large dogs, particularly doodles. JDRF had a Walk to Cure Diabetes event. It took some dexterity to dodge small children. After the crowds diminished, I got bored and decided to play my podcasts. My headphones kept falling off my ears. I never tried running with them. I gave up on having something to listen to.
I asked myself why I was doing this. The original plan was to run a few laps, go to dim sum and winetasting and dinner, come back at 9pm and run for 12 more hours. The purpose was to see how I would do staying up for 30 hours as preparation for the 48 hour run next month. But my friends could not schedule it in (:
I ran the first 50 miles without walking and eating food. I didn't know when I would have trouble with my calves so I had to keep going when the going is good. I tested Hammer Perpetuem for the first time. It has some protein in the mix. I was using one scoop with 8 ounces of water every 3 laps. It started backing up in my stomach. So I alternated it with sports drink that was available at the aid station. I read that the body can absorb only about 16 ounces of fluid per hour -- so I drank that amount. I figured more would just upset my stomach and would not help with dehydration. I saw a runner throwing up and several runners lying on the ground. I heard one runner felt so bad that he was crying. At each race, you learn what works and doesn't. Unfortunately things may crop up in ultras that do not crop up in marathons - blisters for example.
The race had a Webcast and allowed runners to receive messages. Cathy sent me several messages. They printed it out and handed to me. That was cool. But it meant I was being tracked and need to keep moving! The volunteers and the race director did a great job; most of the runners were friendly. Some of the runners had headsets on and were zoned out.
For every lap, there was a headwind going out to the first halfway point. On the way back, there was no wind and I got hot and sweaty. Going out again, I felt hypothermic from both the normal windchill effect and the sweat being quickly evaporated. I did this 115 times. Maybe the solution is to wear take a long sleeve shirt on and off every 1/2 lap. Does anyone know if Coolmax requires physical contact with the skin to get the wicking effect? Do I need a form fitting Spandex shirt? Once the sun set, it felt cooler and running was easier. Was there a reason the course wasn't run in a counterclockwise direction - so that there would be a tailwind?
The batteries on my Garmin GPS watch are good for about 11 hours. I googled the web and found a way to charge the Garmin. I bought a mini-USB cell phone charger that runs off 2 AA batteries. I strapped it onto my arm and plugged into the Garmin. It fell off several times until I figured out how to secure it. Next time I wll use a strip of Velcro on the charger. The Garmin was fully charged in a few hours and good to go.
Around 11 hours into the race, I saw my name on the top 5 list. The race got interesting again. I started asking any runner that passed me who they were and what place they were in.
The moon was out so I didn't use my headlamp. I kept running off the course right near the chip mat because of a bright light shining from across the street took away my night vision. I finally put on a headlamp. I felt that the extra weight on my head would affect running form.
Around 12 hours - just past 65 miles, I stopped the Perpeteum and switched to Red Bull. I drank 4 cans over 4 hours (only 320mg caffeine). I also starting taking Advil - one per hour.
I hit the wall at lap 87 (@16.5 hours) and stopped to eat. I think the sugar content from the Red Bull caused my blood sugar to drop. The grilled cheese and pepperoni pizza was yummy. I didn't have any trouble staying awake even though I didn't have any caffeine between 1am and 5am.
I kept retieing my shoelaces because they felt too tight, too loose or rocks fell into the shoe. I brought gaiters but forgot how to lace them with shoelaces. I must of stopped a dozen times. After a 5 minute break to eat, my left shoe felt tighter.I thought my foot swelled from standing around. When I got home Monday, I discovered my left ankle was swollen. I took too many electrolyte capsules. I took one Succeed per hour for the first 16 hours (5456mg sodium) and 3 Power Gels (600mg sodium). I gained one lb when I should have lost 5lbs due to glycogen depletion and several pounds of bodyfat burned. Between Tues and Thurs, I peed out 6 lbs of water weight. In cooler temps, perhaps one Succeed is enough every 2 hours and only if there is no other electrolyte gels or salty foods. Since only the left ankle was really swollen, I wonder if the ankle strap for the transponder chip, impeded circulation even though it was not on that tight. Since I didn't take Advil until 12 hours into the race, I don't think it caused the water retention. I wonder how the water retention affected my running performance?
I talked to Jon Olson when he passed me. He was in first place. He had set a course record in the 2007 Rio del Lago 100 miler (15:32).. At lap 90, he was in the lead and 16 laps ahead of me. He had already passed the 100 mile mark in 15:30. I told him I would not be able to catch him even if he stopped and walked. It turns out that his quads had seized up. He stopped at 109 laps and took a nap; he did not get back into the race.
At lap 92, I asked Jon if he knew the #2 guy. Kermit, #2, came walking up. I was one lap behind him. Kermit Cuff won the 2007 Headlands 100 (20:57). He has run a marathon in 2:55.
Past lap 98, I hit the 100 mile mark setting a PR at 19 hours 16 minutes avg 11:34 pace.
Around this time, my run was reduced to a 4mph shuffle. My right calve issue that I had all week caught up to me. I took a total 19 Advil (3800 mg) and 2 Tylenol (1000mg). That's an unsafe dosage of Advil -- I asked around for Tylenol but most runners and the aid station carried Advil. It did not work anyway. I figured since I don't use any painkillers between races, my kidneys had time to recuperate. I wonder if the water retention prevented the Advil from working its anti-inflammatory effects. How is a strained calve able to go 95 miles before falling apart?
Both Kermit and I kept moving and moved up to 1st and 2nd. We expected Jon to wake up any minute and start running again. Kermit kept racking up the miles even when he was clearly going to win. He ran another 29 miles while I shuffled along for 21 miles.
A 24 hour race is harder mentally than a 100 miler. If you run 50 miles in 8 hours, you know you are halfway there. But in a 24 hour, at 8 hours the race hasn't really begun. Some of the runners also found running for a fixed time period more difficult.
I started taking caffeinated gels one per hour in the last 4 hours of the race (5am-9am). The Nike Women's Marathon overlapped our course for 1/2 mile. It started at 7am, though there were some early 5am starters. At 8am, somehow I was able to pick up the pace and ran among the Nike Women's marathoners. With 17 minutes left on the clock, I wanted to do one more lap but I developed a spasm every time I tried to run in the right calf muscle right below the knee. I had time for 118 miles but had to satisfied with 117.
Kermit won with 124 laps (126 miles). He ran his lap at the 6:54 pace!! Even though he said it was hard, he looked fresh.
At the finish, a woman told me she had text messaged a guy who ran the Old Dominion 100 and remembered me from that race. Small world.
After the award ceremony, I started asking around for a ride. I could barely move. It took a while to shuffle to the parking lot; It probably would have taken me a couple of hours to walk the 1.5 miles back to my friend's apartment. I saw Andrew, who walked with me between 7 and 8am, and asked him for a ride. Thank you Andrew. I should pack a walking stick or cane next time. Can I use it in a race? Walking sticks are explicited forbidden at Badwater.
I napped for a few hours and went to meet runners from Orlando who had run the Women's marathon, for dinner. Then I took the subway to the airport to catch a 11:30pm flight out. SFO now has a Clear Card lane for an expedited security checkpoint. The iris scan works a lot better than fingerprints. My fingerprints fade with dry skin, particular out West. There was no one in the Clear line and FlyClear did not maintain a separate line; it felt awkward to cut in front of a 100+ passengers who were waiting in one line. I got into Atlanta at 7am and asked to go standby on the 8:30am. Delta charges $50 to go standby so I declined. My scheduled flight was oversold and late -- Delta had to compensate passengers who did not get seats. If Delta had let me get on an earlier flight, there would have been one less seat to provide $400 in travel vouchers and meal vouchers. I sent Delta an email suggesting that free unconfirmed standby be brought back.
I had a massage on Tuesday. The left ankle is pretty swollen with no apparent muscle issues. Perhaps it did extra work when the right leg gave out or maybe the ankle strap holding the timing chip caused the swelling. My lower back was the most painful part of the massage. Those muscles pulled on my IT band. I suspect leaning into the headwind caused the back issues. The calves are still achy and I am limping around. This will be the first week when I will not be running this year. I am used doing the crab walk with beat up quads but I don't know how long this recovery will take or if am really injured. Marine Corps is coming up this weekend. I first have to be able to walk again before deciding if I will run it. During than 24 hour run, I had thought about skipping the 48 hour run in Dallas. But since I wasn't really tired from the 24 hour run - I will go forward with my plans to tackle the 48 hour run. My current strategy is to run until I can't run anymore or if I have to go to sleep. Take a nap and walk the rest of the time.
I'd do this race again if Kermit Cuff, Jon Olson and Rob Byrne will come back next year. I could tack on another 21 miles of the Nike Women's marathon; I heard there's chocolate at the marathon aid stations. LOL. This is my 1st year running 100 miles or more; I am still learning.
I started running 100 miles in races this year. I wasn't tired at the finishes so I searched for longer races. I started a 170 mile race across Florida but DNFed in the 90 degree heat. I signed up for a 24 hour run in San Fran to be followed by a 48 hour run in Nov. I considered but was intimidated by the 72 hour Across the Years run. Maybe 2008. I place better at the longer distances - 39th, 1st, 5th and now 2nd.
Going into this race, I was optimistic about running a good race. In the past couple of weeks, I had a marathon PR, 2 mile PR and 1 mile PR. I am at my lowest running weight ever. I expected to have a new 100 mile PR -- my best one was 19hrs52mins. I got that one 2 weeks after a tough 100 miler where I pulled my Achilles tripping over a tree root. 24 hours will be my longest time running; My longest time running previiously is 22hrs43minutes. With a later start and the time change, I would be awake beyond noon East Coast time. I had a good recovery from 2 marathons over one weekend two weeks ago. But my calves have been aching, particularly the right one. Having lost a couple of lbs from the double marathon, I decided to run a 2 mile and 1 mile PR last week. I realize now that it was a dumb idea to do a time trial several days before the 24 hour run. I thought since I would be going slow that it wouldn't matter.
I stayed with a friend about a mile and half from the course. I had salmon and some wine at dinner and ice cream for dessert. We went to meet his female friend at a bar. I have forgotten that the level of conversation is more interesting in a city - although it might be I am just talking to intense individuals. I had a beer and went to sleep at around 2am East Coast time.
The race starts at 9am Sat. It was a long walk to the start; I was weighed down with an extra pair of runnnings shoes, sports drink mix, Red Bull, headlamps, batteries, socks, blister repair, extra layers of clothing etc. Most runners arrived by car and packed coolers and chairs. Some had a support crew.
My smallest goal was to run at least 101 miles. I was certain I could do 112 and likely to do 120. I had plan to take stretch breaks but did not. I looked at the race results last year and figured I could place somewhere in the top 5. During the race, I learned that this year's race drew faster runners. As a road runner trained on flats, I figured I had some advantage over stronger trail runners whose legs would tire on pavement.
The course is a 1.0179 mile loop. The race was sold out. There were 50 24 hour runners and 50 12 hour runners. I didn't know what pace to run - so to easily keep track of the laps, I aimed for 3 laps every 30 minutes. Then I would stop for get fluids. It would be like running 48 5ks. I kept a slower pace and didn't take any walk breaks until after the 1st 50 laps.
16 runners had laps faster than my fastest lap. So I was plodding along. Slow and steady. Most runners had their fastest lap in the 1st 10 laps or the last lap. My fastest lap was at lap 54 when I ran at the 9:04 pace. The fast guys seemed unusually tall. Akos ran past me 18 times. He was wearing a shirt with flames on it. I thought there were 2 runners with the same team shirt. I realize now there was only one whizzing by 18 times. I thought he was running the 24 hour but it turned out he was in the 12 hour race. He finished 83 miles in 12 hours.
The course is scenic; there was the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, seals and birds. Kites were being flown. There was a good number of casual runners milling about. I was people watching for the first 8 hours. There were also a large number of large dogs, particularly doodles. JDRF had a Walk to Cure Diabetes event. It took some dexterity to dodge small children. After the crowds diminished, I got bored and decided to play my podcasts. My headphones kept falling off my ears. I never tried running with them. I gave up on having something to listen to.
I asked myself why I was doing this. The original plan was to run a few laps, go to dim sum and winetasting and dinner, come back at 9pm and run for 12 more hours. The purpose was to see how I would do staying up for 30 hours as preparation for the 48 hour run next month. But my friends could not schedule it in (:
I ran the first 50 miles without walking and eating food. I didn't know when I would have trouble with my calves so I had to keep going when the going is good. I tested Hammer Perpetuem for the first time. It has some protein in the mix. I was using one scoop with 8 ounces of water every 3 laps. It started backing up in my stomach. So I alternated it with sports drink that was available at the aid station. I read that the body can absorb only about 16 ounces of fluid per hour -- so I drank that amount. I figured more would just upset my stomach and would not help with dehydration. I saw a runner throwing up and several runners lying on the ground. I heard one runner felt so bad that he was crying. At each race, you learn what works and doesn't. Unfortunately things may crop up in ultras that do not crop up in marathons - blisters for example.
The race had a Webcast and allowed runners to receive messages. Cathy sent me several messages. They printed it out and handed to me. That was cool. But it meant I was being tracked and need to keep moving! The volunteers and the race director did a great job; most of the runners were friendly. Some of the runners had headsets on and were zoned out.
For every lap, there was a headwind going out to the first halfway point. On the way back, there was no wind and I got hot and sweaty. Going out again, I felt hypothermic from both the normal windchill effect and the sweat being quickly evaporated. I did this 115 times. Maybe the solution is to wear take a long sleeve shirt on and off every 1/2 lap. Does anyone know if Coolmax requires physical contact with the skin to get the wicking effect? Do I need a form fitting Spandex shirt? Once the sun set, it felt cooler and running was easier. Was there a reason the course wasn't run in a counterclockwise direction - so that there would be a tailwind?
The batteries on my Garmin GPS watch are good for about 11 hours. I googled the web and found a way to charge the Garmin. I bought a mini-USB cell phone charger that runs off 2 AA batteries. I strapped it onto my arm and plugged into the Garmin. It fell off several times until I figured out how to secure it. Next time I wll use a strip of Velcro on the charger. The Garmin was fully charged in a few hours and good to go.
Around 11 hours into the race, I saw my name on the top 5 list. The race got interesting again. I started asking any runner that passed me who they were and what place they were in.
The moon was out so I didn't use my headlamp. I kept running off the course right near the chip mat because of a bright light shining from across the street took away my night vision. I finally put on a headlamp. I felt that the extra weight on my head would affect running form.
Around 12 hours - just past 65 miles, I stopped the Perpeteum and switched to Red Bull. I drank 4 cans over 4 hours (only 320mg caffeine). I also starting taking Advil - one per hour.
I hit the wall at lap 87 (@16.5 hours) and stopped to eat. I think the sugar content from the Red Bull caused my blood sugar to drop. The grilled cheese and pepperoni pizza was yummy. I didn't have any trouble staying awake even though I didn't have any caffeine between 1am and 5am.
I kept retieing my shoelaces because they felt too tight, too loose or rocks fell into the shoe. I brought gaiters but forgot how to lace them with shoelaces. I must of stopped a dozen times. After a 5 minute break to eat, my left shoe felt tighter.I thought my foot swelled from standing around. When I got home Monday, I discovered my left ankle was swollen. I took too many electrolyte capsules. I took one Succeed per hour for the first 16 hours (5456mg sodium) and 3 Power Gels (600mg sodium). I gained one lb when I should have lost 5lbs due to glycogen depletion and several pounds of bodyfat burned. Between Tues and Thurs, I peed out 6 lbs of water weight. In cooler temps, perhaps one Succeed is enough every 2 hours and only if there is no other electrolyte gels or salty foods. Since only the left ankle was really swollen, I wonder if the ankle strap for the transponder chip, impeded circulation even though it was not on that tight. Since I didn't take Advil until 12 hours into the race, I don't think it caused the water retention. I wonder how the water retention affected my running performance?
I talked to Jon Olson when he passed me. He was in first place. He had set a course record in the 2007 Rio del Lago 100 miler (15:32).. At lap 90, he was in the lead and 16 laps ahead of me. He had already passed the 100 mile mark in 15:30. I told him I would not be able to catch him even if he stopped and walked. It turns out that his quads had seized up. He stopped at 109 laps and took a nap; he did not get back into the race.
At lap 92, I asked Jon if he knew the #2 guy. Kermit, #2, came walking up. I was one lap behind him. Kermit Cuff won the 2007 Headlands 100 (20:57). He has run a marathon in 2:55.
Past lap 98, I hit the 100 mile mark setting a PR at 19 hours 16 minutes avg 11:34 pace.
Around this time, my run was reduced to a 4mph shuffle. My right calve issue that I had all week caught up to me. I took a total 19 Advil (3800 mg) and 2 Tylenol (1000mg). That's an unsafe dosage of Advil -- I asked around for Tylenol but most runners and the aid station carried Advil. It did not work anyway. I figured since I don't use any painkillers between races, my kidneys had time to recuperate. I wonder if the water retention prevented the Advil from working its anti-inflammatory effects. How is a strained calve able to go 95 miles before falling apart?
Both Kermit and I kept moving and moved up to 1st and 2nd. We expected Jon to wake up any minute and start running again. Kermit kept racking up the miles even when he was clearly going to win. He ran another 29 miles while I shuffled along for 21 miles.
A 24 hour race is harder mentally than a 100 miler. If you run 50 miles in 8 hours, you know you are halfway there. But in a 24 hour, at 8 hours the race hasn't really begun. Some of the runners also found running for a fixed time period more difficult.
I started taking caffeinated gels one per hour in the last 4 hours of the race (5am-9am). The Nike Women's Marathon overlapped our course for 1/2 mile. It started at 7am, though there were some early 5am starters. At 8am, somehow I was able to pick up the pace and ran among the Nike Women's marathoners. With 17 minutes left on the clock, I wanted to do one more lap but I developed a spasm every time I tried to run in the right calf muscle right below the knee. I had time for 118 miles but had to satisfied with 117.
Kermit won with 124 laps (126 miles). He ran his lap at the 6:54 pace!! Even though he said it was hard, he looked fresh.
At the finish, a woman told me she had text messaged a guy who ran the Old Dominion 100 and remembered me from that race. Small world.
After the award ceremony, I started asking around for a ride. I could barely move. It took a while to shuffle to the parking lot; It probably would have taken me a couple of hours to walk the 1.5 miles back to my friend's apartment. I saw Andrew, who walked with me between 7 and 8am, and asked him for a ride. Thank you Andrew. I should pack a walking stick or cane next time. Can I use it in a race? Walking sticks are explicited forbidden at Badwater.
I napped for a few hours and went to meet runners from Orlando who had run the Women's marathon, for dinner. Then I took the subway to the airport to catch a 11:30pm flight out. SFO now has a Clear Card lane for an expedited security checkpoint. The iris scan works a lot better than fingerprints. My fingerprints fade with dry skin, particular out West. There was no one in the Clear line and FlyClear did not maintain a separate line; it felt awkward to cut in front of a 100+ passengers who were waiting in one line. I got into Atlanta at 7am and asked to go standby on the 8:30am. Delta charges $50 to go standby so I declined. My scheduled flight was oversold and late -- Delta had to compensate passengers who did not get seats. If Delta had let me get on an earlier flight, there would have been one less seat to provide $400 in travel vouchers and meal vouchers. I sent Delta an email suggesting that free unconfirmed standby be brought back.
I had a massage on Tuesday. The left ankle is pretty swollen with no apparent muscle issues. Perhaps it did extra work when the right leg gave out or maybe the ankle strap holding the timing chip caused the swelling. My lower back was the most painful part of the massage. Those muscles pulled on my IT band. I suspect leaning into the headwind caused the back issues. The calves are still achy and I am limping around. This will be the first week when I will not be running this year. I am used doing the crab walk with beat up quads but I don't know how long this recovery will take or if am really injured. Marine Corps is coming up this weekend. I first have to be able to walk again before deciding if I will run it. During than 24 hour run, I had thought about skipping the 48 hour run in Dallas. But since I wasn't really tired from the 24 hour run - I will go forward with my plans to tackle the 48 hour run. My current strategy is to run until I can't run anymore or if I have to go to sleep. Take a nap and walk the rest of the time.
I'd do this race again if Kermit Cuff, Jon Olson and Rob Byrne will come back next year. I could tack on another 21 miles of the Nike Women's marathon; I heard there's chocolate at the marathon aid stations. LOL. This is my 1st year running 100 miles or more; I am still learning.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Final thoughts on Chicago
If Susan wants us to boycott next year's Chicago, I guess I'll run the 50km or 50 miler http://www.chicagoultra.org/
The Chicago Lakefront 50/50 has added a marathon distance for next weekend's ultra. The forecast is 47 to 55 degrees. The entry fee is only $40 and includes a tech shirt and finisher medal.
I'd run it if I wasn't running USMC. There's Coke and real food at the aid stations.
"The Marathon will start with the 50K runners at 8:30 AM 10/27/07 and will be another 3 loop course, ending back at the start/finish. Keep in mind that this is still an Ultra, meaning there will not be mile splits or some of the other amenities you may expect at a regular marathon. We will have a medal for the finishers but it will say Chicago Lakefront 50k. NO WHINERS PLEASE! The BAA has confirmed: Since our marathon course is USAT&F Certified, this race can be used for Boston Marathon qualification."
==
The Chicago Marathon was cancelled at 3 hours ostensibly because the 3:30 to 4 hour runners were overheated and sought medical attention.
- there were maybe 10 serious illnesses - some from heatstroke, some from hyponatremia.
- some sort of triage would kept the emergency services from being overwhelmed.
In most races, the police are paid for traffic control. Perhaps, another reason for cancelling the race and shortening the course, was that keeping the course open more than 6 1/2 hours would require expensive police overtime.
The race director was arrogant and admitted no mistakes perhaps for liability reasons; it set up a PR nightmare. In hindsight, the RD should have asked the Fire Department to open hydrants use "summer heat wave" sprayers right before every aid station.
Perhaps, the race should have cancelled on Saturday. But since most of the money was already spent, I am not sure how much of a discount they could offer entrants for next year's race. I'm not sure if they have reserves to provide refunds.
Even if the amount of fluids were doubled to 25 (1/2 liter) bottles, it would not have been possible to pour 3.6 million cups or 103 cups per runner.
- runners are more tightly clustered because they were going slower and many were walking
- they would need more than double the volunteers to pour and serve cups when tens of thousands pass by in 20 minutes instead of being spread over 2 hours.
- they can't recruit additional volunteers with 3 days notice.
- this crowded, congested pack would move along and overwhelm all the 15 aid stations instead of just the first two
- they would need to rent twice the number of water tables and find stacking plates for pre-poured cups that are normally purchased months ahead of time (special cardboard sheets with a smooth finish so they don't crumble when soaked with water).
Options if they had the water supplies -
fill 8 ounces per cup instead of 4 ounces
hand out 1/2 litre water bottles (not sure how hazardous that is to run on or how much additional cases of hyponatremia you would have)
On the physical need for fluids and heatstroke.
- running speed (under 4 hrs) and body weight (>165lbs) are major factors in the risk for heatstroke;
- hydration does not prevent heatstroke
- heat makes you feel crappy and hot which makes you slow down but your core temp is fine.
- being thirsty will make you feel bad and slow down.
- fainting/collapsing may result from stopping suddenly due to low blood pressure -- the collapse rate is related to the ambient temp not the level of hydration. One would expect more collapses at aid stations because the runner would stop and wait for water to be pored.
- nausea/vomiting may be to due ingesting gels, Gatorade and bars.
- symptoms of heat exhaustion are similiar to symptoms of hyponatremia (nausea, vomiting, tingling and headache)
- hyponatremia and GI problems will slow you down
- mild dehydration (3 to 4 percent of bodyweight) doesn't impair performance or cause heatstroke
- losing a few lbs during the race may have give you a negative split (typically about 4lbs is loss from glycogen and fat burning)
- there no point in drinking much more than 1/2 liter per hour since it can't be absorbed (half of your fair share).
Here are the high temps for race day the past 10 years: 48, 59,67, 57, 50, 60 ,69, 51, 60, 62.
- our runners were expecting perfect marathon weather 9 days out (I thought they wrongly used the Sun low instead of the Sat. low)
- 72 degree highs was expected 7 days out
- 82 degree highs were expected 3 days out.
- 86 degree highs was expected 1 day out.
The actual temp was 88 degrees. 6 more degrees is a major increase.
Temps peak earlier in the day than expected.
Trivia: the aid stations are normally stocked 1800 IV bags, 1600 angio catheters and 42 ambulances.
The Chicago Lakefront 50/50 has added a marathon distance for next weekend's ultra. The forecast is 47 to 55 degrees. The entry fee is only $40 and includes a tech shirt and finisher medal.
I'd run it if I wasn't running USMC. There's Coke and real food at the aid stations.
"The Marathon will start with the 50K runners at 8:30 AM 10/27/07 and will be another 3 loop course, ending back at the start/finish. Keep in mind that this is still an Ultra, meaning there will not be mile splits or some of the other amenities you may expect at a regular marathon. We will have a medal for the finishers but it will say Chicago Lakefront 50k. NO WHINERS PLEASE! The BAA has confirmed: Since our marathon course is USAT&F Certified, this race can be used for Boston Marathon qualification."
==
The Chicago Marathon was cancelled at 3 hours ostensibly because the 3:30 to 4 hour runners were overheated and sought medical attention.
- there were maybe 10 serious illnesses - some from heatstroke, some from hyponatremia.
- some sort of triage would kept the emergency services from being overwhelmed.
In most races, the police are paid for traffic control. Perhaps, another reason for cancelling the race and shortening the course, was that keeping the course open more than 6 1/2 hours would require expensive police overtime.
The race director was arrogant and admitted no mistakes perhaps for liability reasons; it set up a PR nightmare. In hindsight, the RD should have asked the Fire Department to open hydrants use "summer heat wave" sprayers right before every aid station.
Perhaps, the race should have cancelled on Saturday. But since most of the money was already spent, I am not sure how much of a discount they could offer entrants for next year's race. I'm not sure if they have reserves to provide refunds.
Even if the amount of fluids were doubled to 25 (1/2 liter) bottles, it would not have been possible to pour 3.6 million cups or 103 cups per runner.
- runners are more tightly clustered because they were going slower and many were walking
- they would need more than double the volunteers to pour and serve cups when tens of thousands pass by in 20 minutes instead of being spread over 2 hours.
- they can't recruit additional volunteers with 3 days notice.
- this crowded, congested pack would move along and overwhelm all the 15 aid stations instead of just the first two
- they would need to rent twice the number of water tables and find stacking plates for pre-poured cups that are normally purchased months ahead of time (special cardboard sheets with a smooth finish so they don't crumble when soaked with water).
Options if they had the water supplies -
fill 8 ounces per cup instead of 4 ounces
hand out 1/2 litre water bottles (not sure how hazardous that is to run on or how much additional cases of hyponatremia you would have)
On the physical need for fluids and heatstroke.
- running speed (under 4 hrs) and body weight (>165lbs) are major factors in the risk for heatstroke;
- hydration does not prevent heatstroke
- heat makes you feel crappy and hot which makes you slow down but your core temp is fine.
- being thirsty will make you feel bad and slow down.
- fainting/collapsing may result from stopping suddenly due to low blood pressure -- the collapse rate is related to the ambient temp not the level of hydration. One would expect more collapses at aid stations because the runner would stop and wait for water to be pored.
- nausea/vomiting may be to due ingesting gels, Gatorade and bars.
- symptoms of heat exhaustion are similiar to symptoms of hyponatremia (nausea, vomiting, tingling and headache)
- hyponatremia and GI problems will slow you down
- mild dehydration (3 to 4 percent of bodyweight) doesn't impair performance or cause heatstroke
- losing a few lbs during the race may have give you a negative split (typically about 4lbs is loss from glycogen and fat burning)
- there no point in drinking much more than 1/2 liter per hour since it can't be absorbed (half of your fair share).
Here are the high temps for race day the past 10 years: 48, 59,67, 57, 50, 60 ,69, 51, 60, 62.
- our runners were expecting perfect marathon weather 9 days out (I thought they wrongly used the Sun low instead of the Sat. low)
- 72 degree highs was expected 7 days out
- 82 degree highs were expected 3 days out.
- 86 degree highs was expected 1 day out.
The actual temp was 88 degrees. 6 more degrees is a major increase.
Temps peak earlier in the day than expected.
Trivia: the aid stations are normally stocked 1800 IV bags, 1600 angio catheters and 42 ambulances.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
St. George Marathon and Chicago Marathon Oct. 6-7, 2007
My take on Chicago is that some of the sub-4 hour runners ran too fast for the heat and caused the cancellation of the race. I found news stories about 3 of the 49 that were hospitalized. All three were running under 8 minute miles. A lot of runners who were seen collapsing may have fainted from stopping suddenly - their blood pressure was already low and blood pooled in their legs when they stopped.
A separate issue was that the race organizers guessed wrong on the allocation of 1.8 million servings of water/Gatorade among the 15 aid stations. Demand on the early ones were greater than the guess.
Here's my weekend race reports:
#89 Oct. 6 - St George Marathon 3:25PR temps 39 to 54 #90 Oct. 7 - Chicago Marathon 4:04 temps 73 to 88
I had dinner with Jim's group Thursday evening to celebrate Jim's birthday at Chipotle. I had a burrito and birthday cake. That was my last real meal till Sunday lunch.
I flew into Vegas Friday and drove 2 hours to St. George. Phil had dinner reservations at a country club. I chose to pack light to avoid checking luggage and did not have the required formal attire. Instead I had a chicken sandwich and fries from Wendys for dinner.
Sat morning - 6:45am race start.
I was busy socializing and staying near the fire pits to keep warm. It was 39 degrees and my toes were going numb. So I did not start moving till 35 minutes before the race. I warmed up less than 2 miles. The race started while I was still stretching.
My calves and shins tightened up for the first seven miles - I had a very short stride. I took 4 Advil -- knowing my calves and shins would tear up running through the tightness.
At mile 2, I shed my 2 long sleeve throwaway shirts; my eyeglasses came off too. It was before sunrise and everything was a blur. There was no way I would find my eyeglasses on the road. After a moment of anxiety, I found them dangling on the sleeve. Whew.
The scenery was beautiful especially running through Snow Canyon.
After 10 miles, I felt no discomfort and my legs reached their full stride. My half-marathon split was 1:48:32. There is no way I would qualify for a 3:20 for Boston. I asked other runners how much of a negative split I can expect -- several runners said you should expect even splits. One runner said if you push it you can get 5 minutes. I ran my fastest second half in 1:37:03 -- a 11 minute negative split but I needed a 16 minute negative split to qualify for Boston. I probably could have shaved off 2 more minutes if I tried harder but I just wanted a decent PR at 3:25:35. For Boston, I needed a 7:03 pace in the 2nd half but ran a 7:24 pace. My quads, calves and shins were beat up from the cramps and 3000 feet of downhill running but I wanted to save something for Chicago. I skipped my 6 minute mile sprint for the last 0.2 and cruised in at 7:18 mile pace. My shoulders that normally go into spasms from sprinting were just fine.
Dean, you're right, there are a number of uphill "bumps" after mile 14 that you are not expecting and the net downhill course is not as easy as I expected.
The weather was considered one of the best race days in the past 21 years. Temps started out at 39 and rose to 54 degrees. I had a trickle of sweat when I ran through a sunny section close to the end of the race.
The St. George finisher's medal is the coolest - it is made of sandstone. Also we were allowed to keep the special edition Championship Chip.
I ended up running 2 marathons this weekend because the St George lottery results were not announced until after Chicago closed. I registered for Chicago in case I did not get into St. George. Last year, I did 3 marathons back to back but the first two were at an easy pace - around 4 hours, the last one in New York was 3:35 on the 3rd day. I am doing this double in reverse with the faster race on the first day. I didn't know what to expect.
The original plan was if I did not qualify for Boston, I would race Chicago. If I had qualified, Plan B would be go to every Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts along the course and wait for George, who was trying to qualify for Boston in the 75-80 age group, to catch up.
At the St George finish line, I grabbed an ice cream cone and checked out the massage line. The line was at least 30 runners long. I hopped in the car and drove to the Vegas airport. I got there in time for the 12:30pm Southwest flight to Chicago. I asked to go on standby but Southwest wanted to charge me full fare. Instead, I got a chicken sandwich and fries from Burger King and waited 2 hours.
I arrived in Chicago at 9pm and got my packet from Marty. I checked in to the Four Points Sheraton which I only booked on Tuesday. I realize now that the reason rooms were available was because 10,000 runners decided to stay at home due to the heat.
It was too late for dinner - so I drank a bottle of water with a Succeed capsule. I did not drink my standard Gatorade carbo-load. For my pre-race food - I basically subsisted off Southwest snack boxes, powerbars, fried chicken sandwiches and french fries.
Sun. Chicago Marathon.
I hedged and went to Starbucks to top off my Starbucks card. I also a carried a cellphone camera, a $20 bill and a Visa card for Dunkin Donuts.
I brought a new bottle of 100 Succeed capsules to the Team tent where the Orlando runners gathered. There was no official meeting per se so I didn't see an opportunity to hand them out. Most of our runners did well and ran the appropriate pace for the heat.
I asked for a pre-race massage - which is really a post-race St George marathon massage. They were happy to practice on me and found a lot of the muscle tightness which released as they worked on me. This gave me confidence.
Thank you Ray for bringing my bag to Gear Check. I got a 50 minute warmup in and did not cramp up. I ran back and forth in front of the preferred corrals among the seeded elite runners. Some of them didn't look that lean.
The Chicago marathon weather forecast on Thursday called from 71 to 86 degrees. The actual weather was only 2 degrees warmer than expected, it was 73 degrees at 8am with a 80% humidity. I actually had sweat on my face at the start.
As the humidity dropped from 80% to 52% - I had no visible sweat. I felt chilled from my own running breeze around mile 9 or 10. That always freaks me out since I am never 100% positive that it isn't heat exhaustion.
The race strategy was to bank the miles before it gets hot - basically a deliberate positive split. I was running 8:15 - 8:20 miles, figuring I was on pace for a 3:35:00. I ended up with a 8:21 pace at the half marathon mark. I did not factor in the rising temperatures or cumulative effect of heat.
Temps topped out at 88 degrees with a heat index of 90. I've done most of my training before sunrise and below race pace but I also squeezed in 30 minutes a week at race pace in the evening sun.
This marathon was hot, but I ran 3 other ultras this year that were hotter for longer periods in less shade. At the Northface 50 miler in VA in August, temps rose to 98 degrees with a heat index of 100. At the Old Dominion 100 miler in VA over Memorial, it got up to 90 degrees officially and 102 degrees at the parking lot at the turnaround. At the cross-Florida Sunrise/Sunset 170 miler, I DNFed after 65 miles when it stayed at 91 degrees at Lake Okeechobee for several hours.
Basically you cut back the pace to stay in your comfort zone and patiently count the miles down.
At mile 14 my mind told me to slow it down. I reset my sights on breaking 4 hours. I reminded myself that I was happy to have done a marathon PR the day before.
I saw the 3:30 and 3:40 groups pass me. I never saw any 3:50 or 4:00 bibs. At around mile 20, I saw the 3:50 group leader race by me carrying a large lollipop 3:50 sign and I wondered if he was trying to make his goal pace. He was running alone and wasn't pacing anyone.
What pace should the pace leaders have run given the conditions? If the pace leaders maintained pace, did they help create the heat exhaustion cases that lead to the race closure? Jim Harding the 3:40 pacer, maintained a perfect 8:23 pace past the 30k mark (18.6 miles) before his DNF.
I ran 10:18 pace in the 2nd half and finished in 4:04. It was a pretty easy race except between mile 25 and 26 - my slowest mile @11:16 - that mile in the sun seemed to take forever.
One policewoman shouted right before mile 26 that the race was cancelled. I asked another runner if that's what she said but he was nonresponsive.
When running past several Starbucks, the thought of an ice cold coffee was tempting, I am glad I didn't switch to Plan B because I could have been caught up in the race cancellation.
Once I saw the finish line and knew I didn't have to worry about heat exhaustion, I ran in at a faster but leisurely 7:30 pace -- saving both my quads and shoulders.
I went to sign up for a massage. They said they could take me right away. I thought that was odd. There was a 25 minute wait last year when I ran a 3:27. In another year when I ran a 3:45 Chicago, the wait was closer to 45 minutes. Where is everyone? Probably out on the course.
After the post-race massage, everything felt fine. Last year I was hobbling. I think the slower pace really helped with the recovery from the previous day's marathon. The only ill effect this weekend, was a bloody nose from the dry air in Utah and a sooted filled nose from the air pollution in Chicago.
Maybe eating salty french fries helped. I ate sandwiches for my first real food since Thursday night at the tent. I went back for a second bag of potato chips but they were all gone. Apparently, everyone else was craving salty chips. There were plenty of pretzels left. I am still working off the water retention weight from taking in large amounts of salt last weekend.
49 runners were sent to area hospitals One runner died after the race was cancelled due to a heart valve problem - there were no indications he had a elevated body temp at this point. Five runners remained in the hospital Monday night. How could 7 area hospitals be overwhelmed by just 49 ER patients? It is a holiday weekend.
I would be interested to know the average profile of the runners who were having medical issues 2 1//2 hours into the race. The race director met 3 hours into the race to discuss calling it off. My guess is that it is the sub-4 hour runners going for PRs that caused the race closure. It pretty difficult to accumlate enough body heat in 2 1/2 hours unless you are fast and heavy. Matthew McQuality is one of the 49 runners hospitalized. He collapsed after the 1/2 marathon mark averaging a 7:44 pace with heatstroke. He previously ran a marathon averaging a 8:22 pace. Dawn Dowell blacked out and was hospitalized after reaching the 30k mat. Her average pace was at the 1/2 marathon mark was 7:46. Dave Schwantesran a 7:56 pace in the first 1/2. He has averaged a 5:43 pace in a 5k. He collapsed at mile 19 with heatstroke and received 4 liters of saline.
Those runners ran too fast for the conditions. It seems that everyone is blaming their troubles on hydration. Dehydration and heatstroke are different problems. You can be fully hydrated and still overheat. If you lose 5% of your body weight - it puts you at risk for heat exhaustion. 10% of your body weight - puts you at risk for heatstroke.
Can runners sweat that much of their body weight in 2 1/2 hours? The faster runners had plentiful access to gatorade and water.
Jeffrey Sankoff, an emergency room attending physician and an experienced triathlete, told ABCNews.com. "What happens in a lot of these races [is that] people get focused on their time. It's often more of a problem for the experienced athletes than the novice runners." "It's not the amateurs, the newbies that get in trouble. It's the people that are sort of in that middle ground," he said. "It's that middle ground who are trying for personal best, who are clearly out of their element when you get into those conditions that you don't recognize. … You always need to pay attention. You need to be completely in tune with your body."
To paraphase Dean, some runners will stick to a plan even when conditions change. Emotions override logic. Their legs may be used to running only fast. On the other hand, the slower runners are not creating as much body heat. Although some of them would probably have suffered from hyponatremia had the race not been closed.
There was plenty of water and gatorade in my 4 hours of running. While there were a lot of runners walking, I didn't see anyone laying on the ground in need of medical attention. I saw only one ambulance on a call. It seemed like I ran an entirely different race than those an hour behind me. In those 4 hours, the course was largely shaded - especially if you made the effort to run on the shaded side of the street. It was pretty sunny in the last several miles as it is most years. Runners behind me would get more overhead sun.
If I am doing the math right - there were 1.8 million cups for an average of 30,000 runners (25,000 finished, 10,000 DNF). That works out to 60 cups per runner or 4 cups per runner per aid station. 120,000 gallons of Gatorade and water works out to be 16 quarts per runner.
Most runners cannot absorb more than one quart per hour especially in the heat. In hot weather, Gatorade and gels can be harmful if they sit in your stomach not being absorbed and drawing vital water from your body. Electrolytes tablets may be better.
In the 2nd half of the race, I did take 1 cup of Gatorade and 3 cups of water at many aid stations - some of the water was used on my head, neck, back and arms. The race officials expected greater water demand towards in the 2nd half. Instead, runners responded to the heat early on, and used up the fluids in the first 1/2 of the marathon course. I wonder if it was the 4 to 5 hour group who put excess demand on the water supplies, creating shortages for the 5+ hour group. Even though the bulk of the heat began at 10am, the race director probably did not factor in the behavior of runners who already felt warm at the start. The random distances between aid stations might encourage runners to hoard fluids because they were unsure about the distance to the next aid station. There are only six aid stations in the first 13.1 miles compared to 9 on the second half of the course. I rather have fewer aid stations evenly spaced 2 miles apart at the mile marker.
Also, there was probably some panic effect after one aid station is empty, the next one would be overwhelmed by runners trying to stockpile fluid - which could create escalating shortages for those runners behind them. Maybe the initial water shortage was caused by runners imitating other runners who were grabbing jugs of water and pouring over their heads. I know I didn't pour a cup of water over my head until I saw a lot of runners do it --- I was only pouring it on my neck after taking a sip.
I can emphasize with the fear and anxiety over not getting enough water/Gatorade. At ING Georgia, one aid station was missing early on and there no Powerade at any aid stations but one. My poor 4:08 finish time was due to the heat rather than fluid shortages. I've run in full sun in 95 to 100 degree heat with an emptied water bottle 3 miles away from the next aid station. I've been lost in the woods, out of water and lost in a small town at 3am with no stores open and deserted streets trying to find my way to the finish line.
Chicago hospitals did report cases of hyponatremia from drinking too much fluid or not enough electrolytes. While the slower runners complained about lack of water --- I am not convinced that it is a bad thing. A little thirst may keep them from running harder and risking heatstroke.
Unlimited fluids could have increased the cases of hyponatremia. "There are no reported cases of dehydration causing death in the history of world running," Maharam said. "But there are plenty of cases of people dying of hyponatremia." A study of runners in the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 13 percent who finished the race had hyponatremia.
The cutoff at the 1/2 marathon mark at 3 1/2 hours seems fair. The runners would not have made the 6 1/2 hour course limit. There were some runners on a 5 1/2 to 6 hour pace that should not have been cut off after 16 miles. It was unfair to force the runners who would have made the 6 1/2 hour cutoff to walk. Maybe they should get a coupon for next year. I figure about 16,000 finished normally, 9,000 had slower finishes (5:30 to 6:00) by maybe 20 minutes do the the enforced walk and 10,000 DNFs.The race director should take responsibility for not re-distributing the water supplies fast enough. The runners who got sick should have known better.
Despite a PR in St George, I felt I ran a better race in Chicago. I made a mistake in St George by failing to warm up adequately.The negative split was just gravity doing its thing. In Chicago, the only lesson learned is that I may have done better with less sugar in hot weather. Besides being a physical challenge of shedding heat and recovering from a downhill marathon, Chicago was a logistical challenge of catching flights, carbo-loading and arranging for packet pickup. There were 200 more runners that finished faster than I did compared to last year but as a percentage of entrants (top 9%), I improved slightly over last year. In ultras, Ironmans and adventure racing ( I haven't done any of the last two), often times, conditions are difficult, so you can only compare yourself against what everyone else did, how well you carried our your plan and responded to changing conditions, rather than an absolute time for the course.
A separate issue was that the race organizers guessed wrong on the allocation of 1.8 million servings of water/Gatorade among the 15 aid stations. Demand on the early ones were greater than the guess.
Here's my weekend race reports:
#89 Oct. 6 - St George Marathon 3:25PR temps 39 to 54 #90 Oct. 7 - Chicago Marathon 4:04 temps 73 to 88
I had dinner with Jim's group Thursday evening to celebrate Jim's birthday at Chipotle. I had a burrito and birthday cake. That was my last real meal till Sunday lunch.
I flew into Vegas Friday and drove 2 hours to St. George. Phil had dinner reservations at a country club. I chose to pack light to avoid checking luggage and did not have the required formal attire. Instead I had a chicken sandwich and fries from Wendys for dinner.
Sat morning - 6:45am race start.
I was busy socializing and staying near the fire pits to keep warm. It was 39 degrees and my toes were going numb. So I did not start moving till 35 minutes before the race. I warmed up less than 2 miles. The race started while I was still stretching.
My calves and shins tightened up for the first seven miles - I had a very short stride. I took 4 Advil -- knowing my calves and shins would tear up running through the tightness.
At mile 2, I shed my 2 long sleeve throwaway shirts; my eyeglasses came off too. It was before sunrise and everything was a blur. There was no way I would find my eyeglasses on the road. After a moment of anxiety, I found them dangling on the sleeve. Whew.
The scenery was beautiful especially running through Snow Canyon.
After 10 miles, I felt no discomfort and my legs reached their full stride. My half-marathon split was 1:48:32. There is no way I would qualify for a 3:20 for Boston. I asked other runners how much of a negative split I can expect -- several runners said you should expect even splits. One runner said if you push it you can get 5 minutes. I ran my fastest second half in 1:37:03 -- a 11 minute negative split but I needed a 16 minute negative split to qualify for Boston. I probably could have shaved off 2 more minutes if I tried harder but I just wanted a decent PR at 3:25:35. For Boston, I needed a 7:03 pace in the 2nd half but ran a 7:24 pace. My quads, calves and shins were beat up from the cramps and 3000 feet of downhill running but I wanted to save something for Chicago. I skipped my 6 minute mile sprint for the last 0.2 and cruised in at 7:18 mile pace. My shoulders that normally go into spasms from sprinting were just fine.
Dean, you're right, there are a number of uphill "bumps" after mile 14 that you are not expecting and the net downhill course is not as easy as I expected.
The weather was considered one of the best race days in the past 21 years. Temps started out at 39 and rose to 54 degrees. I had a trickle of sweat when I ran through a sunny section close to the end of the race.
The St. George finisher's medal is the coolest - it is made of sandstone. Also we were allowed to keep the special edition Championship Chip.
I ended up running 2 marathons this weekend because the St George lottery results were not announced until after Chicago closed. I registered for Chicago in case I did not get into St. George. Last year, I did 3 marathons back to back but the first two were at an easy pace - around 4 hours, the last one in New York was 3:35 on the 3rd day. I am doing this double in reverse with the faster race on the first day. I didn't know what to expect.
The original plan was if I did not qualify for Boston, I would race Chicago. If I had qualified, Plan B would be go to every Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts along the course and wait for George, who was trying to qualify for Boston in the 75-80 age group, to catch up.
At the St George finish line, I grabbed an ice cream cone and checked out the massage line. The line was at least 30 runners long. I hopped in the car and drove to the Vegas airport. I got there in time for the 12:30pm Southwest flight to Chicago. I asked to go on standby but Southwest wanted to charge me full fare. Instead, I got a chicken sandwich and fries from Burger King and waited 2 hours.
I arrived in Chicago at 9pm and got my packet from Marty. I checked in to the Four Points Sheraton which I only booked on Tuesday. I realize now that the reason rooms were available was because 10,000 runners decided to stay at home due to the heat.
It was too late for dinner - so I drank a bottle of water with a Succeed capsule. I did not drink my standard Gatorade carbo-load. For my pre-race food - I basically subsisted off Southwest snack boxes, powerbars, fried chicken sandwiches and french fries.
Sun. Chicago Marathon.
I hedged and went to Starbucks to top off my Starbucks card. I also a carried a cellphone camera, a $20 bill and a Visa card for Dunkin Donuts.
I brought a new bottle of 100 Succeed capsules to the Team tent where the Orlando runners gathered. There was no official meeting per se so I didn't see an opportunity to hand them out. Most of our runners did well and ran the appropriate pace for the heat.
I asked for a pre-race massage - which is really a post-race St George marathon massage. They were happy to practice on me and found a lot of the muscle tightness which released as they worked on me. This gave me confidence.
Thank you Ray for bringing my bag to Gear Check. I got a 50 minute warmup in and did not cramp up. I ran back and forth in front of the preferred corrals among the seeded elite runners. Some of them didn't look that lean.
The Chicago marathon weather forecast on Thursday called from 71 to 86 degrees. The actual weather was only 2 degrees warmer than expected, it was 73 degrees at 8am with a 80% humidity. I actually had sweat on my face at the start.
As the humidity dropped from 80% to 52% - I had no visible sweat. I felt chilled from my own running breeze around mile 9 or 10. That always freaks me out since I am never 100% positive that it isn't heat exhaustion.
The race strategy was to bank the miles before it gets hot - basically a deliberate positive split. I was running 8:15 - 8:20 miles, figuring I was on pace for a 3:35:00. I ended up with a 8:21 pace at the half marathon mark. I did not factor in the rising temperatures or cumulative effect of heat.
Temps topped out at 88 degrees with a heat index of 90. I've done most of my training before sunrise and below race pace but I also squeezed in 30 minutes a week at race pace in the evening sun.
This marathon was hot, but I ran 3 other ultras this year that were hotter for longer periods in less shade. At the Northface 50 miler in VA in August, temps rose to 98 degrees with a heat index of 100. At the Old Dominion 100 miler in VA over Memorial, it got up to 90 degrees officially and 102 degrees at the parking lot at the turnaround. At the cross-Florida Sunrise/Sunset 170 miler, I DNFed after 65 miles when it stayed at 91 degrees at Lake Okeechobee for several hours.
Basically you cut back the pace to stay in your comfort zone and patiently count the miles down.
At mile 14 my mind told me to slow it down. I reset my sights on breaking 4 hours. I reminded myself that I was happy to have done a marathon PR the day before.
I saw the 3:30 and 3:40 groups pass me. I never saw any 3:50 or 4:00 bibs. At around mile 20, I saw the 3:50 group leader race by me carrying a large lollipop 3:50 sign and I wondered if he was trying to make his goal pace. He was running alone and wasn't pacing anyone.
What pace should the pace leaders have run given the conditions? If the pace leaders maintained pace, did they help create the heat exhaustion cases that lead to the race closure? Jim Harding the 3:40 pacer, maintained a perfect 8:23 pace past the 30k mark (18.6 miles) before his DNF.
I ran 10:18 pace in the 2nd half and finished in 4:04. It was a pretty easy race except between mile 25 and 26 - my slowest mile @11:16 - that mile in the sun seemed to take forever.
One policewoman shouted right before mile 26 that the race was cancelled. I asked another runner if that's what she said but he was nonresponsive.
When running past several Starbucks, the thought of an ice cold coffee was tempting, I am glad I didn't switch to Plan B because I could have been caught up in the race cancellation.
Once I saw the finish line and knew I didn't have to worry about heat exhaustion, I ran in at a faster but leisurely 7:30 pace -- saving both my quads and shoulders.
I went to sign up for a massage. They said they could take me right away. I thought that was odd. There was a 25 minute wait last year when I ran a 3:27. In another year when I ran a 3:45 Chicago, the wait was closer to 45 minutes. Where is everyone? Probably out on the course.
After the post-race massage, everything felt fine. Last year I was hobbling. I think the slower pace really helped with the recovery from the previous day's marathon. The only ill effect this weekend, was a bloody nose from the dry air in Utah and a sooted filled nose from the air pollution in Chicago.
Maybe eating salty french fries helped. I ate sandwiches for my first real food since Thursday night at the tent. I went back for a second bag of potato chips but they were all gone. Apparently, everyone else was craving salty chips. There were plenty of pretzels left. I am still working off the water retention weight from taking in large amounts of salt last weekend.
49 runners were sent to area hospitals One runner died after the race was cancelled due to a heart valve problem - there were no indications he had a elevated body temp at this point. Five runners remained in the hospital Monday night. How could 7 area hospitals be overwhelmed by just 49 ER patients? It is a holiday weekend.
I would be interested to know the average profile of the runners who were having medical issues 2 1//2 hours into the race. The race director met 3 hours into the race to discuss calling it off. My guess is that it is the sub-4 hour runners going for PRs that caused the race closure. It pretty difficult to accumlate enough body heat in 2 1/2 hours unless you are fast and heavy. Matthew McQuality is one of the 49 runners hospitalized. He collapsed after the 1/2 marathon mark averaging a 7:44 pace with heatstroke. He previously ran a marathon averaging a 8:22 pace. Dawn Dowell blacked out and was hospitalized after reaching the 30k mat. Her average pace was at the 1/2 marathon mark was 7:46. Dave Schwantesran a 7:56 pace in the first 1/2. He has averaged a 5:43 pace in a 5k. He collapsed at mile 19 with heatstroke and received 4 liters of saline.
Those runners ran too fast for the conditions. It seems that everyone is blaming their troubles on hydration. Dehydration and heatstroke are different problems. You can be fully hydrated and still overheat. If you lose 5% of your body weight - it puts you at risk for heat exhaustion. 10% of your body weight - puts you at risk for heatstroke.
Can runners sweat that much of their body weight in 2 1/2 hours? The faster runners had plentiful access to gatorade and water.
Jeffrey Sankoff, an emergency room attending physician and an experienced triathlete, told ABCNews.com. "What happens in a lot of these races [is that] people get focused on their time. It's often more of a problem for the experienced athletes than the novice runners." "It's not the amateurs, the newbies that get in trouble. It's the people that are sort of in that middle ground," he said. "It's that middle ground who are trying for personal best, who are clearly out of their element when you get into those conditions that you don't recognize. … You always need to pay attention. You need to be completely in tune with your body."
To paraphase Dean, some runners will stick to a plan even when conditions change. Emotions override logic. Their legs may be used to running only fast. On the other hand, the slower runners are not creating as much body heat. Although some of them would probably have suffered from hyponatremia had the race not been closed.
There was plenty of water and gatorade in my 4 hours of running. While there were a lot of runners walking, I didn't see anyone laying on the ground in need of medical attention. I saw only one ambulance on a call. It seemed like I ran an entirely different race than those an hour behind me. In those 4 hours, the course was largely shaded - especially if you made the effort to run on the shaded side of the street. It was pretty sunny in the last several miles as it is most years. Runners behind me would get more overhead sun.
If I am doing the math right - there were 1.8 million cups for an average of 30,000 runners (25,000 finished, 10,000 DNF). That works out to 60 cups per runner or 4 cups per runner per aid station. 120,000 gallons of Gatorade and water works out to be 16 quarts per runner.
Most runners cannot absorb more than one quart per hour especially in the heat. In hot weather, Gatorade and gels can be harmful if they sit in your stomach not being absorbed and drawing vital water from your body. Electrolytes tablets may be better.
In the 2nd half of the race, I did take 1 cup of Gatorade and 3 cups of water at many aid stations - some of the water was used on my head, neck, back and arms. The race officials expected greater water demand towards in the 2nd half. Instead, runners responded to the heat early on, and used up the fluids in the first 1/2 of the marathon course. I wonder if it was the 4 to 5 hour group who put excess demand on the water supplies, creating shortages for the 5+ hour group. Even though the bulk of the heat began at 10am, the race director probably did not factor in the behavior of runners who already felt warm at the start. The random distances between aid stations might encourage runners to hoard fluids because they were unsure about the distance to the next aid station. There are only six aid stations in the first 13.1 miles compared to 9 on the second half of the course. I rather have fewer aid stations evenly spaced 2 miles apart at the mile marker.
Also, there was probably some panic effect after one aid station is empty, the next one would be overwhelmed by runners trying to stockpile fluid - which could create escalating shortages for those runners behind them. Maybe the initial water shortage was caused by runners imitating other runners who were grabbing jugs of water and pouring over their heads. I know I didn't pour a cup of water over my head until I saw a lot of runners do it --- I was only pouring it on my neck after taking a sip.
I can emphasize with the fear and anxiety over not getting enough water/Gatorade. At ING Georgia, one aid station was missing early on and there no Powerade at any aid stations but one. My poor 4:08 finish time was due to the heat rather than fluid shortages. I've run in full sun in 95 to 100 degree heat with an emptied water bottle 3 miles away from the next aid station. I've been lost in the woods, out of water and lost in a small town at 3am with no stores open and deserted streets trying to find my way to the finish line.
Chicago hospitals did report cases of hyponatremia from drinking too much fluid or not enough electrolytes. While the slower runners complained about lack of water --- I am not convinced that it is a bad thing. A little thirst may keep them from running harder and risking heatstroke.
Unlimited fluids could have increased the cases of hyponatremia. "There are no reported cases of dehydration causing death in the history of world running," Maharam said. "But there are plenty of cases of people dying of hyponatremia." A study of runners in the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 13 percent who finished the race had hyponatremia.
The cutoff at the 1/2 marathon mark at 3 1/2 hours seems fair. The runners would not have made the 6 1/2 hour course limit. There were some runners on a 5 1/2 to 6 hour pace that should not have been cut off after 16 miles. It was unfair to force the runners who would have made the 6 1/2 hour cutoff to walk. Maybe they should get a coupon for next year. I figure about 16,000 finished normally, 9,000 had slower finishes (5:30 to 6:00) by maybe 20 minutes do the the enforced walk and 10,000 DNFs.The race director should take responsibility for not re-distributing the water supplies fast enough. The runners who got sick should have known better.
Despite a PR in St George, I felt I ran a better race in Chicago. I made a mistake in St George by failing to warm up adequately.The negative split was just gravity doing its thing. In Chicago, the only lesson learned is that I may have done better with less sugar in hot weather. Besides being a physical challenge of shedding heat and recovering from a downhill marathon, Chicago was a logistical challenge of catching flights, carbo-loading and arranging for packet pickup. There were 200 more runners that finished faster than I did compared to last year but as a percentage of entrants (top 9%), I improved slightly over last year. In ultras, Ironmans and adventure racing ( I haven't done any of the last two), often times, conditions are difficult, so you can only compare yourself against what everyone else did, how well you carried our your plan and responded to changing conditions, rather than an absolute time for the course.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Self Transcendence Marathon Aug 24, 2007
#88 Self Transcendence Marathon - Nyack, NY
Race start temp 67.5 °F 97% relative humidity
Race finish temp 76.6 °F 81%
I was looking forward to this race - it is my first flat marathon course since Disney and I haven't run a fast marathon since Jax last Dec. The forecast called for warm weather but nowhere never the 98 degrees in the last race.
I suffered shin splints the previous week from overtraining with 3 speed workouts on Tuesday and one on Thursday. I did taper for five days. I had a massage the day before the marathon and found out my calves and lower back was tight. I was not running at 100%.
I met Aubrey (from E50 NJ) and her running friend Chris at the start. They also ran it last year but I did not know them then. The runners had body odor -- they were mostly European. (Chicago is more odorless than New York since it is less international). It could also be some runners were camped out in the park and haven't bathed in a while.
The race got off to an earlier start than last year after some meditation and inspirational words from the guru Sri Chinmoy. It's interesting that there was a separate line for men and women to the portalets. Aubrey was the only woman in the men's line. At the finish, they were looking for a female volunteer to tear off a tag from female runners.
This is a short race compared to running 11 and 22 hours in my last two races. A little dehydration doesn't hurt -- and you are not running with extra water weight. (I don't recommend it for races 4 hours or longer). Elite runners can lose 3% of their body weight with no effect on performance. I drank 8 ounces of water while I walked for about 10 seconds every 3 miles. I did not need to stop to pee. I took in 2.3 grams of sodium and 900 calories. I sweated a layer of salt on my skin. My stomach wasn't feeling good; I think I need to cut back to 5 GUs for the next race.
Seaweed and bland cytomax were offered at the aid stations; I did not partake.
The course consists of running around a lake 8 3/4 times. My goal was to run every mile under 8 minutes. With a 2 mile pre-race warmup, I ran the first mile in 7:41 and got to the halfway mark in 1:43. That was my fastest first half. (I've run a 2nd half slightly faster). I was on pace for a PR until mile 21 when the heat and humidity got to me. The sun peeked through and there was some unshaded spots. I took iteasy till 0.25 mile before the finish when it looked like I might not break 3:30. I suffered for 2 minutes and finished either 3:29:59 or 3:30:00. It was two and a half minutes slower than my PR last year in Chicago. I ran STM last year as marathon/ultra #69 in 3:34.
While waiting for Chris to come in at the finish line, I overheard a runner who had finished and confessed to the race officials that he ran 8 laps instead of 9. Without a chip mat it is possible to cheat but I noticed someone writing down the race numbers as I ran by --probably only for the fast runners.
I am pleased with the results. I started this season with the intent of doing two 6k repeats but found no one to do them with me. I have been slacking in my 2 and 4 mile training runs. My improvements this season has been based on running lots of 800m and 1200m and racing 5ks. My 8 to 10 mile long runs are mostly social and are basically fat-burners. I need to start doing lactate threshhold runs in the 7 minute mile range next week!
Post Race: After being up for at 4 am two days in a row, I slept for 10 hours. Going downstairs is no problem at all - it was a flat course so my quads didn't get beat up at all. I will be ready to resume track workouts Tuesday.
Race start temp 67.5 °F 97% relative humidity
Race finish temp 76.6 °F 81%
I was looking forward to this race - it is my first flat marathon course since Disney and I haven't run a fast marathon since Jax last Dec. The forecast called for warm weather but nowhere never the 98 degrees in the last race.
I suffered shin splints the previous week from overtraining with 3 speed workouts on Tuesday and one on Thursday. I did taper for five days. I had a massage the day before the marathon and found out my calves and lower back was tight. I was not running at 100%.
I met Aubrey (from E50 NJ) and her running friend Chris at the start. They also ran it last year but I did not know them then. The runners had body odor -- they were mostly European. (Chicago is more odorless than New York since it is less international). It could also be some runners were camped out in the park and haven't bathed in a while.
The race got off to an earlier start than last year after some meditation and inspirational words from the guru Sri Chinmoy. It's interesting that there was a separate line for men and women to the portalets. Aubrey was the only woman in the men's line. At the finish, they were looking for a female volunteer to tear off a tag from female runners.
This is a short race compared to running 11 and 22 hours in my last two races. A little dehydration doesn't hurt -- and you are not running with extra water weight. (I don't recommend it for races 4 hours or longer). Elite runners can lose 3% of their body weight with no effect on performance. I drank 8 ounces of water while I walked for about 10 seconds every 3 miles. I did not need to stop to pee. I took in 2.3 grams of sodium and 900 calories. I sweated a layer of salt on my skin. My stomach wasn't feeling good; I think I need to cut back to 5 GUs for the next race.
Seaweed and bland cytomax were offered at the aid stations; I did not partake.
The course consists of running around a lake 8 3/4 times. My goal was to run every mile under 8 minutes. With a 2 mile pre-race warmup, I ran the first mile in 7:41 and got to the halfway mark in 1:43. That was my fastest first half. (I've run a 2nd half slightly faster). I was on pace for a PR until mile 21 when the heat and humidity got to me. The sun peeked through and there was some unshaded spots. I took iteasy till 0.25 mile before the finish when it looked like I might not break 3:30. I suffered for 2 minutes and finished either 3:29:59 or 3:30:00. It was two and a half minutes slower than my PR last year in Chicago. I ran STM last year as marathon/ultra #69 in 3:34.
While waiting for Chris to come in at the finish line, I overheard a runner who had finished and confessed to the race officials that he ran 8 laps instead of 9. Without a chip mat it is possible to cheat but I noticed someone writing down the race numbers as I ran by --probably only for the fast runners.
I am pleased with the results. I started this season with the intent of doing two 6k repeats but found no one to do them with me. I have been slacking in my 2 and 4 mile training runs. My improvements this season has been based on running lots of 800m and 1200m and racing 5ks. My 8 to 10 mile long runs are mostly social and are basically fat-burners. I need to start doing lactate threshhold runs in the 7 minute mile range next week!
Post Race: After being up for at 4 am two days in a row, I slept for 10 hours. Going downstairs is no problem at all - it was a flat course so my quads didn't get beat up at all. I will be ready to resume track workouts Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Northface Endurance Challenge 50 miler, DC, Aug. 4, 2007
Temps 69 to 98. Heat Index 100.
5am start
My strategy was to run hard until it got hot. It got up to 90 by 11am.
I started out chasing the lead pack but soon lost them on the hills. (8:00 pace). Tim Long writes in his blog - "Right from the start 5 of us were off the front and steadily pulling away. One dropped off, leaving four of us." I only did a one mile warmup when I should have done two; I did not warmed up enough to maintain the pace.
I asked this guy about to pass me what age group he was in. We were in the same age group. I turned my head; it was Dean Karnazes. I said it may not be fair if the Northface athletes received awards -- since they were sponsored. Dean said he give me the age group award if I came in second.
I asked Dean if he could get any numbers for the New York marathon. He said New York is very tight with numbers. Boston is a lot easier. I remember when I worked for the sponsor -- I got a number for myself with the option for a 2nd number. Dean said he could help with the entry process for Badwater.
Dean flew down the hills that I found too steep to run down. My shins cramped. I was able to make up some time on the flats and kept a 9 min pace for the first 10 miles. I was running with a blister on my arch for the last 45 miles; there was a lot of side to side motion running on trails.
A group of runners ran by me and said come on and let's catch up to Dean. I said no, I already chatted with him. When I caught up with the group. I said Dean, you're creating a bottleneck! It was a single track and there was very little room to pass a group chatting with Dean.
Before the race, I asked around -- if I should pretape my feet, wear gaitors and trail shoes. I ending up with rocks in my shoes and running on gravel and rocks that hurt my feet. In hindsight - I should have worn gaitors, trail shoes and pre-taped. If it turns out to be unnecessary, I could always switch them out at the aid station where I had a drop bag.
For a non-trail runner like me -- the downhills were too fast to run, the up hills were too steep, and there were too many tree roots and rocks.The course was harder than the JFK50 which has only 15 miles of trails. Northface wasn't kidding when they named it an "endurance challenge". Those trail runners are a tough bunch - I'm not sure why their great leg strength doesn't translate in fast road racing.
One section of the course is described as "a very technical, rocky, and treacherous stretch along the edge of the cliffs of the Potomac River." Dane Rauschenberg writes in his blog: "Holy crap, were they not kidding. When you are literally inches from plunging about 75 feet onto shop rocks below and then having your corpse washed away by the river, your mind is on your footing, not on whether you are actually heading in the right direction"
I followed runners ahead of me. When they got lost, I got lost. I think I lost about 45 minutes. We were on the banks of the Potomac trying to find the trail. I was clinging onto tree roots in loose dirt trying to avoid sliding into the river. The angle was maybe 60 degrees. I remembered watching Man vs Wild about maintaining footholds and using legs rather than arms to power up the climb -- and keeping the body close to the side of the hill.
The race t-shirt has quotes Dean - "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up," I did all of the above.
The markings were good in some places and poor at some major turns. Even Dean had to slow down to figure out which way to go. I had better luck finding my way when I didn't follow anyone; I paid more attention. At mile 36, the volunteer directed me to the wrong trail -- I ran extra mileage in more difficult terrain. This is first time the race was run so it was not unexpected but it was frustrating nevertheless. The aid station volunteers were great and helpful. The runners were enthusiastic, at least at the beginning.
From Dane's blog: " Unfortunately, the wrong turn was down a hill so steep I almost repelled down it. When the path led directly to the river's edge with no path going either way, I finally figured out I made a wrong turn. I think a few more raccoons and deer now know how to swear. Literally hands and kneeing it back up the hill I had basically fallen down in a run just a few minutes earlier"
Fairfax County Times: "Someone really cleverly moved the route," said Frank Macmillan, who competed in the 50-kilometer race. "It was probably locals; this kind of thing happens with marathons all the time." He and several other runners actually ran an extra six or seven miles due to the race route allegedly being changed during the race, apparently by pranksters.
There was poison ivy on the trails. I got attacked by stinging nettles several times. When I stepped aside to allow a 50k runner to pass, I felt a bite from the plant. The stinging hair got embedded in my lower leg. The park rangers assured me there was no dangerous animals to worry about but said nothing about the plants. They forgot to mention the poisonous copperhead snakes.
I wasn't peeing in the first 20 miles. So I increased my fluid intake to about 32 ounces per hour. I figure the sodium intake was about 1000mg per hour. You need more fluid in humid weather.
I should have brought a 2 bottle water holder. Some aid stations were 5 to 6 miles apart. I started carrying a 2nd bottle in my hand - which I wasn't used to. I was asking families out picnicing for spare water.
Dane describes the sunny portions: "When you stepped out of the shade it was like you were a burger in a McDonald's heat lamp. " The course was maybe 70 percent shaded so it could have been tougher. With the heat index going to 100 degrees, The best I could do was a 15 minute mile with a combination of run/walk. Should I have stayed in my comfort zone? How do you know if you are close to heat exhaustion? body temp? I guess both the mental and physical part can be improved through training. In my 170 miler DNF, I was doing 27 minute miles in 90 degrees in full sun, low humidity and flat terrain before quitting at 65miles. I think my ability to run in heat has improved.
Could I have done better with just ice water and some electrolytes? A large chest full of ice water was available to sit in. The volunteers said I was looking fresh and lively in the last 10 miles compared to the other runners. So maybe I cruised too long in my comfort zone and didn't try hard enough for a haggard, "I'm going to collapse any second" look.
Fairfax County Times: "All around the finish line, exhausted runners sprawled in chairs or on the ground, moaning with leg spasms, or quietly hugging bags of ice. Every few minutes, one or two more exhausted runners would make their way across the line, some stumbling, some barely winded by the effort. "I didn't puke, but I probably should have. I would have puked, if I had any moisture in my body," said Josh McKeever, stretched out in a folding chair. He had just completed his first ultramarathon, running 50 miles in nine hours and 43 minutes. At least one racer was transported from the park with heat exhaustion, and the race's first aid stations were kept busy with cramped-up runners. "
Dean Karnazes writes in his blog: "Finally, after almost eight hours of drudgery in the sweltering heat and humidity, the end appears near. As I’m winding down toward the finish, a race volunteer is standing at a junction in the trail. “Do I go this way?” I asked. “Yes, you’re almost there.” I crossed the finish line and immediately dunked my head in a cooler of ice. I needed to come to my senses, the heat had left me slightly confused and disoriented. Removing my shoes and socks, a couple of people brought over books for me to sign. We started talking and snapping some photos. Man, did it feel good to be done. Despite the heat, I’m told that I finished in second place. Not too bad. More than anything else, however, I’m just relieved that it’s over. Then a race official motions me aside. He informs me that I appear to have made a wrong turn near the finish and hadn’t completed the entire course. At first I thought it was a practical joke. Ha! Ha! Very funny. But he wasn’t joking. I asked him why he hadn’t told me earlier, right when I came in? He said I looked hot and he felt bad for me. I was hot all right, and now even hotter. With smoke coming out of my ears, I began the painful process of putting my shoes and socks back on to complete the course. The race official walked with me the short distance to the juncture where I had gone the wrong way. I asked the race volunteer why she had misdirected me. “I got confused,” she said. I guess I wasn’t the only one impacted by the heat. The final bit of course was a short loop. Two runners had gotten in front of me during my hiatus at the false-finish. I caught up with one of them, and we had a good laugh, at my expense."
I finished in 10:56, the first 25 miles in 4:22 and the 2nd 25 miles in 6:34. I came in 15th overall out of 42. 5th in my age group. I counted 7 or 8 runners ahead of me. So maybe 6 runners slipped by while we were lost.
Since Dean got a 3rd place overall award. Jeff, a high school friend from DC, came in 3rd in my age group; If I didn't tell him about this race, I would've won an age group award.
I chatted with the park rangers and they thought I was crazy to run in this heat. They said, hey, you finished. I said, it's also about the competition. I started looking behind me at mile 45 to make sure no one is gaining on me. Once you have finished a particular race distance, racing is no longer about finishing. It's about problem solving in terms of better nutrition, blister management and pacing. 100 milers are easier because you could make up some time when the sun sets and the temps drop.
Tues: My quads are still sore. I'm already thinking - should I do the Hartford race to prove I can do better? I ran too slow and missed the 3pm post-race video interview. It's 2 weeks out from St. George and Chicago but the course is not very technical and it's just 50 miles!
5am start
My strategy was to run hard until it got hot. It got up to 90 by 11am.
I started out chasing the lead pack but soon lost them on the hills. (8:00 pace). Tim Long writes in his blog - "Right from the start 5 of us were off the front and steadily pulling away. One dropped off, leaving four of us." I only did a one mile warmup when I should have done two; I did not warmed up enough to maintain the pace.
I asked this guy about to pass me what age group he was in. We were in the same age group. I turned my head; it was Dean Karnazes. I said it may not be fair if the Northface athletes received awards -- since they were sponsored. Dean said he give me the age group award if I came in second.
I asked Dean if he could get any numbers for the New York marathon. He said New York is very tight with numbers. Boston is a lot easier. I remember when I worked for the sponsor -- I got a number for myself with the option for a 2nd number. Dean said he could help with the entry process for Badwater.
Dean flew down the hills that I found too steep to run down. My shins cramped. I was able to make up some time on the flats and kept a 9 min pace for the first 10 miles. I was running with a blister on my arch for the last 45 miles; there was a lot of side to side motion running on trails.
A group of runners ran by me and said come on and let's catch up to Dean. I said no, I already chatted with him. When I caught up with the group. I said Dean, you're creating a bottleneck! It was a single track and there was very little room to pass a group chatting with Dean.
Before the race, I asked around -- if I should pretape my feet, wear gaitors and trail shoes. I ending up with rocks in my shoes and running on gravel and rocks that hurt my feet. In hindsight - I should have worn gaitors, trail shoes and pre-taped. If it turns out to be unnecessary, I could always switch them out at the aid station where I had a drop bag.
For a non-trail runner like me -- the downhills were too fast to run, the up hills were too steep, and there were too many tree roots and rocks.The course was harder than the JFK50 which has only 15 miles of trails. Northface wasn't kidding when they named it an "endurance challenge". Those trail runners are a tough bunch - I'm not sure why their great leg strength doesn't translate in fast road racing.
One section of the course is described as "a very technical, rocky, and treacherous stretch along the edge of the cliffs of the Potomac River." Dane Rauschenberg writes in his blog: "Holy crap, were they not kidding. When you are literally inches from plunging about 75 feet onto shop rocks below and then having your corpse washed away by the river, your mind is on your footing, not on whether you are actually heading in the right direction"
I followed runners ahead of me. When they got lost, I got lost. I think I lost about 45 minutes. We were on the banks of the Potomac trying to find the trail. I was clinging onto tree roots in loose dirt trying to avoid sliding into the river. The angle was maybe 60 degrees. I remembered watching Man vs Wild about maintaining footholds and using legs rather than arms to power up the climb -- and keeping the body close to the side of the hill.
The race t-shirt has quotes Dean - "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up," I did all of the above.
The markings were good in some places and poor at some major turns. Even Dean had to slow down to figure out which way to go. I had better luck finding my way when I didn't follow anyone; I paid more attention. At mile 36, the volunteer directed me to the wrong trail -- I ran extra mileage in more difficult terrain. This is first time the race was run so it was not unexpected but it was frustrating nevertheless. The aid station volunteers were great and helpful. The runners were enthusiastic, at least at the beginning.
From Dane's blog: " Unfortunately, the wrong turn was down a hill so steep I almost repelled down it. When the path led directly to the river's edge with no path going either way, I finally figured out I made a wrong turn. I think a few more raccoons and deer now know how to swear. Literally hands and kneeing it back up the hill I had basically fallen down in a run just a few minutes earlier"
Fairfax County Times: "Someone really cleverly moved the route," said Frank Macmillan, who competed in the 50-kilometer race. "It was probably locals; this kind of thing happens with marathons all the time." He and several other runners actually ran an extra six or seven miles due to the race route allegedly being changed during the race, apparently by pranksters.
There was poison ivy on the trails. I got attacked by stinging nettles several times. When I stepped aside to allow a 50k runner to pass, I felt a bite from the plant. The stinging hair got embedded in my lower leg. The park rangers assured me there was no dangerous animals to worry about but said nothing about the plants. They forgot to mention the poisonous copperhead snakes.
I wasn't peeing in the first 20 miles. So I increased my fluid intake to about 32 ounces per hour. I figure the sodium intake was about 1000mg per hour. You need more fluid in humid weather.
I should have brought a 2 bottle water holder. Some aid stations were 5 to 6 miles apart. I started carrying a 2nd bottle in my hand - which I wasn't used to. I was asking families out picnicing for spare water.
Dane describes the sunny portions: "When you stepped out of the shade it was like you were a burger in a McDonald's heat lamp. " The course was maybe 70 percent shaded so it could have been tougher. With the heat index going to 100 degrees, The best I could do was a 15 minute mile with a combination of run/walk. Should I have stayed in my comfort zone? How do you know if you are close to heat exhaustion? body temp? I guess both the mental and physical part can be improved through training. In my 170 miler DNF, I was doing 27 minute miles in 90 degrees in full sun, low humidity and flat terrain before quitting at 65miles. I think my ability to run in heat has improved.
Could I have done better with just ice water and some electrolytes? A large chest full of ice water was available to sit in. The volunteers said I was looking fresh and lively in the last 10 miles compared to the other runners. So maybe I cruised too long in my comfort zone and didn't try hard enough for a haggard, "I'm going to collapse any second" look.
Fairfax County Times: "All around the finish line, exhausted runners sprawled in chairs or on the ground, moaning with leg spasms, or quietly hugging bags of ice. Every few minutes, one or two more exhausted runners would make their way across the line, some stumbling, some barely winded by the effort. "I didn't puke, but I probably should have. I would have puked, if I had any moisture in my body," said Josh McKeever, stretched out in a folding chair. He had just completed his first ultramarathon, running 50 miles in nine hours and 43 minutes. At least one racer was transported from the park with heat exhaustion, and the race's first aid stations were kept busy with cramped-up runners. "
Dean Karnazes writes in his blog: "Finally, after almost eight hours of drudgery in the sweltering heat and humidity, the end appears near. As I’m winding down toward the finish, a race volunteer is standing at a junction in the trail. “Do I go this way?” I asked. “Yes, you’re almost there.” I crossed the finish line and immediately dunked my head in a cooler of ice. I needed to come to my senses, the heat had left me slightly confused and disoriented. Removing my shoes and socks, a couple of people brought over books for me to sign. We started talking and snapping some photos. Man, did it feel good to be done. Despite the heat, I’m told that I finished in second place. Not too bad. More than anything else, however, I’m just relieved that it’s over. Then a race official motions me aside. He informs me that I appear to have made a wrong turn near the finish and hadn’t completed the entire course. At first I thought it was a practical joke. Ha! Ha! Very funny. But he wasn’t joking. I asked him why he hadn’t told me earlier, right when I came in? He said I looked hot and he felt bad for me. I was hot all right, and now even hotter. With smoke coming out of my ears, I began the painful process of putting my shoes and socks back on to complete the course. The race official walked with me the short distance to the juncture where I had gone the wrong way. I asked the race volunteer why she had misdirected me. “I got confused,” she said. I guess I wasn’t the only one impacted by the heat. The final bit of course was a short loop. Two runners had gotten in front of me during my hiatus at the false-finish. I caught up with one of them, and we had a good laugh, at my expense."
I finished in 10:56, the first 25 miles in 4:22 and the 2nd 25 miles in 6:34. I came in 15th overall out of 42. 5th in my age group. I counted 7 or 8 runners ahead of me. So maybe 6 runners slipped by while we were lost.
Since Dean got a 3rd place overall award. Jeff, a high school friend from DC, came in 3rd in my age group; If I didn't tell him about this race, I would've won an age group award.
I chatted with the park rangers and they thought I was crazy to run in this heat. They said, hey, you finished. I said, it's also about the competition. I started looking behind me at mile 45 to make sure no one is gaining on me. Once you have finished a particular race distance, racing is no longer about finishing. It's about problem solving in terms of better nutrition, blister management and pacing. 100 milers are easier because you could make up some time when the sun sets and the temps drop.
Tues: My quads are still sore. I'm already thinking - should I do the Hartford race to prove I can do better? I ran too slow and missed the 3pm post-race video interview. It's 2 weeks out from St. George and Chicago but the course is not very technical and it's just 50 miles!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Optimal fueling depends on temperature
Your body's ability to absorb calories varies with internal body temperature. In hot days, undiluted sports drinks, gels and blocks will just sit in the gut and can actually exacerbate dehydration.
It seems better to fuel early and taper down, at least until temps start falling.
"Hypertonic solutions consumed during exercise may cause a net movement of fluid into the intestinal lumen because of their high osmolality. This can result is an effective loss of water from the vascular compartment and can exacerbate the effects of dehydration. Thus, it is important to bring the gel concentration down to an isotonic level of concentration (equivalent to body fluid concentration) soon after it is ingested. Once the gel/water solution reaches an isotonic state it can be rapidly absorbed by the body;"
from the Hammer Nutrition Website
-
Osmolality Review: the biochemistry of fuels absorption
OSMOLALITY REVIEW: PREFATORY REMARKS
The premise to our position is that each individual athlete has a set reasonable osmolar pressure which changes when their internal body temperature and chemistry change accordingly. Human body fluid 300 mOsm osmolality is a reasonable application for carbohydrate solution absorption at room temperatures or less in sedentary to less than 50% VO2 Max Rates, as reflected by heart rate. Certain negative evidence for this statement may be observed in the overflowing medical tents observed in endurance events where competitors are graciously supplied with one or two fuel sources or water. These athletes, now patients, did not successfully predetermine, by trial-dose training, what exact mixture works best in their individual biochemistry under like conditions. Some of them simply accepted the manufacturer's recommendation to mix the solution at body fluid osmolality levels, only to experienced gastric rebellion 3/4ths of the way through the event!
According to our manufacturer's specifications, long-chain complex carbohydrates used in both Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel may be respectively mixed as high as 24% solution for Sustained Energy or 20% solution for Hammer Gel to create a body fluid level 300 mOsm osmolar solution. This figure is equated to a four-ounce solution of Sustained Energy being 24% solids by weight or a five-ounce solution of Hammer Gel being 20% solids by weight. When exercising in temperatures below 60 degrees/60% humidity, eight out of ten athletes will gastrically respond positively to a higher percent mixture of fuel to fluids. When most endurance events are conducted, outdoor conditions exceed 60 degrees/60% humidity. During such conditions half or more of the athletes have been observed to react negatively to a hypotonic body-fluid osmolar mix. Diluting or lowering the osmolar pressure of an energy drink or gel is therefore required when intensity is increased by pace rate, duration, elevation in altitude, humidity, or temperature conditions. Individual biochemistry may vary in a by a factor of 2X. Only a few athletes adapt to a 20-24% osmolar solution during extreme endurance events, while most athletes respond positively by diluting to a 10%-12% solution mix when the typical difficult aforementioned environmental conditions are present.
Simple-sugar solutions at body fluid osmolality levels are slowly absorbed at the rate of 6-8% maximum due to employing fructose or sucrose for sweetening. Simple sugars dramatically resist gastric transition when internal body temperatures rise proportionate to time, intensity of pace, duration, fluid and electrolyte losses. Such increases from body fluid and electrolyte depletion may permit only 3-5% sugar solutions to absorb in most athletes, before stomach upset, cramping, or muscle failure occurs. When a solution containing simple sugars is added to one containing complex carbohydrates, osmolality may double, imposing gastric stress during endurance events.
Simple sugars added to complex carbohydrates may refuse gastric entry due to increasing solution hypertonic values. If body fluids and electrolytes are depleted, the least ideal option is to ingest a simple sugar product with one that contains only complex carbohydrates. The use of fiber-containing foods such as energy bars, bananas, or orange slices may also induce bowel peristalsis to movement resulting in time-loss from a required bathroom break. As time is spent in endurance performance, fuel-fluid losses have an approximate replenishment rate of 240-280 k/cal in a 16-24 fluid ounce solution each hour when the individual athlete's electrolyte availability is present. Adding sugared drinks, fibered foods, or too high a solution of complex carbohydrates may result failure to meet expectations for completing the event. Why would an endurance athlete train 90-120 days for an event, then allow their fuel and fluid intake to be dictated by someone else, resulting in disappointment? Whatever product used in the race should be proven by trial-dose in training, then used in the event.
Both Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel are made for extreme endurance events. The average fit endurance athlete can perform up to 75% VO2 Maximum for 85-90 minutes before rate of pace deteriorates in the absence of refueling. Osmolality solutions that are set in stone at a body fluid osmolar pressure of 300 mOsm may not be the ideal application for all individual fuel requirements to postpone fatigue. What is the solution-ideal mix suggested for both products is defined in terms of most athletes for events lasting at least two hours in elevated temperatures. This solute-discussion focuses on what we have observed works for most athletes in observations recorded over the past 10 years in a multiple of events in Iron Man Triathlons, Marathons, the Race Across America, Eco-Challenge events, and Ultramarathons.
SUSTAINED ENERGY INGREDIENTS
One three scoop serving of Sustained Energy contains:
338 calories
73 grams long-chain carbohydrates from 3 distinct maltodextrins (85.88%)
10.5 grams Soy Protein (12.35%)
One gram plant-sourced non saturated fat (1.2%)
Sodium 111 mg
L-Carnosine 100 mg
L-Carnitine, 50 mg
Choline Complex 50 mg
Chromium Polynicotinate 100 mcg
One scoop of Sustained Energy may be mixed per eight fluid ounces distilled water. This mixture approximates a body fluid solution at below-hypotonic body fluid mOsm-levels, resulting in immediate gastric emptying in 60 degree-60% humidity conditions. Hyperthermic temperatures conditions above 70 degrees and 70% humidity may require further dilution of one scoop in a 8-10 fluid ounces solution to accommodate rapid electrolyte losses. Since the variance in solute transit success is remarkably individual, it is suggested that each athlete train in event-like conditions, with the above mixture first, before diluting or increasing solids to fluids. The range of osmolar mixtures are from 3 scoops Sustained Energy to as little as 9 fluid ounces (rare or in hypothermic cold) to the suggested likely mixture of 3 scoops in 24 fluid ounce water bottle (most athletes in hyperthermic conditions).
*Number of calories per 16 fluid ounce solution = 222.60 calories (2 scoops)
*Number of grams solute per 100 ml of solution = 11.96 grams/100 ml
HAMMER GEL INGREDIENTS
A single two tablespoon serving is 24 grams carbohydrate by weight providing 100 calories from long-chain carbohydrates. Each serving also contains Energy Smart sweetener, four amino acids (l-leucine, l-isoleucine, l-valine, l-alanine), sodium, potassium chloride, and potassium sorbate as a preservative.
Each serving of Hammer Gel should ideally be chased by or mixed with 8 fluid ounces distilled water. This mixture approximates a body fluid solution at below-hypotonic body fluid mOsm-levels, resulting in immediate gastric emptying in 60 degree-60% humidity conditions. Hyperthermic temperatures conditions above 70 degrees and 70% humidity may require further dilution of one serving in a 8-10 fluid ounces solution to accommodate rapid electrolyte losses. Since the variance in solute transit success is remarkably individual, it is suggested that each athlete train in event-like conditions and test this mixture first before diluting or increasing solids to fluids. The range of osmolar mixtures are from up to 3 servings Hammer Gel to as little as 12 fluid ounces (rare or in hypothermic cold) to the suggested likely mixture of 3 servings in a 24 fluid ounce water bottle which meets or exceeds the demands of most athletes in a typical end-of-season event held in hyperthermic conditions.
*Number of Calories per 16 fluid ounce solution = 200.00 Calories (2 servings)
*Number of grams solute per 100 ml of solution = 10.14 grams per 100 ml.
BODY FLUID OSMOLALITY CALORIC VALUES OF SUGAR AND LONG CHAIN CARBOHYDRATES
Gastric Transit Rates Favor Maltodextrin During Exercise
TYPE OF FUEL CALORIES PROVIDED AT 280-300 mOsm. OSMOLALITY
Glucose 0.2 cal/ml
Fructose 0.2 cal/ml
Sucrose 0.4 cal/ml
Maltodextrins 1.0+ cal/ml
GASTRIC EMPTYING rates are effected by stomach volumes ranging from 400 ml to 800 ml. (13-26 fl.oz.) Some athletes tolerate significantly higher stomach volumes than do others. In a ten minute period of time, athletes were observed to empty stomach volumes at the following rates[1, 2, 3]:
Pure Water Solution 65%
(From 400 ml, 260 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 520 ml emptied)
Isotonic 7% Carbohydrate Solution 50%
(From 400 ml, 200 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 400 ml emptied)
Glucose 15% Solution 25%
(From 400 ml, 100 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 200 ml emptied)
Maltodextrin 18% Solution 25%
(From 400 ml, 100 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 200 ml emptied)
Both Sustained Energy (100%) and Hammer Gel (90%+) consist of carbohydrates from a multiple versions of Maltodextrin-Base, Long-Chain Carbohydrates.
REFERENCES
Gastric emptying with repeated drinking during running and bicycling. Rehrer NJ, Brouns F, Beckers EJ, Ten Hoor F, Saris WH Int J Sports Med 1990 Jun 11:3 238-43.
Faster gastric emptying for glucose-polymer and fructose solutions than for glucose in humans. Sole CC, Noakes TD, Eur J Appl Physiol 1989 58:6 605-12.
High rates of exogenous carbohydrate oxidation from starch ingested during prolonged exercise, Hawley JA, Dennis SC, Laidler BJ, Bosch AN, Noakes TD, Brouns F, J Appl Physiol 1991 Nov 71:5 1801-6.
JOURNAL OF ENDURANCE
Editor
http://www.onelist.com/community/endurancelist
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGISTS
Associate Editor, Metabolic Responses to Exercise Journal of Exercise Physiology-online
http://www.css.edu/users/tboone2/asep/fldr/fldr.htm
AUTHOR:
NUTRITION FOR ENDURANCE: FINDING ANOTHER GEAR
Dolezal & Associates Publishing, Livermore California, 1998.
It seems better to fuel early and taper down, at least until temps start falling.
"Hypertonic solutions consumed during exercise may cause a net movement of fluid into the intestinal lumen because of their high osmolality. This can result is an effective loss of water from the vascular compartment and can exacerbate the effects of dehydration. Thus, it is important to bring the gel concentration down to an isotonic level of concentration (equivalent to body fluid concentration) soon after it is ingested. Once the gel/water solution reaches an isotonic state it can be rapidly absorbed by the body;"
from the Hammer Nutrition Website
-
Osmolality Review: the biochemistry of fuels absorption
OSMOLALITY REVIEW: PREFATORY REMARKS
The premise to our position is that each individual athlete has a set reasonable osmolar pressure which changes when their internal body temperature and chemistry change accordingly. Human body fluid 300 mOsm osmolality is a reasonable application for carbohydrate solution absorption at room temperatures or less in sedentary to less than 50% VO2 Max Rates, as reflected by heart rate. Certain negative evidence for this statement may be observed in the overflowing medical tents observed in endurance events where competitors are graciously supplied with one or two fuel sources or water. These athletes, now patients, did not successfully predetermine, by trial-dose training, what exact mixture works best in their individual biochemistry under like conditions. Some of them simply accepted the manufacturer's recommendation to mix the solution at body fluid osmolality levels, only to experienced gastric rebellion 3/4ths of the way through the event!
According to our manufacturer's specifications, long-chain complex carbohydrates used in both Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel may be respectively mixed as high as 24% solution for Sustained Energy or 20% solution for Hammer Gel to create a body fluid level 300 mOsm osmolar solution. This figure is equated to a four-ounce solution of Sustained Energy being 24% solids by weight or a five-ounce solution of Hammer Gel being 20% solids by weight. When exercising in temperatures below 60 degrees/60% humidity, eight out of ten athletes will gastrically respond positively to a higher percent mixture of fuel to fluids. When most endurance events are conducted, outdoor conditions exceed 60 degrees/60% humidity. During such conditions half or more of the athletes have been observed to react negatively to a hypotonic body-fluid osmolar mix. Diluting or lowering the osmolar pressure of an energy drink or gel is therefore required when intensity is increased by pace rate, duration, elevation in altitude, humidity, or temperature conditions. Individual biochemistry may vary in a by a factor of 2X. Only a few athletes adapt to a 20-24% osmolar solution during extreme endurance events, while most athletes respond positively by diluting to a 10%-12% solution mix when the typical difficult aforementioned environmental conditions are present.
Simple-sugar solutions at body fluid osmolality levels are slowly absorbed at the rate of 6-8% maximum due to employing fructose or sucrose for sweetening. Simple sugars dramatically resist gastric transition when internal body temperatures rise proportionate to time, intensity of pace, duration, fluid and electrolyte losses. Such increases from body fluid and electrolyte depletion may permit only 3-5% sugar solutions to absorb in most athletes, before stomach upset, cramping, or muscle failure occurs. When a solution containing simple sugars is added to one containing complex carbohydrates, osmolality may double, imposing gastric stress during endurance events.
Simple sugars added to complex carbohydrates may refuse gastric entry due to increasing solution hypertonic values. If body fluids and electrolytes are depleted, the least ideal option is to ingest a simple sugar product with one that contains only complex carbohydrates. The use of fiber-containing foods such as energy bars, bananas, or orange slices may also induce bowel peristalsis to movement resulting in time-loss from a required bathroom break. As time is spent in endurance performance, fuel-fluid losses have an approximate replenishment rate of 240-280 k/cal in a 16-24 fluid ounce solution each hour when the individual athlete's electrolyte availability is present. Adding sugared drinks, fibered foods, or too high a solution of complex carbohydrates may result failure to meet expectations for completing the event. Why would an endurance athlete train 90-120 days for an event, then allow their fuel and fluid intake to be dictated by someone else, resulting in disappointment? Whatever product used in the race should be proven by trial-dose in training, then used in the event.
Both Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel are made for extreme endurance events. The average fit endurance athlete can perform up to 75% VO2 Maximum for 85-90 minutes before rate of pace deteriorates in the absence of refueling. Osmolality solutions that are set in stone at a body fluid osmolar pressure of 300 mOsm may not be the ideal application for all individual fuel requirements to postpone fatigue. What is the solution-ideal mix suggested for both products is defined in terms of most athletes for events lasting at least two hours in elevated temperatures. This solute-discussion focuses on what we have observed works for most athletes in observations recorded over the past 10 years in a multiple of events in Iron Man Triathlons, Marathons, the Race Across America, Eco-Challenge events, and Ultramarathons.
SUSTAINED ENERGY INGREDIENTS
One three scoop serving of Sustained Energy contains:
338 calories
73 grams long-chain carbohydrates from 3 distinct maltodextrins (85.88%)
10.5 grams Soy Protein (12.35%)
One gram plant-sourced non saturated fat (1.2%)
Sodium 111 mg
L-Carnosine 100 mg
L-Carnitine, 50 mg
Choline Complex 50 mg
Chromium Polynicotinate 100 mcg
One scoop of Sustained Energy may be mixed per eight fluid ounces distilled water. This mixture approximates a body fluid solution at below-hypotonic body fluid mOsm-levels, resulting in immediate gastric emptying in 60 degree-60% humidity conditions. Hyperthermic temperatures conditions above 70 degrees and 70% humidity may require further dilution of one scoop in a 8-10 fluid ounces solution to accommodate rapid electrolyte losses. Since the variance in solute transit success is remarkably individual, it is suggested that each athlete train in event-like conditions, with the above mixture first, before diluting or increasing solids to fluids. The range of osmolar mixtures are from 3 scoops Sustained Energy to as little as 9 fluid ounces (rare or in hypothermic cold) to the suggested likely mixture of 3 scoops in 24 fluid ounce water bottle (most athletes in hyperthermic conditions).
*Number of calories per 16 fluid ounce solution = 222.60 calories (2 scoops)
*Number of grams solute per 100 ml of solution = 11.96 grams/100 ml
HAMMER GEL INGREDIENTS
A single two tablespoon serving is 24 grams carbohydrate by weight providing 100 calories from long-chain carbohydrates. Each serving also contains Energy Smart sweetener, four amino acids (l-leucine, l-isoleucine, l-valine, l-alanine), sodium, potassium chloride, and potassium sorbate as a preservative.
Each serving of Hammer Gel should ideally be chased by or mixed with 8 fluid ounces distilled water. This mixture approximates a body fluid solution at below-hypotonic body fluid mOsm-levels, resulting in immediate gastric emptying in 60 degree-60% humidity conditions. Hyperthermic temperatures conditions above 70 degrees and 70% humidity may require further dilution of one serving in a 8-10 fluid ounces solution to accommodate rapid electrolyte losses. Since the variance in solute transit success is remarkably individual, it is suggested that each athlete train in event-like conditions and test this mixture first before diluting or increasing solids to fluids. The range of osmolar mixtures are from up to 3 servings Hammer Gel to as little as 12 fluid ounces (rare or in hypothermic cold) to the suggested likely mixture of 3 servings in a 24 fluid ounce water bottle which meets or exceeds the demands of most athletes in a typical end-of-season event held in hyperthermic conditions.
*Number of Calories per 16 fluid ounce solution = 200.00 Calories (2 servings)
*Number of grams solute per 100 ml of solution = 10.14 grams per 100 ml.
BODY FLUID OSMOLALITY CALORIC VALUES OF SUGAR AND LONG CHAIN CARBOHYDRATES
Gastric Transit Rates Favor Maltodextrin During Exercise
TYPE OF FUEL CALORIES PROVIDED AT 280-300 mOsm. OSMOLALITY
Glucose 0.2 cal/ml
Fructose 0.2 cal/ml
Sucrose 0.4 cal/ml
Maltodextrins 1.0+ cal/ml
GASTRIC EMPTYING rates are effected by stomach volumes ranging from 400 ml to 800 ml. (13-26 fl.oz.) Some athletes tolerate significantly higher stomach volumes than do others. In a ten minute period of time, athletes were observed to empty stomach volumes at the following rates[1, 2, 3]:
Pure Water Solution 65%
(From 400 ml, 260 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 520 ml emptied)
Isotonic 7% Carbohydrate Solution 50%
(From 400 ml, 200 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 400 ml emptied)
Glucose 15% Solution 25%
(From 400 ml, 100 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 200 ml emptied)
Maltodextrin 18% Solution 25%
(From 400 ml, 100 ml was emptied. From 800 ml, 200 ml emptied)
Both Sustained Energy (100%) and Hammer Gel (90%+) consist of carbohydrates from a multiple versions of Maltodextrin-Base, Long-Chain Carbohydrates.
REFERENCES
Gastric emptying with repeated drinking during running and bicycling. Rehrer NJ, Brouns F, Beckers EJ, Ten Hoor F, Saris WH Int J Sports Med 1990 Jun 11:3 238-43.
Faster gastric emptying for glucose-polymer and fructose solutions than for glucose in humans. Sole CC, Noakes TD, Eur J Appl Physiol 1989 58:6 605-12.
High rates of exogenous carbohydrate oxidation from starch ingested during prolonged exercise, Hawley JA, Dennis SC, Laidler BJ, Bosch AN, Noakes TD, Brouns F, J Appl Physiol 1991 Nov 71:5 1801-6.
JOURNAL OF ENDURANCE
Editor
http://www.onelist.com/community/endurancelist
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGISTS
Associate Editor, Metabolic Responses to Exercise Journal of Exercise Physiology-online
http://www.css.edu/users/tboone2/asep/fldr/fldr.htm
AUTHOR:
NUTRITION FOR ENDURANCE: FINDING ANOTHER GEAR
Dolezal & Associates Publishing, Livermore California, 1998.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Lessons from my race results
To run faster you'd have to train faster but cautiously so you don't get injured. I started getting faster in the summer of 2003 when I stopped doing long runs. There is nothing wrong with long runs as long as half of the runs simulate a real race with gel early on, with very short stops for water and running at race pace or faster. I haven't found a group that does it that. Susan's Runner's World schedule has marathon pace runs going up to 18 miles.
If you get too many long slow runs in and relatively few miles at tempo or 5k pace, your mind will think running at marathon pace is uncomfortable and you will slow down.
You could say my marathons are my long runs. In 2001, I ran 16 marathons and these long runs did not help with speed. I remembered being more tired from running 5 hours than running a marathon in under 4 hours. Susan will tell you that my legs are less beat up post-marathon now that they were back in 2001.
There is usually a 4 month gap between my last spring marathon and the next fall marathon. I run the fall marathon much faster than the spring one even though my last "long run" was 4 months previous. The speed/endurance came from a lot of fast short runs.
In the 2005 summer session I focused for hard 2 mile runs.
In 2006, I added 4 mile runs.
This year, I hope to train up to 6 to 10 miles by meeting up with a faster group after warming up with a slower group. My last 2 miles of a run are always the fastest. The mind will remember to tell your legs to run at that speed.
This is why when you are tapering you should focus on running at or faster marathon pace for a shorter duration with plenty of recovery. If you run at an easy pace during a taper, it will be much harder for your mind to tell you legs to go faster.
I struggled this spring to get my speed back because my mind got used to running 12 minute miles in 365 miles of ultra running. It's coming back but I am still slower than last fall.
After age 40, you'd have to think about cutting back on mileage, the number of intervals, longer recoveries and taking more days off to cross-train. The 5k to marathon charts underestimate the 5k times. Dropping some body fat will help reduce the load on the muscles, connective tissue and joints.
1997
Chicago 502
1998
Anchorage 502 - Team In Training
Chicago 451
1999
Disney 445
Boston 516 - entry from sponsor
Dublin 436 - Team In Training
Jax 426
2000
Disney 438
Austin 433
VirginiaBeach 426
Paris 436 - Team Diabetes
SanFran 448
CorningNY 447
MarineCorp 453
Jax 445
2001
Clearwater 501
Austin 502
NapaValley 522
VirginiaBeach 512
Rome 512 - Team Diabetes
Boston 502 - bandit
Cincinnati 527
SanDiego 524
Chicago 432
Tahoe 525
Columbus 433
Dublin 451 - Team Diabetes
Bethesda,MD 434
Richmond 444
Tampa 454
Jax 536
2002
Houston 516
Ogden,UT 440
Palos Verdes,CA 440
GreenBay,WI 516
Logan,UT 422
Chicago 445
MarineCorp 433
Jax 416
2003
Disney 429
HuntingtonBeach,CA 455
Ogden,UT 443
Logan,UT 400
Chicago 414 - expresso and beer
MarineCorp 404
NewYork 422
Jax 342
2004
Disney 331
Miami 352
Clearwater 408
New Jersey 328
Ogden,UT 343
Erie 359
Chicago 344
MarineCorp 413
JFK 50 Miler 1005
2005
New Jersey 422
Ottawa 411
Sacramento 344
Chicago 343
MarineCorp 355
JFK 50 Miler 910
Jax 340
2006
Disney 342
RockyRac 100 miler DNF @80miles 1635
Tampa 402
New Jersey 354
Ave of the Giants 412
Self-Transcendence 334
Logan,UT 337
Steamtown 328
Chicago 327
Philly 357 - Endurance 50 - 3 in 3 days.
NJ 409
New York 335
JFK 50 Miler 840 - beat Dave finally!
Vegas 419 - paced Jeri in for her PR
Jax 337
Luna50k 505
2007
Disney 358 - official time 3:59:59
RockyRac 100miler 2236
IronHorse100miler 1952 - my first win!
Atlanta 408
Sunrise 170 miler DNF @65miles 1524
BigSur 351
Old Dominion 100 miler 2243 - 5th place
If you get too many long slow runs in and relatively few miles at tempo or 5k pace, your mind will think running at marathon pace is uncomfortable and you will slow down.
You could say my marathons are my long runs. In 2001, I ran 16 marathons and these long runs did not help with speed. I remembered being more tired from running 5 hours than running a marathon in under 4 hours. Susan will tell you that my legs are less beat up post-marathon now that they were back in 2001.
There is usually a 4 month gap between my last spring marathon and the next fall marathon. I run the fall marathon much faster than the spring one even though my last "long run" was 4 months previous. The speed/endurance came from a lot of fast short runs.
In the 2005 summer session I focused for hard 2 mile runs.
In 2006, I added 4 mile runs.
This year, I hope to train up to 6 to 10 miles by meeting up with a faster group after warming up with a slower group. My last 2 miles of a run are always the fastest. The mind will remember to tell your legs to run at that speed.
This is why when you are tapering you should focus on running at or faster marathon pace for a shorter duration with plenty of recovery. If you run at an easy pace during a taper, it will be much harder for your mind to tell you legs to go faster.
I struggled this spring to get my speed back because my mind got used to running 12 minute miles in 365 miles of ultra running. It's coming back but I am still slower than last fall.
After age 40, you'd have to think about cutting back on mileage, the number of intervals, longer recoveries and taking more days off to cross-train. The 5k to marathon charts underestimate the 5k times. Dropping some body fat will help reduce the load on the muscles, connective tissue and joints.
1997
Chicago 502
1998
Anchorage 502 - Team In Training
Chicago 451
1999
Disney 445
Boston 516 - entry from sponsor
Dublin 436 - Team In Training
Jax 426
2000
Disney 438
Austin 433
VirginiaBeach 426
Paris 436 - Team Diabetes
SanFran 448
CorningNY 447
MarineCorp 453
Jax 445
2001
Clearwater 501
Austin 502
NapaValley 522
VirginiaBeach 512
Rome 512 - Team Diabetes
Boston 502 - bandit
Cincinnati 527
SanDiego 524
Chicago 432
Tahoe 525
Columbus 433
Dublin 451 - Team Diabetes
Bethesda,MD 434
Richmond 444
Tampa 454
Jax 536
2002
Houston 516
Ogden,UT 440
Palos Verdes,CA 440
GreenBay,WI 516
Logan,UT 422
Chicago 445
MarineCorp 433
Jax 416
2003
Disney 429
HuntingtonBeach,CA 455
Ogden,UT 443
Logan,UT 400
Chicago 414 - expresso and beer
MarineCorp 404
NewYork 422
Jax 342
2004
Disney 331
Miami 352
Clearwater 408
New Jersey 328
Ogden,UT 343
Erie 359
Chicago 344
MarineCorp 413
JFK 50 Miler 1005
2005
New Jersey 422
Ottawa 411
Sacramento 344
Chicago 343
MarineCorp 355
JFK 50 Miler 910
Jax 340
2006
Disney 342
RockyRac 100 miler DNF @80miles 1635
Tampa 402
New Jersey 354
Ave of the Giants 412
Self-Transcendence 334
Logan,UT 337
Steamtown 328
Chicago 327
Philly 357 - Endurance 50 - 3 in 3 days.
NJ 409
New York 335
JFK 50 Miler 840 - beat Dave finally!
Vegas 419 - paced Jeri in for her PR
Jax 337
Luna50k 505
2007
Disney 358 - official time 3:59:59
RockyRac 100miler 2236
IronHorse100miler 1952 - my first win!
Atlanta 408
Sunrise 170 miler DNF @65miles 1524
BigSur 351
Old Dominion 100 miler 2243 - 5th place
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Review of Run Less, Run Faster
from Business Week - May 21, 2007
My recommendation for most busy, injury-prone, type A runners is to emphasize quality of training over quantity. This conclusion comes after consulting with experts and fellow runners and going by my own 35 years of experience as a competitive runner. (For what it's worth, I ran a half-marathon last month at age 49 in 1 hour, 23 minutes.)
What's wrong with quantity? Because running, say, three tough workouts a week and resting or going easy on other days will give you better results, in less time and more safely, than slogging through lots of mileage at a mediocre pace. Cutting back on mileage will also free up time for the strengthening and stretching exercises you know you need but have been ignoring. True, high-quality workouts are a strain on the body—by design, they break down muscle fibers so they rebuild themselves stronger. But done right, such programs aren't much riskier than the ultracautious approach of going both short and slow.
A new book that takes this position is Runner's World: Run Less, Run Faster by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss, a team of health and exercise experts at Furman University in South Carolina. The Furman program involves only three days of running per week, plus two or three days of cross-training. Even marathoners in the program do just 35 miles in their longest week.
Sound wimpy? It isn't. Each running session is intense. There is a speed day with roughly 5 kilometers' worth of intervals on the track (for example, 10 fast laps with short rests in between), a run at a tempo just slightly slower than your 5K race pace, and a long run at a healthy clip. The twice-or-thrice-a-week cross-training, such as swimming or biking, is supposed to be done hard, too, so you get a genuine cardiovascular and muscular workout while giving your legs a chance to recover from the pounding.
If you line up exercise regimens in terms of their stress on the body, Furman is roughly in the middle. The approach espoused by Jeff Galloway, a former Olympian, occupies the ultrasafe end of the spectrum. Like Furman's, his acolytes run just three times a week. But Galloway controversially recommends taking walk breaks, not only during training, but in races as well. He says walking rejuvenates the legs so you can finish strong and beat people who don't take breaks. "The intensity [of the Furman approach] is too great for most of today's runners," Galloway says in an e-mail.
TROPHY GRABBERS
Of course, some serious working adults somehow manage to do heavy mileage at high quality and not break down. Those are the ones up there on the stage grabbing the trophies while you clutch your finisher's medal.
Even older runners can thrive on enormous amounts of mileage if they build up to it gradually, says Kevin Beck, a coach for DistanceCoach.com. Pete Pfitzinger, the two-time U.S. Olympic marathoner and exercise physiologist who operates DistanceCoach.com out of his home in New Zealand, says in an e-mail that Furman's low-mileage approach sounds overly risk-averse for most runners. "I would only recommend it to those runners who have a history of injury when running more than [Furman] recommends," he says. Furman's Pierce disputes that but agrees that runners who manage to avoid injury could "most likely" run faster by running more miles.
Whether you fall in with Galloway, Furman, Pfitzinger, or some other training program, you'll have to confront some hard truths: You don't get fast by running slowly. You can't run at all if you get injured. And you can't do a 90-minute run if all you have to spare is 45.
For me, at least, the best compromise is fewer running workouts but better ones: zippy, hard-charging miles that make me feel like a sprinter, not a slogger. That gets me home sooner, with my sadly aging human infrastructure intact to run another day.
My recommendation for most busy, injury-prone, type A runners is to emphasize quality of training over quantity. This conclusion comes after consulting with experts and fellow runners and going by my own 35 years of experience as a competitive runner. (For what it's worth, I ran a half-marathon last month at age 49 in 1 hour, 23 minutes.)
What's wrong with quantity? Because running, say, three tough workouts a week and resting or going easy on other days will give you better results, in less time and more safely, than slogging through lots of mileage at a mediocre pace. Cutting back on mileage will also free up time for the strengthening and stretching exercises you know you need but have been ignoring. True, high-quality workouts are a strain on the body—by design, they break down muscle fibers so they rebuild themselves stronger. But done right, such programs aren't much riskier than the ultracautious approach of going both short and slow.
A new book that takes this position is Runner's World: Run Less, Run Faster by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss, a team of health and exercise experts at Furman University in South Carolina. The Furman program involves only three days of running per week, plus two or three days of cross-training. Even marathoners in the program do just 35 miles in their longest week.
Sound wimpy? It isn't. Each running session is intense. There is a speed day with roughly 5 kilometers' worth of intervals on the track (for example, 10 fast laps with short rests in between), a run at a tempo just slightly slower than your 5K race pace, and a long run at a healthy clip. The twice-or-thrice-a-week cross-training, such as swimming or biking, is supposed to be done hard, too, so you get a genuine cardiovascular and muscular workout while giving your legs a chance to recover from the pounding.
If you line up exercise regimens in terms of their stress on the body, Furman is roughly in the middle. The approach espoused by Jeff Galloway, a former Olympian, occupies the ultrasafe end of the spectrum. Like Furman's, his acolytes run just three times a week. But Galloway controversially recommends taking walk breaks, not only during training, but in races as well. He says walking rejuvenates the legs so you can finish strong and beat people who don't take breaks. "The intensity [of the Furman approach] is too great for most of today's runners," Galloway says in an e-mail.
TROPHY GRABBERS
Of course, some serious working adults somehow manage to do heavy mileage at high quality and not break down. Those are the ones up there on the stage grabbing the trophies while you clutch your finisher's medal.
Even older runners can thrive on enormous amounts of mileage if they build up to it gradually, says Kevin Beck, a coach for DistanceCoach.com. Pete Pfitzinger, the two-time U.S. Olympic marathoner and exercise physiologist who operates DistanceCoach.com out of his home in New Zealand, says in an e-mail that Furman's low-mileage approach sounds overly risk-averse for most runners. "I would only recommend it to those runners who have a history of injury when running more than [Furman] recommends," he says. Furman's Pierce disputes that but agrees that runners who manage to avoid injury could "most likely" run faster by running more miles.
Whether you fall in with Galloway, Furman, Pfitzinger, or some other training program, you'll have to confront some hard truths: You don't get fast by running slowly. You can't run at all if you get injured. And you can't do a 90-minute run if all you have to spare is 45.
For me, at least, the best compromise is fewer running workouts but better ones: zippy, hard-charging miles that make me feel like a sprinter, not a slogger. That gets me home sooner, with my sadly aging human infrastructure intact to run another day.
More on the importance of speedwork
from a training Boston marathon training manual - Bill Rodgers and Billy Squires for John Hancock's marathon group.
Two points underlined in the manual:
a) intensity of training pace, not duration of the training run, is a more important factor in developing fitness for the marathon. The best predictor of marathon pace is the average speed of 6-10 mile training runs.
b) as the intensity is increased, you must also couple the increased intensity with appropriate rest and proper nutrition. Rest is a critical element in training.
from Tim Noakes --The Lore of Running ( I have his 900+ page book if anyone wants to borrow it)
When evaluating the training patterns of 88 runners in the 1982 Glasgow Marathon, Grant and colleagues found that that average distance run in training was 37 miles per week for the 12 weeks prior to the race, and this ranged from 15 to 64 miles. This study also debunked two important myths.
Firstly, there is no relationship between weekly training distance and marathon time (as shown by Franklin and others)(2).
Secondly, despite their apparent inadequate training, the runners did not slow down dramatically after hitting their predicted ‘collapse point’ at about 17 mile. Thus, they could find no evidence to support the collapse-point theory proposed by Ken Young(3). This theory holds that runners who do not train more than 63 miles per week ‘collapse’, and are reduced to a ‘shuffle’ when they race more than three times their average daily training distance for the last eight weeks before the marathon.
For the first six to eight years of my running career, I trained exclusively by running long, slow distances. However, I now firmly believe that this training approach, which emphasises distance training to the virtual exclusion of speedwork, although very safe, is not the best way to train for any distance, including ultra-marathons. I endorse Roger Bannister’s view that high mileage distance training increases the athlete’s speed of recovery from effort, but does not increase racing speed. The athlete must achieve a balance by doing just the right amount of speed training.
Two points underlined in the manual:
a) intensity of training pace, not duration of the training run, is a more important factor in developing fitness for the marathon. The best predictor of marathon pace is the average speed of 6-10 mile training runs.
b) as the intensity is increased, you must also couple the increased intensity with appropriate rest and proper nutrition. Rest is a critical element in training.
from Tim Noakes --The Lore of Running ( I have his 900+ page book if anyone wants to borrow it)
When evaluating the training patterns of 88 runners in the 1982 Glasgow Marathon, Grant and colleagues found that that average distance run in training was 37 miles per week for the 12 weeks prior to the race, and this ranged from 15 to 64 miles. This study also debunked two important myths.
Firstly, there is no relationship between weekly training distance and marathon time (as shown by Franklin and others)(2).
Secondly, despite their apparent inadequate training, the runners did not slow down dramatically after hitting their predicted ‘collapse point’ at about 17 mile. Thus, they could find no evidence to support the collapse-point theory proposed by Ken Young(3). This theory holds that runners who do not train more than 63 miles per week ‘collapse’, and are reduced to a ‘shuffle’ when they race more than three times their average daily training distance for the last eight weeks before the marathon.
For the first six to eight years of my running career, I trained exclusively by running long, slow distances. However, I now firmly believe that this training approach, which emphasises distance training to the virtual exclusion of speedwork, although very safe, is not the best way to train for any distance, including ultra-marathons. I endorse Roger Bannister’s view that high mileage distance training increases the athlete’s speed of recovery from effort, but does not increase racing speed. The athlete must achieve a balance by doing just the right amount of speed training.
Benefits of intense interval training
from June 2005 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology
Sprinting for endurance - Very intense exercise, as little as 12 minutes total over a two-week period, can double endurance capacity.
Sixteen physically active college students ages 21 to 27 took part in the study. Eight were tested two weeks apart with no training in between. The other eight performed "sprint interval training" - they did four to seven 30-second sprints on a stationary bicycle, resting four minutes between each sprint. A researcher encouraged them verbally to pedal as hard as possible. They performed six of these sessions over two weeks.
The results were surprising. The average improvement in cycle endurance, measured by time to fatigue, was about 100 percent (from 26 minutes at the beginning of training to 51 minutes at the end). The group that did not train showed no improvement.
This kind of training, at least in its most demanding form, may not be for everyone. "We're not suggesting that totally sedentary people jump on a bicycle and start pedaling their hearts out," said Martin J. Gibala, the senior author of the paper, "and we're not suggesting that people do only six minutes of exercise per week. But interval training is not just for elite athletes. Studies have shown that the elderly, and even people with coronary artery disease, can benefit from a properly supervised interval training program."
Dr. Gibala, who is a professor in the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, suggested that even people whose only exercise is walking might improve their endurance by simply walking a bit faster for alternating intervals of time. "The main message," he said, "is that people can get away with less exercise time if they are willing to trade duration for intensity."
Sprinting for endurance - Very intense exercise, as little as 12 minutes total over a two-week period, can double endurance capacity.
Sixteen physically active college students ages 21 to 27 took part in the study. Eight were tested two weeks apart with no training in between. The other eight performed "sprint interval training" - they did four to seven 30-second sprints on a stationary bicycle, resting four minutes between each sprint. A researcher encouraged them verbally to pedal as hard as possible. They performed six of these sessions over two weeks.
The results were surprising. The average improvement in cycle endurance, measured by time to fatigue, was about 100 percent (from 26 minutes at the beginning of training to 51 minutes at the end). The group that did not train showed no improvement.
This kind of training, at least in its most demanding form, may not be for everyone. "We're not suggesting that totally sedentary people jump on a bicycle and start pedaling their hearts out," said Martin J. Gibala, the senior author of the paper, "and we're not suggesting that people do only six minutes of exercise per week. But interval training is not just for elite athletes. Studies have shown that the elderly, and even people with coronary artery disease, can benefit from a properly supervised interval training program."
Dr. Gibala, who is a professor in the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, suggested that even people whose only exercise is walking might improve their endurance by simply walking a bit faster for alternating intervals of time. "The main message," he said, "is that people can get away with less exercise time if they are willing to trade duration for intensity."
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Fatigue - it's mostly in your head
Ultra runners will ingest only about 75% of the calories that they burn. The other 25% comes mostly from body fat. Is race nutrition really about keeping the brain happy rather than fueling the muscles?
from the Times 5/23/2006
A spate of recent studies has contributed to growing support for the notion that the origins and controls of fatigue lie partly, if not mostly, within the brain and the central nervous system. The new research puts fresh weight to the hoary coaching cliché: you only think you’re tired.
From the time of Hippocrates, the limits of human exertion were thought to reside in the muscles themselves, a hypothesis that was established in 1922 with the Nobel Prize-winning work of Dr. A.V. Hill. The theory went like this: working muscles, pushed to their limit, accumulated lactic acid. When concentrations of lactic acid reached a certain level, so the argument went, the muscles could no longer function. Muscles contained an ‘‘automatic brake,’’ Hill wrote, ‘‘carefully adjusted by nature.’’
Researchers, however, have long noted a link between neurological disorders and athletic potential. In the late 1800’s, the pioneering French doctor Philippe Tissié observed that phobias and epilepsy could be beneficial for athletic training. A few decades later, the German surgeon August Bier measured the spontaneous long jump of a mentally disturbed patient, noting that it compared favorably to the existing world record. These types of exertions seemed to defy the notion of built-in muscular limits and, Bier noted, were made possible by ‘‘powerful mental stimuli and the simultaneous elimination of inhibitions.’’
Questions about the muscle-centered model came up again in 1989 when Canadian researchers published the results of an experiment called Operation Everest II, in which athletes did heavy exercise in altitude chambers. The athletes reached exhaustion despite the fact that their lactic-acid concentrations remained comfortably low. Fatigue, it seemed, might be caused by something else.
In 1999, three physiologists from the University of Cape Town Medical School in South Africa took the next step. They worked a group of cyclists to exhaustion during a 62-mile laboratory ride and measured, via electrodes, the percentage of leg muscles they were using at the fatigue limit. If standard theories were true, they reasoned, the body should recruit more muscle fibers as it approached exhaustion — a natural compensation for tired, weakening muscles.
Instead, the researchers observed the opposite result. As the riders approached complete fatigue, the percentage of active muscle fibers decreased, until they were using only about 30 percent. Even as the athletes felt they were giving their all, the reality was that more of their muscles were at rest. Was the brain purposely holding back the body?
‘‘It was as if the brain was playing a trick on the body, to save it,’’ says Timothy Noakes, head of the Cape Town group. ‘‘Which makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. In fatigue, it only feels like we’re going to die. The actual physiological risks that fatigue represents are essentially trivial.’’
From this, Noakes and his colleagues concluded that A.V. Hill had been right about the automatic brake, but wrong about its location. They postulated the existence of what they called a central governor: a neural system that monitors carbohydrate stores, the levels of glucose and oxygen in the blood, the rates of heat gain and loss, and work rates. The governor’s job is to hold our bodies safely back from the brink of collapse by creating painful sensations that we interpret as unendurable muscle fatigue.
Fatigue, the researchers argue, is less an objective event than a subjective emotion — the brain’s clever, self-interested attempt to scare you into stopping. The way past fatigue, then, is to return the favor: to fool the brain by lying to it, distracting it or even provoking it. (That said, mental gamesmanship can never overcome a basic lack of fitness. As Noakes says, the body always holds veto power.)
‘‘Athletes and coaches already do a lot of this instinctively,’’ Noakes says. ‘‘What is a coach, after all, but a technique for overcoming the governor?’’
The governor theory is far from conclusive, but some scientists are focusing on a walnut-size area in the front portion of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex. This has been linked to a host of core functions, including handling pain, creating emotion and playing a key role in what’s known loosely as willpower. Sir Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of DNA, thought the anterior cingulate cortex to be the seat of the soul. In the sports world, perhaps no soul relies on it more than Jure Robic’s.
Some people ‘‘have the ability to reprocess the pain signal,’’ says Daniel Galper, a senior researcher in the psychiatry department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. ‘‘It’s not that they don’t feel the pain; they just shift their brain dynamics and alter their perception of reality so the pain matters less. It’s basically a purposeful hallucination.’’
Noakes and his colleagues speculate that the central governor theory holds the potential to explain not just feats of stamina but also their opposite: chronic fatigue syndrome (a malfunctioning, overactive governor, in this view). Moreover, the governor theory makes evolutionary sense. Animals whose brains safeguarded an emergency stash of physical reserves might well have survived at a higher rate than animals that could drain their fuel tanks at will.
The theory would also seem to explain a sports landscape in which ultra-endurance events have gone from being considered medically hazardous to something perilously close to routine. The Ironman triathlon in Hawaii — a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and marathon-length run — was the ne plus ultra in endurance in the 1980’s, but has now been topped by the Ultraman, which is more than twice as long. Once obscure, the genre known as adventure racing, which includes 500-plus-mile wilderness races like Primal Quest, has grown to more than 400 events each year. Ultramarathoners, defined as those who participate in running events exceeding the official marathon distance of 26.2 miles, now number some 15,000 in the United States alone. The underlying physics have not changed, but rather our sense of possibility. Athletic culture, like Robic, has discovered a way to tweak its collective governor.
When we try understanding Robic’s relationship to severe pain, however, our interest tends to be more visceral. Namely, how does it feel?
‘‘I feel like if I go on, I will die,’’ he says, struggling for words. ‘‘It is everything at the same moment, piled up over and over. Head, muscles, bones. Nobody can understand. You cannot
imagine it until you feel it.’’
A few moments later, he says: ‘‘The pain doesn’t exist for me. I know it is there because I feel it, but I don’t pay attention to it. I sometimes see myself from the other view, looking down at me riding the bike. It is strange, but it happens like that.’’ Robic veers like this when he discusses pain. He talks of incomprehensible suffering one moment and of dreamlike anesthesia the next. If pain is in fact both signal and emotion, perhaps that makes sense. Perhaps the closer we get to its dual nature, the more elusive any single truth becomes, and the better we understand what Emily Dickinson meant when she wrote that ‘‘pain has an element of blank.’’
from the Times 5/23/2006
A spate of recent studies has contributed to growing support for the notion that the origins and controls of fatigue lie partly, if not mostly, within the brain and the central nervous system. The new research puts fresh weight to the hoary coaching cliché: you only think you’re tired.
From the time of Hippocrates, the limits of human exertion were thought to reside in the muscles themselves, a hypothesis that was established in 1922 with the Nobel Prize-winning work of Dr. A.V. Hill. The theory went like this: working muscles, pushed to their limit, accumulated lactic acid. When concentrations of lactic acid reached a certain level, so the argument went, the muscles could no longer function. Muscles contained an ‘‘automatic brake,’’ Hill wrote, ‘‘carefully adjusted by nature.’’
Researchers, however, have long noted a link between neurological disorders and athletic potential. In the late 1800’s, the pioneering French doctor Philippe Tissié observed that phobias and epilepsy could be beneficial for athletic training. A few decades later, the German surgeon August Bier measured the spontaneous long jump of a mentally disturbed patient, noting that it compared favorably to the existing world record. These types of exertions seemed to defy the notion of built-in muscular limits and, Bier noted, were made possible by ‘‘powerful mental stimuli and the simultaneous elimination of inhibitions.’’
Questions about the muscle-centered model came up again in 1989 when Canadian researchers published the results of an experiment called Operation Everest II, in which athletes did heavy exercise in altitude chambers. The athletes reached exhaustion despite the fact that their lactic-acid concentrations remained comfortably low. Fatigue, it seemed, might be caused by something else.
In 1999, three physiologists from the University of Cape Town Medical School in South Africa took the next step. They worked a group of cyclists to exhaustion during a 62-mile laboratory ride and measured, via electrodes, the percentage of leg muscles they were using at the fatigue limit. If standard theories were true, they reasoned, the body should recruit more muscle fibers as it approached exhaustion — a natural compensation for tired, weakening muscles.
Instead, the researchers observed the opposite result. As the riders approached complete fatigue, the percentage of active muscle fibers decreased, until they were using only about 30 percent. Even as the athletes felt they were giving their all, the reality was that more of their muscles were at rest. Was the brain purposely holding back the body?
‘‘It was as if the brain was playing a trick on the body, to save it,’’ says Timothy Noakes, head of the Cape Town group. ‘‘Which makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. In fatigue, it only feels like we’re going to die. The actual physiological risks that fatigue represents are essentially trivial.’’
From this, Noakes and his colleagues concluded that A.V. Hill had been right about the automatic brake, but wrong about its location. They postulated the existence of what they called a central governor: a neural system that monitors carbohydrate stores, the levels of glucose and oxygen in the blood, the rates of heat gain and loss, and work rates. The governor’s job is to hold our bodies safely back from the brink of collapse by creating painful sensations that we interpret as unendurable muscle fatigue.
Fatigue, the researchers argue, is less an objective event than a subjective emotion — the brain’s clever, self-interested attempt to scare you into stopping. The way past fatigue, then, is to return the favor: to fool the brain by lying to it, distracting it or even provoking it. (That said, mental gamesmanship can never overcome a basic lack of fitness. As Noakes says, the body always holds veto power.)
‘‘Athletes and coaches already do a lot of this instinctively,’’ Noakes says. ‘‘What is a coach, after all, but a technique for overcoming the governor?’’
The governor theory is far from conclusive, but some scientists are focusing on a walnut-size area in the front portion of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex. This has been linked to a host of core functions, including handling pain, creating emotion and playing a key role in what’s known loosely as willpower. Sir Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of DNA, thought the anterior cingulate cortex to be the seat of the soul. In the sports world, perhaps no soul relies on it more than Jure Robic’s.
Some people ‘‘have the ability to reprocess the pain signal,’’ says Daniel Galper, a senior researcher in the psychiatry department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. ‘‘It’s not that they don’t feel the pain; they just shift their brain dynamics and alter their perception of reality so the pain matters less. It’s basically a purposeful hallucination.’’
Noakes and his colleagues speculate that the central governor theory holds the potential to explain not just feats of stamina but also their opposite: chronic fatigue syndrome (a malfunctioning, overactive governor, in this view). Moreover, the governor theory makes evolutionary sense. Animals whose brains safeguarded an emergency stash of physical reserves might well have survived at a higher rate than animals that could drain their fuel tanks at will.
The theory would also seem to explain a sports landscape in which ultra-endurance events have gone from being considered medically hazardous to something perilously close to routine. The Ironman triathlon in Hawaii — a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and marathon-length run — was the ne plus ultra in endurance in the 1980’s, but has now been topped by the Ultraman, which is more than twice as long. Once obscure, the genre known as adventure racing, which includes 500-plus-mile wilderness races like Primal Quest, has grown to more than 400 events each year. Ultramarathoners, defined as those who participate in running events exceeding the official marathon distance of 26.2 miles, now number some 15,000 in the United States alone. The underlying physics have not changed, but rather our sense of possibility. Athletic culture, like Robic, has discovered a way to tweak its collective governor.
When we try understanding Robic’s relationship to severe pain, however, our interest tends to be more visceral. Namely, how does it feel?
‘‘I feel like if I go on, I will die,’’ he says, struggling for words. ‘‘It is everything at the same moment, piled up over and over. Head, muscles, bones. Nobody can understand. You cannot
imagine it until you feel it.’’
A few moments later, he says: ‘‘The pain doesn’t exist for me. I know it is there because I feel it, but I don’t pay attention to it. I sometimes see myself from the other view, looking down at me riding the bike. It is strange, but it happens like that.’’ Robic veers like this when he discusses pain. He talks of incomprehensible suffering one moment and of dreamlike anesthesia the next. If pain is in fact both signal and emotion, perhaps that makes sense. Perhaps the closer we get to its dual nature, the more elusive any single truth becomes, and the better we understand what Emily Dickinson meant when she wrote that ‘‘pain has an element of blank.’’
Kouros's training and nutrition
Kouros, who currently holds 154 world records, including 12, 24, and 48 hours, six days, 11 days, and 100 miles to 1,000 miles. When Kouros set his 24-hour record of 303 kilometers, he averaged a 7:26 mile, with a sub-three-hour marathon split.
He tries to do most of his quality work on the track but never runs more than 12 kilometers per workout, typically doing 6 x 2k, 2 x 6k, or 3 x 4k and sometimes, when it is particularly hot, only running 6k total. He doesn’t do any weight training and basically uses his races as his long runs. Indeed, very long runs.
During a six-day race from Sydney to Melbourne, Kouros’ intake was monitored and described in the Lore of Running. He was said to have managed to take in 15,000 calories the first day, 12,000 the next, and 7,000 the third day. During the Phidippides run that traced the Athenian messenger’s route from Athens to Sparta (and back) for a total of 300 miles, Kouros consumed half of his calories as Greek sweets, eating every 20 minutes, and enjoying baklava, fresh creamy custard, and honey cookies. He says he doesn’t eat too much fat, using mostly carbohydrates and only loses weight in races if he wants to, even gaining weight in some.
source: Running Times
He tries to do most of his quality work on the track but never runs more than 12 kilometers per workout, typically doing 6 x 2k, 2 x 6k, or 3 x 4k and sometimes, when it is particularly hot, only running 6k total. He doesn’t do any weight training and basically uses his races as his long runs. Indeed, very long runs.
During a six-day race from Sydney to Melbourne, Kouros’ intake was monitored and described in the Lore of Running. He was said to have managed to take in 15,000 calories the first day, 12,000 the next, and 7,000 the third day. During the Phidippides run that traced the Athenian messenger’s route from Athens to Sparta (and back) for a total of 300 miles, Kouros consumed half of his calories as Greek sweets, eating every 20 minutes, and enjoying baklava, fresh creamy custard, and honey cookies. He says he doesn’t eat too much fat, using mostly carbohydrates and only loses weight in races if he wants to, even gaining weight in some.
source: Running Times
Race Nutrition
Running ultra races well is less an issue of fatigue and more about managing nutrition and avoiding blisters. I think the wall/bonking is entirely nutritional. Indirectly, it could be about going out too fast - when you didn't take in enough calories or you couldn't absorb enough calories to sustain a fast pace.
I use regular gels for the first 50 miles and switch over to caffeinated gels, Ensure Plus and Red Bull for the last half of the race. I take electrolyte tablets as needed. If I can find Endurance Gatorade, I will use it during daylight.
Taste shouldn't matter unless you avoid taking sufficient amounts. I rather take the "medicine" that sits well in my stomach and fuels me throughout the race, than take something that tastes good but backs up my gut over time.
The morning of the race, I eat a progressive breakfast based on the timeline for digestion. Solids first, then liquid proteins/fats, then gels, then gatorade. In 5ks, I eat my donuts early and save highly sugared coffee for last :). In training, I look for high glycemic foods - potatoes, popsicles, french bread. My latest is Rice Krispies Treats.
My appetite for gels and gatorade diminishes after 50 miles. The stomach complains (there's a book about the GI system having it's own brain) when breakfast, lunch and dinner is skipped. I crave salty foods and Coke. I haven't tried Mountain Dew yet.
I have read that gels and Gatorade make the stomach more acidic which could explain nausea?
The fat and protein in Ensure probably helps to simulate a real meal. The aid stations in some races will have a tasty buffet of pizza, macaroni and cheese and chicken noodle soup.
I am trying to come up with a nutrition plan for the 48 hour run in Dallas. Does anyone have experience with Heed Perpetuem or InfinitNutruition?
Heed Perpetuem uses a calcium-enhanced soy protein isolate and a de-oiled "super lecithin" as fat. It uses maltodextrin for carbs.
InfinitNutrition allows you to customize your energy drink - you can vary levels of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, caffeine and electrolytes. There are template formulations for various sports and endurance distances. It also uses maltodextrin. The protein comes from whey. I am not sure if a milk protein will sit well. I guess I can maximize the amino acids and minimize the whey protein.
InfinitNutrition has interesting things to say about competitor products. Gatorade could cause cramping from large amounts of fructose and a high osmolality (absorption shutdown). Gatorade Endurance is better. Cytomax has a high osmolality issue. InfinitNutrition likes Hammer as 2nd best to its own product. http://www.infinitnutrition.us/information/productcomparison.asp
The problem with trying something new is that there are so few opportunities to test it. For example, you don't know where the hotspots are for blisters in a particular pair of shoes/sock/lacing tightness until 30-40 miles. Will I save time by stopping to stretch, for how long, how long is too long?
I'll report back when I try one of the 2 energy drinks at the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler in DC August 4th.
I use regular gels for the first 50 miles and switch over to caffeinated gels, Ensure Plus and Red Bull for the last half of the race. I take electrolyte tablets as needed. If I can find Endurance Gatorade, I will use it during daylight.
Taste shouldn't matter unless you avoid taking sufficient amounts. I rather take the "medicine" that sits well in my stomach and fuels me throughout the race, than take something that tastes good but backs up my gut over time.
The morning of the race, I eat a progressive breakfast based on the timeline for digestion. Solids first, then liquid proteins/fats, then gels, then gatorade. In 5ks, I eat my donuts early and save highly sugared coffee for last :). In training, I look for high glycemic foods - potatoes, popsicles, french bread. My latest is Rice Krispies Treats.
My appetite for gels and gatorade diminishes after 50 miles. The stomach complains (there's a book about the GI system having it's own brain) when breakfast, lunch and dinner is skipped. I crave salty foods and Coke. I haven't tried Mountain Dew yet.
I have read that gels and Gatorade make the stomach more acidic which could explain nausea?
The fat and protein in Ensure probably helps to simulate a real meal. The aid stations in some races will have a tasty buffet of pizza, macaroni and cheese and chicken noodle soup.
I am trying to come up with a nutrition plan for the 48 hour run in Dallas. Does anyone have experience with Heed Perpetuem or InfinitNutruition?
Heed Perpetuem uses a calcium-enhanced soy protein isolate and a de-oiled "super lecithin" as fat. It uses maltodextrin for carbs.
InfinitNutrition allows you to customize your energy drink - you can vary levels of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, caffeine and electrolytes. There are template formulations for various sports and endurance distances. It also uses maltodextrin. The protein comes from whey. I am not sure if a milk protein will sit well. I guess I can maximize the amino acids and minimize the whey protein.
InfinitNutrition has interesting things to say about competitor products. Gatorade could cause cramping from large amounts of fructose and a high osmolality (absorption shutdown). Gatorade Endurance is better. Cytomax has a high osmolality issue. InfinitNutrition likes Hammer as 2nd best to its own product. http://www.infinitnutrition.us/information/productcomparison.asp
The problem with trying something new is that there are so few opportunities to test it. For example, you don't know where the hotspots are for blisters in a particular pair of shoes/sock/lacing tightness until 30-40 miles. Will I save time by stopping to stretch, for how long, how long is too long?
I'll report back when I try one of the 2 energy drinks at the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler in DC August 4th.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
