Race reports and other ramblings

2010 Badwater Crew Report

2011-03-23T06:52:00.001-04:00

Q: What do you get when you combine "Survivor" with "Gilligan's Island?"

A: The Team Hung-Kwong Ng Crew for the Badwater Ultra-Marathon!

Oh hell no, I am not crazy enough to run the 135 mile Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley! But ever since I saw the movie Running on the Sun a few years ago, Badwater has intrigued me. I never had any real desire to run that course in that kind of heat (and don't have near the experience needed to do so), but I wanted to see and experience the race as closely as possible without running it. My friend, Hung-Kwong Ng (pronounced "Ing"), received a last minute invitation to enter the race after some runners dropped out. The invitation came in May, eight weeks before race day. Hung-Kwong ran this race in 2009 and felt he had maintained a competitive level of training, so he accepted with little hesitation. The Badwater Ultra involves such grueling conditions through a desert with temperature highs upwards of 120 degrees and elevation climbs of 10,000 feet that it bills itself as "the world's toughest footrace." While the claim may or may not be true (if the Barkley is considered a footrace, then I would say that one is harder), there is no doubt that the level of difficulty is through the roof.

Also indisputable is the fact that a runner cannot complete Badwater alone. A crew is essential to a successful finish-- well, to any finish, successful or not. Crew duties include "hopscotching" their runner, that is, driving a short distance ahead, stopping to take care of him or her, driving ahead, stopping... for 135 miles; having cold water and sports drink mixed and ready to offer at every stop; spraying the runner down with ice water, icing the runner down, or filling and replacing ice in bandanas or hats, whatever method the runner chooses to keep cool; having food, sports gels, advil, tylenol, sunblock, extra shoes-- whatever the runner requested-- ready to go; tracking the runner's weight and body temperature at regular intervals to monitor for dehydration and overheating; keeping ice chests and gas tanks filled; setting up rest stops and timing them; tending to blisters and other foot problems; and whatever the runner wants. The sole focus is getting the runner to the finish line and doing what it takes to get him or her there.

Runners finish Badwater anywhere from about 24 hours to the cut-off of 60 hours. Hung-Kwong finished in 33 hours last year, and wanted to run under 33 this year. Due to the short notice Hung-Kwong had to put a crew together, as well as the fact that it's really hard to find nutcases willing to travel across the country to cater to a runner who is not 1) themselves 2) related to them or 3) friends with them, our crew consisted of four total strangers and one overworked rental minivan (the race instructions actually advise runners, "do NOT tell your rental company what you will be doing with the car!" ). The ideal crew has five or six members and two vehicles, which allows two people to drive ahead and grab some rest before relieving two others. The better rested the crew, the more efficient. Two vehicles also allows one to take care of an emergency, for instance, to refill the ice chests or get the runner food, without leaving the runner unattended. But we did the best we could with what we had.

I arrived at LAX on Saturday, July 10, to meet up with Hung-Kwong and the rest of the crew. They were all dudes! And yes, Jimbo, you were all hot! Two guys were Ironman finishers, all were accomplished ultrarunners. I guess I was the Gilligan here. Trust me, as proud as I was when I finally, finally qualified for Boston, I would have felt like a complete dork wearing my Boston shirt among this sea of 100 mile, Ironman, and previous Badwater finisher tees. Amazingly, considering we were complete strangers, we all clicked and worked together well throughout the race. Everyone seemed to have a different talent to contribute to the crew, and we all seemed fairly easy-going but serious about our responsibilities. From LAX, we went straight to buy supplies. The list was endless, and organizing all the food, sunblock, water, first-aid supplies, and miscellaneous items in the tight space of the minivan was a daunting task. Traveling to pick up borrowed items including a huge cooler, a smaller cooler, and a folding chair from Hung's friends in California, and getting it all organized took up all of our time until the start of the race on Monday morning.

On Sunday we hit the expo in the aptly named Furnace Creek, CA, to pick up Hung's race packet. The thermometer outside the building read 117, and it was in the shade. A breeze was blowing, and it felt just like having someone point a hot hair blower in your face. And PLEASE don't say "But it's a dry heat!" 117 degrees is 117 degrees, dry or not! We were required to show that Hung and every crew member had their own night-time safety vest and two red blinking lights for the race before we could enter the expo. I walked in, and the very first person I saw was my all-time hero, Deena Kastor. She was crewing for Shannon Farar-Griefer, founder of the Moeben arm pantie company. I met Kastor a short while later and got a photo and her autograph, and knew that no matter what the rest of my experience there would be, this just rocked! Meanwhile, my male cohorts went off to flirt with the "Moeben Chicks," the rest of Shannon's crew, who were all dressed in short, tight Moeben dresses and arm panties and were giving white arm panties with the Badwater logo to the runners. The remainder of the expo was spent listening to a lecture on the many rules for the race; the funniest part was when the safety director told us what would happen if we had car trouble and needed Triple A. He picked up a big rock with "AAA" painted on it and explained that in the desert, the rock was all the Triple A we would get if we locked our keys inside, and it was going straight through our car window .

Then all the runners were introduced. The cast included well-known ultra-runners, including Pam Reed, Marshall Ulrich, Amy Palmiero-Winters, and Jaimie Donaldson (who would be the first place female and set a new woman's course record of 26:16:xx). Seventy-five year old Jack Denness, featured in "Running on the Sun," was also there. Palmiero-Winters had a special prosthetic leg made for Badwater, of white material instead of the usual black, to retain less heat; however, she had just run Western States two weeks earlier, and had problems with blistering in the desert heat, so she ended up dropping out of Badwater after 30 miles. She could just have felt sorry for herself and gone on home, but instead, she and her crew (who all wore bright pink wigs during the race) stayed and cheered runners all along the course right up to the finish line. She and her crew were phenomenal.

Suddenly it was race day, Monday morning. 78 runners started (only seven would DNF) the race in three waves, with the slowest runners starting at 6 am, faster at 8 am, and the fastest at 10 am. Hung started at 10 am. We were all up early to prepare the van and get to the start at Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level and the lowest point in North America. The race ended at Mt. Whitney Portal, at 8371 feet above sea level. It was quite a sight, about thirty runners standing in front of big race banners, surrounded as far as the eye could see by desert and huge salt flats. After much photo taking, the national anthem was sung and the horn sounded.

How do I condense 36 hours of an intense experience into a few paragraphs? I guess I can't, so forgive me if this sounds lame. It took about two hours for us to unify into a real crew. The work, and the focus it required, was constant. The organization we had worked so hard to achieve before the start evaporated all too easily as the day turned into the night and into the second day. Any mistakes made, however, (and there were a few at the beginning) were simply not a big deal. If we forgot the water bottle inside the van at a crew stop, we had it ready for him three or four minutes down the road at the next stop. We finally got a rhythm going, though, and things moved along smoothly through the desert. For the next 36 hours, we jumped in and out of the van every five minutes or so to spray Hung down with ice water, offer sports drink, gels, food, or set up a chair so he could rest. He never rested more than 20 minutes, and that only happened twice. Most of the time he rested for only five or ten minutes. After 17 miles runners were allowed to have, not exactly a pacer, but one crew member running behind to support him or her; the three guys on the crew each did substantial support running, carrying a spray bottle with ice water for distances of 25 to 30 miles. I had told Hung before the race that I wouldn't pace, but I did follow him, carrying water and a spray bottle, during a walking phase for about 5 miles during the hottest part of the first day of the race.

Death Valley (hey Chris, it's a national park!) was huge and unforgiving. It could be (and probably was) the setting for every Clint Eastwood western ever made, with vast tracts of land empty but for tumbleweeds, salt flats, and the occasional ragged Joshua tree. Towns (which greatly resembled the sets in Blazing Saddles, seriously ) were 30 to 50 miles apart or more. There weren't bathroom facilities (or even bushes to duck behind), gas stations, or convenience stores with ice and food where you might need them. Cell phone service was sporadic, and internet was non-existent, so advance planning was vital to a race like this. "What can we do if [insert emergency situation here] happens" ran through my mind constantly. But in spite of the locale's desolate nature, the race officials charged with enforcing race rules managed to drive right up to us in seconds whenever our car was parked over the white line on the road (a major infraction), so I wasn't too worried about getting help if we needed it . Fortunately, we never did.

Hung went out hard on the first day, the hottest part of the race with a high of 120 degrees F, and ate no solid food, only sports drink and water until the evening, when he took in some gels. He thought after the race that this may have left him without enough energy to pick up the pace at night, when it cooled off slightly (although not nearly as much as last year-- it was still about 100 degrees at 10 pm). But his perseverance was incredible, and just before noon on the second day he started running again at about a 10:00 pace, and kept this up for the most part until he reached the steepest part of Mt. Whitney. Interestingly he did eat some solid food the second day, Cliff Bars and Poptarts.

After about 120 miles, the steep climb up to Mt. Whitney Portal, elevation 8371 feet, began. At this point every one of us was pumped up with the knowledge that we would finish, and relatively soon. Hung didn't stop to change his shoes, or for anything that took longer than a few seconds, except when he met up with a group of his cheerleaders (Amy and her crew). As he stopped to pose for pictures and do some flirting, a runner whom we had dubbed "Camo Girl" for her camouflage running capris power-walked right past him and stayed in front of him all the way to the finish. After that I, and the rest of the crew put a lid on Hung's social life until we reached the finish, but I was absolutely amazed at how Hung was smiling after being awake in the heat, running and walking, for more than 30 hours. The climb to Mt. Whitney Portal was the most intense part of the race, physically and emotionally. The runners had already crossed 120 miles in extreme heat, and now had to climb a damned mountain! But at the same time, the ascent marks the final stage of the race and everyone feels elated when they start the climb. Amy Palmiero-Winters' pink-haired Girl Power team really eased Hung's ascent, cheering him on and even hiking a large chunk of the course with him. They all posed for pictures with us at the finish line.

Finally, after a few hours of running and hiking, we saw and heard the lights and noise of the finish line. The runners were so spread out by this point that each one ran through his or her own finish line tape, where they received their finisher's medal and, for the sub-48 hour runners, their silver belt buckle. All the crews ran with their runners across the finish line, which was a nice touch. Hung crossed the finish in 35:5x, slightly over two hours more than last year. Amazingly that's only a bit more than a minute per mile slower. Given the fast start and the night-time heat, the time was more than respectable, and after the initial disappointment of not meeting his goal he seemed quite satisfied with the race. After some finish line photos, we headed back to our hotel. I think it took me an hour in the shower to scrub off the rings of desert sand and dust around my ankles, and fresh clothes never felt so good.

The finish line officially shuts down 60 hours after each staggered start, though the last finishers were 6 am starters so the finish line closed at 6 pm on Wednesday. Jack Denness finished just under 60 hours and set a record as the oldest runner to complete Badwater. As the finish line closed, the post-race pizza party was starting in Lone Pine. Denness came straight from the race to the pizza party, entering to thunderous applause from the crowd of runners and crew members. He gave a little speech and swore he would be back only as a volunteer, but he looked so good and so much younger than his true age of 75 that I am betting he'll complete at least one more Badwater.

My experience was quite an epic adventure, and I met some incredible people (not the least among them were my crewmates!). I would do it again. Death Valley is a place I probably never would have considered visiting if I wasn't crewing, but now that I've been there I would recommend it as a vacation spot (although not necessarily in July). Many people unrelated to the race were there to hike Mt. Whitney and the other mountains in the area, and the towns were full of cowboy history. That said, it was a relief to head back to LA on Thursday, where the team dropped me off at an old college friend's place. Dining at a posh ocean-side restaurant in Malibu that evening, I thought about how absolutely bizarre it was that the day before I had been in the middle of a desert with nothing but Poptarts and protein bars to eat, assisting a guy who was racing 135 miles to the middle of Mt. Whitney. It's a crazy awesome life!

#118 Badwater 135

2009-08-16T19:23:00.001-04:00

Sat, July 11th:
Heather and I arrived in Vegas Saturday morning. I did a 2 mile run at Red Rock Canyon in 105 degree heat. I was wet from sweating; I thought the sweat was supposed to evaporate in the dry heat??

Sunday:
Status: My back was stiff from moving luggage and loading up water. I felt pain in my left calf and glutes.

We did a one mile test run at noon on Sunday at the Badwater race start ( -282 feet elevation) . The road temp was 167 degrees and the car thermometer read 116F. The white line is indeed 5 to 10 degrees cooler. The side of the road was just as hot. We averaged a 10:00 mile -- so I got over the fear of showing up for the race and refusing to get out of the car. The time spent in the 180 degree sauna at the Y definitely helped!

Bob from Drymax socks, had magnetic signs for our crew vehicles. Thank you Bob. At picket pickup, I asked last year's female winner, Jamie Donaldson, how often she changed her Drymax socks. Answer - every 20 miles. One of our signs blew off the vehicle; my crew found Jamie's sign on the road. Her sign is now a very large refrigerator magnet at home.

I was bitten by a bunch of fire ants while Heather posed for a picture with Charlie Engle - the guy who ran across the Sahara in a Matt Damon's documentary "Running the Sahara". We had first met him at the Boogie 50 miler. I asked Charlie if I should skip the long pants/long sleeves and wear shorts and a shortsleeve shirt. I spent $190 on the "space suit". He recommended shorts and a cotton shirt. I ended up not using the space suit at all.

After dinner, we walked by an outdoor thermometer. At 9pm it was 103F!

Monday: max temps 115-127 in the shade 165 asphalt

With my body clock still on East Coast time, I was fully awake by 4:30am.

We were interviewed at the start. Heather said I just ran 178 miles across Florida. I said that Badwater is shorter but a little bit hotter. I was about to say my goal was to finish when Heather chimed in with a 36 hour goal. I said that we are supposed to say finishing was our goal in public. We both broke out laughing.

I told the interviewer that Heather and I met the rest of our crew at a bar at Disney. We were meeting them for the 2nd time yesterday. They were a little bit surprised back in February when I took them up on the offer to crew after I learned that my application was accepted.

To Furnace Creek:
The Moeben hood given away at the packet pickup worked marvelously. I am all about trying something new during a race - since I never run long in training. The goal was to maintain a body temp of 100 to 102. I peaked around 101 and was below 100 most of the time. That's when I realized I had to do a lot of running. I had expected to take it easy and do a lot of walking to cool off. Now I had no reason not run it. Yikes!

To Stovepipe:
My feet were getting uncomfortably hot; the ground temp got up to 165F. I stood on a bag of dry ice at a couple of crew stops.

I ran a 9:46 pace to the 17.4 checkpoint. I was running a 7:30 to 8:30 pace between half mile crew stops. For the first 42 miles, I averaged a 10:54 pace. Some of the crew were trying to get me to slow down. But with a decent body temp and an excellent job of part of the crew to keep me cool, I argued that I was running a natural pace and would eventually slow down anyway.

To Townes Pass:
I left my copy of Pam Reed's book at home because my luggage was overweight. Little did we know that we would passing each other repeatedly for about 50 miles. (She started 2 hours later). Her crew and my crew got to know each other. My quads did not take a beating at all so I ran past her on the downhills. Eventually my left shin quit working. She finished 4hrs 42 min ahead of me as the 2nd place woman.

Since overnight temps dropped close 70 degrees, I expected record finishing times but the 10am wave said it was hotter this year.

I developed tightness in my left ankle from going downhill on canted roads. My bowleggedness already predisposes me to shin issues; my foot has to travel further than a normal foot. I learned that the winner had taken 24 minutes out for a massage. Maybe I should have stopped to massage the knot out or at least stretch it out. Instead, I ran with a limited stride for the next 70 miles. I had an opportunity to get a massage therapist on the crew but I did not follow through.

Tues:
I hit the 50 mile split at around 9hrs30mins. The 100 mile split was faster than the Keys 100, Rocky Raccoon 100 and Old Dominion 100. I suspect that weight loss during the race and the week before increased my running speed. The 135 mile split was faster than the 2008 Sunrise 170 miler and 2009 Sunrise 178 miler. I realized that with great crew support, this is a relatively easy course as long as you stay in your comfort zone.

I was living in the moment or thinking about what I needed at the next crew stop. Sometimes I felt like I was in the "Running On the Sun" movie. I missed out on looking up to see shooting stars.

To Lone Pine:
At Lone Pine, I was well ahead of my 36 hour goal. I decided the race was done and that it was a 13 mile walk to the finish line. My mind went elsewhere. I forgot to remind the crew I wanted to run across the finish line with a pancake rolled up as a burrito.

I got overhydrated and nauseated walking up the Mt. Whitney Portal. I didn't need as much fluids since I wasn't running. I gained 3lbs up from a target of 148. (I started at 155). My hands were swollen. I checked my oxygen saturation to rule out high altitude hypoxia; it was fine at 96 percent O2 sat. I reconfirmed that altitude was not an issue when I hiked up to 10,640 feet the next day.

Overhydration and hyponatremia were issues in Death Valley. Geoff Linton dropped out due to overhydration and excess sodium. "It was pretty complicated. Basically, fluid started to fill up my lungs," Linton said. "There were a lot of factors that are involved in this. The way they explained it to me, my salt levels were a little high, but were in a normal range. The problem was that there was too much fluid also that got sucked in. Any excessive fluids got sucked in to around my lungs."

To Finish:
My crew came up with the one-off design of a team shirt with "HungStrong" written on it. Since I have had a song adapted for me at our local runners annual victory breakfast called "Secret Asian Man" , I was game to wear the team shirt. I finished in 19th place in 33hrs45mins. The finish time would have been good enough for a 10th place finish last year. I caught up to everyone from my 8am wave except for 2 runners.

This year's competitors were a lot stronger than last year's' even though the leaders ran a slower race. I set the 36 hour goal based on how one of my closer competitors did at the 2008 Badwater. Maybe I should have set a more demanding goal, which would motivate me to get out of my comfort zone. Having a GPS watch that worked would have helped me keep pace; I may run with jerry-rigged charger next time.

We had an excellent adventure and my time goal goals were met. I didn't come to any great realizations. Except for 2 periods of nausea and 2 points of fatigue, I pretty much enjoyed running the whole race. I enjoy being in the zone or having "flow" throughout the whole process from application, to planning the logistics, to executing the plan. Some people tell me that I inspire them -- to do what, I am not sure? Dean Karnazes inspired a lot of people to get active even though they don't want to do what he does.

The ultrarunning community is relatively small. At this race, I got to saw hello and hang out with friends from other ultras and meet new friends. Charlie Engle from the Boogie 50. Kermit from San Fran 24 and Ultracentric 48. Adrian and Keith from Ultracentric. Dean from various marathons. Alisa and Nattu from the Keys 100. Rick from Iron Horse 100. From the crews - Mike C from the Dean's blog. Jenn and Lane Vogel, Lisa, Sister Mary Beth, Brian, Bob Becker from the Keys 100.

I regretted not stopping the car to chat with Dean on the way down the mountain; he wasn't having a good day and I didn't want to impose.

Crew:
Thank you again for your help -- I could not have done as well without you. I am just 2 legs for the crew. The crew kept me cool which made me run faster. Part of the crew rotated off. Heather stayed with me the whole time. She paced me for 45 miles. I didn't sleep or lose my mind. There really was a dead rabbit on the road.

Lessons learned:
If I run BW again, I might have a massage therapist on the crew. I didn't run any hills in training for this race so all I could do was run/walk intervals on the first 2 mountains. Next time, I will do weekly hill training so I can run up all 3 mountains.

Looking at some of the data my crew collected, it is amazing how the body knows to take in less sodium and fluid when it gets cooler by changing the mix of sports drink and water consumed. Since the sports drink was sweet, I am amazed that I drank less of it when I seem to need less salt. With the crew keeping me cool, my fluid requirements were a lot lower than anticipated for the conditions. I did not take any electrolyte capsules. One bottle got wet and all the capsules fused together.

My Drymax socks held up well. Blisters were not an issue in this race. My feet never really got wet.

I put my digital camera in the glove compartment. It is no longer working -- possibly due to the heat.

Crew lessons learned: for organizing supplies - buy plastic storage bins and label them. I couldn't find the Advil or Tylenol that I brought with me. I would like to have a better spreadsheet for capturing data and a transition plan for passing improvised steps to the next shift.

Rick's crew chief suffered a heart attack and is fine now. We should think through the scenarios should one of the crew members have a medical emergency.

Wed:
There was a forest fire which closed the finish line around 10pm. I didn't know until I woke up the next morning. It is like the 2007 Chicago marathon when I crossed the finish line before the race was canceled. Having the race clock time continue may not seem to be the fairest approach to those stopped by the fire and then were allowed to return to finish the full 135 miles, but I don't see any fairer way.

The mountain was re-opened in the morning. While we had permits to summit Mt Whitney (14500 ft), the mountain was closed at 3:30am anyway. We were so busy socializing that we didn't head toward the summit until 1:20pm.

We met Vicki and her husband on the mountain. She is a core Dean Karnazes's blogger. We also came across Mike C, another Dean blogger who was on Phil's crew.

We made it up to Mirror Lake at 10,640 ft before turning around at 3:20pm. We ran into Jenn Shelton, Connie Gardner and Jimmy D on the hike. They crewed for Shannon, the owner of Moeben.

We had to get to the 6pm post-race party before the beer ran out, so I handed Heather my backpack and ran down the hill on my good leg. It turned out there was no alcohol at the party (: Maybe we should have gone for the summit instead. We got in a good 9 mile workout on Wednesday.

Back home:
Massage - my lower left leg was really swollen and my calves and back were tight but my shins were fine. My quads and glutes were not beat up at all. Other than the ankle tendonitis, I was pretty much recovered. My leg press strength is close to max and I am ready to race again. I decided to run the 24 hour in Boston 10 days after Badwater.

It was as exciting reading the Facebook messages as it was running it. Maybe if I run it again, I'll rent a satellite phone (there is no cell service) -- so that my friends can tell me to run faster!

I lost 9 lbs. I caught a cold (maybe from congratulating the finishers and shaking hands). I had a bloody nose from the dry air - which doesn't help repel viruses.

What's next?
I am already thinking about doing Badwater 2010 if I can afford to. I think I can break 30 hours. (There may be some beginners luck when most everything worked.) The next challenge may be in endurance cycling or bike time trials. Or the 191 mile Ragnar run across FL. I am thinking about training for my first triathlon in 2010.

Postscript:
July 25th - I ran 114 miles in the Wakefield 24 hour ultra, finishing 2nd place. If I hadn't taken a nap on a park bench at mile 109, I would have gotten first place. Without crew support every half mile, and given that humidity -- it was a lot tougher to run than Badwater. On this flat course, I set PRs in the 50k, 50 mile and 100 mile distance. Running almost 3 mins/mile faster, it took 8 days to recover. But yes, dry heat is much easier to run in, even at 127 degrees!

#112 Tallahassee Marathon (Feb. 1, 2009)

2009-02-05T19:23:00.001-05:00

temps 37 to 55 sunny

Sat:
I have been trying to qualify for 2010 Boston all month; after 2 marathons, 1/2 marathon and a 5k - my legs felt fresh and ready to go. I signed up for the Tallahassee Marathon on Tuesday once I was confident that race day weather was going to be cool.

Race morning:
I spotted Clarence warming up on the track. It was hilly at the beginning but otherwise flat. I banked time in the first 20 miles averaging a 7:45 pace since it was forecasted to be sunny and warm by 10am. I had my fastest first half split at 1:41:53. As in the marathon 2 weeks ago, I lost some seconds getting lost. At mile 14, I saw Anna from Reston Runners group in VA; there was a contingent that came down for the race.

Since the marathon had a relatively late start of 7:30am, it got warm in the last hour. I may have been the only runner finishing shirtless; I left my shirt at the mile 18 post. A lot of runners were wearing tights. I thought of trying for a 3:24 PR but I decided to take it easy after it got warm. I didn't want to risk a calf cramp that I had in the marathon at Albany last October. I had plenty of time in the bank so I enjoyed a leisurely 8:30-8:45 pace in the last six miles. I was happy to see Heather at mile 25; she was eager to pace me in. But since I was 3 minutes ahead of schedule, I wasn't willing to suffer. I was running with another guy who also needed 3:30 for Boston. I said I'd kick it at the finish. He picked up the pace at mile 26, so I had to make my move. I quickly closed the 50 feet gap with him but he finished a leg length ahead of me. However we finished with the same clock time of 3:28:00. My net chip time was 3:27:54 - almost 7 minutes faster than my last marathon 2 weeks ago. It's my first qualification for Boston; I got a Boston race number working for the sponsor in 1999 and ran as a bandit in 2001. It has taken me 92 marathons to qualify for Boston. (The other 20 races out of 112 were ultras). Now I can spend my money on other challenges!

I think I am pretty much recovered from my 2007 quad injury that left me limping for 4 months. I haven't run this pace in 2 years. Even though this wasn't a marathon PR, I think I am in better shape than in Oct. 2007. While I was sore postrace, I no longer feel tightness in the last 3 marathons compared to the first 109 races. Strange. I attribute it to cross-training and a better diet. I have been working on my glutes in the past month; I think that helped me knock 3 minutes off my marathon time in 3 weeks. (Or maybe, you just get faster by running faster marathons; I don't feel like running another marathon this weekend to test that hypothesis.)

I don't know what is next regarding marathons. My only goal is to get faster when Heather gets faster. I think I could do well on the bike because my biomechanics won't be working against me as much. I started spinning 3 weeks ago. I might get a road bike. I would like to see if I have any talent in time trials. Maybe I can swim later this year. I haven't trained (by running) much since the injury so I am afraid to put in the miles -- I am sticking with my 30-minute workouts at the Y. I miss socializing at the group runs but I seem to run healthier at my own pace. By avoiding the turns at track, I have had fewer alignment issues..

Tues - No tightness at all but some soreness. The top of my left foot is bruised from wearing my new shoes for the second time. I continue to wear Drymax socks in marathons so that I don't have to worry about blisters. I thought my recovery would be delayed from the kick at mile 26 so I was surprised that my single leg, leg press test showed my legs to be stronger today than before the marathon. I was able to warm up to 3:40 min/mile strides. As a recreational athlete I stay in my comfort zone 95% of the time; I don't beat up my body as much as a competitive athlete who trains for 2 marathons a year.

Museum of Aviation Marathon, Robins AFB, GA (Jan. 17th, 2009)

2009-01-20T15:42:00.001-05:00

#111 Museum of Aviation Marathon, Robins AFB, GA Temps 20 to 35F. Finish Time 3:34:01

I had planned to try again for Boston by running Miami in 2 weeks if the weather is cool but Heather mentioned to me that the weather was going to be cold in the coming weekend. It occurred to me on Wed to look for a marathon to run in the coming weekend. The Museum of Aviation in Robins AFB just south on Macon, GA had a marathon on Saturday. It seemed relatively flat. On Thursday, I decided to sign up for the Sat. marathon after seeing the 10-day forecast for Miami (60F-74F). I went to Track Shack to pick up a new pair of shoes. They were sold out but the new 2009 model was due in soon. Instead I ordered the new model online and got it Friday. My legs were still sore from a calf workout on Monday and "jumping" squat movements from spinning Monday & Wednesday. I was hoping to recover in time for the marathon.

Sat morning.
Temps were forecasted to be 18 to 25 degrees. I overdressed - wearing shorts, knit cap, and longsleeves. I should have worn a short-sleeved tech shirt. It warmed up to 35F. With only a 3 day taper, my pace was 5 seconds slower than at Disney -- the course was rolling hills with 2 hard hills and 2 moderate hills. I lost about 40 seconds from getting lost; I could see no one ahead of me. Still, I am pleased at the consistency in the past 3 weekends after running slow all of 2008. I took it easy till mile 26 when I ran hard to pass anyone that could be in my age group. I got 4th in my age group - 3rd place was the only person that passed me in the 2nd half. Also, I wanted to show Heather that heat was the cause of my slowdown at Disney. I hardly lost any speed in the last six miles of this cold weather marathon.

The Museum had some neat planes: a B52, U2 and SR71. The spy planes have been decomissioned and replaced by satellites.

Sun morning.
The next day, I came across some friends who told me the Boston Qualifying time allowed 59 extra seconds. I did not have to break 3:30:00 but could have run a 3:30:59. I knew this to be true for my previous qualifying time of 3:20:59 qualifying but never reasoned it to 3:30:59. Had I not made this mental error, I am could have easily qualifed at Disney last week by running 39 secs faster. I felt frustrated, Hopefully, Tallahasee (in 2 weeks) will have cool weather and I can run 1.5 secs faster per mile. I didn't get any blisters in either marathon by using Drymax's Maximum Protection socks. I thought about using their wamer trail socks but stuck with what works.

Disney Marathon, (Jan. 11th 2009)

2009-01-20T15:39:00.003-05:00

#110 Disney Marathon. Temps 60 to 69 sunny. Finish time 3:31:38

Friday morning:
Heather and I met Jeff, a high school friend, for breakfast before packet pickup. We naturally, talked mostly about running. He was in town as a member of the Clif Bar Pace Team. He autographed my copy of his book "My First 100 Marathons". We swapped Drymax and Clif Bar samples.

Sunday morning:
There was little room to warm up at the start. I got in 15 minutes and felt good. I saw Heather stopped at mile 13. She dropped due to an injury. (She also didn't want me passing her:) My goal was to run every mile at 8:00 or under. I have not raced or trained more than 3 miles at a 8 min pace since Oct 2007 (except for the 1/2 marathon the week before). So I was pleased I somehow remembered how to hold pace. As the temps went up, my pace slowed. I took it easy. I missed the Boston Qualifier time by one minute 38 seconds.

We had plans to meet up again with Jeff after the race. He introduced us to other members of the Clif-Bar Team. Darris and Star, from the pace team, expressed an interest in crewing for me if I got selected to run Badwater this year. The team had a number of accomplished and extreme runners.

There were no blisters on this run; the Drymax socks worked again.

Sunrise to Sunset 170 mile race across FL (Mar. 27 to Mar. 29th 2008)

2008-04-04T12:46:00.002-04:00

Start - Thurs 6:45pm Jensen Beach - east coast of FL - 74 degrees
Finish - Sat 5:33pm Fort Myers - west coast of FL.
Fri weather 65 to 84 sunny some clouds, Sat weather 59 to 90, sunny. Enough humidity to add to the heat index.
Distance - 171.26 miles (there was an extra mile because the sign to turn left was on the new Rt78 instead of the old Rt 78 on Leg 26).
Total time: 46 hours 48 minutes.
Avg pace 16:24 per mile includes sleep, walking, overheating and nutrition stops.

Pre-race Thoughts
- I had no idea what it would be like to go beyond 117 miles. I would be happy if I got to 150 miles. I expected heat, blisters and sleep to be bigger factors than distance. I hoped to bank some miles before my legs got stiff. I had checklists which I did not follow. Since you can't really train for a 170 mile run, I would rely on muscle memory from a race six months ago.

- Terrible first 100 miles
My left hip flexor felt tight by mile 20. I ran with the issue for the last 150 miles. I got blisters on both forefeet by mile 80 and ran the 90 miles with them. I taped the right foot - the blister moved up to the top of the feet and became a blood blister. The untaped blister on my left foot broke while running. I had expected to be further along than I was. It took me 9hrs 40 minutes to reach the first 50 miles which is about an hour slower than a month ago. My quads were already feeling stiff. It took me longer to reach mile 65 than last year, where I had dropped out. I reached halfway at mile 85 in 21 hours. At mile 86 I started walking when I realized Barb was walking faster than I was running. My 100 mile time (26 hours) was slower than my old Dominion 100 time which was in 95 degree heat and 14,000 of elevation gain. I think a tight hip flexor shortened my stride. I tapered for the whole month - training only 5 days averaging 5 miles and then not running for 16 days - I was surprised by the quad/hip flexor issues so early in the race. I think the extended taper allow my muscles to heal and form adhesions in an area (the TFL/IT band) that is not normally worked on in massage. Running frequently will break up scar tissue and prevent stiffness. 17 hours into the race, I started taking Tylenol every 8 hours and Advil every 2 hours.

- Calories
I estimated that I burned 27,000 calories over 171 miles and replaced 11,000 calories. The 16,000 calorie deficit resulted in a lost of 4.5 lbs of body fat lost. (3%). On the bodyfat scale, my bodyfat dropped from 17.5% to 14.5%. I got most of my calories from liquids including Hammer products, Accelerade and 14 cans of Red Bull. I used 35 bottles of water. I was afraid solid food would cause nausea and take too long to digest. Skinnier runners would have trouble running extreme distances because of their limited body fat!

-Sleep and mental acuity
I stayed awake pretty much from 7am Thurs to 8pm Sat. when I got back in the car. Walking made me sleepy but a painful pinch in the arm knocked me out of my daze. I decided to start taking naps on Friday night when I realized I wasn't moving off the shoulder when tractor trailers were coming towards me. I took 3 20 minute naps on late Friday night. Laurel drove for 130 miles and biked 40 miles. She stayed awake for as long as I did - 60 hours. That's pretty amazing; I think that driving is more difficult to do. I had no hallucinations or much trouble thinking as far as I could tell.

-Possibility of quitting
I felt worse after stopping to take my first nap. I think my blood pressure dropped and the body began to shut down for repairs. I wanted to throw up but nothing came out. I sat in the car for another 30 minutes and got going again. I figured I could always walk it in by 8pm Sat. I should not be feeling bad before reaching the distance of my longest run (117 miles). I was only at mile 110. I stayed in for my crew and because I quit last year.

- Mental aspect
The problem once you slow down in the heat is that once it cools off, it is hard to run faster again. The mind seems to be stuck in the slower pace. At 2:30am Saturday, I decided to run to each telephone pole and walk for a few seconds. My stride lengthened and I was running a 11 to 12 minute pace. Most of the time I am in the present moment. With oncoming traffic zipping by, you have to stay in the present. Occasionally I would do the math in the my head to determine when I would finish if I walked a 20 minute mile. I felt fine in the last 15 hours of the race; I just wanted to get it done.

-Heat and chafing
While walking on Lake Okeechobee in the heat Friday I said - What was I thinking? Who is to blame for telling me about the solo division of this race! By 12pm Sat. it was getting pretty hot. My body temp was 100. The temp on the shoulder of the road was 115. I bet that the road surface is over 120 degrees. The reading on my Wet Globe Thermometer was 77 - the gadget accounts for the radiant heat from the sun. The American College of Sports Medicine considers 77 a red flag - with a high risk of heat injury. I sat in the minivan for 10 minutes to cool off. I decided to be safe, and walk instead of run. It was 90 degrees in North Ft Myers at 5pm Sat. I figure the heat index was close to 100. I forgot to get a Wet Globe reading there. Ice underneath my safari cap felt good but it caused chafing. I tried a ziploc bag of ice. Cold packs around the neck felt good but didn't last long. I had water pored on my skin tight shirt. It cooled off well but the dripping caused chafing in the underarms and between the legs.

-Overhydration and blisters from too many electrolytes.
I panicked when I dropped 5 lbs in the sun at 10:30am Friday. I starting taking one Succeed per hour. I should have waited till I craved salty foods. The electrolytes are cumulative -- it might not hurt in a marathon even if you don't need them. Taking one capsule per hour adds up to 31 capsules in 31 hours and totals 10,580 mg sodium. That's in addition to what was in the liquid nutrition and 200mg per can in Red Bull. Blood holds about 15,000mg of sodium. When I reweighed and gained back 3 lbs, I should have realized I was overhydrated and should have stopped the Succeed (there is normal weight loss from glycogen depletion and fat burning). For 4 days, I had swollen feet and legs. My blood pressure was elevated. (156/93 and 138/89). To rid the excess water and sodium, I have been drinking coffee, wine and beer. The water retention caused my feet to swell and created the blisters.

- Potential dangers
When I was lying down to the grass to stretch - I noticed the vultures circling :). When we left at lake at Moorehaven, we were swarmed by mosquitos. I forgot where I packed my Deet repellant. The mosquitos bit through the Calf Guards. I saw plenty of dead snakes and a scorpion on the road. I saw a wild boar on the side of the road. Most of the dogs were fenced in. I got chased by dogs twice. I ran across the street. The second time, I had already put my doggie mace in the car. Thursday night, they were a couple of pickup truck drivers screaming about my reflective wear. When the trucks approached, I stepped off the white liine, onto the grass. I was never sure what was in the grass. Whenever a fast moving vehicle passes, I would step into the road to enjoy the turbulence wind. This turned out to be unsafe because I cannot see passing traffic coming up from behind me. One car passed me by several feet -- the driver may not be expecting that I would wonder onto the road.

-Run to the finish - 12:58pm Sat
I decided if I was going to make it to the party by 6pm, I need to run again. Athletes have been known to run well in body temps as high as 104 degrees. I felt fine; I had no symptoms of heat exhaustion. However, the ear thermometer could be under-estimating core body temperature; I wanted some margin of safety. I decided to push on despite an mildly elevated body temp.

- Directions
The maps and directions were pretty good for the most part. The sight of S2S signs were reassuring. The first team to pass me was at mile 104. They didn't follow the map and went the wrong way by taking a left turn. As mentioned earlier, the sign for leg 26 was on the wrong Rt. 78. The directions were good to the Edison House was good but I still got lost. I had been up for 57 hours by then.

-Finish-line.
I drank a can of Diet Pepsi and a bottle of Sam Adams. Beer is a good diuretic. After 171 miles, I didn't really feel tired. I was moving better than after my 117 miler. My next challenge will be to run 185 miles in the Ultracentric 48 hour race in November.

-Mistakes Made
a. overhydrated with electrolytes
b. Didn't apply and reapply anti-chafing cream to armpits and between legs.
c. Forgot to apply chapstick and reapply sunscreen

- Finish Celebration
Overall, an excellent adventure. The most enjoyable part was the celebration at the finish. It was an incredible experience. I felt like a rock star for 2 hours. The relay teams cheered me in. I answered questions, posed for pictures and autographed a runner's arm. The local news station showed my finish but did not put my interview on the air. I received a cool award, a painting with a Sunrise to Sunset race theme. Everyone I showed the painting to liked it. When I won the Iron Horse 100 miler last year - only the race director and his wife was around. The 50 miler, and100km runners had already gone home. It was a quiet celebration. Without my crew, Barb and Laurel, I would not be running this race. I am grateful for their time. I am also appreciative of the cheers and concern from the relay teams along the course, as well as the water and ice offered. I also glad that the race directors came up with the idea of having solo division and offered to provide whatever support was needed to complete the race.
http://www.winknews.com/sports/local/17138846.html
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=A4&Date=20080329&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=803290807&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=90

- Milestones
I improved last year's course record by15 hours.
My longest race was 23 hours, is now 46 hours
My longest distance was 117 miles, is now 171 miles.
I would estimate that I could have placed in the top 5 in 48 hour races.
I passed the distance of Badwater(135 miles).- although Badwater is 115 degrees hot but less humid.

- PostRace
We got back to Orlando around 1am Sunday. We unloaded the mini-van and I soaked my legs in cold water. I went to sleep at 2am. I expected to sleep in but I was up by 7am. I drove to meet my Sunday running for breakfast. I guess there was no cumulative sleep debt.

- Recovery
I've had a runners high all week from the new milestone and the finish line celebration. The event was a focused 3-day vacation. I hope to carry forward the focus in my daily life. I am not really sore. I could run but I am waiting for the foot blisters to drain and heal. On Tuesday, my single leg press test was 145 lbs right leg/ 140 lbs left leg. (Thurs 165/155). That is better than after my last 50 miler. I was only going 10-12 min miles while running and 15-16 minute miles while shuffling along. So I really didn't work my muscles very hard. I had a deep tissue massage and the only issues were tight calfs. These longer races are easily on the body than shorter ultras.

Iron Horse 100 (Mar. 1, 2008)

2008-03-07T14:34:00.006-05:00

Orange Park, FL (Jacksonville)
temps 48 to 77 degrees , sunny after 10am, heat index -- feels like 87 degrees

50 miles - 8hrs 46 mins - avg pace 10:32.

I ran an extra marathon (#99 Breast Cancer Marathon at Jacksonville Beach) just so my 100th marathon/ultra would be a 100 miler. Last year I came into this race two weeks after pulling my left achilles at the Rocky Raccoon 100. I had cut notches in my heel tab and was ready to drop if necessary at the end of each 25 mile loop. I stayed in because I moved into 2nd place. I slowed down the least and finished in 1st place. This year I got to wear the bib #1.

I am just about recovered from a right quad atrophy that developed after the 117 mile 24 hour run in San Fran last Oct. I had lost two thirds of my right quad leg strength. A strength imbalance remains between my left and right quads. I have been training about 3 miles a week to regain my fitness. I am now about 35 seconds a mile slower than last October.. Would that matter in a 100 miler?

I was thinking of using a run/walk strategy but at the Breast Cancer marathon, the Galloway pace groups were not able to keep up with their pace leader. I was hoping that the pace groups would be successful in showing that you could finish faster by taking walk breaks. I considered slowing down to a shuffle instead of walking. Another option was to stop at each aid station for 5 minutes to stretch out or whenever my pace fell below a 10 minute mile. I ended up taking 20 seconds every mile to hydrate. My 100 mile goal was a 10:48 pace for 18 hours - it would depend on the weather.

There were familiar faces from last year's Iron Horse, Luna Chicks 50, Tallahassee 50 and Old Dominion 100. I have difficulty remembering names. Chris from Orlando is running his first 100km. A couple of the runners mentioned that when they googled for blogs about this race, my race report came up. Someone I don't know may be reading this!

The first 25 miles felt easy and relaxed at a 9:43 pace. I was going faster than I expected. I think I got my aerobic fitness is back. I was running a leisurely pace -- I didn't want my shin splints to turn into stress fractures. Going into the race, my calfs were really tight; I felt sluggish. I had to be careful since my 4 month old injury originated from running track with tight calfs. I didn't run for a week to give my calfs a rest. I ran the Breast Cancer 2 weeks ago at the same pace for the first 26 miles but this felt a lot easier. If a week off is good, maybe two weeks off would be better. Since Dec. 1st, I've run 12 races, including this one: 3 x 50 milers, 5 x full marathons, 1 x half marathon, 3 x 5k races. That averages about 22 miles in a week in racing on top of 3 miles a week in training. Marathon pace has improved from 12:44 to 8:25; 5k pace has improved from 8:22 to 7:26. I am still trying to figure out the best combination of racing, recovery, training and tapering. I have had very little time to do lower body weight training. I've noticed my quads lose about 30 percent strength on the leg press the day after a marathon. In 4 or 5 days, the strength comes back, but it is too late to do weights because the next race is 2 days away.

The sun came out in full force sooner than was forecasted. I wasn't prepared. I was miserable between miles 32 and 50. Around 42 miles, I was thinking about bailing at 50. Amy Costa was 4 miles ahead of me at the 50 mile turnaround, She finished only 24 seconds ahead of me at Rocky Raccoon 100. But her 50 mile times are fast - 7hrs 21 mins on a warm day. I didn't think I could catch up to her. I may have stayed in had I not googled her race times on my iPod Touch Friday night at the hotel. More importantly, It wasn't much fun running in the heat. I would have to suffer another 3 hours if I had continued. Chris (the RD) and some seasoned 100 milers switched to 50 miles in the Old Dominion 100 when it was 95 degrees out. I continued on at OD for a 100 miles. I had nothing to prove here. Plus - there was a race medal for 50 miles and it would free up plans for Saturday evening.

I decided to switch to Gatorade at the mile 44 aid station. It made me nauseous. I didn't carry enough water for the heat. I guess I expected the hourly weather forecast to be accurate. I didn't super-hydrate the day before. 16 ounces per hour was too much for the first 32 miles but too little thereafter. Something about using a 16 ounce water bottle compared to cups at a marathon -- I didn't think to drink additional fluids while at the aid station. By mile 46 I was out of fluids. I got a couple ounces of water from a 100k runner. (thanks!). I came across a plant nursery and asked for water. I filled up from a spigot. There was a sub-division fountain/pond that was tempting to soak in. Had it been right next to me, I would have jumped in. It's a mind game where heat training would have been beneficial. I don't think I was in danger of heat exhausation but I just couldn't go any faster until I saw the finish line/turnaround - then I sprinted in. Miles 46 to 50 were the toughest.

With a better forecast, I would have banked some time by running the first 50 faster and relaxing for a few hours till the sun when down. Oh well. Hindsight.

Everyone was friendly and relaxed at the finish. Had I stayed in, I don't think it would have been as much fun around midnight - there would be fewer people around. If it looked like cloud cover was coming in, I would have gone back out. Instead I am saving my legs for the 170 miler in 4 weeks.

I finished in 8hrs46minutes, only slightly slower than my best 50 mile time at the 2006 JFK50. I ran that one in 8hrs40min on hilly terrain in cold weather. At Iron Horse, I was told I came in 1st for men. (I think a couple of runners didn't finish the 100k and received medals and placing based on their 50 mile lap time) Sarah Logan finished 1st for women at 7hrs47mins. I was running a leisurely pace for a 100 so I didn't run as hard as I would for a 50. I didn't carry any caffeinated gels that I would normally use to kick in the last 25 miles. My last 50 at Luna Chicks in December was 9 hours 58 mins -- so I improved by 1min25secs per mile.

I wore both calf guards and compression shorts. I think the additional insulation caused slight blisters on my forefoot. I wore the same shoe/sock combination for two other 50 milers without compression tights and did not get blisters. I have been wearing the calf guards in marathons -- they end up caked in salt. I'm still not sure if compression shorts create extra work for the hip flexors. I had plans to change out of the compression shorts at mle 50. My left quads got stiff around 30 miles in. It was my fastest 50 and 100 miler starts. Last year, I pretty much ran even 5 hour, 25 mile splits. My best guess is that I would have finished around 18:45 if I continued. It would have been a PR (from 19:52). Amy Costa did slow down but still finished in 17hrs46mins.

You have to plan for contingencies and visualize the scenarios before the race. Chances are if you improvise, something obvious will be forgotten. Mental acuity probably diminishes with heat. For example, even though I packed an extra pair of different running shoes and blister treatment supplies --- it did not occur to me to change shoes had I decided to stay in the race. Maybe, developing checklists would be a good idea.

I enjoyed a nice runners high on the drive back and it had carried over to the next day. I feltl like those runners who suffer through marathons and decided that 1/2 marathons are more fun. I know I have said that I like 100 milers because 50 milers are tough to compete in warm temps whereas a 100 miler allows me to pass runners after sunset in cooler temps. I think I will start at the 170 miler after sunset on March 27th to avoid running 2 days in full sun. I plan on recovering for a week, training for a week, and do a no running taper in the last 2 weeks.

Monday - My left quads are sore but surprisingly not tight. My shins splints have gone away. As my massage therapist would agree, ultras and marathons are so much easier on the legs than training 3 fast miles a week. Overall, I made some mistakes, learned a few things, and had a great time.

Saturday - I wished I had to stayed in - so I would have had a good chance of making Ultrarunning Magazine's top 100 list of fastest times for 100 milers for 2008. I made it on the 2007 top 25 list of the fastest men - 24 hours.

Later, I heard that Amy ended up in the hospital with an IV. So maybe the 50 mile option was the smart choice.

Breast Cancer Marathon (Jacksonville Beach) Feb 17, 2008

2008-02-19T09:43:00.002-05:00

temps (near Atlantic Blvd) 62 to 74, humidity 88 to 66%, winds up to 8mph

4:15 - 2:17/1:58 split 10:27 pace/9:00 pace

The race weekend started out stressfully. I was worried about getting to Carrabas before the heavy dinner crowd. Sheri got lost. The room she was sharing had only one bed. We finally got to the restaurant around 6pm - the wait was 30 minutes. Jeri/Doug were already eating. I munched off their table while waiting.

I got an text message at 5:20am race morning from Cathy. She was in the hospital after fainting and hitting her head in her hotel room. (she's on the mend now). I had plans to pace her in for 4:30. Instead, she assigned me to pace Raymond in.

For an inaugural race, everything went pretty smoothly. Packet pickup was easy, the shuttles to the race expo were on time and the aid stations were well stocked. There were plenty of volunteers. The crowd support was large and seemed heart-felt. I believe something like $800,000 was raised for breast cancer research.

The course was flat except for overpasses to get to the beach and back. Running a couple of miles on the beach didn't really affect pace.

There wasn't any room to warm up at the runner's village. I managed to get in only a 1/2 mile warmup at the start. My calfs were tight for the first 6 miles.

Raymond's goal pace was 4:30. We banked some miles early on before it got warmer. He had trouble around mile 7 on the beach. It was full sun and there was no breeze. We started falling behind the 10:17 goal pace. He felt he was getting early signs on heat exhaustion. I tried to convince him to that the humidity was dropping and his sweat was evaporating. Too much fluid, carbs, electrolytes - particularly in heat - could back up in the stomach and cause nausea. I didn't try to push him hard in case he was really overheating. We learned in Chicago that heatstroke is pretty rare but heat makes runners feel miserable. We arrived at the 1/2 marathon mark at 2:17. He was ok with me leaving him. I tried calling Cathy to get her "permission".

I basically ran 2 half marathons. The first one with pacing Raymond and the 2nd one for myself. I kicked the last 13.1 miles in in 1:58. There was a cooling breeze most of the way back. I suffered from the heat in the last 2 miles. It was on an overpass in full sun and no ocean breeze. I dropped down to a 10 minute mile. I kicked when I saw Jennifer at mile 26 averaging a 7:20 pace for the last 0.22 miles. I felt sluggish in Tampa - this was a better race for me. Maybe because I had extra rest from a rained-out Tuesday night track workout. Maybe I warmed up for 13 miles.

With aid stations every mile, I didn't drink much; I poured water on the neck, arms and head instead. I ended up carrying around an extra 1/2 lb of gel. Gels were offered every 3 miles so I didn't need to use any of mine. I also had extra weight from carrying my PDA cellphone.

We saw a lot of runners from Orlando both at the expo and on the race course. Jonathon finally broke 4 hours and ran a 3:51 PR, a 10 minute improvement.

I ate some solid food at the finish and felt nauseated for a half hour. It's not a good idea to put something in your stomach so soon after a hard run. I went straight to the shuttle bus to cool off. An hour later, we went for burgers, fries and beer :).

I was interested to see how well the Galloway runners did using a 3/1 run/walk for a 4:15 marathon. The pace group leader has a 3:45PR but this is the first time he has done 3/1 for a 4:15 marathon. I passed him around mile 23. He was on-pace but he wasn't pacing any runners. His group was somewhere far behind him. I finished in 4:15. I didn't see him behind me. Jim also noticed that the 4:00 pace group lost all its members by mile 26. I agree that walk breaks are great for recovery. If you capable for running a 8:20 pace required for 3/1, shouldn't you try for a 3:38 marathon instead of 4:15 marathon. To achieve a 4:15, it seems that running a 8:20 even for 3 minutes is harder than running a 9:44 pace straight. I was hoping the pace groups would be successful so I can try it on the next 100 miler.

I feel fine today -- it feels like I just ran a 1/2 marathon.

Gasparilla (Tampa) Marathon, Feb. 10, 2008

2008-02-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

temps 55 to 63 degrees - sunny
winds 14mph gusting to 24mph

3:44 split 1:52/1:52 avg pace 8:34

I didn't have a good week - I developed shin splints from the Tuesday night track workout while running a 800m 11 seconds slower than the week before. On Thursday I ran a slow 8:19 mile. I felt the same calf pain as I had right before my injury in October. Not having done Tues/Thurs workouts for 3 months, I forgot that scheduling a massage on Tuesday is not a good idea. The workouts cause muscle tightness. Also doing 2 hard workouts before a marathon is not a good idea. Next week, I plan to warm up and do one 400m on Tuesday and a 1/2 mile on Thursday. I was hoping for a 3:30 but did not realistically expect it.

At the start, I met someone from the Galloway program in Orlando. She planned on doing run/walk 2/1 and completing the half in 2:30. I told her I'd be interested to find out if the 3 and 1 runners would actually be able to do a 4:30 marathon.

The course changed this year; I don't remember running up and over the seemingly countless bridges 2 years ago.

I ran past Dick Hoyt who is known for pushing his 46 year old son in a wheelchair. He "ran" a 1:52 in the half. Someone pointed out, "that's that guy who ...."

For my 2nd marathon in a row, I lost a gel. I added a 3rd pocket to my waistbelt -- while I have been reaching back for the gels -- maybe one fell out.

I nevered really warmed up into this marathon. My right calf was aching and I didn't have the same long effortless stride I had a week ago at Tallahassee.

I saw Steph, Vanessa, Jonathan and Amy. Vanessa was running the relay. I didn't see Erin but she ran well (4:14).

The clocks at the mile markers were off and some the miles seemed short.

In the last 3 miles, I encountered nasty headwinds - 14mph gusting to 24 mph. I slowed down to 9:15 miles. There was no compensating tailwind - since the winds didn't pick up till the end. I did not see the mile 26 marker so I tried but failed to sprint it in when I saw the finish line. I guess I was feeling fatigue. I can normally drop down to a 7:15 mile. It was a frustrating day. I did not taper well for this race. It isn't due to running back to back marathons. I ran Sacramento in 3:44 followed by a 3:43 in Chicago a week later in 2005. The only thing I can think of is that I don't have the reserve of fresh muscle fibers due my injury and lack of training. Maybe I'll build some reserve before the 100 miler March 1st.

I bought the new Asics Kayano 14 at the expo; the price was right. They didn't feel as good as my 2130 during the marathon. My feet ached. Maybe I was bouncing on my feet instead of running with good form. The Asics sales guy said my old shoes were good for about 200 miles -- the cushioning was losing its firmness. That means a pair of shoes is good for one or two long races?

Monday - My quads feel fine. Maybe the fatigue kept the muscles from working hard.

I guess I am pretty much recovered from my injury -- I seemed to be plateauing. Now is time to start training again - but what kind of training program?

Tallahassee Marathon (Feb. 3rd, 2008)

2008-02-04T12:09:00.000-05:00

temps 43 to 63, sunny

3:40:45 split 1:51/1:49 avg pace 8:25

It mostly a flat course. The weather started out nice at 43 degrees. It's been a while since I ran a cool weather marathon.

I regret getting a massage Tues instead of later in the week. My calfs and back were tight and my hamstrings were sore. I woke up race day and my left achilles was tight.

On Wed., I could one rep max with more weight than before my injury. The nervous sytem is growing back well but the muscle mass has not returned yet. That's going to take more time.

Given the improved leg strength (for one rep), I figured I could knock off 20 minutes from Disney (3:59). I visualized all week and tried to set the pace in the marathon.

Somehow I lost one gel. I had my last one at mile 17. Fortunately, GUs were offered around mile 20. It didn't help me maintain my pace.

The last 8 miles were unshaded, In full sun, it felt like 75 degrees. I slowed down in the heat. My overused good quad felt tighter in the last 5 miles. I missed my 20 minute improvement goal by one minute.

I did not imagine running in the heat in last 8 miles -- I should have doused myself with cold water or brought a cooling bandana. If you don't mentally rehearse something, you're more likely to forget to do it.

At the finish, one of the volunteers said that I and the guy ahead of me did not even look tired. I told her it's just a short race. The local running club puts on a 50 miler that I ran in December.

These was no donuts at the finish but there was Dominos Pizza.

I ran with 2XU calf guards for the first time in a race -- and was asked questions about it. I think it helps with recovery,

I feel pretty good. My lower back ached on the drive back. Since I didn't kick hard - I don't think I hurt anything.

I don't think I can get much more faster (maybe 10 mins) without serious training. I need to regain the muscle mass in my right leg, lose some weight and improve fitness.

Here's my injury recovery progress so far.
pace Race
10/20/2007 15:00 San Fran 24 hour run (pace last 26 miles)
10/29/2007 13:25 USMC marathon
12/1/2007 12:44 OUC 1/2 marathon
12/8/2007 12:00 Tallahassee 50 miler (pace first 26 miles)
12/16/2007 10:46 Jax marathon
12/30/2007 10:32 LunaChicks 50 miler (pace first 26 miles)
1/13/2008 9:09 Disney marathon
2/3/2008 8:25 Tallahassee Marathon

Disney Marathon (Jan. 13, 2008)

2008-01-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

Finish time 3:59:57.
temps 68 to 71, overcast., humidity 88 to 78%.

Quad Atrophy Recovery Progress
10/20 15:00 pace - San Fran 24 hr - (last 26 miles - when the quads shut down)
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)
01/13 9:09 pace - Disney marathon

I checked my leg strength at the Y on Friday. My atrophied quads were 82% of pre-injury strength on the leg press but fully recovered on the leg extension. The nerve damage seems to take longer to recover than the muscle atrophy. My overused good leg is 45% stronger than pre-injury (leg extension), The imbalance remains; I still have to work on my running gait. I saw Doug at mile 24 -- he said he didn't notice a limp.

I had a beer and 2 shots Friday night at Ale House. Saturday I met up with Jeri and Doug, who were doing Goofy, at the Macaroni Grill. I ate chicken and shrimp scallopini and had tiramisu for dessert. There was plenty of salt and carbs in the meal. I gained 2 lbs overnight.

I got to Disney at 3:50am. Parking was chaotic. Disney could have done a better job merging the traffic. When I went to pee in the bushes, I stepped into a drainage area. My shoes got soaked and I was thinking I might get blisters. There was a PA announcement for Scott Irwin to meet Track Shack by the stage. I went there and met up for pictures. Leslie was there as Tinkerbell.

I was in the first corral. I warmed up in front of the start line for half a mile. There was just enough space to run for 10 seconds at a time before turning around. This year the corrals on the other side of the road had the slower groups. Jennifer in Corral D (5 hour pace), actually crossed the start line before I did. As a result, there was no congestion when the two groups merged.

My goal was a 4:15 marathon. I gained 15 lbs since October (2 from carbo-loading). I figure it's been a month since Jacksonville. I should be able to knock a minute a mile off. My overused left quad was tight and my lower back was tight.

I came across Vanessa, Laura, Brian and Ed early in the race. I saw Sandy, Jim and Becky spectating. Sarah worked the aid station.There was a guy in bicycle tights whose ass was foaming. We had a few laughs trying to explain it.

There were 22 aid stations - way too many. Many of the slower runners were at risk for hyponatremia, which is more common in the heat. I didn't want to waste that much time or carry extra weight so I used only 8 of the aid stations. I was already super-hydrated before the race. I skipped the first 3 aid stations and ran the last 6 miles without stopping to drink. I stopped in the bushes to pee twice. I carried Succeed capsules but didn't need them. Salt tablets make you thirsty. Since I didn't take any, I didn't feel thirsty. I lost 5 lbs - mostly from the pre-race sodium water retention and water associated with glycogen stores. I regained 2 lbs overnight.

I was running at a 4 hour pace banking the miles in case the sun came out. I got to the half early and stopped for a few seconds. My half was 2:00:00. Otherwise I couldn't do the math. The temps stayed pretty even. The humidity levels were dropping and there was a nice breeze. I was telling Doug that if the heat remained constant, you should be able to run a even pace all the way to the finish. Big Sur had a narrow temp range and I ran that very evenly. Keep in mind that full sun at high noon can add 15 degrees to the heat index.

I tried to run every mile in 9:08 or faster. It look liked I could break 4 hours. But the sun peaked through at a couple of stretches. I was looking at 4 hrs and some seconds. At mile 26, I had 1 minute 36 seconds to finish the 0.22 miles. I didn't think I had the leg strength to run a 7 minute mile to make it but I tried. I dry-heaved twice and sprinted across the finish line (3:59:57) with 2 seconds to spare. I guess I needed to dry-heave just once. I ran the last segment at a 7:10 mile pace. Last year I arrived at mile 26 early, stood around and finished with 61 seconds to spare. (My offiical time last year was 3:59:59).

The 15th anniversary medal is huge.

I am pleased because I was just hoping for a 4:15. I took 1 hour 52 minutes off my Marine Corp time in October. Overall it was a relaxing race - I high-fived the kids and finally noticed Cinderella's castle. I see my physical therapist on Thursday. I am hoping she will give me permission to start training. It's been 3 months. But I am nervous about training again; it's where my injury started - running a 6:16 mile at track.

Trail Luna Chicks 50 miler (Dec. 30th 2007)

2007-12-31T15:08:00.000-05:00

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!

Jacksonville Marathon (Dec. 16, 2007)

2007-12-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

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.

Tallahassee Ultradistance Classic 50 miler (Dec. 8, 2007)

2007-12-12T08:23:00.000-05:00

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.

Marine Corps Marathon (Oct. 28th, 2007)

2007-11-02T16:34:00.000-04:00

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.

San Francisco One Day Run (Oct. 20th, 2007)

2007-11-02T16:32:00.001-04:00

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.

Final thoughts on Chicago

2007-10-17T15:00:00.000-04:00

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.

St. George Marathon and Chicago Marathon Oct. 6-7, 2007

2007-10-10T09:39:00.000-04:00

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.

Self Transcendence Marathon Aug 24, 2007

2007-08-30T14:18:00.000-04:00

#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.

Northface Endurance Challenge 50 miler, DC, Aug. 4, 2007

2007-08-07T14:04:00.001-04:00

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!

Optimal fueling depends on temperature

2007-07-15T12:59:00.000-04:00

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.

Lessons from my race results

2007-06-26T07:57:00.000-04:00

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

Review of Run Less, Run Faster

2007-06-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

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.

More on the importance of speedwork

2007-06-20T20:27:00.000-04:00

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.

Benefits of intense interval training

2007-06-20T20:11:00.000-04:00

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."

Fatigue - it's mostly in your head

2007-06-17T13:51:00.000-04:00

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.’’

Kouros's training and nutrition

2007-06-17T01:04:00.000-04:00

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

Race Nutrition

2007-06-17T01:03:00.000-04:00

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.

Body Fat

2007-06-16T10:51:00.000-04:00

I got measured by Florida Hospital using calibers for bodyfat. I came in at 15.6%. It's in the same ballpark as my bodyfat scale which indicated 16.0% this morning.

The range for athletes is 14-20% for women and 6-13% for men. Elite male runners at about 5% bodyfat. Elite females have 15%.

Am I obese? No. But I do carry excess body fat. Abdominal fat is unhealthy. Runners World had an article that said if you lose 10 lbs, you can run 20 seconds a mile fast. Just what I need to be qualify for Boston.

My goal is 10%. I need to lose about 10 lbs of fat without losing muscle mass.

An aside - from a small sample, it seems that men carry their fat in the gut while women carry the fat in their thighs.

Pain and Discomfort

2007-06-16T03:57:00.000-04:00

Discomfort is ok. Pain is no good.

from the Times 6/17/2007
Contrary to the old saw, pain kills. A body in pain produces high levels of hormones that cause stress to the heart and lungs. Pain can cause blood pressure to spike, leading to heart attacks and strokes. Pain can also consume so much of the body’s energy that the immune system degrades. Severe chronic pain sometimes leads to suicide. Men, especially, will simply tough it out, reasoning that pain is better than addiction

High-dose prescription opioids can be safer than taking high doses of aspirin, Tylenol or Advil, which cause organ damage in high doses, regardless of how those doses are administered. (Every year, an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 Americans die from gastrointestinal bleeding associated with drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin, according to a paper published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.)

Old Dominion Memorial 100 Miler (May 26th 2007)

2007-06-15T20:26:00.000-04:00

Woodstock, VA.,
Temps 64 to 90 degrees.Elevation Gain 14,000 feet

The weekend kicked off to a frustrating start at the airport. TSA required new biometrics to use the express lanes. I had applied moisturizer to my index fingers all week. It turned out that TSA required prints from the other 8 fingers. It took a couple dozen attempts to capture enough partial fingerprints. Had I known I would have worn gloves for a several days prior to keep my prints intact. I will be using the iris scan for authentication but should keep at least one finger "fingerprint ready".

I went to Avis to pick up my rental car for the drive out to Woodstock, VA. The warning lights for ABS and ESP came on. I decided to switch cars as brakes and stability control are useful features. As I exited with the 2nd car, the guard said have a nice weekend and one second later said WAIT. I heard a hissing noise; I had driven over spikes. I u-turned back to Avis Preferred with a flat tire. The gate wasn't working and provided no clue that the spikes were up. I filled out an incident report and finally drove off in a Chevy Equinox.

I was late for lunch, got tied up in Friday afternoon Memorial Day traffic but made it to the race briefing at 4:50pm, 10 minutes early. The race director from IronHorse and his wife were familiar faces. There were a good number of law enforcement and former Marines among the runners.

Sat. 5am. The course consisted of two repetitions of 50 miles -- out and back. My goal was to run a sub-24 and place in the top 10.
At mile 7.5, there is a 1,200 feet climb over 2.5 miles. I was doing a 5 minute run/1 minute walk.
The mountains were pretty -- we were out in the country - among cows and horses. There was horse poop and a dead snake on the road, Gun fire echoed in the valley. There was a nice firework display for the holiday. The runners were friendly and the volunteers were helpful. There were long stretches where there was no one around. The course was asphalt and dirt roads. Small rocks would get in my shoes. When a truck drove passed, it would kicked up a lot of dust.

I reached the 25 mile turnaround in 4:45 and hoped to finish the first 50 in 10 hours but temps were rising. I was hoping for a negative split. I tested my spray mister - it seemed to work when there was a breeze. I don't know how much actual cooling it provided and whether it was worth the extra weight. Temps stayed above 85 degrees between noon and 7pm. There was little shade or cloud cover.

It reached 90 degrees around 2:30pm. I ending up walking for a couple of hours. My legs were caked in salt; I tasted salt from my lips when I took a sip of gatorade. If there wasn't any Succeed electrolyte tablets at the aid stations, I was prepared to lick my sunscreen coated arms. I carried only one tablet for every 6 miles and had dropped some. I started taking 2 tablets in the heat.

The last 2 aid stations back to the start were 6 miles apart. I was dehydrated, had a headache, stopped urinating, and felt nauseated. I carried one water bottle but it wasn't enough. I spotted a random runner getting into her car and asked for water. She gave me an electrolyte drink called Heed. She drove by later and offered ice water from an ice bucket. I wasn't sure how clean it was but drank it anyway. It was too hot to eat solid food. I had a few chips, pretzels and chicken noodle soup twice. Still with all the gatorade I drank, I figured I was able to replace half the calories burned.

I was trying to decide if I should quit at the 50 mile mark and receive just a medal. Since I quit due to heat in the 170 miler in April, I decided to tough it out, and finish the 100 to prove that I can get through the heat. Also, I am still trying to decide if I should put in an application for the 2008 Badwater 135 miler in Death Valley.
Back at the start, I switched watches and put hydropel on a developing blister. The Garmin GPS batteries are good for about 10 hours; I had borrowed a second Garmin GPS for the last 50 miles.

As I headed back out, I asked the 100 mile runners coming in, if they were going to quit at 50. Almost all of them said there were quitting due to the heat. One guy said he had nothing to prove. I think the more seasoned ultra runners knew when to quit. The "kids" and first-timers stayed in.

I would like to run a hot race someday where I would run 50 miles, relax in a hotel for 10 hours, and finish the 100 miler and still make the 30 hour cutoff. It would probably be more enjoyable than suffering in the heat.

I was passed by at least six runners speed walking up the mountain. I am not a fast walker. Fortunately, I still had good leg speed to pass them on the downhills and flats.
Because my liver enyzmes were elevated 3 days after the 170 miler DNF -- I decided to hold off on using Advil or Tylenol or carbo-loading with wine. I waited till mile 58 before taking 1000mg Tylenol and a total of 1600 mg Advil spread over 8 hours. I also started taking caffeine as well. The last 40 miles felt effortless. I ran the last 25 mile return leg faster than the 1st 25 mile return leg. Lower temps helped.

I kept looking behind me to see if any runners were catching up to me on the hills. I knew I had to run part of the steep hills to match the speed of power walkers. I alternated a couple of seconds ofrunning with a couple seconds of running -- maintaining a 17 minute mile. There was lightning and thunder but not close by.

At mile 90, I reached the peak (1850ft) and started the descent. It was too steep to run down -- I ran with poor form, leaning back. I ended up with a heel blister and 2 damaged toenails that will pop off. It didn't help that those 2 toenails haven't fully grown back from the last 100 in Feb. I felt my shins (tibialis anterior) being torn up on the downhill. I ran faster once I got to a flat section.

Somewhere around mile 96, I noticed that my map was missing from my pocket. I wasn't worried, I thought I knew where to go. With 1.5 miles to go, I knew I had missed my turn in the city. I eventually took a right turn hoping that city streets were set up in a grid pattern and it would lead back to the Reservior Rd I-81 exit. No restaurants or gas stations were open at 3am. I was out of water, didn't carry cash or a cell phone. I heading south following the sound of Interstate 81. Eventually, I came across Reservior Rd and ended up running only an extra 0.75 miles. Although the GPS watch was already on low battery warning, it did not occur to me at the time, that I could use my watch to retrace my path back to start (:

I finished in 22 hrs 43 minutes -- my slowest 100 miler of three. I finished 7 minutes slower than Rocky Raccoon. But this race has 9000 feet more elevation gain and was 37 degrees hotter although Rocky Raccoon is on trails. So I guess I had a good race.

Before I got lost, I had thought about running an extra 12 miles but the thought left me when I finished. I think I could have done better if I did more stairclimbing on the Stepmill machine at the Y. I want to try pre-taping my feet on my next ultra.

I had planned to visit some friends for breakfast before dropping off the car at Avis. But since I only got an hour sleep in the car and given how I went through 3 Avis vehicles on Friday, I thought it would be wiser to return the car. I napped the rest of the day. On Monday I met up with some runners from the Reston group. You know you are a ultra runner when you can spend half an hour talking about feet and taking off your socks to compare blisters!!

I ended up placing 5th. There were 32 runners registered for the 100. Keith Knipling won the race. He came in 3rd in last week's Massanutten,VA 100 miler. He is planning to run the "old" Old Dominion 100 this weekend. That's 3 100 milers in 3 weekends!

Big Sur Marathon (Apr 29, 2007)

2007-06-15T19:29:00.000-04:00

Big Sur, CA to Monterey, CA
Temps 49 to 52.

I picked up my packet in Monterey on Friday and decided to take the scenic route down along the coast on Route 1 to San Luis Obispo. I traveled with my former roommate Erin. Leaving Monterey, we drove along course in reverse. Every downhill we drove would be uphill in the marathon. It was mostly rolling hills and a couple of huge hills. Driving along cliffs on the "ragged edge of the Western world" with 20mph hairpin turns was sometimes nauseating and sometimes scary. Traffic was light for Friday afternoon. People who needed to get somewhere quickly took the 70mph highways inland. We stopped for dinner at Morro Bay hoping to catch the sunset. Unfortunately, it disappeared behind the clouds. We took a picture of what we thought was the Morro Rock - a volcanic plug. It wasn't - it was just another 200 feet high rock sticking out in the ocean.

Saturday morning, at the hotel in San Luis Obispo, I realized I didn't pack running socks for the marathon. I was too busy making sure I packed my running shoes after using them at last Thursday's night track workout. I overlooked the Injinji socks. I was able to get a hold of Kelli who was staying across from the Expo and she got me a pair and left it the concierge's desk at the Marriott. We didn't think we could get back to Monterey before the expo closed. Wine took a higher priority.

I carbo-loaded at 8 wineries in Paso Robles. Is wine really a carbohydrate? We ended up buying 19 bottles of wine and got 4 free wineglasses that were included in the tasting fees.One leaded crystal glass had a California warning about birth defects, cancer, or other reproductive harm. Wine contributed just over one-third of the cost of this trip! Erin wanted to go the Firestone winery -- which I never heard of. Apparently, Andrew Firestone was on the Bachelor reality show. Andrew Firestone introduced himself to us but did not try to sell us any wines. I tried unsuccessfully to get Erin to get a picture taken with him or to offer her cell #. At the Adelphia winery, the server was pouring wine into a wine glass as big as my head for a couple next to us. It was a $300 wineglass; a great gift for someone who has everything. I got my picture taken raising the humongous wineglass. This is the essence of carbo-loading. After tasting more than 40 different wines and eating fettuccini alfredo for a late lunch, I was ready to race. Besides, I was getting a headache and couldn't handle any more wineries (: In 2005, I had leg cramps from wine-carbo-loaded in Napa the day before the Sacramento marathon. I ran a 3:44; only a minute slower than Chicago the following week.

On Sunday, I rode the bus shuttle to the starting point at Big Sur. I was worried about riding in a large vehicle on a narrow road on the outer edge of cliffs. It was fogged in and dark so I couldn't see anything that would make me nervous. I saw our Orlando runners at the staging area. I did a 1.5 mile warmup and carefully peed in the bushes among poision oak trees. I spotted Tracey by her curly hair, right after the start. We ran together for about 8 miles. It was nice that she started out slow which kept me from tightening up on the downhills in the first 2 miles. There was a distinct smell of marijuana around mile 2. She went ahead at mile 8 as she is stronger on the hills than I am. She had run a 3:20 in Chicago. I caught up with Tracey around mile 17, sooner than I expected; she was having some muscle and digestive issues. Her goal was to enjoy the sights while still breaking 4 hours. She made it under 4 hours by 14 seconds.
I saw our Orlando relay team at the 2nd exchange point. I couldn't figure out who was running. Mary Jane and Nina was standing around. Jennifer and Dana was running. Karla was walking on the course. I called Jennifer on Monday; she said they ran together. I don't get it but I'm sure they had a lot of fun.

It was a beautiful, scenic course. I stopped to take some pictures along the way including one of the guy playing piano. I spotted Dean Karnazes around mile 21. He was recognizable by his curly hair and calves. Dean's talk on Saturday conflicted with my winetasting so I hoped to catch up with him at the start. I heard that it was oversubscribed. I thought he ran a 3:19 last year and didn't expect to see him on the course. He actually ran a 3:33 last year. He was doing an easy run as he had a 199 mile Providian Relay coming up next week. He is planning on running the relay as part of a 2 person team. I believed he said he ran to the start at Big Sur (52 mile roundtrip?) - it would explain why he was wearing a camel-bak. I was well ahead of pace for breaking 4 hours so I chatted with Dean till mile 26 and at his urging, I kicked it at a 6:19 pace with an overall marathon pace of 8:50 min/mile. This was a pretty leisurely run for both of us -- going at a recoverable marathon a day race pace. Dean said running a 3:15 beats up his legs. I think pushing a sub 3:30 beats up my legs.

The weather was great -- it was foggy and there was a cooling headwind. Temps were 49 to 52 degrees. It would have been prettier with the sun out but I rather run in cloudy, cooler weather. Having seen the course, I knew what to expect. There was only 2 hills of significance - one at mile 10 and other one at mile 22. The elevation gain is over 1000 feet but because it was a major road -- the grade is pretty gradual compared to some trail runs. The course has a net drop of 275 feet. It was a great course for negative splits because the majority of the uphills were in the first half. I hit the halfway mark at 1:57 and ran the 2nd half in 1:54. (3:51:31) I ran this course 17 minutes faster than the Georgia marathon last month where it was 30 degrees hotter.

I learned that the reason I slow down in the last 3 to 6 miles of a marathon is because of the increasing daytime heat. At Big Sur, the temps stayed around 50 degrees - I actually ran faster than average pace in the last 6 miles with the exception of a big hill and waiting for Dean at a port-a-let. Weather may be a good reason to run the middle miles hard before the heat sets in. Other important factors in predicting finish times are - fitness - how fast you can run a 10k. There is also body weight and consuming adequate calories while racing. Long slow distance runs doesn't matter once you have done a few marathons.

I met Vickie Adams, who is a major contributor on Dean's blog, at the finish. She suggested that I could be a pacer at Badwater to test my tolerance for heat. Can a pacer get a pacer to keep me, the pacer, cool?I agree with her that rolling hill courses are easier on the legs. I think you can run faster on a flat course but it beats up the legs more. I am in the lottery for St. George. Dean had said that St. George has some hills that could work against at PR.

On the plane ride back Sunday, I found it amusing that the woman next to me was putting on makeup using a built-in webcam on her laptop to create a mirror. Killer software app!Next stop: Old Dominion 100 in Woodstock VA over Memorial Day. 14,000 feet elevation but on paved and dirt roads. In 5 months, I will have run 480 race miles (5 ultras + 3 marathons + 1 5k) and 216 training miles in 5 months (about 30 miles a week) and learned something at each race. I look forward to getting some needed rest in the summer:)

Sunrise to Sunset Relay 170 Miler Solo Division (Apr 13, 2007)

2007-06-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

Jensen Beach, FL to Fort Myers, FL
I started the 170 mile solo run at 12:01am Friday at Jensen Beach. Air temp 77 degrees and somewhat humid.

The first 50 miles were on the road. At first I asked my support vehicle (my roommate Melissa & her boyfriend Rob) to drive one mile ahead and wait. At one point, they drove one mile ahead but past the exchange point; I only carried a map of the current leg (36 legs). I had no idea if I should go straight or turn right. It took a while to get them on the walkie talkies even though the radios are supposed to have a 5 mile range. I regret not carrying my cell phone then. There were plenty of police on patrol; it was not comforting - it was likely that we were in a high crime area.

When we got on to rural roads, I suggested that instead of going 0.3 miles ahead -- that they should wait until my reflective vest was no longer visible and then begin driving ahead until they couldn't see light from my headlamp or flashlight. I would have the reassurance of either my car's headlights or taillights. In straight sections they drove about a half of a mile at a time.
By 5am, traffic was picking up. It's interesting how many cars drive on the shoulder until they noticed my reflective vest. The large trucks generated a refreshing wind as they blew past at highway speeds 6 feet away. It was disappointing when they tried to stay away from the shoulder. I'd have to step onto the road to catch the turbulent wake. It wasn't wise but it felt good.

There were a hit-and-run incident with one of the relay teams. A pacer on a bike was hit by the right mirror of a truck who's driver was focused on passing another vehicle. The cylist was ok and the police found the driver and arrested him. I also heard there was an incident with another pickup truck driver who directed road rage against a runner.
Dogs were of concern. I had my doggie mace ready. Fortunately the dogs were fenced in or chained up. There were many flattened animals on the road including turtles and long snakes. I think the owners kept the dogs from running loose on high-speed traffic roads.
I ran the 1st 50 miles in 10 hours. At that point I was optimistic that I could finish the 170 mile run by noon the next day.

The next 50 miles were on Lake Okeechobee's dike system. There was no shade and it was sunny.
It went downhill from there.
10am sunny and 81 degrees
11am sunny and 86 degrees
12pm sunny and 88 degrees
1pm sunny and 90 degrees
2pm sunny and 91 degrees
3pm sunny and 91 degrees
4pm sunny and 91 degrees

I tried placing a ziploc bag of ice on top of my head under a running cap but the cap wasn't deep enough. It did not occur to me to just soak the cap in ice water and let the wind create evaporative cooling. I also forgot I had packed an oversized sombrero sun hat.
I covered only 15 miles on the Okeechobee trail in 5 1/2 hours and slowed down to a 24 minute per mile pace. I decided to quit the race at 3:25pm and head back to Orlando. I did not think I cover another 105 miles by the 5pm cutoff the next day. Melissa said the forecast was for hotter temps the next day. The new mental math would forecast a finish around 6pm. It turned out to be about 5 degrees cooler with some cloud cover. If I brought my laptop - it would show an average pace of 14:12 min miles over 65 miles; my goal average pace was 14:28 min miles for the entire course. I didn't know I was ahead of pace.

The original plan was to run the first 120 miles in 24 hours and walk the last 50 miles in 17 hours. I did not plan to slow down to a 24 min mile in 91 degree heat.
I had considered starting at 8pm but Melissa was already taking Fri and Sat off and Rob took Friday. I couldn't ask them to leave work early on Thursday. Although we arrived at the start line at 11pm, I insisted that we start on 12:01 Friday so that it felt like I would be running for a day and a half instead of running Thurs-Sat (2 days). Foolish decision!

In making the decision to DNF, I failed to consider alternatives and failed to ask these questions:
a) to the race director - what is the real time cutoff for medals? Given the heat -- a lot of teams came in later than 3pm to 5pm and several dropped out.
b) to Melissa and Rob - how late can you finish? factoring in poor sleep and having to work on Sunday. Or do you mind if I did not finish, I just want to see how far I can go by Sat 5pm?
c) to Cathy who I had committed to giving a ride back to Orlando: what is the latest time from finish line? I ended up driving 415 miles to pick up Cathy on Saturday.
All creative thinking goes out the window after being awake 33 hours with a 2 hour nap before the race.

My thinking has always been rigid regarding time goals. I quit my first Rocky Raccoon 100 at 80 miles because I fell behind a 12 minute mile goal pace. This DNF decision was consistent with RR100 but I regret this decision.

Additionally, I took the Sat. 5pm cutoff time to be like a typical 30 hour hard cutoff for an ultra where there is no finisher medal, no support, no listing in the official race results.
The alternative was to pick up the pace. But the radiant heat from the sun was too much. There was no medical support. Heat would be less of an issue for the average relay team runner who would run 5 miles 3 times in 24 hours. Although I lost only 3 lbs, was still peeing regularly and my body temp was normal, I didn't want to risk collapsing on the trail miles away from help. Vehicle access points were miles apart. At this point, I decided there no way I am going to apply for Badwater 135 mile desert run since I can't take the heat.

In hindsight I missed something critical. I had a separate cooler for wet towels and ice water to spray down. I also packed a gallon size garden sprayer. Rob was on a bike with a backpack to provide support for the 50 miles on the Okeechobee trail. He could have carried the gallon size sprayer in his backpack and sprayed me down every tenth of a mile. There was a decent breeze that would have provided adequate evaporative cooling. Since I don't sweat much, the breeze wasn't very useful but I think an ice-cold spray would have gotten me through the 8 hours of above 85 degree heat. I recalled Dean's advice to stay wet and had only watched the Badwater video on Tuesday where the pacers were spraying down the runners. We passed a water truck watering a field and joked that it would be nice if it followed us. The only thing the driver said was that he was driving 2.5mph. Why did he mention that? Assuming he wasn't spraying pesticides, we should have just walked in the downstream of the mist! I had most of my supplies in the back of the SUV and completely forgot about the extra cooler and sprayer in the right rear passenger seat. Big oops!

My strategy was to deal with one leg at a time. Nutrition had to be geared toward the varying mileage of the legs. I wrote a checklist on post-its attached to a Google map of each leg. Besides nutrition, the list on some post-its included sunscreen, bug spray, recharging batteries, switching out the GPS watch, etc. At home, while cleaning out the car, I found a loose post-it note that said - "MISTER, wet towels, ice on cap" . I had apparently removed it from the Okeechobee map. While the other maps only contained one leg - this one page Army Corp map contained 9 legs and was covered with 11 post-its. I removed that critical post-it containing a reminder to use the spray mister, in order to look at the map. Also, had I known the exchange points were not really checkpoints for solo runners, I would have my support vehicle stop and do the next checklist every 5 miles; the mister reminder would be repeated on 10 pages. Too late now!

The towns surrounding Lake Okeechobee are pretty depressed. There was a construction detour on the dike that put us into the town of Pahokee. I wouldn't want to be running there alone at night or among the alligators both sides of the dike. One of the teams advised Melissa not to drive alone to the last 2 exchange points on the lake at night. When she went to buy some ice, she was followed around by the store clerk. I guess they thought she might be a shoplifter.
I didn't have an appetite and eat only a couple of chips and a half slice of pizza. My body was too busy trying to cool off. I had to rely on my fat stores and the calories from the drinks. I weighted in Sat. morning down 3.6 lbs from Thursday morning. A good start to trying to qualify for Boston this fall :) I packed 30000 calories for the run and consumed about 4500 calories over 65 miles. I gave a large bag of kettle chips (2800 calories - no trans fats) to a homeless guy who pestered me for money while I was filling up at a gas station.
Congratulations to Mike who wisely gave himself 65 hours and completed the 170 mile run with just a 1/2 hour to spare at 4:30pm. Dante who started 6 hours before I did, finished in 61 hours on Sunday morning.

I am grateful to Melissa and Rob for patiently driving the support vehicle for 22 hours.
So, maybe I will attempt this Relay again in the Solo division next year! Temps were 10 degrees above average on Friday and 4 degrees on Saturday. On Monday noon, it was 25 degrees cooler than it was 72 hours earlier. I could start at 8pm and remember to use the mister. George, the brother of one of the race directors, offered to crew, if I ever decide to do the Badwater 135 in Death Valley.

Yes, this a long writeup for just 65 miles, just two-fifths of the race. Maybe there would have been other showstoppers had I continued. Among our relay teams from Orlando - one DNF, one finished early and one finished at 7:30pm. I had a massage on Monday and there was only a couple of minor tight spots. Running 65 miles at an easy pace on a flat course really doesn't beat up the body - except for 2 damaged toenails. I had a more painful massage after running the Georgia marathon 2 weeks ago on rolling hills.

ING Georgia Mar 25, 2007

2007-06-15T18:25:00.000-04:00

Atlanta traffic is worse than LA. My blood pressure was 136/99 at Emory Hospital. I had a cardiac CT scan done -- it was a promotion for the marathon. I received a zero calcium score. It means the Spinach and Bacon Panini at Einsteins and the Dunkin Donuts did not make any lasting impressions despite some family history and borderline cholesterol.

I stayed with 2 sets of friends who I haven't seen for at least 3 years. One friend is working a DoD contract on a military base where he last visited as an anti-war (Vietnam) protester and was overcome by tear gas.

The Georgia marathon in Atlanta was all rolling hills. The only person I spotted was Joan from the Saturday group. I paced behind my friend's wife, who is a coach for an Atlanta running group until I lost her at a water stop at mile 17. She hoped to break 4 hours but did not expect much with the hills and the heat. The temp rose to 81 by the time I finished. It was 91 on the drive back.

The race directors will give ING a bad rep -- because they did not have fluids at one water stop and didn't have any electrolyte drinks available at most aid stations. I was counting on getting some calories from Powerade/Gatorade.

I took it easy and just ran the last 0.2 hard. I finished in 4:08. I got no blisters using the Injinji toe socks!

I signed up for the 5k program in hopes of getting some speed back in my legs.

Iron Horse 100 Miler (Feb 17, 2007)

2007-06-15T17:17:00.000-04:00

Orange Park, FL
Temps 32 to 58. winds gust to 23mph

I signed up for a 100 miler in Jacksonville for Sat and
the Tampa marathon on
Sunday 6am. Erin offered to rent/pilot a plane so I could
catch some sleep between races. But I'd figured I would be too
wound up to sleep on a plane.

Going into the Iron Horse 100 miler my left achilles was
still inflamed and left quad still tender from
the Rocky Raccoon 100 two weeks ago.
Since it still hurts after 2 weeks, I can declare it
a "running injury" as opposed to 2-3 days of normal soreness.
I was prepared to drop out -- the race director would give
medals to those who DNF their goal distance
but completed 50k, 50 miles or 100k.
I cut a notch in my left shoe to reduce the irritation
on the Achilles tendon.

I took one Advil and one electrolyte tablet
at every aid station which were 6.25 miles apart.
It was pretty much the maximum daily intake.
Advil can be a factor in hyponatremia.

The quad pain went away after warming up
but the left heel pain came and went with the
Advil levels.

I tried staying off my heels; I tried visualizing
the Chi(pose) method of running. It takes too
much effort to change running form mid-race.

I started out with run 4 min / walk 1 min.
I think I was last (maybe 35-50 runners)
since there was no flashlight beams behind me.

The course was an out and back (12.5 miles out)
repeated 4 times. At mile 37.5
I found out that I was in 2nd place and the lead was about
6 miles ahead of me.
The guys at the aid station said the lead guy was running
strong and looked like he was hardly making a effort.
I figured most runners start out too fast and
will fade in the last 50 miles.
All I had to do was hold a 12 minute mile.
I wasn't running hard because I had a marathon
coming up in a few hours.

I got some effortless speed by increasing the run portion.
I went from 4/1 to 5/1 to 6/1 to 7/1 to 8/1.
Then my legs got tighter, I went to 5 min run 30 secs walk.
The 10 hour battery on the Garmin 205 finally gave out
at 16 hours even though the GPS was off -- the bird
chime for the run/walks used up the power.

I finally caught up the leader at mile 59; he was walking.
I hit the wall at 60 and started feeling real hungry.
As I approached the aid station at 62.5; he ran past
me during one of my walk breaks.
One tough dude.
I filled up on solid food at the aid station.
I took the lead at mile 64.

I decided if I win this race, I would skip the marathon.
(there were only 7 competitors in the 100 miler, the rest
were running the 50 miler or 100k).
After 9 years of running, I have yet to win any awards.

By mile 87.5, I learned that I had a comfortable lead.
I wanted to break 20 hours but only had an 2 hrs 20
minutes to do so. I kicked it in at a 10:38 pace
and go in at 19 hrs 52 minutes.

I got 2 belt buckles: one for finishing under 24 hours
and one for winning the race.

My 25 mile splits were: 4:50, 4:55, 5:05, 5:02.
Average mile pace 11:55.

I had time to put in another 20 miles but passed
on the opportunity as my legs were beat up on the kick.

One of the volunteers recognized me from the JFK50
and Rocky Raccoon. He finished 21 seconds behind
me at JFK but he finished almost 3 hours ahead of me at Rocky
Raccoon. Fortunately, he didn't enter this race :)

I have blood blisters on my right toe and a water one on
my left toe. I should have stopped to address the developing blisters
but I was trying to catch the lead guy.
At mile 75 I changed socks but I made the mistake of
tying my shoelaces even tighter which caused rubbing
on the top of the toes.

I headed back to Orlando at 2:15am. The I-4 ramp off 95 was closed
but the Navigation system immediately told me to take next
turn and directed me to a different entrance to I-4. Yeah.

The volunteers and the race director are friendly and supportive.
There are some hills and some traffic to cross.but I would definitely recommend this course to anyone for their first 50 miler.

I feel pretty stiff today; a lot of it is from working to beat
20 hours. I get a whole month off to heal up before ING Atlanta.

Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler (Feb 3, 2007)

2007-06-15T17:03:00.000-04:00

Huntsville, Texas
Temps 26 to 53

The strategy for this year was to take it
easy and walk the hills (5500 feet elevation gain).
I burned out my quads last year in the first
loop of five 20.15 mile loops by running up the hills.
Besides, I am tapering for the "reverse Goofy"
in 2 weeks - which involves a 100 miler at 6am Saturday in Jax followed by
a marathon at 6am Sunday in Tampa.
I am more worried about the logistics/sleep than the running.

I hit the wall at mile 38 just as I did at the JFK50.
I switched from gels and Ensure Plus to solid food at the aid station--
including pizza, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti
(I spit out the beef meatballs), chicken noodle soup, ramen noodles and
potato soup. No donuts were offered.
The 100 dollar entry fee is a bargain for 30 meals
for up to 30 hours; it costs $100 for the Disney marathon.

The volunteers were great and some of them
remembered me from last year. I saw a few runners
I knew from the Reston group. One guy said he had tried
to keep up with me the last 25 miles at the JFK50.
I guess the bright orange singlets stood out well.

I picked up my cell phone after mile 60 but I decided
I should concentrate on running in the dark instead.
Maybe if I had a Bluetooth headset...

Last year I quit at mile 80.6 -- the end of loop 4,
because I was running too slow according to my plan.
This year, I actually arrived at the 80.6 five minutes
later. I planned on finishing my first 100 miler since I did not book
a hotel room for Saturday night.

Maybe I was running slower because I am a few lbs heavier
than this time last year.
I gained 11 lbs in the past 3 months --- too many healthy carbs -
oatmeal, whole grains, high fiber bread and beans,

It had rained during the week and sections of the course
were flooded or quite muddy. Fortunately, my trail shoes had a Goretex liner--
so stepping in water felt wet but it did not soak through.
I ran extra mileage navigating around the flooded
areas.

I had a gash on my leg from walking through thorny bushes
to pee. I decided to go on the trail when no one is
nearby. With the chicken noodle soup, ramen noodles and
Coke -- I went quite frequently. Dehydration was not an
issue this year.

Ultra runners like trail races because the varying terrain gives
their muscles a rest. I think the varying terrain ensures
that all your muscles get beat up eventually.
I could still feel my bruised toe from my first 50 in 2004.
I didn't fall and roll this year but I tripped over tree roots
at least a dozen times.
I have one purple toenail and one red toenail from stubbing
my foot against roots.
First my left achilles hurt, then the left heel, then the
left inner quad tightened up.
I must of pulled something while breaking one of many
falls.
It feel better to shuffle on my toes than to walk --
so I did that in the last 30 miles.
Other than that, I felt better than I did last year.
I had a limited range of motion of my left leg but I wasn't sore.
At 4am, I got sleepy and had 2nd thoughts about attempting a 48 hour race.
One baby step at time: 26.2 -> 50 -> 80 -> 100 -> 126? -> 165?

It was so cold that the batteries drained down quickly.
Fortunately I brought 4 flashlights; 2 of them still worked.
The flashlights worked when I got home; it could be the metal
contracts at cold temperatures and did not make good contat.
I got lost in the woods last year -- I wanted to make sure
I didn't miss the same turn this year --- the newer 3W LED
lights helped. One guy complained that my lights were shining
into his eyes. Oh well.

It was so cold that each time I drank a can of Red Bull,
I shivered vigorously for 5 minutes. I brought 6 cans
and drank only 2. Maybe I should have added more layers sooner?

The drop bags at the 2nd/4th aid station was not due to be
transported back to the finish area until 11am. I wanted an early
flight so I picked up my drop bag (backpack) at mile 93 and carried to the
finish.

My lap times were 3:50, 3:55, 4:00, 4:55, 5:56I finished in 22 hours 36 min, 40th place out of 242 starters.
30% failed to finish.
I received a sub 24 hour Texas belt buckle;
Breaking 24 hours is considered an accomplishment in the
ultra world.

There were fewer spectators at 4am --- but those that were
camped out -- did cheer. Some runners still have another 20
mile loop to finish when I was done. The course closed at 30 hours.

I planned to sleep in the car until daylight before catching an
early flight. But it was too cold. I didn't think to pack a CO detector
so I ran the engine for 5 minutes and turned it off to take
a nap. After 10 minutes, the cold woke up me up.
I repeated this till 6am and decided to pack and try to get on
the 8:45 flight. I got on but had no time to change or wash up.
It was too cold to change in the car. But I did switch out the muddy
trail shoes and gators and put on a pair of sweats.

Today, my left achilles is still swollen -- I should ice it.
But other than that I am walking fine and feel better than I have
in some marathons. I could have done better but I'm not sure
if I want to do another bruising trail run.
I'll take asphalt any day!

Disney Marathon Jan 7, 2007

2007-06-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

Temps 72 to 75.

I left 20 minutes earlier than last year and exited I-4 at 4am. There was no bumper to bumper traffic and I created a second lane into the Epcot parking lot. I guess there were first timers that didn't know that Disney parks 2 lanes at a time.

I saw Nina, Jen and Karla at the staging area as well as Jeri and Amber from Saturday's group. Where was everyone else?

I was in the first corral but there wasn't much room to warm up. There was wet grass to run on but runners were in the way heading toward the bushes to take pottie break. I think there was more paved areas to warm up in previous Disneys.

I had a tight left hip flexor from track on Tuesday so I took 3 Advil at the water stop and felt no pain for the next 20 miles. I was running 10:10 miles for the 1st 5 miles.

I caught up with our Sunday runners around mile 10; I thought about cruising with them but didn't see anyone I could torture and push to a PR -- so I moved along.

There was a bunch of spectators that yelled out - some whom I recognized, many that I did not. My number was on my right hip; sometimes the cheering came from the left.

The heat not as bad as last week at the 50k. There was more cloud cover than I expected. I didn't have the heat exhaustion that I suffered last week and ran about 26 seconds faster per mile.

I tried some new gadgets for keeping cool but they didn't seem to work in humid weather so I left them with Diana at the mile 17 aid station and picked up a pre-arranged bag of potato chips.

I ran shirtless for the first time in a race; I think that helped somewhat.

I got to the half at 2:02 and decided to take it easy but still break 4 hrs. ( I ran this one in 3:42 last year) I was ahead of schedule at mile 26 so I stood still for a while and kicked it in at a 6:15 pace. My chip time was 3:58:52 (9:06 average pace). My clock time turned out to be 3:59:59. I couldn't have timed it better if I tried!

I thought about waiting at the finish or running back on the course but it was too hot so I decided to go home.

It took 20 minutes for find my silver/gray Highlander hybrid. I noted the letter E sign but forgot the number. There was a bunch of Highlanders and a lot of silver/gray SUVs in the parking lot.

While I was waiting for the fire department to finish up fighting a multi-car fire at the airport parking garage in White Plains, I chatted with a TNT runner who ran the 1/2 and trained in Connectiut. She actually preferred running in the heat over 40 degree weather. I mentioned that the faster you run, the more body heat you generate, the greater need for cooler temperatures. She wants to break 4:30 in her next marathon.

There is no real soreness other than what was ache-y before the race. I guess getting a deep tissue massage 21 hours before a race was not a great idea.

Did anyone have a great race or a peak experience? I thought Jeri did well with the Goofy - 4:46 finish on Sunday. She was busy throwing up when I called her Sunday afternoon -- so I need to call her tonight to see if she had a great race (and if the vomiting was unrelated).

Luna Chicks 50k Dec 31, 2006

2007-06-15T15:31:00.000-04:00

There are few marathons over the holidays so I signed up for a 50k in New Port Richey. There wasn't much info on the website other than the starting times and directions. Started out at 4:30am, the navigation system on my hybrid delivered me to the right place. It was a small race. Jim Sullivan came running in before we started at 7am. He was running the 50 miler. The course is a 3 loops and flat but somewhat sandy in places and largely unshaded. Temps rose from 71 to 81 degrees at noon. It was hot and humid.

I did a run/walk for the first half; it was to be an easy race with Disney coming up next weekend. Then I learned that the frontrunner had dropped out because his heart was racing. I was in 2nd place at the half. I decided to run the last 16 without walking.

Unfortunately, I was getting the chills after mile 21. It was a sign of heat exhaustion. My pace dropped to 11 minute miles. I got passed by a guy who said heat was no problem for him. As I don't sweat much -- I tried drinking ice water. In hindsight, I should have continued the run/walks and taken a minute to down large amounts of ice cold water.

At mile 30, I saw someone gaining on me, so I tried running 10:30s but did not hold it. It was "just" a woman, who would get first place. Turns out the results would be reported as "overall", so I came in 4th overall, 3rd for men. Had I known, maybe I could have suffered and kept up her in the last 2 miles.

5:05 for 32 miles which is a 9:32 pace. With the heat, it is one of my toughest races. I'd do the race again (there is 5k, 1/2, 50k and 50 miler). The organizers are nice and the runners were friendly. I'd probably run the 50 miler with the 5am start.

The current forecast for Disney is 59 to 83 degrees!

Jacksonville Marathon Dec 17, 2006

2007-06-15T15:17:00.000-04:00

Jax - 61 degrees to 75 degrees sunny.

Sat.
I stayed up all night Friday for work and went to the airport to catch the 8:25am back to Orlando. I had changed the ticket from the 1:45p to the 8:25am; it cost $115. The flight was delayed; there were 2 flat tires and no spares to be found. The tires arrived from Atlanta --- I don't think they had a right tire irons. We ended up on the 1:45p -- the same flight I had reticketed on Friday. I missed a ride from the airport and a birthday lunch with my roommate. I got home at 5pm and missed the runners dinner in Jacksonville (:

Sun.
My shins cramped the first 6 miles despite a 1.5 mile warmup. I haven't used the balance board machine since August and need to start again. Also a blister developed on a new pair of shoes. I think sometimes the socks just bunch up if the insole is grippy. Ist half 1:49. Too slow for a PR. I took it easy and finished in 3:37. I told Jeri I was going to suffer but there was no point. Betsy, Laura Tolley and Melissa were up there and did not have good races. It was hot. I upped my sodium intake and had no problems with dehyration or cramping.

At packet pickup, I heard that Christine Merriam with have 16 marathons for the season. I have only 15 ... I need 2 more!!!

Las Vagas Marathon Dec.10, 2006

2007-06-15T15:10:00.000-04:00

Friday, at the expo, Ella, who used to run with our group 3 years ago,came up to me at the Big Sur booth, as I was trying to decide if I should sign up and get 20 dollars off the entry fee. I could not remember Ella's name until she wrote down her email address; I forgot her sister Theresa's name too! Ella moved back home to Kentucky and then moved out to Las Vegas. What are the odds of meeting?

On Saturday I ran the Great Santa Run 5k. It was a fundraiser for kids. Santa outfits were included with the registration fee. A Guinness record was attempted for the largest Santa gathering (4,600).The Santa suit was available in only one size, XXL, so I had to holdup my Santa pants to get some stride length to kick at the finish. It was pretty warm in the Santa suit. There was no water on the course and the 5k leaders ran into the one mile walkers who were still staged at the finish area. The announcements were unclear so some of the one milers started with the5k runners. Robin Leach made an appearance and Roy Horn who got bit by his tiger 3 years ago -- did the one mile walk.

Sun - "New" Vegas Marathon: temps 51 to 55, cloudy. Winds 19 mph gust to28mph.I'm not sure if race organizers should be touting the "new" word as in this case, it meant inexperienced. There were no directions in the race packet. The Blue Man group kicked off the start -- there were no large video screens -- so you could not see much. The view of the fireworks were obscured.

At mile 3, I lost 10 dollars in the dollar slots. My right knee still not recovered from bouncing off the rocks in the 50 miler and my calfs were tight.At mile 6, I played the other 16 dollars (a dollar per mile) and left the casino with 23 dollars. The machines simulated the sound of coins dropping into a bucket but all I got was a bar coded receipt. (I had a net loss of 3 dollars from the race). It took some time to find the dollar slots, make the spins, find a machine to exchange the receipt for cash and get a couple of pictures taken.

It was nice to run back into the race with a handful of cash.Things were looking up; the 10 minute casino walk break helped loosen up my calfs. But by this time I was running behind the 4:30 pace group.Just before the 1/2 I spotted Jeri who's goal was to break 4:30. The mile markers were anywhere between 1/2 a mile and 1.5 miles apart; it was hard to tell what the split times were. The mile markers happened to be wherever the volunteers decided to set up a water stop. I think I was halfway at 2:09.

I decided to run Jeri in, as this is my "fun run" before Jax next weekend. I would stick with her no matter how many times she told me to leave her alone and go on ahead. I told her I would push her after mile 20. I ran slightly behind her till mile 20and was almost always ahead of her after 20 mile, trying to pull her along. Her facial expressions increasingly of fatigue; she was just trying to get to the next mile. She was not a happy camper.

Jeri started taking unscheduled walk breaks after mile 23. I gave her encouraging words -- you're doing great but it's going to suck for the next 3 miles; it won't get better by walking; you may as well get to the finish sooner than later. No walk breaks over 30 seconds! As long as she had no cramps (and signs of heat stress), I kept pushing. She did not have her chrono running (I think by choice). She didn't ask and I didn't tell her -- her run portions were at a 9 minute pace. She was on pace for a 4:15, I did not want her to settle for a 4:30.Even with the 3 bathroom breaks and leisurely water stops, she was running most miles in the 9:30-9:40 pace.

She came in at 4:16, a 16 minute PR! I am proud of her for pushing pass her fatigue. She did all the hard work but I felt like one of Lance Armstrong's pacers who took some credit for bring him under 3hours in New York.

It was the first time I finished a marathon with someone instead of kicking it in. (except for the Dean Karnazes races). Since running for time wasn't a goal, I enjoyed the race despite disorganization and headwinds.At the finish, there was no food; the half marathoners have consumed it all. It was a nice long run (4:19 with 2 casino breaks - I didn't spot the beer stop). I jogged back to the hotel to check out before noon. I was fine the next day and am ready to run another one.

JFK50 Nov 18 2006

2007-06-15T14:18:00.000-04:00

My roommate had a sore throat Wed and was congested Thursday. I developed a sore throat starting Thursday and didn't get a cold till Sunday. Funny how that worked out.

The 50.2 miler was held on Saturday. My strategy this year was to walk down steep hills to save the quads and run up all hills unless it was the same speed as walking.

I hit the wall at about the same place as last year - mile 26 and 37. I was lightheaded at 26 and felt a body/mind disconnect at 37. I was able to keep running but it felt too out-of-control (like being on laughing gas at the dentist) - so I walked. I think the problem was taking 8 double caffeinated gels. Too much caffeine caused my blood sugar to drop. Fortunately, the aid station had potato chips, soup and peanut butter/jelly sandwiches. I avoided the sweets and stopped GU and Gatorade all together. I lost about 10 minutes dealing with the wall; my marathon time within the ultra was 3:53.

I finished in 8:40; last year it was 9:13, and 10:05 the year before. I am making progress. I beat Dave, Jr from the Reston group. I had passed Dave at 28 and lost motivation but kept going anyway.

I had a massage yesterday; my calves are sore. Running a technical course full of rocks and leaves takes longer to recover than running 3 marathons on asphalt.

Endurance 50 - Marathon 48, 49, 50 (Nov. 3 to Nov. 5, 2007)

2007-06-15T14:05:00.000-04:00

Running Philly, NJ and New York gave me a 3-day endorphin rush/runners high. Thank you Dean for coming up with the 50 in 50 in 50 idea and for inviting the public to join him. This was a truely unique opportunity.

I have even greater respect for Dean after he ran 3:00 in New York after a 49 marathon warmup. I thought he was being conservative when I caught up with him in Chicago; he was recovering from a cold.

I signed on for 3 marathons in 3 days for several reasons - some trivial: a) I couldn't get the time off to do 5 in 5. b) I wanted to out-do the Goofy Challenge (only a half and full in 2 days). c) there was someone from our Orlando Track Shack group that got recognition for the most marathons in 2005; I wanted to make sure I got it this year. What better way than to knock out 3 in a weekend - I'll have 13 marathons + 2 ultras for 2006. d) I wanted to see what was I left for New York after running a marathon Friday and Saturday.

In Philly Friday, we ran as a group finishing in 3:57. I have been running for time for the last 4 years -- I have forgotten how much fun is it to run in a group or to start in the back of the pack and talk your way up. Dean is an excellent pacer; I think he was trying to hold his heartrate to about 108 to optimize recovery. My heartrate from sitting around after a couple cups of coffee is 108. Several years ago when I wore a heart rate monitor in a marathon, my heart rate hovered 185-192.

We were led by a roving police escort through downtown Philly in mid-day traffic. Very cool. We had our own private marathon of 50 runners. I normally take a walk break through water stops so it was a first for me to pretty much run 26.2 continuously while grabbing water from a moving sag wagon. When conversation slowed, some guys started rapping. It was lot of fun. My right hamstring felt inflamed but other than that it was a leisurely marathon.

Joe Kulak, a top ultramarathoner, joined us in Philly. I look forward to seeing him at Umstead 100. I chatted with David Sylvester who was on a bike; after losing a friend on 9/11, he is biked as the first African American across 2 continents while raising money for scholarships.
Sat morning New Jersey: my left pinkie toe ached --- loosening the shoelaces helped. We finished in 4:09. Dean had 250 runners to meet and greet so the pace was slower. The group spread out; we kept running ahead of the police escort and had to stop to wait for the main group to catch up. We spent a lot of time chatting. Sponsored athletes from Northface joined us for the run -- including top ultramarathoners and a mountain climber. Sam Thompson who did 51 in 50 in the summer was also present. My left ITB was getting tight; I didn't enjoy the last 6 miles.

After the race, I made a mad dash to Manhattan to pick up the New York marathon race packet before the expo closed at 5. Logistically there was no good opportunity to pick up to the race packet Thurs or Friday. I was more nervous about finding parking and traffic than running the race itself. Fortunately, my brother knew the shortcuts as the tunnels were backed up for 40 minutes. I stopped by the Paragon booth where they were still waiting for Dean to arrive and sign books.

Carbo-loading was done with a fine bottle of Italian wine and pasta with Italian bacon.

Sun morning. New York -I had expected some struggle on day 3. At the pre-race massage in Staten Island, the massage therapist confirmed that my left quads/ITB was tight along with the calves.

Surprising, once over the Verrazano Bridge, I start moving well (7:40 on mile 2). A friend from work offered support on First Ave in Harlem. She had a Dunkin donut and coffee waiting for me at mile 19. I had to pick up the pace on the downhills -- nudging runners out of the way, so the coffee wouldn't get cold and my friend wouldn't have the donut for herself. I finished in 3:35 with an even split.

Without the bridges and hills (800ft of elevation gain), and extra effort weaving through the crowds -- I think I could have run a PR. (3:27 Chicago). I think the 52.4 mile warmup from Friday and Saturday actually helped improve my speed slightly. I was already warmed up for Sunday. While I normally train only 6 miles a week, now I understand why hard-core runners train 70 mile weeks to get faster. On the other hand, I am extremely well rested between race weekends.

It was a very pleasant surprise that marathon 3 was no physical challenge at all. Maybe the endorphins were in overdrive. Day 2 was the hardest; there was a lot of stop and go and the time pounding the pavement was the greatest.

I asked Dean several times what I should expect for day 2 and day 3. He said some runners kept up and some didn't. And he had no prediction for me or himself for New York.
"I believe that our limitations are usually just by our mind and that our bodies can actually go much farther," - DK.

At the post-race gathering at the Northface store, "Coach" Dean said that he was proud of my New York run and the 3 in 3. It affirms his motto of "pushing preconceived notions of what is possible".

This triple is good prep for the JFK 50 miler a week from Saturday. Bekkie Wright, who cartwheeled across the NJ finish line, and ran 6 in 6 days, will be running it.

Monday - Recovery from 3 marathons is easier than recovering from just one marathon. In the walking downstairs with ease test, recovery that normally takes 3 days took only one day. The body seems to get used it; and perhaps it gets into hyper-recovery mode. One thing I started to do post-marathon is: soaking my legs in a trash can filled with cold water while wearing a fleece jacket and cap.

In listening to Koop, Dean's trainer from Carmichael (Lance's trainer), it seems that Dean is not breaking down as the medical experts in the mainstream media predicted. I think both Dean and Sam Thompson said in their blogs that, they found it easier and they were running faster as the body adapted to a marathon every day. My physical therapist had suggested years ago I give up marathons and take up tennis because of a skeletal issue that causes poor biomechanics.

Lesson learned: find a medical specialist who tells you what you want to hear!
I asked Dean to dedicate one of the copies of his book to a school teacher I had dated; Unfortunately, the many weekends spent racing out of town this fall was a factor in the breakup. This multi-day event has helped me refocus.

My enthusiasm this weekend spread to my family and friends and brought us a little closer. I was a little surprised and am appreciative of their support and encouragement.
It's pretty amazing; Dean reached a lot of people. Strangers started talking about him when they saw I was wearing the Endurance 50 shirt. I think he inspired a lot of ordinary folks to get out there.

50 days on the road in 50 different states can be tiring and there isn't much time to catch the sights. Traveling is a endurance event in itself. I hope Dean's family and the support crew had a blast.

I look forward to another opportunity to join Dean on an adventure. Dean's passion is contagious.

Chicago Marathon, Oct 22, 2006

2007-06-15T13:22:00.000-04:00

I doubled-checked to see that my shorts were on right this morning. First, I realized both my legs were using the same shorts leg. I think I should go back to my old shorts.

The forecast kept changing -- clear, cold, wind, rain, snow. It turned out to be great running conditions -- temps 40 to start, 42 at the finish. However the winds were 19mph gusting to 24 mph. There was a head wind at the end of the race.

I started out slow but my calves didn't seem to loosen up. I could tell which muscles would complain later on. I haven't recovered from the corporate 5k last week in White Plains. I was in sad shape per Stephanie's massage a week ago.

I was in the Preferred II Corral (3:55 and faster). While it was crowded, there wasn't much weaving required. When Amy caught up to me at mile 6 -- I decided to try harder.
From looking at the 5k splits I think she was following me. I finally loosened up at the half.
The strategy was to run fast when you can because sooner or later the hips/quads will tighten up and there is nothing you can do.

Could it be all mental? (since I can run a 6:33 pace for the last .22 miles) Has anyone tried stretching in a race? Do you have a net gain in time?

At mile 16, I caught up to Dean Karnazes. His blog said he had deep dish pizza and baklava during the race. He was running by himself -- I asked him where his entourage was.
I introduced myself and said I'd see him in Philly and NJ. He finished a minute behind me.

My left hip tightened after mile 20. My goal was 3:25. That wasn't going to happen. So I suffered for the last 5 minutes to a get token PR of 3:27:32.

It was a 16 minute course PR. Chicago is faster than the downhill course in Steamtown.

Chicago reports 5k splits. So I actually got some PRs within PRs. As you know it takes me about 10-12 miles to warm up.
PR 1/2 marathon (in the 2nd half) 1:42:42
PR 15k 1:11:08 (6 minutes faster than Arnold Palmer 15k)
10k time 46:49 (35 seconds from PR)
5k time 23:17 (85 seconds from PR)

There were some good runs today from the Track Shack group. JP 2:54, Tracey 3:20, Amy 3:36.

On to the triple marathon with Dean in 10 days.

Steamtown Marathon Oct 8, 2006

2007-06-15T13:08:00.000-04:00

Scranton, PA

Sugu's flight was late so I checked out Ikea - which is just outside the perimeter of Newark. They have neat furniture and lamps but nothing I could easily transport. Ikea hired the reggae band 'Verdict' to play in the cafeteria; Lunch was very pleasant.

I am not impressed with Scranton. A mall security guard sped over to ask if we needed help have finding my car. Maybe they were profiling. (We did walk through the mall and not buy anything). A gas station had a sign to asking customers to ring the buzzer to get into the convenience store after 10:30pm. The area looked pretty shady. I moved my car in front of a security camera at the hotel. On the way back, the engine light came on, and the car lost power and hesitated. After 20 miles or so, the the light reset itself and the car drove normally. I think the car got a bad tank of ghetto gas. (back in the 80s in New York, gas was often diluted with water )

I had lower back pain that morning and my soleus was sore all week - so I didn't know what to expect for the race. The weather was decent starting out at 43 and finishing at 61. It was sunny but there was a nice breeze. It wasn't all downhill -- it was rolling hills which were not shown on the course map. The first 4 miles were unpleasant -- too steep to run down and the road was crowned. After getting to the half in 1:44 -- I decided to bank time for the hills at the end. I saved up 4 minutes. My left hip was tight -- from a tight lower back.

My soleus went into spasms whenever I tried to pick up speed. So I took it easy - I even skipped the usual sprint at the end. I finished in 3:28, a 35 second PR (from 4/2004 Jersey). Even thought it is touted as a fast course, I'm not sure, with all its rolling hills, whether it is faster than Chicago or Jax.

I think I am doing better on 42 minutes of training a week this season than the 30 minutes of training last season. Though it is hard to say how much of it is just weight loss.

We saw an operating steam locomotive at the Steamtown Historic Site. Pity the guy who has to shovel coal.

Top of Utah Marathon Sep 23, 2006

2007-06-15T12:23:00.000-04:00

We (my ex-roommate Melissa and driver) arrived Friday morning in Salt Lake after a big breakfast on Delta.

We got a tour of the Mormon complex given by "sister" volunteers who are on a 2 year mission. There are no male guides. One was from San Diego and wants to run a marathon. They believe in one true prophet (and everyone else is wrong). The devout seemed to be happy. I asked about the posthumous "conversion/baptism" of non-believers (including Jews in the Holocaust). They consider it an option.

Then, off to the cooper mines, per George's suggestion. With 8 inches of snow, Kennecott's have been turning visitors away all day but it warmed up enough when we got there at 3pm. Interesting tour -- something boys would enjoy - big dump trucks but no blasts were set off that day.

Next stop, Antelope Island, which sits out the Great Salt Lake. Very quiet and beautiful light reflected through the clouds from the setting sun.

Appleby's was packed and I didn't get to eat my sausage and peppers for the pre-race meal.

Sat -- 26 degrees at the start. I got lazy and didn't warm up properly. My calves cramped on the downhill for the first 8 miles -- I did not bank enough minutes on the downhill to make up for the flat section. I noticed my shorts were on backwards when I try to put my ear wamers in my pocket. At mile 10, I got a blister because I didn't tie my shoelace tight enough.

My first half was 1:45. After dropping to 9 minute miles at mile 18, I gave up
the pursuit of a 3:30 and took it easy. The other Marty thought it was due to lack of oxygen which caused lactic acid buildup. I think my quads/hips got tight from pounding 1100 feet downhill.

I finished in 3:37. I was hoping for 3:30. I did have a good kick at the end (under a 5:00 mile pace) which just means my legs weren't really tired!

A quick shower and off to a hike in search some fall foilage at Adam's Canyon. It was a 1.75 mile hike with a 1300 feet climb to a 40 foot waterfall. Breathing was labored because we were at 4750 feet. We made it half-way before turning back to catch the flight back to Orlando. Apparently, some reviewers on Web observed gopher and rattlesnakes on the trail. Yikes!

The return flight on Saturday was late and there was no ice cream just a brownie (:

Self Transcendence Marathon Aug 25, 2006

2007-06-15T11:25:00.000-04:00

It had a hippie feel --- lots of runners from Europe (they didn't speak English and they had body odor) The men stayed separate from the women - even in the port-a-potty lines.

It was a late start (7:30). It was quiet for 5 minutes -- I guess that was the meditation part. Then there was a couple of muffled words and the guru said let's go.

The forecast was for 20% chance of rain and mid-60s. It was muggy.

There wasn't much talking on the course -- though it was pouring rain half the time. I only got 2 blisters from the soaked shoes --- both in the Achilles. My left quad tightened around mile 21 --probably from last week's 5k. But the double-caffeinated gels kept me buzzed and pretty much on pace. There were 9, not quite 3 mile loops -- I was lapped twice by the lead runers. There was a mile marker for each mile but you have to remember which loop you were on.

I ran this pre-race season marathon in 3:34 (1:47:17/1:46:56 split). The 4 mile training runs, smaller meals and ice cream have paid off!

I ran directly from the finish to the car to standby on the noon flight. It was full (though there were seats when I called the day before). It took 8 hours to get back to Orlando. This coolmax stuff doesn't seem to dry out. Not anticipating a heavy rain -- I did not bring a change of clothes. I did have enough reading material and TIVO on the Treo to pass the time.

I had a massage this morning -- it wasn't too bad -- I have been tighter from the Tuesday/Thursday workouts. I ran a couple of 7:35 miles this morning.

Who's up for Big Sur? I think the race usually fills up by September.

Marine Corp Marathon Oct 30, 2005

2007-06-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

MCM was split in two waves (8:15am, 8:45am start). But people with similiar numbers were running at various speeds - not just the VIPs. It was a mess. It was the first time, I've ran in a crowd that sped up and slowed down going straight. I spent a lot of energy weaving and nudging the slower runners/walkers out of the way.

Even though the baggage check was suppose to be next to the start line, according to the program -- the closest one was 1/2 mile away.

Temps ranged from 53 to 65. But it was pretty warm because the sun was out and much of the course was not shaded;

There was no room to do my 1-2 mile warm up; so my shins cramped first 10 miles. I averaged a 9:30 pace on the first 1/2. I decided to use the 2nd half to train my next marathon -- averaging a 8:28 pace. (2:04/1:51 split)

I finally mastered the 14th Bridge at mile 20, holding a 8:31 pace. but failed to conquer the 35 foot climb at mile 26. (It took 2mins to run the last .2 miles)

My brother-in-law said he would never do this one again --mostly from the frustration of weaving through the crowd of runners. There were only 19,000 runners but the roads were not opened up.

Jax, anybody?

Chicago Marathon Oct 12, 2003

2007-06-13T13:12:00.000-04:00

At the Team tent race morning, I was discussing race strategy with Marty. I had just run a 4:00 PR 3 weeks before at Logan, UT. Plan A - go for another PR goal of 3:45. Plan B - I would search out the Starbucks indicated on the course route map. I happen to have received a Starbucks gift card for Christmas.

By mile 7, it didn't look like I could run a 3:45PR so I decided to take it easy. It was took much energy to weave and it was hot. I figure I'd finished in 5 hours.

There were 8 Starbucks on the map. I found 7 and stopped at 4 Starbucks for expresso. I never found the 8th one at mile 25. But I found a beer stop at mile 23; it was staffed by drinkers with a running problem. I finished in 4:14 only 14 minutes slower than my PR; I blame it on the persons making the expressos. Still, it was my 2nd fastest time in 44 marathons and a course PR.

I took 23 walk breaks consisting of 17 water stops 4 visits to Starbucks for a single shots of expresso 1 beer stop 1 ad hoc bathroom stop between 2 dumpsters.

It was warm; it got up to 71 degrees. A teacher from Ohio died at the finish line (3:40) -- cause unknown and there were another person with aneurysm and many heatstroke victims.
There were 32000 finishers --- it took a lot of zig zagging to pass some of them. I thought I hurt my right Achilles tendon but it may just the shoe rubbing because I felt ok walking barefoot.