On Saturday I accomplished my longest training run yet of 22 miles. I wasn’t quite expecting to go this far but I met up with a running club and with the support of some great runners I was able to get there. Here’s some things I learned along the way that will hopefully help me in the future. Due to a hectic schedule the few days before this long run my diet had become pretty poor, not a lot of vegetables and too much red meat. For dinner the night before I had Vietnamese grilled pork over rice. Although very tasty the fish sauce infused meal gave me some pretty terrible grumblings during the run. I still couldn’t take gels if my stomach is just a little upset gels really make me want to gag. I carried on with the run sipping on apple juice going slow and steady. At mile 13 I decided to let my running partner carry on as I needed to regroup. I found a bench and sat for five minutes. I managed to nibble a little on a raw food bar which was just a little too much, I was unsure whether or not to turn back or keep going up the bike trail when I saw another cluster of runners from the club and decided I’d hitch on for a bit and see how I felt. The runners were going nice and slow so it wasn’t too bad. We got to mile 15 and my stomach again started tripping out. There was a lady running with the group that said she was turning around and so I decided to go back with her. She asked if I had taken any salt and I said I hadn’t. She was a nice person to run with and was telling me some crazy stories about her 100 mile races (including a sub 24hr Western States Finish!) She kept me ticking along and before I knew it my watch beeped 19 miles.  I needed to sit and rest for a minute, so we said fairwell and I was able to eat a powerbar and rest my legs for five minutes. I had only really planned on doing 18 miles. But after eating the powerbar my energy returned and with about 5 miles to get back home I carried on with the run. My legs felt fine. Finally at mile 22 I saw a starbucks, got a coffee and walk the last 2 miles home.

Analysis: This run proved that I have the conditioning to go 20+ miles at a time. What really helped was the comradery and encouragement of running with a group, this helped me move forward and not be as tempted to stop and walk as much. My big mistake was my pre-run fueling, although I think I had enough carbs in me, i’ve learned that my tummy can be temperamental so I really need to watch what I eat the day before and morning of a long run. Because of my upset stomach, I wasn’t able to get enough fuel in during my run. 1 gel on a 22 mile run is simply not enough, my search continues for alternative ways of getting carbs in me without having to chew much during a run. Also, don’t forget the salt!

Mistakes made -
I need to eat healthier in general but I need to really pay attention to what I eat the day before a big run cause stomach issues can really sour a run. No more thai, vietnamese, BBQ or spicy foods (all of my favorites) the day before!
In case I do run into issues I need to carry either some Rolaids or Pepto on me for these long runs and races.
Just because it’s colder now, I’m still gonna sweat so I need to be sure I’m either taking salt or drinking sports drink to keep my electrolytes balanced.

Things to try:
Maybe carrying some sort of non sweet carb fuel with me could be good. I know a lot of ultra runners swear by chicken noodle soup, sounds weird but when it’s cold out and I’m not clocking 7 min miles that may actually work.

p.s.s. On a side note about half way through the run I looked down at my shoe and saw that my lovely new white Saucony ProGrid Kinvara’s had turned blood red. It didn’t hurt but when I got home I realized my little toe was digging into it’s neighbor and over the miles it bleed pretty good. Keep those nails super short!

Objective:

• Run 17miles

Mistakes  Made:

• Running a long run without a cellphone (Ironically I lost this on my last run- it fell out of my fuel belt)
• Not eating before a long run
• Not running without a running jacket in the rain and cold

Consequences:

• Very worried and pissed off Wife
• Having to walk many miles in the rain while cold and hungry
• A very very long day

I took off today for a 17 mile long run. This is my longest distance yet in prep for the Marathon which is now 7 weeks a way (Yikes!). I had slept in till 10am cause I was working an aid station for the Rock n River 50 mile Ultra the day before and I was pretty beat from that. I woke up had some coffee and water contemplated not going on what seemed like a long distance then got dressed and willed myself out the door.

I had talked to a girl the day before who does nutrition for ultra runners and she was talking about how Ray Sanchez took six hours off of his 100 mile time by switching to a liquid supplement diet for his races instead of solid foods, she went on to say that a lot of runners were not eating before marathons in order to make the body use the gu’s and energy drinks more efficiently during a race. I wasn’t really hungry so I thought I’d try this out. I ate two gu’s before I went out which perked me up with some caffeine and after plotting my route and telling my wife where I was going I was off.

Outside It was very cool and cloudy. I went back inside and switched to a long sleeve shirt. figuring this would be enough. Then I was off. It was 11:45. I felt pretty strong starting out. I didn’t push it too hard not wanting to where myself out too early, it was cool but by the first mile I was warm and in a good groove. I couldn’t find my ipod before I left so I decided this would be a good chance to really focus on the run and not get distract with the ipod which can sometime happen.  By three miles I had hit the bike trail. That’s when it began to sprinkle.

The lite rain felt good, It was my first time running in the rain since springtime.  I came up upon another runner and we chatted a bit. I carried on passed him. at 6miles/45min I ate another gel and kept on. I was feeling it a little but not too bad and kept up a healthy 8:30min/mile pace.

I stopped at a drinking fountain at 81/2 miles This was my turn around point. I was feeling pretty hungry at this point and once I stopped for the drink and a breather I suddenly became very cold with the sweat and the rain. I set off for the second half figuring I’d warm up as I ran again. This is when I began to take walk breaks. I wasn’t planning on it but was just getting tired I guess. I kept pushing on alternating walking and running and at 12 miles had to stop and sit under a tree and collect myself it was raining hard and I was soaked. 

I sat for a while and then tried to carry on but my energy felt depleted and try as I might I could not stomach another gu, So I cut off the trail and began to walk through the neighborhood looking for a phone or a place to get some food. I couldn’t run without getting light headed and my legs felt like lead, So I walked and walked for a long time. not coming across anything but house after house.

After about an hour I came across a fresh choice restaurant. I went in and asked if they had a pay phone and they didn’t, I really needed to eat so I got some food which felt wonderful and the warmth of the building felt so good.

After I ate a bit I went out to look for a pay phone to call my wife it was pouring now and I was over being out in the wet cold. I saw a gas station and there was a pay phone. some dude was on it so I ducked in to a Starbucks and got a mocha. I considered asking them If I could use the phone but felt awkward doing so. I went out again and saw that the pay phone was free. I tried calling wife only to get a weird beeping sound. I tried two more times then resolved to finish my run. Since I could reach my wife.

I had some energy back in my legs from the food and although I couldn’t manage more then a 11min/mile pace I felt steady and committed to finishing the 17. It actually stopped raining and I warmed up a bit. I got in a pretty good groove and finally as I approach the house my watch beeped 17 miles. phew! I walked in the door and my wife was pissed. I had been gone a crazy 5 hours. I couldn’t believe it. I guess all that walking added up. She was upset that I didn’t call and after four hours she drove around my route to try and find me. She called me irresponsible and self centered I apologized and promised I would not run without a phone a gain. I was exhausted I took a hot shower and fell fast asleep.

I just ran in my first official race today, the “Urban Cow” 1/2 Marathon in my hometown of Sacramento, Ca. The race was an amazing experience and for my first race I don’t think I could of asked for a better day. The weather was a cool 65 degrees. I woke at 6am and actually managed to get some sleep the night before. I made myself the Tarahumara drink of Chia seeds, lime, water and agave nectar, then ate three slices of sourdough bread in honor of the great Ryan Hall. Watched a few minutes of Craig Alexander and Chris Leato battling it out at last years Ironman Kona to get me pumped up, rolled out my legs, lubed up the nips, and I was off! (Well, I got dressed also).

I was a little late leaving the house, there was a fair amount of traffic, I found parking and with ten minutes to spare made my way to the starting line. I investigated the pace groups and settled with the 1:50 group. I knew that would be a challenge for me as my training run 13’s have usually taken me about 2 to 2:05 but I felt up for a good run and ready to give it. Before I new it we had taken off, I pressed play on my ipod and felt a surge of emotion as we took off in a wave. It was a little bit of an adjustment getting used to running in such a big crowd but I vowed to just stay relaxed and stick to my pace leader, the wonderful Rick Santos who kept us at a heathy pace between 7:50 and 8:20 for the distance. I felt pretty strong. I ate a gu 15 minutes before the race and another 45 minutes in, drank water and Cytomax as we passed through aid stations. The course is relativity flat and I knew I had to just hang on and I’d be fine. My mood was good, I listened to some great music which was fun and sometimes took my ear buds out and listened to the pace leader talk about running Leadville and other cool stories. At about the ten mile mark I got a chance to thank the pace leader and told him it was my first and he said this was a great training race for CIM. As we reached the last few miles my legs were feeling the run but I never felt beat or destroyed like I have in some of my training runs. My knees and calves felt fine and I think I’m really acclimating well to the Newton racers and the forefoot running which is really starting to work for me.

As we re-entered the park with about a mile to go I knew now was the time to pick it up so I gradually ramped up and when I could see the finish line I saw the clock which read 1:48 and I gunned it as fast as I could. I wanted to break 1:50 and managed to sail through the finish at 1:49.20 raising my hand. Woo Hoo! There was my wife and mother in law cheering me in. An ice cold coke hit the spot and I even managed to get a nice post race table massage which was heavenly. What a killer day at the races.

Race Stats:

Finished:01:49:22

Net Pace: 08:21

Overall: 507th of 3124

Male: 359th of 1146

M35-39: 74th of 205

My first official race is coming up on Sunday. It’s the Urban Cow 1/2 Marathon in Sacramento Ca. I’m doing this race as a sort of warm up for the CIM in December. I’ve heard it’s really important to get a feel for running races and not just running solo before a big race.  So, in giving myself a little taper to ensure my legs are fresh for Sunday I made Wednesday morning my last proper run. A sort of dress rehearsal 8 mile run and aiming for a marathon pace of 8-9min per mile (Speed is not my strong point).

Let me just say I’m glad this wasn’t the actual race cause it was probably one of my worst training runs so far. Here’s how it went:

I couldn’t fall asleep the night before, tossing and turning, getting that runners adrenalin flowing thinking about the race and once that happens it’s hard to turn it off. Woke up at 7am after falling asleep by about 1am. Had my coffee, drank a ton of water, ate some quinoa as a hot cereal. Stretched out and managed to use the restroom a little, got dressed and was out of the house by 8:30am (where did the time go?)

Got to the park which has a 1 mile loop and after a little warming up I set my head to run 8 miles and to not stop. This was gonna be just like I was in an actual race. I was not gonna push myself speed wise, just try and keep it even between 8 and 9 minutes.

Off I went.

The first mile was easy and I was even trying to slow myself down a little as I was naturally running about 7:30 per mile. Started the second lap and then I felt it….Code Brown! I had to find a bathroom. There was gonna be no way around it. So regretfully I stopped my Garmin and found the first toilet I could (and not a very nice smelling one I have to say!)

I did my business and then made my way back out to the track. I wanted to start over with my time and treat this first part as the warm up So I reset my watch and started again, promptly stepping in a large mud puddle which soaked one of my socks.

I kept going although much less chipper then before after about 2 and 1/2 miles I began to really feel like stopping. I was hot and my motivation was drained, what was wrong with me? I stopped and walked a little bit, for a pre race run this was pathetic. Then I new I had to get off this loop, it felt so repetitive and I needed to just hit the street. So after giving myself a kick in the ass I took off down the street and into the neighborhood. I immediately started to feel better.

It was getting hot now about 87 degrees. I was drinking water as I was out of my Nuun tablets, I really felt like I was running on fumes. I saw a Starbucks at the 5 1/2 mile point and stopped in to refill my water. I was craving something sweet but didn’t have any money on me so I grabbed a few packets of ‘sugar in the raw’ and crunched on those as I started out again. This seemed to pick me up a little. I finished and combining the two runs I ended up doing ten miles. It took me 2 hours and I felt tired but at least I finished.

So, what happened? What did I learn and how can I prevent this happening to me on race day? A couple thoughts -

1. The night before I had an early dinner of sushi and although there was a little rice, I think I need to get more carbs in me the night before a run.
2. I need to get to bed earlier and to help me I’m gonna drink some bedtime tea (Sleepy Time with valerian) I did this last night and I was out pretty quick and woke up refreshed.
3. Although quinoa is awesome and has a lot of protein. I felt it sitting in my stomach as I started to run, so I’m gonna go with some easier to digest carbs. Ryan Hall recommends Sourdough bread with olive oil. Which I’m gonna try.
4. I think my electrolytes were really off, I need to drink a sports drink and not just water. I picked up some Cytomax cause I know they will have it at the race and I actually really like it.
5. I need to do a lite warm up jog not only to loosen up my body but to make sure nature isn’t gonna call during the race.
6. If things do happen, which they do, I need to keep a positive attitude and roll with the punches.

Let me know if you have any thoughts on this. Obviously I’m still a novice.

Onward and Upward!

I’ve never really been a morning person. Much more of a night owl and I love to sleep in. But due to a few factors, 1. heat 2. scheduling and 3. most races start early, I’ve been shifting my normal afternoon runs to about 8am. This is presenting a few interesting challenges.

1. Hydration:
   I’ve realized I have to drink at least a pint of water first thing. This helps me get moving (see #2) and get’s me on the way towards hydration. Morning cup of strong coffee can’t be skipped.
2. Number Two!::
   I have had the very unfortunate experience of being a mile or so into my run when suddenly…it’s time to find a bathroom now! This doesn’t happen to me in the afternoon.  So the ritual has to take place before I hit the street.
3. Fueling:
   Not wanting to weigh myself down this morning I had a banana and a piece of bread . About halfway through my interval workout I felt like I was underfueled.
   I need to get some more solid but easy on the stomach food in me early.
4. Preparing my not so limber morning body to move gracefully and fast.
   This morning I took the time to stretch a bit and use my foam roller to get my body ready to move and I think it really helped.

Moral to the story, I need to be up at least an hour before I leave the house for all these things to go smoothly. For the race day I’m gonna probably need two hours prep, plus getting to the race and all. Phew!

Heel Strike Begone!

So after a few weeks of frustration I think I finally reached a tipping point with my running form. Try as I might to banish it I’ve been a nasty heel striker and couldn’t seem to shake it. I purchased a pair of Newton racers to aid me in my quest for better form and there was still something missing. I would video tape myself, thinking I was landing midfoot and while reviewing the footage, the truth would be revealed. I would practice barefoot and looking at that footage my landing was always mid to forefoot, yet when I put the shoes back on I was back to the heel strike. I was talking to my wife about my frustration and she said “Well, why don’t you try to land on your forefoot then make the transition to midfoot?” I despised that idea initially saying no, forefoot landings is not what I want to do, I want to land fullfoot/midfoot.
But then after thinking about this a bit, It seemed to make more sense, why not aim for my forefoot and gradually transition to midfoot? That actually sounded like a pretty good idea. So today after running around the block a few times feeling out this new foot strike, I video taped myself and looking back at the footage in slow-mo, my foot strike is so much better. In fact, in aiming for the ball of my foot I think I’m accomplishing a much more fore/midfoot strike and after taking this new foot strike out for and 8 mile run, including some fartlek training. I came back home and my legs feel fresh. No crazy calve pressure or knee issues and I have to say the Newtons really lend themselves to this foot strike cause I just have to aim for the forefoot nubs on the bottom and I can feel right where I’m landing. Woo hoo!
On a side note, I’m still overstriding but I feel like I can now focus on shortening up my stride length and I should be moving towards better form all around. Onward and upward!

I just went with a group of friends camping at Loon Lake, Ca and figured this would be a good time to get in some high altitude runs. I haven’t run at high altitudes before and was amazed how much quicker my heart began to pound.

The nature surrounding me was gorgeous and inspiring. The road I ran along for most of the  time was soft concrete and some off-road gravel, plus some mountain trails. I ended up doing 17miles (2 in the morning, 13 in the afternoon and 2 more at night) plus a 1.5 mile hike with friends up a pretty mighty hill. A total of - 18.5 mile (phew! no wonder I’m a little sore today.) That is the most I’ve run in one day, so I feel like I’ve got some good miles in the bank towards my marathon.

One thing I couldn’t manage though was any sort of speed work. I guess it was a combo of the altitude (elevation 6,358 ft) and the many hills but I was averaging 11 min miles and working hard to get that! So basically it was a quick jog or like my friend said “a nice old man pace” more then a run, but a really good workout none the less.

For my fueling I used -

Nuun Sports drink tablets- which I actually liked a lot. The flavor was mild and it felt like it kept my electrolytes in a good place considering the afternoon heat.

Honey Stinger Gels - By far the best tasting gel I’ve used and seemed to help keep my energy up. I’m still not crazy about gels in general but of all I’ve tried I like this the best.

For trail shoes, I was wearing a pair of New Balance 410’s  which I picked up cheap while waiting for the new MT101’s to come out. They performed really well on all the varied surfaces from big rocks, gravel, sand and even road running.  I found the shoes not too heavy but sturdy enough to get the job done. I’ll definitely be picking up a pair of 101’s at some point, but in the interim I’m really pleased with these and for $40 they were a bargain.

Happy trails!

I decided today to just get out and concentrate on form with a bit of tempo work thrown in. I was anxious to get back in my Newtons and I must admit they felt wonderful on my feet. My form felt good and from what I could tell I was mid foot striking and naturally getting feet up behind me. I’m not sure if it was the altitude run over the weekend but my breathe felt nice and even and the stress of the day seemed to fall away with each mile. I had gone about 5 miles, I wanted to get 10 in but It was getting dark and my left achilles began to get a bit sore. I pushed on trying to stay relaxed and concentrate on good form, as I reached the 7 mile mark it was quite dark and my achilles was starting to ache. I realized in my eagerness I was probably taking the Newtons too far and still probably toeing off too hard causing the ache. So I got home and rolled out my calves with the grid. Next time I’m going to try and hit the track to do some barefoot form work, then video tape myself in and out of the shoes to get a better idea of where I’m at.

Form analysis of my second run with my new Newton racers.
Cadence is 90 bpm. Mid-foot landing is much better and feet are floating up nicely but I’m still really pushing off with my toes- creating un needed vertical motion, achilles strain and wasting energy.

Today I started off my training running for about 20min in my new Newton Racers. This is my first pair of Newtons and I’m following the advice of my local running store Fleet Feet and the Newton website that both said to integrate the shoes slowly into my workout. So as much as I’d like to take off in these bad boys I’m biding my time and allowing my legs the time to get used to a new way of more ‘natural running’. In the never ending quest to improve my form I’ve been video taping myself to analyze and see where I can improve. My form goals are to-

• develop a naturally high cadence of around 180 spm
• a consistent mid foot landing- no more heal striking!
• minimizing my tendency to toe off
• get my feet up behind me with each stride.

Essentially the ChiRunning style. To help with this I whipped up a mix in garage band from the provided loops and put together a sort of ambient mix based on a steady shaker rhythm of 180bmp. Running to this definitely helps me pick up my cadence and is much less annoying then running to a metronome.

I’m posting a few clips from the last couple weeks that I think indeed show my progress in getting my form together (See my next post for the video). I’ve still got a ways to go, but I definitely suggest regularly video taping yourself if you want to get an honest and not always beautiful look of how you are running.