Monday, November 30, 2009

The Bionic Toe Strikes Again

I really should be a beta tester for running products. Over the past few years I've destroyed (or rendered inoperable) 6 Garmin Forerunners, 3 camelbak bladders, a countless number of socks, and stuck my big toe through the top of three pairs of Asics road shoes.

My latest victims are the Vibram Fivefinger KSOs I've been playing with for the past two months. Three runs - that's how long it took for my wiggly big toe to rip open the seam. Fortunately, a couple of emails to the very helpful customer support folks at Vibram and I'm mailing them back for a replacement pair.

Oddly enough it's the same big toe (the right one) that keeps ripping holes in all my socks. Maybe I need to superglue it to its nearest neighbor or find some other suitable method of subduing it.

***Riposte from right big toe***
Hey now, I know I'm hyperactive but who do you think dragged you through all those 100 milers you ran this year? I think a few sacrificial socks are a fair trade for my ultra services.
***End of riposte***

Note to self : when you start posting messages from your big toe on your blog, it may be time to seek help!!!

Friday, November 27, 2009

The Odd Couple

I woke up on Thanksgiving morning with a massive sinus headache, which nothing I did seemed to shift. Oh well, I figured that it would shift itself after awhile, so I sucked it up and went up to Walnut Creek for a nice early morning run with some friends, which loosened some cobwebs but did precious little for the sinuses.

But at least it got me home in time to get the turkey in the oven.

Lunch left me suitably stuffed, so in the afternoon I packed a few supplies and Nancy and I set off for Luling. Two friends - John and Naresh - were running an unsupported 100 miles along the highway, so we figured we'd bring them some encouragement and Thanksgiving fare - turkey, pumpkin pie, fruit, avocados, trail mix, iskiate, water, gatorade and coffee.

We caught up with them around mile 50 and enjoyed the picnic and spending some time with them. And talk about the odd couple - John is short and stocky and Naresh is tall and lanky. They were hilarious - arguing and bickering like an old married couple, and playing off each other like a comedy act which had us in stitches. Considering they'd been running since 1am, they were in remarkably good spirits. Wish I'd taken some photos though.

Suitably refreshed they continued on while Nancy and I headed down to Gonzales to explore the old town center before driving back up and meeting them again another 5 or 6 miles down the road to top them off with supplies.

We said our goodbyes and best wishes and headed back to Austin. I just hoped they didn't kill each other!!!

This morning the sinuses were a bit better, so I headed up to Brushy Creek for a nice easy 12 miles with some other friends followed by breakfast and Irish coffee (with the emphasis on Irish). I enjoyed the run and the company, but now I'm ready for a nap before deciding what to do with the turkey leftovers.

And I'm planning on staying well away from the post-Thanksgiving sales!!!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Barefoot Running

For the last few nights I've been running with Nancy in my Vibram FiveFingers, and to my surprise it's been a lot of fun. My feet felt very light, and although I'm normally a mid-foot striker anyway, I did notice my stride shortened slightly, and my knees automatically bent to absorb some of the extra impact.

Maybe it wasn't such a huge change because I spend most of my time at home barefoot, and always have.

Having said that,I'm not going to rush into doing 10 and 20 milers in these things. As fun as they are, I still like my road shoes.

But they are an interesting alternative.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Old Friends and New Projects

I haven't run in about a week, but this morning I did an 8 mile "Southern Danish" with my friend Naresh. Except for a few passing moments at various stages of the Cactus Rose 100 I haven't seen him since the Darkside series back in the summer, and it was great to have a chance to catch up.

I'm still trying to shake this annoying cold, but when I wasn't hacking up a lung I noticed that Naresh was wearing his barefoot Vibram fivefingers. Now here's my confession dear blog - since I bought my Vibrams a few months ago I haven't run in them once. Sure I've used them a lot for walking and yoga and the like, and they're great.

But no running.

Part of it's due to the fact that I had a 100 mile race coming up, but the other part was that I've never really had any running injuries other than my ankles (touch wood), and I didn't want to introduce something that could cause a problem where none previously existed.

And mostly it's because I'm a big chicken :-)

But I am resolved to trying them out. So at some point this week I will go for a run with Nancy, actually wear them and report back.

In non-running news, I scored a great deal on a touchscreen LCD monitor last night. I think that I'm going to build some kind of "pub style" touchscreen party machine with it, so I'm going to get my design hat on, figure out exactly how I want it to look, and start drawing up woodworking plans.

Should be a fun project.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Chicken Soup of the Soul


Today was a picture perfect fall day. It started off foggy and chilly, but once the sun came out, mild temperatures and blue skies made it a wonderful day to be outdoors. I took advantage of it by cutting and edging the grass, and trimming the trees and bushes before playing some football (soccer) and touch rugby with Nancy, Gavin and one of his friends.

And what better dish to round off the day than chicken soup and dumplings. When I'm looking for recipe ideas, the "For the Love of Cooking" blog is one of the first places I check, and her wonderful "Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup" hit all the buttons - warming comfort food that's quick to make and delicious.

I made very little changes to the base recipe other than adding some homemade dumplings (any time I eat soup is an excuse to make dumplings). I bought a small chicken this morning, cut it up and boiled it with a few chunks of onion, carrot and celery thrown in until it was fall apart tender. Then I waited until it cooled, removed the skin, shredded and kept it covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Here's my simple recipe for the dumplings.

1 cup self raising flour
Parsley flakes
A few drops of canola oil
Enough apple cider to make a dough (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)

Mix all the ingredients together, form into 10 small balls and throw into the soup.

I followed this recipe and added the dumplings just after the corn. Then I covered and let it simmer for 10 minutes to allow the dumplings to expand.

I was hoping to take some leftovers to work tomorrow, but there weren't any. Next time I'll have to make a bigger batch!!!

Billy No-Run

This is the first weekend in who knows how long where I haven't run a single step. I'm trying to shake off a head cold (along with his friends fever, headache and sore throat) I picked up late last week so I've been taking it easy.

Since Cactus Rose I've been in a kind of "end of semester" mode. Since that was my goal race for so long, I've been trundling along as if that was that. But I still have a 50k, a marathon and a half marathon to run in the next month, so I'd better start pulling myself together.

Hmm, maybe I need another challenge.

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Art of Cheating

You may be the most cunning individual the world has ever seen, but it is a sad fact of life that all the sneakiness you have spent a lifetime cultivating is encapsulated in your DNA. Which means that when it comes to outwitting you, your offspring always hold the upper hand.

Offspring such as Gavin (my 4 year old). He and I have enjoyed running together of late. Last week we tore around the Mueller trails, taking some time out to play on the swings and exploring some of the sculptures. Then this weekend we decided we would have a "race around the neighborhood".

Running with kids is a whole lot of fun because it's completely unstructured. It's kind of like fartleks - you point to an object in the distance, be it a tree or a streetlight or a stop sign, and you race to it. And that's what we did - we split out race up into stages, with whoever won the previous stage getting to choose the next checkpoint.

But it swiftly became apparent that Gavin has mastered the ancient Welsh art of cheating (that's my boy). He has good speed on him, but he has also discovered a knack for blocking, shirt tugging and the liberal use of elbows. And I do admit I am not completely innocent, as there was cheating a-plenty happening on both sides (I must have looked a right sight bounding along in my Vibrams while yelling things like "daddy's going to get you").

So Gavin won the first section, then I made it interesting by winning stage 2. Gavin retook the lead on stage 3, which ended at a "stop" sign and saw some of the worst cheating of the whole race.

That left the final stage which ended back at the house. We took off, but Gavin seemed to lose interest halfway there. He started walking, and eventually he sat down on the sidewalk. I stopped and asked if he was ok and he told me to "just go on and win, daddy".

We were only 50 yards or so from the house, so I did. And then I walked back to him.

"It was a draw - 2 stages each - but you did really well" I said. "We'll have to race again tomorrow".

He nodded and reached his hand up. I grabbed it and pulled him to his feet.

And he immediately sprinted off yelling "extra stage".

I took off after him and the sly old fox was laughing his head off at having fooled me as he rounded the front yard, ran up the driveway and tagged the front door over my protests of dirty rotten cheating.

What followed was a shameful display of gloating and smack talking, finished off with a smug "better luck next time daddy" as he disappeared inside.

I could hear his victory celebrations from outside - "mummy, nanna, grandpa, I whipped daddy and he's a bad loser".

Hmmm, I want a rematch :-)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Keeping Track

Now that Cactus Rose is done, it's time to switch priorities. I've been concentrating on hills for so long that I've neglected my speedwork (not that useful at Bandera), and my speed has suffered as a result. It's been a while since I ran a fast marathon, but I have a few races coming up where I have the potential to drop the hammer (a 50k and a marathon), so this past Tuesday I went back to the track to do some interval training.

It usually takes me a few weeks to get back into the mindset of track work, and I found myself struggling to stay motivated. But I know that these really paid dividends last year in the run up to Sunmart, so I'm going to persevere with them.

On Tuesday I switched between 800m and 400m intervals with 200m recovery in between, and next week I'll shift to either pyramids or straight mile intervals. My goal is to get my mile time to consistent 6:00 to 6:20 minutes (with the same 200m recovery) by December.

I would be happy with that.

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Psychology of 100 Miles

British runners call distance running "having a go at it." They have a wonderful spirit about them. I always considered ultramarathoning a disease and the British had it with fever to spare.

- Ted Corbitt
What's wrong with me? My toes are still numb from Cactus Rose yet today I found myself pondering what 100 miler I could "have a go at" next. Was it really just over a week ago I smugly declared that I'd scratched that 100 miles itch? Well it appears to be itching again.

The same thing happened after Rocky Raccoon. But why?

I don't claim to know the answer, but I do have a couple of really good clues.

A few weeks ago I took a facilitation class, and part of it touched on the subject of creativity. One of the speakers said that a key prerequisite was the ability to "step from the light into the darkness". He then made an analogy to rock climbing - "you can't reach the summit if you keep one foot on the ground".

Well that struck a chord with me so I carried the idea forward to ultra running. Since we all spend so much of our lives within our comfort zone, sometimes it's good to reach outside of that and discover what we're really made of. How well can you keep it together when you're tired and hurting, and there's still many miles to go? Do you have the will to keep going when you're alone on the trail and may not see another soul for hours? Are you brave enough to peel away your layers just to see what lies beneath?

If you don't try you'll never know.

But if you do, you may just find you keep coming back.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Remembrance Sunday

They shall grow not old,
     as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
     nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
     and in the morning
We will remember them.

- "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon
Today is Remembrance Sunday in the UK. Usually held on the second Sunday in November (or the Sunday closest to the 11th) it is a day set aside to remember the sacrifices of those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.

It is also known as Poppy Day as it is tradition to wear an artificial red poppy sold by the British Legion (a charity dedicated to helping war veterans).

At 11am, a two minute silence is observed at war memorials all across the Country. Here is a timeless description of the first two minute silence held in London on 12th November 1919.

"The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect.

The tram cars glided into stillness, motors ceased to cough and fume, and stopped dead, and the mighty-limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped also, seeming to do it of their own volition.

Someone took off his hat, and with a nervous hesitancy the rest of the men bowed their heads also. Here and there an old soldier could be detected slipping unconsciously into the posture of 'attention'. An elderly woman, not far away, wiped her eyes, and the man beside her looked white and stern. Everyone stood very still ... The hush deepened. It had spread over the whole city and become so pronounced as to impress one with a sense of audibility. It was a silence which was almost pain ... And the spirit of memory brooded over it all."

This year is particularly poignant, since with the passing of Harry Patch in July there are no more British survivors from the Great War.

So many of the freedoms we enjoy and expect were gained through the sacrifices of the lost generations who fought and died for them (and continue to do so). So why not take a moment out of your busy life to reflect on this.

It's the least they deserve.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Cactus Rose Recovery

Well it's been a week out from Cactus Rose and I'm pretty much back to normal, other than my feet. I have some great blisters, a hard lump on one heel and I still don't have any feeling in some of my toes (though they're getting better).

The only running I did this week was an easy 7 miles on Wednesday, so I was interested to see how I'd handle a hard 12 miles with my group this morning. A few miles in and I could tell it was going to be a bit of a struggle - it was strangely humid and running was not easy. I ran at the back, kept everyone in sight, and was definitely going slower than usual. But something odd happened around mile 9 - I started to get a second wind, and the last three miles were all sub-8 minute. I passed several of my group, but was really glad to reach the pavilion.

This afternoon I'm going to tune into the big rugby game to see if Wales can beat New Zealand for the first time in over 50 years, then I'm off down the Draught House for a few beers with some friends.

Looking forward to it.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Halloween Hundred at Cactus Rose

There was drama, suspense, hope, determination, tenacity, triumph, failure, courage, and some plain ole IDGAF all rolled into a span of 36 hours. For some the definition of a life in a day and a half. For others, an expression of life. And for still more, beauty, as defined by the human spirit and human action. If you weren't there, then you can not know, Cactus Rose.

- John Sharp
Warning: this is very long-winded. If you just want the grand summary, here it is: I finished, my feet hurt, I like my new buckle. Sweet.

Otherwise, read on.....

This race has been on my horizon for a while. I signed up in the warm afterglow of the Rocky Raccoon 100 with great plans for a tough training routine that would see me through to the race. Those plans were quickly revised when new baby Dylan came along in July and limited the amount of long runs I was able to do. Sleep deprivation took its toll and over the summer I had a couple of bad races that made me wonder if I still had the passion for ultras. But somewhere along the line I regained my trail mojo and found myself looking forward to the challenge of running 100 miles on the rugged trails of Bandera.

I knew I was undertrained going into this, but if I learned anything this weekend it's that when it comes to running 100 milers guts and determination are much more important attributes to possess.

The last thing I did before driving down to Bandera on Friday afternoon was write down my race prediction and seal it into an envelope for Nancy to open. This was a fun little tradition I started at Rocky Raccoon (where I was within 5 minutes of my actual finishing time) and I wondered how close I would get this time.

For the record, I predicted my time to be right at 28 hours.

Once I got to Bandera I enjoyed catching up with friends at packet pickup, took a peek at the finishers belt buckles, hiked up to the aid stations to drop my bags and then drove into town for my traditional Bandera pizza. Back at the park I taped my feet and wrapped myself up in my sleeping bag in the back of the Yukon.

Once the sun went down it got cold quickly so I cozied myself up in my little nest and slept really well.

The finisher's belt buckle

Almost too well because I overslept. Luckily I was woken up by cars arriving at the park so I threw my stuff together and hurried over to the start line. Ultramarathon start lines are a special place - there is such a buzz of anticipation and energy in the air. The temperature was in the 30s but I wore my shorts and t-shirt because I knew I would warm up once we started running.

The course consisted of four 25 mile loops and we would reverse direction each loop. This was a great idea because we got to see and encourage everyone each time around. The aid stations were roughly 5 miles apart, so I broke each loop down into 5 sections.

So at 5am we were off onto the dark trails. I took a while to find my place in the pack, but then I slotted in behind one of the 50 milers and chatted away the 5 miles to the Equestrian aid station. I hit this in 51 minutes (just over a 10 minute mile pace) which was a little fast but I knew I'd be walking at some stage so I decided to make hay while the sun shone (even though it was still dark, ha ha).

I continued in a similar vein through the next 5 miles to the Nachos aid station, picked up one of my turkey sandwiches and was quickly on my way.

The next section included one of the major climbs up Ice Cream hill, and the sun rose to welcome in a beautiful Halloween morning just as I reached the top. It was an amazing view and I stopped for a minute to enjoy the moment before heading down the back side and back into Equestrian.

The final two sections of the loop included most of the climbs - the Three Sisters, Sky Island, Boyle's Bump and Cairns. It was the toughest part of the course, compounded by the fact that between loops 1-2 and 3-4 we would run them back-to-back in both directions.

Fortunately, along this section I picked up two companions - Brad Quinn and Chris Russell - and we talked and joked the rest of the loop together, finishing up the first 25 miles in around 5:10.

This was a little fast, and although I felt great I knew I needed to ratchet it back quite a bit. I set out a lot more conservatively on loop two and looked forward to the chance to see other friends along the way. In particular I enjoyed seeing Marcia, Cheri, Gordon (who all completed their first 100s), Naresh and Olga (wily veterans).

Joe was handing out a prize for best Halloween costume and some of the ones I remember in particular were Dracula, a naughty nurse, a football referee and a little devil. Various bits of Halloween decor had been hung out around the trail and it all added to the Halloween fun.

I finished out loop 2 at just a shade under 12 hours. I stopped for some chicken soup and set out again, happy in the knowledge that I was halfway there. I picked up my headlamp at Equestrian because I knew it would get dark before I made it back and sailed on through Nachos. Sure enough, by the time I got to Ice Cream hill it was fully dark and I switched into nighttime mode.

I'd seen a light bobbing slowly ahead of me for a while and I assumed it was somebody hanging glowsticks. But when I caught up to him it turned out to be another runner. He said he was having trouble staying awake, and I realized this was not a good place to be sleepy with steep dropoffs at places. I talked to him for a while and recommended he take a 30 minute nap at Equestrian.

I think he dropped at Equestrian.

But I passed through, kept going, and really started to notice how much my feet were hurting. It was probably partly due to the way I'd attacked some of the hills on the first loop, but I'd also missed some spots while taping and they were now rubbed raw. I also had a few blisters forming, my toes felt strange and I had some nasty chafing going on my thighs. But there was nothing I could do about it, so I just tried to ignore it.

Then in the middle of the Three Sisters everything went to hell. I hadn't taken much at the last two aid stations (at Equestrian my bag was blocked by a disconsolate runner who'd dropped and I didn't have the heart to ask them to move) and I realized I was in major calorie deficit - I had some Spiz waiting for me at Boyles but first I had to cross the most difficult portion of the course to get there.

It was a strangely fascinating experience to observe how fast I spiralled downhill, yet I found it perversely challenging. My big strength has always been mental so I kept pushing. Every time I climbed one of those hills (enjoyed that) or scrambled down another rocky downhill (much harder) I yelled out things like "that all you got, Cactus Rose".

It kept my spirits up, but I'm glad nobody was around to hear me vent :-)

I got a timely boost when Olga caught me. She's always a breath of sunshine and has an infectious good humor that can't fail to cheer you up. And that girl also has an awesome powerwalk that soon left me in the dust.

To my road friends who have expressed the opinion that running 100 miles at such a slow pace would be easy, try doing it up and down this and then we'll talk

But I finally made it to Boyles and this was definitely the low point of the race. I downed some Spiz and some pears with heavy syrup and set out for the long tough climbs over Boyles Bump and Cairns to reach the lodge.

I reached the lodge around 1am and my mood had picked up a lot, though my feet had long since turned into hamburger. But on the plus side the chafing had subsided to a dull irritation.

I had seen a lot of people drop here last year and I could understand why - I had been running alone since loop 1, and the idea of going back out for another 8 hours was not very appealing. But I can honestly say I never considered dropping, and I'm really proud of myself for that. I would like to say there was a noble reason behind it - the mystic call of the wild or some such shit - but the reality is that I just wanted the damn buckle.

And I didn't want to have to come back next year to get it.

It had gotten cold - back down into the 30s - and it was a damp kind of cold. The volunteers wanted me to come and sit down for a while and warm up, but I refused. I never sit down at aid stations - that just makes it harder to leave. I just want to get in and out. They also fretted when they discovered I planned on going back out in just my t-shirt and shorts and several volunteered their jackets for me. This was super kind and "above and beyond", and I had to keep insisting that was how I wanted it to be. If I got cold, all the more motivation to run.

I did have some chicken soup though which was delicious.

Heading back out I slogged my way through Cairns, Boyles and through the aid station in a blur. I was mostly power walking, and only a few things stick out in my mind from this portion.

Climbing to the peak of Sky Island I came across three runners coming the other way. The guy was brandishing a large branch and the girls were carrying rocks. They looked so odd I just stopped and grinned quizzically at them. They claimed they'd passed another runner who told them he'd been stalked by an unseen animal (probably a mountain lion) for about two miles. The animal had kept pace with him and kept growling at him so they weren't taking any chances.

I couldn't decide whether there had been some hallucinations going on or if this had really happened, but either way it didn't make much difference to me. If you're a mountain lion and you think a short stocky left-handed Welshman is your ideal midnight snack, then good luck to you.

I didn't see or hear anything so I obviously was not very appetizing. Don't know if I should be offended or not :-)

I also ran into Naresh along with his pacer Jeff F. I think he was having a low moment (probably at just the same place I did) but he pulled through in typical Naresh style and bagged the finish.

Those few miles into Equestrian were never-ending, but I finally got there. It was quiet and dark, but a kind volunteer had set up shop and had some ramen noodles and broth for me. The kindness of the volunteers was the best thing about this race. There was no official aid station food, and he didn't need to be out there in the freezing cold. He just was. And it was very much appreciated.

That's the kind of thing that makes trail running such a marvelous community to be a part of.

The 10 miles through Nachos and back to Equestrian are also a blur, just concentrating on blocking out the pain in my feet. But I remember the uplifting experience of running into my second sunrise coming through the field just before Equestrian. It was outstanding.

Roger greeted me at Equestrian with a delicious swig of black coffee, and the realization that I was at mile 95. Revitalized by the new dawn I continued on.

I got up and over the final climb of Lucky Peak which left me with just over a mile to go. I looked at my watch and it read 27 hours and 49 minutes. Wait a minute, wasn't my race prediction 28 hours? Holy hell, I was about to nail my second 100 mile goal time in a row - 2 for 2.

Then I got another crazy idea - suddenly the most important thing in the world was to see a 27 instead of a 28 on my finish time. I didn't know if I could do it or not, but I sure as hell was going to try so I picked up the pace and blocked out the protests of my feet.

I was convinced the final stretch was around every corner I turned, and when it wasn't I just kicked up the pace a little more. The pain was curiously liberating - I guess the adrenaline from knowing you are only a few minutes away from finishing 100 miles kinda helps too.

When I finally caught a glimpse of the outline of the lodge buildings they seemed a long way away. I had nothing to lose so I gave it everything I had and ran flat out. I came up on the last dip and rise and made the left turn to approach the house. Folks started cheering me in, faces all a blur, and I just wanted to see that finish time. Made the final right turn around the house and saw it. No problem on the time - crossed in 27:56:12. Amazed that I could hit a 7 minute mile at mile 100 - very proud of that.

Do I look a little frazzled???!! With my race shirt, belt buckle and race prediction

I got my buckle, a handshake from Joe and Robert and hugs from Joyce and Diana. Joe was amazed I was able to kneel down, remove my chip and get up again, but other than my feet I feel really good. The feet are pretty mashed though - the skin has shaved away from several toes and I have blisters around toes, on both heels and the bottoms are really bruised and tender. I think several toenails are going to depart and my feet are still pretty swollen today.

I have lots of little cuts on my legs from the sotol cactii, but they don't really bother me. I hiked up to the aid stations to grab my drop bags and hung around with Jeff L at Equestrian for a while. I got my timing just right, got a big hug from Olga (and compared Frankenstein walks) and got to cheer on Marcia and Naresh, then waited for Cheri to come through. I'm glad I hung around because they were all so inspirational - dog tired yet still so completely focused on finishing.

It was humbling and a privilege to share in that energy and determination.


Random Thoughts

I have a new favorite shirt and belt buckle, just because I really had to work hard for them

5 miles doesn't sound like much, but it can be a very long way indeed

100 milers require a very high degree of patience

I enjoyed one of the all-time greatest-ever showers last night. It ranks right up there alongside the one I had after Rocky Raccoon. It's almost worth running a 100 miler just for the shower afterwards. Almost.

I always run fever and have chills after races of 50 miles or more but last night was insane - I was burning up. But as usual it broke overnight and I'm fine today. It's almost as if there's a heat switch that gets stuck on for a while. Very strange.

I wonder why I take my camera to these things when I always forget about it until I'm driving home

And finally, my 100 mile itch has been scratched. Well, for a while at least :-)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Cactus Rose

I have two very swollen and blistered feet from the Cactus Rose 100. On the other hand I also have a finisher's belt buckle. Sounds like a good trade to me.

Race report here.