10 Days to 100 Miles

I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul

- William Ernest Henley

So it's a week and a half out from the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler (how did it get here so fast?!!!). This is usually the time when the doubts start to creep in - I haven't done any runs longer than 30 miles, I haven't run on trails in for ever, I haven't done this or that, waah waah waah, boo hoo hoo - but I think I'm going to skip that stage this year. For one I know I'm in great shape, and for another I've just been too damn busy to even worry about it.

I haven't run since Sunday, but I have done a few yoga practices. I'm still trying to work out the kinks in my annoyingly diva-like hip/butt, but I don't anticipate that causing me any problems on race day. I really should have gotten up to run this morning, but it was cold, I was lazy, and hey, that's what tapering is all about, right?

And next week is all about mental preparation. I've been reading a lot about the running theories of Professor Tim Noakes, and his notion of the "central governor". I really believe that having the right edge and mental preparation, especially in these ultra long distances, can create neural networks in your brain that work in your favor on race day. So I will start combing through my usual sources of inspiration, turn all negatives into positives, and find my mantras. Expect to see numerous quotes start to appear at the top of my blog posts, and self motivational Churchillian speeches within (oh wait, that's already started).

My weight is holding steady at 144lbs, as it has for the last few months. When I ran Rocky two years ago, I was a good 10lbs heavier.  In the past, whenever I've dipped below 150lbs I've lost some endurance along with it, but this time I've done it right.

I even got my shaggy mess of curly hair cut yesterday.


Same (or better) endurance + less of me to carry around = faster race


There are probably a few things I do need to think about though.

Shoes
I've been trying to figure out which shoes to use for this race. I have several pairs of trail shoes, but they're mostly Montrail Hardrocks or the like - hardly conducive to running a fast race on pine needles. I have an old pair of much lighter Asics trail shoes (basically hybrids) that I used the last time I ran Rocky, but they've been run into the ground and appear to be warped.

I was leaning towards running in my road shoes, but a few weeks ago I found a great online deal for another pair of the Asics hybrids and bought them. Now I'm not going to have the time to break them in on trails before the race (you think I would have learned my lesson here - I am the idiot who ran the Cactus Rose 100 in a brand new pair of Hardrocks and mashed my feet so bad the toes were still numb a month later), so I'm just going to wear them around the house for the next week. They feel a little "snug" (I knew I should have gone up a half size), so I'm also going to take my Asics road shoes in case I need to change them out.

Drop bags
If I make my 20 hour time goal, I will be finishing up around 2am. But the Dam Road drop bags won't be brought back until 1pm on Sunday, and I'm not planning on waiting around. Solution - I'm not going to bother with drop bags. I barely use them anyway. I will bring a small backpack for the lodge, but otherwise I will make do with whatever is provided at the aid stations.

Running Clothes
Ok, this one is easy. Whatever the weather I run in shorts and t-shirt. That's it, end of story, done deal, signed, sealed and delivered. I will throw a spare shirt in just in case, but I have never ever changed out anything - socks, shoes, shirt, whatever, during a race.

Tape
My secret weapon for 100 milers. I'll tape my feet the night before and sleep with my race socks on to keep it in place. I'll tape the balls of the feet, instep and heel. I find this minimizes blisters and helps prevent bruising to the underside of the foot.

Headlamps
Shit, I need to find them. And change the batteries. Better get on that.


Yeah, I'm really not one for much preparation. I know folks who bring along boxes and boxes of stuff, all neatly labelled and color coded. I know people who set alarms on their watches to remind them to eat or take salt caps at certain pre-ordained times. And hey, if that works for you, brilliant.

But I don't work that way. I run by feel - always have. I'll eat what looks good, drink what I feel I need and let the cards fall where they will. A lot of my training practices and running theories don't gel with established protocol, partly because I like to experiment, partly because I do what I feel works best for me, and mostly because I'm an awkward little cuss.

But that last part is also the major reason why I've never DNFed a race, so I'm not going to complain about it. When I ran the 100 at Cactus Rose, I deliberately went in with no pacer or crew because I needed that extra motivational kick of running it solo. For some unknown reason, it just makes me more determined. And that's huge, because most of the problems you confront in a 100 miler will be in your own head. When it's cold, pitch black and you're a long way from the finish line, that's when it needs to kick in.

To paraphrase yesterday's quote, that's when I'll bring the fire.

Hip, Hale and Hearty

Because when I arrive,
I, I'll bring the fire

- Let it Rock (Kevin Rudolf)

I woke up on Sunday with the hip nagging at me, but ran 8 miles anyway.  It felt better the longer I went, but once I got home it got a lot worse - to the point where I could barely walk, it was painful to sit on my left side, and getting up from the floor was somewhat problematic (maybe I'm getting a sneak preview of my old age, and it's not pretty!!!).

So by Sunday evening I'd had enough and decided to do something about it.  I gritted my teeth and held half lotus until I felt I'd well and truly stretched it out.  Then I lay down, dug my fingers right into pain central and held them there until the muscle started to relax.  Then I got Nancy to work her elbows into it (which she described as "wonderful therapy").

And it seemed to work because I immediately felt a better range of motion.  I have been stretching regularly, repeated the same treatment last night, and today it feels a good bit better.

I can actually cross my leg to take my shoe off again.  Hooray for progress.

So I'm hopeful with continued digging it will come good.  And here's the thing - my brain is really wired wrong, because this little injury scare has relit a fire under me for this race.  Especially when I found out that ultra legends Karl Metzer, Anton Krupicka, Scott Jurek and Hal Koerner have all signed up.

I am determined to only let them lap me once :-)

But for now I'm off to figure out how to jerry-rig an autograph book to my handheld!!!

Pain in the Butt

Sorry I haven't been updating the blog very much (especially "The Road to Rocky" series), but I've been busy crunching numbers, finding holes in data and general rabble rousing the proposed closure of my son's school.

Along the way I discovered that I really enjoy agitating. Regular readers will not be shocked.

But as this is a running blog and not a political one, I will leave it at this: to all our political leaders out there - slashing education funding to the bone is not the solution. It leaves our school districts with no option but to cuts thousands of excellent teachers, not just in Austin but Statewide.

Value education, value our teachers, value our children.  And stop trying to score cheap political points at the expense of all three.

Just saying.

Anyway, less agitating and more running.

What with all the other stuff going on at the moment, the one thing I could console myself with was the fact that I was happily running injury free. Which is an awfully dangerous thing to say, because sure enough I woke up last Monday barely able to walk.

I've had problems with a tight or painful left hip flexor for a while. I don't know if this pain was coming from that or my IT band (or even piriformis syndrome), but I was certainly feeling it. Sitting down and crossing my legs to take my shoes off was practically impossible, shifting around in bed caused shooting pain, and any kind of yoga that needed me to bend my knee was out.

The irony was that while everyday things like taking my shoes off and getting into the car were painful, the one thing that didn't cause me (much) discomfort was running. I was aware of it for sure, but that was all.

On Tuesday I ran 10 miles at a 7:20 pace, and the only time I felt any pain was when I climbed back into the car at the end.

Most inconvenient just over two weeks out from Rocky. On the plus side I've run through worse, and it does seem to be loosening up some (though cross legged sitting is still impossible).

I ran 8 yesterday and another 15 this morning without issue.

Though I have to say, after looking forward to Rocky for quite a while, other things seem to have overtaken it. I suspect my season peaked at White Rock, and now I just want to get it done.

But I still want to run a great race, because it's going to be my last for a good long while.


And let's end on a good note - I just caught Dylan raiding the fridge for grapes. When I caught him he offered me one and went right back to it. Gotta love it.

Going out for a rare date tonight with my gorgeous wife, and I'm certainly looking forward to that.

Despite all the white noise, I'm a very lucky guy.

Bad Manners

Unless you want to incur the wrath of the Running Gods (not to mention the bad voodoo karma of a slightly irritated welsh boy), there is one cardinal running rule you should never ever break.

Ever.

Do not, I repeat, do not request I meet you for an early morning run and then not bother to show up.  Last night I got a phone call from a buddy who asked if I could run the Bull Creek road hills with him this morning.  We agreed to meet at 6am, but while I got my butt out of bed on a cold, dark and rainy morning he never showed.

No phone call, no explanation, nothing.  Just a no-show.

So I just ran it myself, very slightly angry.  And it didn't help that I felt like I was struggling in the first few hilly miles, until I realized that "angry me" was pushing sub-7s.  Once I slowed down a bit I felt much better.

But on the bright side, at least it got me out of the house and running again, as this was the first run I've done since Tuesday.  It has not been a good week.  First I learned that the school district is planning to close my son's exemplary school, then we got word that a series of massive layoffs are imminent at work, then Dylan got sick.

Yeah, 2011 kind of sucks so far.  Sucky sucky sucks!!!

So instead of running I've been working on fiery speeches, attending community feedback meetings, doing copious amounts of research, data crunching, and writing protest letters.  The parents have organized and mobilized amazingly quickly, but there are a lot of things to do if we're going to beat this.

Yesterday should have been my last 30 miler before Rocky, but I nixed it in favor of research and putting together a really kick ass response to the district task force.

As a result, I've been invited to be part of the strategy team for our school.  Much as I usually hate being attached to committees, I really welcome the chance to get in there and fight for something so important to me.

Needless to say, Rocky and running has dropped to low man on the totem pole.  That's ok though - I know myself well enough to trust that my body, mind and spirit will be ready when I need them to be.

And I want to thank those of you who took the time to sign the petition to keep our school open.  If you would like to add your John Hancock, we have a brand new website up and running. The petition can be found from the "You can help" menu.

We have over 1000 signatures so far, and every one helps.

Save Our School

Yes, I know this post is way outside my normal purview, but this is an issue very close to my heart and we need all the help we can get.

Last year I stood in line for 24 hours outside Austin ISD to get my son transferred to the historic Pease elementary - the district's only all-transfer school and one of the best schools in the State.  Now, due to budget cuts an Austin ISD task force is recommending the closure of nine top performing schools, including Pease.

Academic performance was not a consideration.

They plan to lease the building to a private charter school.

Founded in 1876, Pease elementary is the oldest continually operating public school in Texas. Its halls resound with a sense of history, it's rated as exemplary (the highest rating a school can be given) and is just a wonderful and nurturing environment that brings the best out of its students.  It is unique in that it integrates students from all over Austin and is probably the most diverse campus in the district.

If you value good education in Austin, or support the preservation of local history, please sign the petition protesting its recommended closure and help spread the word (note that after you sign the petition, a screen pops up that requests donations to the ipetition site - please be aware that this is not required).

It may not do any good, but we owe it to our kids and future generations to give them the best education we possibly can.  I'm sorry, but closing top performing schools does not make any sense - our kids deserve better, and they're being shortchanged.

There has to be a better way.

The Road to Rocky (week 6 of 10)

I skipped quite a few of my workouts last week, but sometimes family stuff intervenes, and I'm never going to be able to do everything I've planned so I don't worry about it.

But when I did run, I felt great and ran well. So I must be doing something right.  Maybe I'll just keep on keeping on.

Date	Saturday January 8th
Plan	am - 30 miles pm - nothing
Outcome	4:30am - 49F.  30 miles completed in 4:20 (8:40 average pace).  Felt a bit under the weather - probably a bit of cedar fever, but got it done.  Sped up for the last few miles and finished off strong.

Date	Sunday January 9th
Plan	am - 8 miles pm - Yoga
Outcome	11am - 45F and rainy.  We had heavy rainfall overnight and I didn't feel like slipping and sliding around the trails or chancing the low water crossings around Bull Creek, so I slept in and went to run late morning instead.  I did a new 8 mile route around my neighborhood which has lots of good hills and decided to make it an effort run.  Managed to see it off in 58:05 (7:15 pace).  Legs felt fine and completely recovered from yesterday's 30 miler.  Great to see I can still hammer a good fast run without any hangover (from either the 30 miler or the 12 egg omelet challenge - ha ha ha) pm - a good relaxing yoga practice.  I love me some Rodney Yee

Date	Monday January 10th
Plan	am - Nothing pm - Plyometrics (1 hour)
Outcome	pm - ah, nothing like an hour of bouncing and bounding around

Date	Tuesday January 11th
Plan	am - 10 miles pm - Bob workout 1 (30 minutes)
Outcome	4:30am - 33F and windy.  Spent the first five miles battling against the wind before settling down and finding my rhythm.  The last few miles were much better, run at a 7:15 clip.  Finished up in 1:15:35 (7:33 average).  Looking forward to my massage this evening. pm - went for my first massage in about 5 year this evening.  Left feeling wonderfully relaxed with words like "boy, your hamstrings hate you" ringing in my ears.

Date	Wednesday January 12th
Plan	am - 8 miles pm - Bicycle trainer (30 minutes)
Outcome	Pending

Date	Thursday January 13th
Plan	am - Nothing pm - Strength training
Outcome	Pending

Date	Friday January 14th
Plan	am - 8 miles (optional) pm - Nothing
Outcome	Pending

The 12 Egg Omelet Challenge

The 12-egg omelet challenge -a true test of endurance

I ran 30 miles this morning, which meant a 3:30am alarm call.  And to make matters worse I woke feeling like I had a cold coming on.  And since I had the day off yesterday, I spent it in the garage working on a woodworking project from the honey-do list.  A day of drilling, hammering, sawing and clamping left me not a little sore.

So all in all I was none too motivated. But I knew I had to get it done.

Luckily I had some company for the middle miles, so after an initial 8 mile loop I met up with some friends for the next 18 miles before finishing by myself again for the final 4.

And it didn't go too badly. I did the marathon distance in 3:48, which was 8 minutes slower than last week, but I also kicked it up for the last 4 miles and pulled back 4 of those minutes to finish in 4:20 (8:40 pace).

And I felt so much stronger at the end than I did last week.  One more 30 mile training run next Saturday then I'll start slowly ramping it down for the race.

So when I got home, Nancy asked me if I was ready for the challenge. And then I remembered. You see, last week we had got to talking about food challenges which led to my assertion that I could easily put away a 12 egg omelet.

Why do I keep putting myself in these situations?

We put brisket, bacon, cheese and sour cream in the omelet (and not forgetting the 12 extra large eggs). It turned out so big that Nancy had to cook it in two batches, and we plated it on a pizza platter.

And though I was quietly confident, it was somewhat disconcerting to note that however much I ate the monster did not appear to diminish. It was also disconcerting that Nancy and my dad were sat there watching me (and in my dad's case trying his best to convince me I was done).

So was I victorious? Check out the evidence below.

Victory - I even licked the plate

Bedtime Reading

When my parents came over from the UK, they brought with them several of the childrens books I enjoyed when I was Gavin's age, and last night I decided to read him a bedtime story from one of them. The book in question is a collection of tales called "Stories for Seven Year Olds", and the first one I read was Hans Christian Anderson's "The Tinder Box".

In the space of 8 or 9 pages it included witches, decapitations, nocturnal kidnappings, attempted hangings and dismemberment by dogs.

The other stories appear to be more of the same - I guess this is how 7 year old boys were cultivated in 1970s Britain. It's no wonder I turned out the way I did.

Of course, Gavin lapped it up. And I must admit, it was curiously liberating in this age of extreme political correctness.

My favorite story from that book was "East of the Sun and West of the Moon". I hadn't read it since I was 6, so I had a quick leaf through after Gavin had gone down for the night. Well slap me silly with a wet banana - it obviously went right over my 6 year old head. Turns out it's full of rampant sexuality.

And dirty great big bears.

But hold on a minute!!! I remember them reading us that story in first grade.

Then again, back in those days it was also considered a "perk of the job" for teachers to give the little b***ards a "damn good thrashing".

I swear there were some who lived for the sound of a good meaty thwack.

I think they abolished corporal punishment in schools sometime in the mid-80s. Many of the "old guard" retired brokenhearted.

Gavin doesn't know how lucky he is - kindergarten teachers are much nicer these days. 30 years ago I'm sure he would have set school records :-)

But back to my old books. I was particularly delighted to see my parents also brought over another one I had been hoping they would find (because it's been out of print for years).

It's called "Gavin and the Monster".

2011 Up and Running

So after finishing out 2010 with a New Year's Eve 15 miler, I started the first day of 2011 with a 30 mile training run. Clea joined me for miles 8 thru 12, but other than that it was a solo run. Now I don't care who you are, running 30 miles solo is mentally tough. But that's exactly the kind of "suck it up" run I need in preparation for Rocky Raccoon.

It's just as much mental training as physical, and I'll repeat the same dose for the next two Saturdays.

The biggest temptation of these solo runs is always to drop the pace, and I was proud of myself for keeping it going and beating back the demons in my head who kept suggesting walk breaks.

I picked the marathon distance off in 3:40, and finished up the 30 miles in 4:16:39.

Sweet.

My nutrition plan consisted of a banana before I left the house.  And, er, that's it.  I purposely don't use any kind of gels or gu on training runs as my theory is that will allow me to get a bigger "hit" from them in races, but I've never tried it on a 30 miler before (yeah, my training ideas are not always orthodox).

I used one handheld (as I couldn't find my other one before I left the house), and refilled it at UT around the 25 mile mark.  It just about got me done, but I don't think I had much left in me by the end (especially after some guy decided to race me the last half mile to the mopac bridge - I'm such an idiot I can never resist those stupid challenges).

And I ate like a horse for the rest of the day.

When I got home, Nancy (along with Dylan) was kind (or sadistic) enough to give me one of her "elbow massages" while I wolfed down some breakfast burritos, oatmeal, and anything else I could get my hands on.  My left hip flexor has been painful for the longest time, and she found so many knots it was unbelievable.

I squealed like a stuck pig, much to everyone's amusement.

I haven't been for a massage in years.  Nancy's booked me in for one next week, and they're going to have fun with me!!!

This morning I rewarded myself for Friday's unscheduled 15 miler by staying in bed instead of doing the early morning 10 miles of road hills (with 28F outside and Dylan cuddled up to me it was no contest really).  Instead I headed out to Bull Creek about an hour later to do a 5 mile effort run on the trails.

And I felt great.  No soreness from Saturday's 30 miler, and the massage had worked wonders on my hip flexor!!!  And I realized how much I've been missing the ever-shifting puzzle that is running on technical trail.  I pushed the uphills and concentrated on visualizing my footing and running the downhills at pace.

You know those mornings where you feel so strong it's almost surreal?  Like the "king of the world" in a kind of Leonardo DeCaprio/Kate Winslett way?

Yeah, it was kinda like that (only without any lurking icebergs or Celine Dion soundtracks).

I rewarded myself tonight by making a delicious lasagne which included homemade marinara sauce, fresh pasta, mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano, ricotta, artichokes, mushrooms, garlic, onion, bell peppers, lean ground beef and red wine.

Even Dylan had two helpings.

And as the wine had been uncorked, I saw no point in letting it go to waste.

Cheers.

The Road to Rocky (week 5 of 10)

Welcome to 2011.  I'm planning to hit the New Year with a bang in the form of the first of three consecutive Saturday 30 milers.

We're 6 weeks away from race day - it's time to kick it into high gear.

Date	Saturday January 1st
Plan	am - 30 miles pm - nothing
Outcome	5am - 49F.  Did the 30 miles in 4:16:39 (8:33 average pace), including a 3:40 for the marathon distance.

Date	Sunday January 2nd
Plan	am - 15 miles pm - Yoga
Outcome	7:30am - 28F, brrrr.  As I ran 15 on Friday and 30 yesterday I opted to enjoy an extra hour in bed this morning instead of the road portion, and just do a hard pace run on trail instead.  It worked as I ran the technical and hilly 5 mile Ken's loop in just under 50 minutes. I attacked all the uphills and it felt wonderful - no soreness at all from yesterday. pm - no yoga tonight thanks to a combination of the Ashes cricket and a rather nice bottle of pinot noir

Date	Monday January 3rd
Plan	am - Nothing pm - Strength workout (1 hour)
Outcome	pm - did my hour of strength and ab work

Date	Tuesday January 4th
Plan	am - 10 miles pm - Strength workout (1 hour)
Outcome	4:30am - 50F, nice.  Ran 10 miles in 1:15:23 (7:32 average).  Ran relaxed and felt great pm - nope, busy smoking a brisket and making dessert for my dad's birthday

Date	Wednesday January 5th
Plan	am - nothing pm - Bicycle trainer (30 minutes)
Outcome	nope - celebrated my dad's birthday instead

Date	Thursday January 6th
Plan	am - 8 miles pm - Yoga (1 hour)
Outcome	Nope - that's three days in a row I've skipped.  Naughty me!!!

Date	Friday January 7th
Plan	am - 8 miles pm - Nothing
Outcome	5am - 44F.  Finally got back to a workout.  Ran a nice 8 miler around Mueller.