31 August 2010

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It was time again to put on my VFFs and to continue to work on barefoot running as a supplemental training tool. Since I really did a number on my Inov-8 295s in less than 100 milesbyt really wearing down the inside of their heels, I figured it can't hurt to try to utilize some'barefoot" running to work on my running form. I have never had any problems related to any type of pronation, but I clearly roll off my heel more than I think I should, so I think I'd like to focus on becoming more of a midfoot striker. That should reduce the overpronation I've experienced on my minimalist trail running shoes. I have also switched to a different Inov-8 model to try to address the heel/blister issues I've encountered. Richard and I went for an easy 3 mile run followed by a 1 mile walk to continue to work on running form when using VFFs. I stayed off the grass and on the asphalt of the walking trail in an effort to "feel" every time I attempted to roll off the heel again. I figured it is easier to remind myself of  the proper running form when my body has to poay the price when I don't. Running on grass would just mask the problem areas by not giving my body the feedback of pain when I heelstrike. Anyway, everything seemed to go fine, but I won't know the impact on my calves until tomorrow. The pace was better than previously as well, but I think that is related to the slight cool down in temperature and humidity levels that has taken place here recently. Overall, it was a nice and easy lunch time run not adding to our milerage but allowing me to add some running form training into the mix.

30 August 2010

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After laying off of running for a week due to various reasons, e.g. rest, family events, travel, etc., I finally hit the road again with my usual running buddies. We opted for 8.5 miles with little pick-ups spread throughout. Richard felt like we need to add more speed work to our training schedule and we were all happy to oblige;-) My alarm went off at 4:45 AM to leave myself some time for the first cup of coffee before leaving for the run. I met up with the guys at their office at 5:30 AM and we started off easy running just above 8 minute pace for the first two miles. After that, we added a couple of speedy miles at just above 7 minutes per mile. We ended up running from Research Park to Indian Creek Greenway to Target and back with an average pace of 9 minutes per mile. That included 3 miles at significantly faster pace followed by some slow jogging. My body felt a lot better than it has been with all the nagging injuries I have encountered lately. Hopefully, I am going to continue to feel better physically just as the temperatures are starting to dropp ever so slightly as well. I am ready for some cool weather running.

23 August 2010

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The alarms went off at 4:20AM this morning. Unfortunately, I had already woken up at 3:45AM, struggling to go back to sleep. Once I did the alarm went off. Welcome to Monday mornings. I met up with Richard and James at 5AM at Richard's house on Pratt Ave at the bottom of Monte Sano Mountain. Today's training run called for a run up Bankhead Parkway and Tollgate Trail, all the way up to the ranger station at the state park. Once we got there, we would have a chance to refill our bottles and bladders before turning around to run the same trail course back down, for a total of close to 10 miles. While I was feeling pretty good, even with the soccer game I played last night, Richard was experiencing heavy legs. However, we still made a pretty good time for this run. The one thing I noticed is that the temps were much lower this morning than in a long time. The humidity was still up there, but you could actually feel a cool breeze at some sections of the trail near the top of the mountain. Once we got to the top of the mountain, we had an absolutely exceptional view of the sunrise and we were not quite able to have the camera do it justice (see picture below, courtesy of James Duncan).



I ran with two handheld bottles instead of the usual hydration bladder and that setup worked pretty well for me. I had plenty of fluids for the way up, refilled on top, and used that on the way down. While I used up all fluids towards the end of each section, I was never thirsty or feeling dehydrated. Granted, it was only 10 miles, but the humidity really takes the liquids right out of you via sweat. The Flyroc 310s felt pretty good as well and telling from Richard's assessment while he was running behind me, my gait looked much better when compared to my Laurel Valley adventure in the old Roclite 295s. BTW, I actually removed my Superfeet Green insoles and replaced them with the standard Inov8 insoles that came with the shoes. My thinking is that it might allow for a better/more snug fit around the heels if I use the insoles that were made for this shoe. According to Richard, I was actuall running on the heels of my shoes instead of "next" to them as I did at LV. The wear seems to be more centralized as well with a lot less "overpronation signs" on the shoes. So far so good. I am going to rotate the Roclite 312 GTX into the mix once the weather gets a little cooler and we get more rain. I really need to go for a long trail run before I make the final call on the Flyrocs, but they felt pretty good.

21 August 2010

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There's nothing better than racing a 5K the weekend after the toughest trail ultra marathon to date to see if I still have speed. I'm not sure if its the heat, humidity, the ultra running or lack of speed training, but the short distances are kicking my butt this summer. I am pretty sure I am struggling dur to heat and humidity. I dropped off another 10 seconds per mile compared to my last 5 K a few weeks ago. I started the race on target, running the first mile at 6:20 minute per mile pace. While I kept it steady for the second mile with only a slight drop in pace, I really slowed during the final half mile of the race. Not because I absolutely had to but because I was monitoring mt heart rate, which was maxing out with half a mile to go. This was still another training run in my book, all in preparation of my first 100 mile attempt in November at the Pinhoti 100 Endurance Race. You could say I am one of those people that don"t like speed training, so I just sign up for as many local short races as possible to fill in as my speed training replacement. In any case, I ended up feeling pretty good about myself, even though Ilet a guy pass me with just 200 yards to go. That wouldn't be so bad, hadn't they guy finished tenth, leaving me out of the top ten...bummer. Anyway, I finished eleventh out of 250 or so finishers. I keep telling myself that I will get that elusive sub 20 minute finish in the fall, if I just maintain a certain training level through this summer. Tomorrow is rest day. Actually, it will be cross training day as I have a soccer match to play. Monday calls for a 10 mile training run up and down Monte Sano. Should be fun.

20 August 2010

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I finally got the opportunity to try out my new Inov-8 Flyroc 310s this morning. I picked up Richard and we went to Monte Sano mountain for a short flat loop around South Plateau Loop. The first things that happened as soon as we hit the trails was my Garmin Forerunner 310XT dying on me because I forgot (for the first time ever) to recharge my battery. Lesson learned. Second, I am not sure if I was overly cautious or not due to my existing blisters from last weekend's race, but it seemed that my heel still wasn't really held in place as steady as I would like it to be. While I have been using the Superfeet Green insoles in my road running shoes (Brooks Defyance 2) without any problems, maybe I need to try to remove the Superfeet and go the factory insoles to see if that improves the heel fit. These shoes were definitely tighter around my heels that the old 295 model, though which is a plus already. I did check the sole and the heels are again slightly run off towards the inside. I am not sure what is causing this as I have no such problems with any other of my shoes, I was using the much heavier/beefier Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 prior to switching to the Invo-8s and they did not show that type of wear either. I look forward to putting the new shoes to the test in a run longer than 4 miles and without the Superfeet insoles to see if that makes a difference. I like the feel of the Inov-8s but I have to eliminate the blister problem permanently. The run felt good, wetaher was nice and I really didn't need the water bottle I had brought. The humidity and temps on top of the mountain were much milder than in the valley. I think I'm going to stick with AM running for a while longer.

19 August 2010

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Question of the day: Why do I listen to Richard? Answer: I have no clue. Anyway, I did. Richard and I met at the bottom of Rainbow Mountain to run the two and a half mile trail loop up and down this little gem. Richard decided we should run in our Vibram FiveFingers to change things up a bit. For clarification, this was supposed to be a light recovery job after a strenuous self-supported ultra marathon last Saturday. So far, I had only "run" 8 miles in those things and I knew running up a small mountain on rugged trails is properly not conisdered "easing in" by any stretch of the imagination. Well, here I was figuring how bad could it be, it's only two miles or so. Again, I need to remember to use my head. It had been raining and my VFFs had no traction, unlike Richard's VFFs. So half a mile into the run, I slip and land on my left heel on top of a very hard rock. This coaused a nice bone bruise at the bottom of my heelp. To make matters just a little worse, I started feeling a pinch under my big right toe. I thought I'd caught some debris or something in my VFFs. No such luck, it is actually a hotspot or small blister that is now bugging me. All this being said, the run was actually a lot of fun. I am sure I will get over these little injuries just like I do with all the other little nagging injuries....which is never;-) After partricipating in sports alomst all my life and recovering from strained muscles, fractured ankles and torn ligaments (but never requiring any surgery until last year, to remove growth from my ankle after tearing a ligament), I have found that ever since I turned 35 a few years ago, I don't seem to fully recover from anything anymore. Injuries just kind of fade into the background, only to flare up in the strangest moments, like screaming in pain after sneezing, because you strained an abdominal muscle in a soccer game 2 months ago...or forgetting to stop the 3 Ibuproven a day regimen you started some time ago for one injury only to realize that you kept taking them for other injuries that followed the first one. Anyway, I'm not quite forty yet and I will continue to believe that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, until I am proven wrong;-)

16 August 2010

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Pre-Race Thursday
Half of my running group left Huntsville, AL Thursday night right after work to make the 5 hour drive up to Highlands, NC. Highlands is not only very close to the finish line of the Laurel Valley White Water Run, it also happens to be the location of Richard and Mike's uncle's vacation home. Man, how did I get so lucky? We arrived shortly before midnight and went to bed pretty quickly. I was already showing signs of pre-race jitters, I could barely sleep. I was packing and repacking my race pack in my mind more than I like to admit.

Pre-Race Friday
I woke up pretty early the next morning and could not wait for the day to be over. The race wasn't until Saturday so Friday was just another day before the race and I couldn't wait for it. I wasn't able to nap, too nervous, but I did hydrate and carbo load. Mike and James arrived around 4:30PM and once they unloaded their bags, we quickly started to compare packing lists, gear bags, food items, race fuel, etc. Everyone started with significantly different approaches in regards to what might be required. If you were to apply a label to my running buddies and I based on our initial race inventory lists, you would refer to Richard as "The Minimalist", James "The Boy Scout", Mike "The Perfect-ionist" and myself  "The Clueless". After comparing packs and items, we all started to make some adjustments and our packs' contents started to look a little more similar. The following items ended up in my Salomon XA Pro 10+3 pack at the end of the day:

1x Ultralight Adventure Medical Kit (Used after the race)
1x Digital Camera (Used twice during the race)
1x Katadyn Vario Water Filter Pump (Used twice during the race)
1x Injinji Crew Socks (Didn't change during the race)
8x Ibuprofen (Used 4 during the race)
20x S!Caps (Used 14 during the race)
6x Propel Beverage Mix (Not used during the race)
4x Nuun Beverage Tablets (Used 1 during the race)
2x Gatorade Beverage Mix (Used 1 during the race)
2x Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (Used 1 during the race)
2x Clif ShotBloks (Used 1 during the race)
2x Sportbeans (Used 1 during the race)
2x Honey Stinger Gels (Used 2 during the race)
2x GU Energy Gels (Not used during the race)
1x Clif Shot Energy Gel (Not used during the race)
3x Peanut Butter & Honey Sandwiches (Used 1 during the race)
2x Gatorade Bottles (Used 2 during the race)
1x 2l Water Bladder (Used and filled twice during the race)

After a very nice pre-race pasta dinner with our gracious hostess for the weekend, we all called it a night around 8 or 8:30 PM to try to catch some sleep. Our alarms would ring at 3 AM and everyone wanted to at least try to get some rest. I ended up double-checking my gear one more time and figured my pack had to weigh at least 15 lbs. That would weigh heavily on me late in the race...that I was sure of. But I shouldn't run out of food and drinking supplies as my running buddies nearly did when they ran this race in 2007.

Race Day
Wow, the alarm went off at 3AM Eastern Time and I was amped and ready to go. Luckily, my obligatory pre-race coffee was already brewing. We figured it would take us a little under an hour to get to the race start, so we left the house at 3:45 AM. Well, we were almost right. Using their collective memories of where they went three years ago, we arrived there just before the 5 AM start. Just enough time for a pre-race team picture (see below) and a quick wiz.


I am the handsome guy in the green shirt;-) Richard is on my right and James and Mike are on my right. It's easy to tell our moods from the look on our faces. I am the only one showing a slight level of nervousness being a first timer and all, but we are happy and excited to be here. The race director Claude Sinclair offered two start times, 5 and 6 AM, to give some folks extra time on the course, if they needed it and we opted to take it. 5AM would give us an extra hour of cooler air out of the sun and this was a very difficult course with lots of elevation gains, almost 15,000 ft to be exact. That type of elevation profile lets this race compete with some of the serious 100 mile races. Only difference, the 100 milers actually spread this type of elevation gain over 100 miles instead of 35.
Let me somewhat preface this report with the comment that I am geographically challenged and I have no short or long-term memory for geographical names and locations. However, I am quite capable of following white blazes and I was lucky to be running in very capable company as well. I believe one of my running mates (James) is actually an Eagle Scout, so you know we were prepared for absolutely anything. I am not sure what all made it into his race pack, but I know the initial inventory list included not one but two knifes, a fire starter, duct tape, and a 2ft rope among many other things. While I managed to figure out the purpose for most of the things on his list (I had enough time on the trail), I am still not sure about the 2ft rope. Maybe he figured I'd like to hang myself once I'd realized what I'd gotten myself into. Then again, one simple step to the left on one of the rather narrow sections of the trail would have taken care of that in no time;-) In short, we were ready for anything and everything.

We picked up our "race bibs" from Claude (he is known to recycle left-overs from other/previous races, hence the interesting looking example in the picture at the top of this report) and put on our headlamps just in time to get to the starting area at the bottom of the infamous stairs. If you have ever run this race before, you would know why the starting line of this race could not have been more appropriately placed. As I soon found out, the climb up the stairs at the race start immediately set the tone for this race as there would be more, much more, stairs than I could or would care to count, only to finish the race with the most serious climb of stairs anyone can imagine. Right before 5AM, we all assembled around Claude who had handed a musket to someone to fire the shot to start the race. After a "misfire" the gun went off and so did our group of runners, straight up the first of many sets of stairs, followed by the 5AM sweeps, who were receiving last minute instructions.
It was pitch black and our first miles were rather slow, but we were moving. We wanted to avoid early trips and falls and Richard's ankle injury and my calf injury required a conscientious effort to watch every step and to start slow enough to get our muscles and joints warmed up. The 5AM group of runners consisted of about 20 or so runners with their headlamps bobbing up and down on the mountain trails above and below us. While the temperatures were rather low and comfortable, the humidity was quite high. After just two miles, Richard and I were already discussing the amount of sweat we were both dealing with. We also noticed a mist or fog that, coupled with the headlamps, almost gave us the illusion of blurred eye vision. It was a very strange feeling to say the least. But I was excited to be out there. I had heard so much about this race and now it was finally my turn to give it a try. The goal was to finish and not DFL.
We slowly trotted along, careful not to misstep into the abyss. It was awesome to trek up the hillside in total darkness, the headlamps ahead and behind us being the only thing visible to anyone. By 6AM we had covered a little over three miles, and I was feeling great. I knew everything until now was easy and it would only get harder. Around mile four we made our first creek crossing over Laurel Fork Creek. Due to the rain the previous night, it is worth mentioning that all man-made structures along the trails (bridges and stairs) were extremely slippery, requiring us more than once to grab a hold of a handrail, if one was available, to avoid a slip and fall. I am still not quite sure how the leaders make their way across these slippery structures. Maybe they take the approach we opted for later in the race after the downpour started, which was to "skate" across the bridges. Unfortunately, I did not attempt to skate across the rocks that caused my first ever "official" fall. I almost went for a split if it hadn't been for my left knee breaking my fall. Yes, it hurt, but only briefly. Thankfully, some of the bridges had just recently been updated and metal grids on top of the wooden surfaces actually provided some serious traction for most of the major creek and river crossings to prevent any additional disasters. While were consistently ran a pace between 17-20 minutes per mile for the first five miles, we picked up some serious steam over the next two miles, averaging just over 12 minutes per mile while running this entire sections alongside Laurel Fork Creek or criss-crossing over it. Miles 8-11 were at a consistent 15 minute pace.
At mile 11, we started approaching Lake Jocassee and we would run along the lake for quite some time, until we approached a bridge crossing around mile 13. At this point, we made our first water refill stop and I put my Katadyn Vario Dual water filer pump to the test for the very first time. I refilled my empty 2 liter hydration bladder and tried to eat a PB sandwich, but I could only muster to eat about half of it. I decided it would be better to stick to gels and such for the remainder of the race. We crossed Toxaway Creek at the North end or head of Lake Jocassee and continued on our way. Now the tough part of the race would begin, well sort of. We immediately started to climb for about 2 miles, but were able to pick up speed again for miles 15-20. By the way, when I say speed I mean 14-16 minute per mile pace...and that describes mostly downhills. At LV, running uphills is nearly impossible, unless you are an elite runner. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong;-) As nice as it felt mentally to run this pace, it was also at this point that I realized that I had some serious foot/shoe issues. Mike pointed out to me that I had what appeared to be some serious overpronation issues while he was following behind me as we were climbing up one of the many hills. Funny thing is, I do not normally overpronate...ever! But here I was, my Inov-8 295s looking like, well, like I have been overpronating in these shoes for years even though I've only run about 150 miles in them. No other running shoe of mine has ever been worn that way nor have I ever been diagnosed as an overpronator and I have had my gait analyzed numerous times. Anyway, I would pay a heavy price for this issue as the downhill "crashing" quickly turned the outsides of both of my heels into a nasty blister (see pictures below of lefty and right foot).




It is worth mentioning that I wore Injinji socks as well as having applied a layer of Hydropel to both of me feet. I will have to abandon using the 295s on anything beyond a trail half marathon distance as this is the second time I had blisters from wearing these shoes after running more than 15 miles. Oddly enough, a fellow runner commented that he has had the same issue with the 295s in past races and that he moved to another model with much success.
As a result of these blisters, I started to slow down even more on the downhills, trying to avoid any additional damage to my feet, if that was possible. Luckily, the goal of our group was to finish, nothing else. We made it to mile 21, the infamous Horse Pasture River in a little under 9 hours, still feeling pretty good and ready to take a little break while refilling our bladders (and this time my two bottles as well) while sitting by the river and refueling with some fruit and other goodies. It was at this point of the race that we were passed by numerous runners, but that was ok, we were feeling good and we wanted to keep it that way. OK, maybe 30 minutes of sitting around was a little excessive, but hey, we had fun. Richard and James must have forgotten the rule of praising the weather before a race is over. No more than 2 minutes after they commented on how lucky we have been with the weather in general, a serious downpour cut our picnic short. It also made me cancel my plans to put on some dry socks and to put moleskin on my blisters. After all, what good is it to wear dry socks in the rain? We packed up our gear and started the final third of the race, straight up some more stairs. We started a pattern of 2 slow uphill miles followed by 2 faster yet still slow downhill miles for the next 9 or 10 miles. It was during this stretch that I encountered a massive low hanging tree limb across the trail head first. I hit it so hard with my head that my upper body ricocheted back. I think I even spotted stars for a brief moment. I was a bit wobbly for the next mile and started to yawn profusely for a couple of minutes. Well, there was only one way out anyway so on I went. Of course, I never heard the end of it after the race about how I "ran straight into a tree". That's when I approached the final river crossing, which signals the last and toughest climb of the race. Our group had decided about 2 miles back, that some of us would try to break the 10 hour mark while the others would continue on at our usual pace. Well, I couldn't help but at least try to break 10 hours, so I went for it. Oh, I was feeling it all the way to the river. I figured, cool, now it's just another mile or so and I will be at the finish. After all, I could already hear the rushing water of the Whitewater River, even though I could not see anything. Boy was I wrong. After turning right after seeing the river right in front of me, I ended up running for what felt like eternity anxiously waiting to see the final bridge that would indicate the final climb. It never came, at least that's how it felt. When I finally reached the bridge, I was beaten and the 10 hour goal was out the window. I experienced all of these highs and lows within a single mile along the river. It just seemed like it took forever to get to the bridge. Now, the real fun began. First, I had to figure out how to get over the bridge. Well, the huge bolder in front of the bridge had a white blaze on it so I guess I was supposed to climb that. Wow, did I look stupid crawling up that bolder with no energy left at all.
The following describes a one-sided conversation that went on in my head from the time I stepped onto the final bridge across Whitewater River: "Oh great, the other side of the bridge has another bolder to slide down on. At least it has a white blaze, too. Now, I just have to figure out where to go from here. Ok, the hole to the right is the only escape route I can see here so that's where I'll go. Are you kidding? Please tell me that ladder looking set of stairs isn't what it's going to be like all the way up. I know the guys said this was gonna be tough, but come on, this is ridiculous. Oh good, a trail. Never mind, more stairs. OK, just remember, these things are going to keep going and going...and going. Don't stop climbing and don't start thinking about it until you see Claude indicating that you are done. What did the guys say again? The finish line is at the top of the stairs. That should be easy enough, then. Ok, I must be getting close now. Maybe not. Why is there a rail on this bridge on the side of the mountain but not on the cliff? Just keep it steady. Come on, more stairs? Oh good, switchbacks, that must mean I am getting close. Great, more stairs. Wow, they even put in some new stairs just for me. Almost there, I can hear people talking, this must be the finish line. 9:58 and some change and I am almost at the top. Awesome, not only do I finish, I get my sub 10 hour finish. There is my fiancee waving at me. Awesome, I've made it. What? Where is everybody? I have to do what? Run another quarter mile to the pavilion? Come on! Really? Well, so much for my sub 10 hour finish."
I arrive at the pavilion running like I am in the chase for a podium finish, absolutely ecstatic to have made it. James arrived there 3 minutes before me to finish in 9:48 hours, awesome job! Richard and Mike follow about 20 minutes later, feeling great, well, at least they looked great.

Final Thoughts
This has to be the coolest ultra race I have participated in. While it was slower than any other race that I have run, the fun factor here outshines them all. The Jocassee Gorges and the trail in general with all its creek crossings, bridges, beautiful trail sections and scenery were just amazing. I will definitely be back next year, if Claude will have me back. Being German, I wasn't familiar with Ginger Snaps at all. I had read so much about them in previous LV race reports and I could not wait to finally taste them. Are they candy, are they like German Schnapps (you know, a strong alcoholic beverage)? I didn't know. Well, now that mystery has been solved for me as well. I quite enjoyed those cookies. I know a lot of people have said that I would be sick of stairs after this race. Nothing could be further from the truth. Next challenge, actually counting these stairs during next year's race.

11 August 2010

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I almost feel bad even posting this as a training log entry, but it is taper week and I was helping out one of our youth soccer teams that my son plays on, so the distance covered was secondary. Their coach required a fitness test from them and I figured I'd make myself available as their pacer. Anyone from the U13 boys team that was falling behind me was going to fail to meet the pace required to run the 2 mile distance in under 16 minutes. It ended up being three soccer teams (2 U16 boys teams and 1 U13 boys team) and suffice it to say it wasn't only U13 boys that were falling behind. Some of the U16s struggled as well and they actually had to complete the 2 miles in under 15 minutes. In any case, most kids made it, including my son;-) Thankfully, my calf held up for the run at that pace. While it isn't all that fast for me, I haven"t tried to run any faster than 9 minute miles since I hurt my calf two weeks ago. It must be a deep tissue bruise, because any skin contact in that area absolutely hurts. However, running gets easier as I loosen up. I am confident it won't be an issue at Saturdays LV 35 miler. I might try to go for a barefoot (VFF) walk this evening just to keep loose. Another 100 plus degree day today. I can't keep drinking enough fluids.

09 August 2010

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After taking a few days off trying to recover from my groin and calf injury, it was time to get my legs moving again. Richard met me at my house at 5AM and we decided to keep our run local. We opted to run downtown and follow part of the Cotton Row 10K course to loop around and back to my house. It took me over 2 miles to loosen up my calf enough to run with an even gait. I didn't want to favor my right leg, but that's nearly impossible with the current pain. However, half way into our run I was able to run fairly balanced. We kept an easy pace and required very frequent water breaks, and I mean very frequent. We took in fluids just about every two to three miles.Yet I was still unable to stay properly hydrated. I went through about 2.5 liters of water and Gatorade in a little less than 2 hours and 10.5 miles. The temps and humidity were extremely high again and the weather does not look like it's going to let up any time soon. I am going to have to make sure I have enough Succeed Caps and energy gels with me for next weekend's Laurel Valley White Water Run (~35 miles). This race will be great fun as it is self-supported and we will need to bring our own water filtration systems and pumps in addition to sufficent food and energy supplies. My taper had been rather long due to my recent injuries, but more rest is better than too little. Richard and I will go for a barefoot walk on Wednesday to keep loose.

04 August 2010

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So I decided to see how my calf and groin muscles would hold up today. I met Richard and James at Richard's house for a run up Monte Sano Mountain and back down again for a nice 10 mile out & back. We would have the opportunity to refill our water bottles and bladders at the ranger station inside the state park. "But why?", you wonder. Well, currently any running beyond a mile in Alabama requires that you continuously hydrate. I ended up drinking two bottles of Gatorade and about 1.5 liters of water in just 2 hours and a little under 10 miles. Yet, I still ended up feeling dehydrated after the run. The humidity and temperatures that have been prevalent in the South the last month are absolutely draining to any type of physical activity. Actually, jsut stnading outside for 5 minutes will cause you to be drenched. Thankfully, my legs held up for the entire run. While I was contantly feeling the pain, it was not overpowering nor did it get any worse during the run. I felt the groin muscle strain more going back downhill than I did going uphill. I'm not sure if that's normal or not, but that's how it felt. We kept a somewhat steady pace going up and down the mountain trails and I must say, I quite enjoyed it. I have been taking it rather easy the last couple of weeks and this workout felt great. Was is too hot? Yes. Too humid? Yes. But I figure, if I can handle this than I can handle any of the weather conditions about to be thrown at me at the remaining races for the year. Remember, I am only talking about the conditions, not about my ability to cover the terrain or distance of my upcoming races. I kept my heart rate fairly steadily at around 155 with spikes into the high 160s and low 170s when the climbs were steeper than usual. On these short 10 miles, we covered about 2700 feet of elevation change, not too bad for a short training run. I need to get another longer run in this week, but I'm not sure how to do that with this week's schedule. Maybe I can squeeze a long run in Friday morning.

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RACE CALENDAR

  • Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M (Old Fort, NC) - March 23, 2024
  • Oak Mountain 50K (Birmingham, AL) - March 30, 2024
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  • Cocodona 250M (Black Canyon City, AZ) - May 6-11, 2024
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