2 weeks to 50.

There have been no recent posts because there have been no recent developments. Several early morning runs. dozens of short runs. Two new things. First, my pride and joy, the first shoes I was ever able to run LONG in, has became extinct. The New Balance 1220, (a six year old model to date) is no longer available in my size. So, I went shoe shopping for the first time in 6 years. I went to our local running store. The service is great here. The salesmen (and women) are bad ass. Ultra-runners on down to the ultra-fast. The dude had me remove my shoes and walk. He then knelt with his head to the floor and observed my arch and foot-strike. He had me try on several pairs of shoes but the problem with this store is there sizes. They have NO wides. They claimed to have some on order but I couldn't wait. With 14 days to 50 miles I need to get these guys broke in. I found a pair at Fleet Feet. They have been good so far. Second, I have been working on a new challenge. Barefoot-ish running. I also am running some of my shorter runs in Vibrams Five Fingers. These shoes have NO support and virtually NO cushioning. It requires a change in running posture. While running in traditional shoes, the elevated and highly cushioned heel encourages heel strike. While in Vibrams (and all cultures in human history where modern shoes were unavailable) the forefoot strike is required. Landing on one's forefoot or "the ball" of ones foot allows the flex of the arch and Achilles, and the musculature of the calves to absorb the otherwise devastating shock. Blisters have formed but they will soon be callouses. Pictures to come.

I am ULTRA!

I awoke at 4:00am to have my coffee and initiate peristalsis. I packed my cooler and ate some oats and was driving to my first ultra at 6:00am. Jessica and Liam were with me at the start.

Number 1 crew member.

 It was a decent morning. Not cool but comfortable at the start. At 7ish the race was on. There was a 200 yard parking lot for the runners to sort out based on pace and after that we entered the Blue Trail at Nesbit Park in Bartlett, TN. 

And we're off!

The blue trail is a short 1.6 mile loop that that is necessary for the mileage to be right at the end. We ran back through the parking lot toward the starting line and entered the forest again on the White Trail for four 7.4 mile loops. 

I ran the first loop fairly conservatively and met some interesting people. The ultra marathoners I met were gracious, humble, and helpful. They have checked their egos. They are also tremendously motivating. It was a good change to talk with people who could actually understand my motivation unlike most days when I'm told its just crazy. I talked to a woman who finished her first 100 miler. I asked her "how do you even get your mind around that." She said, Thats just it, its all in your head. Your body can do it. If you can run 50k you can run 50M, if you can run 50M you can run 100M."

The second and third loop I was all by myself. There is comfort in solitude, value in suffering. I was comfortable. I cranked up my pace and ran the numerous hills. At the mid-lap aid station, another dude followed me in. When asked about his distance for today. "I'm doing 40." My new motivation was to beat this guy so at least I wouldn't be last. 

On my fourth loop, at the mid-lap aid station, the workers said, "what can I get you?" "...muhh" I couldn't form words and I have no idea why. Maybe running silently by myself for 3 hours. Luckily she has obviously heard this lack of response and immediately began offering me things. Do you want water, gatorade, ice? Do you need salt? When was the last time you took in calories?  I really felt taken care of. I moved on and on my way out I saw the guy I had to beat. I was a half mile ahead.

I emerged from the woods on the white trail at 12:30ish and I saw Jessica, Liam and Tripper. I muscled my way to the 50k finish and the race director asked, "Are you finished or are you going on?" I muttered, I am going 40. I was then told that only 2 runners ahead of me had continued past the 50k point. "That means your in at least 3rd place." I was stoked, but suffering a great deal. I was significantly chaffed in several sensitive areas. 

Applying diaper rash ointment and snacking on some pretzels at 35.6.

The last 8.6 miles consited of 2 loops of the combined Blue and Yellow Trail. It was 92 degrees and humid. The first loops was ok. Tripper was there prompting me to keep running when I wanted to walk. The second loop, when I was at 35.6 miles, was excruciating. I sincerely could have wept. Tripper and I hit the pavement for 200 of the most poignantly painful yet satisfying yards. 

Final Stretch

ULTRA banana

Feet after 40 miles of trails.

Countdown to Ultra.

Its  been a couple weeks since my last entry. I finished up my extern in Senatobia and went home for break. I skipped all my runs the 5 days I was home because I was working all day at my dad's farm. It was great to shed the white coat and sweat for a change. Anyway, this week was back to business as usual. Several short runs through the week and a 3:00am 21 mile long run on Saturday. I am ready. My legs don't tire. I don't breath any harder than while watching TV. My feet still start hurting at 19-20 but my shoes are in desperate need of replacement. This pair has 450-500 miles on them.

I am back at school for my last internship before graduation. The schedule sucks and makes it hard to get the medium length runs in. I have to get up between 4-4:30am if I am to get to clinic on time. One early day is manageable but multiple early days SUCKS. The end justifies the means.

Next weekend, Sept., 11th, I run the Bartlett Park Ultra-Marathon. http://www.runacrossamericaontrail.com/Bartlett_Park_Ultras.html . I hear "good luck" a lot from people who hear about my goal. I graciously thank them but covertly I know I don't need luck. The training, 3 months of 20-30 milers each weekend, says luck is not needed. "The harder you work, the luckier you get." There is a heavy message in that simple saying.

A couple friends and I ran out at Bartlett Parks where the event is to be held this morning. I have crossed the finish line a million times in my head but being there makes it more real. The trails are almost completely shaded which should help with the predicted 91 degree high predicted for Saturday. The terrain is a bit hillier than the website lead me to believe but its very run-able. The good thing is this trip dispelled many of the "unknowns" that keep me awake nights before races. I now have a realistic expectation of the race day atmosphere.

Going the Distance

Liam's swollen ear followed by me at 21 miles and Liam ready to help me push through the last 10. Thats right. 50k!
Even with the ups and downs this week was much better than last.

I didn't write last week because I failed to finish my long run on August 14th. It started like any other long run, 1:30am the alarm goes off and by 2:00 I'm jogging down Robinhood Lane. I had every symptom listed in a Pepto Bismol commercial. I was burping up battery acid, nauseated, and then...well let's just say I lost a bandana behind a tree on an otherwise busy road. I'm glad it was dark...only completed seven miles. I promised myself if today was going to be short the next run was going to be LONG.

This week I had some good runs, 12 on Tuesday with Liam. Wednesday I ran The Wolf River Trails with a friend and my blood sugar crashed at 2 miles. I had to walk for 5 minutes for it to stabilize then ended up finishing just over 6 miles. Thursday, another 12 followed by a trip to Liam's pediatrician he had a swollen ear from a mosquito bite but it scared us.

Friday was my last day at my extern site in Senatobia, MS. I celebrated by having a couple beverages and crawling into bed at 9:00pm. There was a dumbass show on the history channel called "Superhuman" that was on as I was dosing off. The first few people were really stupid. But then out of half closed eyes I saw a guy running. I said, "was that Dean Karnazes?" Sure enough. The Ultra-Marathon Man himself. He did a twelve hour run for the show covering 80+ miles. At the close, he decided that he really wasn't tired, so he was going to run back home to San Fransisco some 30 miles more. Humbling and inspiring. My alarm didn't need to go off on Saturday. I was up at 1:00am. I spent some time waking up and was out the door at 1:45am. 87 degrees 90% humidity.

This run was an experience like I've never had. At 2:00, I was running by the Highland strip. Bars, loud music, people every having a good time, then me, in tiny shorts and a reflective vest. I was heckled a bit but I can't hold that against them. I found amusement in considering the differences in our perception of "now." For all of them, they were about to end a long Friday. Simultaneously, I was beginning, my long Saturday. Nerdy, I know, but it was a long trip.

I passed back by the Highland strip 10 miles later at 3:40ish. The scene had changed. The bars were closed and there cars driving everywhere, but there was still no shortage of people. Smoking the last cigarette walking back to were ever home is. At at 4:00ish, the entire city dies. There are no people, no cars, no trains, no noise. Just crickets and street lights...and dumb ass runners. By 5, the world slowly wakes up again. I saw a lot of blue collar vans and trailers I assume were heading to work.
By 6:00 it was business as usual.

Pain report: Pain is inevitable when transversing any respectable distance. The always first pain, my arches, didn't hurt until 18 miles. Maybe I'm getting stronger.

I picked up Liam at 6:00 after 21 miles because Jessica had to go to work. We started and kept rolling. I wasn't sure what would happen after I crossed the marathon threshold. Its not that I thought my legs would implode but I was hesitant at mile 27. My feet were screaming! My toes were killing me. But me legs, quads, calves, hams, gluts, were in exceptional shape. I kept thinking of Mr. Karazes' run. He did 12 hours. I'm finishing in under 6. I can keep going.

I found myself wondering about the pain at mile 30. Is this it? Elite ultra runner, Ann Trason, says, "It hurts up to a point, then it doesn't get any worse." Have I made it to this point? Always the optimist, I think I have and if this is so, I can deal with the discomfort in my feet. I can go 50...100? We'll see.

So, I finished 31 miles or an entry level (50K) ultramarathon distance. The Bartlett Parks Ultra is in three weeks and thus, this was my longest run before the race. I'll taper then race. Originally, I anticipated running the 50k at Bartlett but I'm trained for more. Depending on the heat. My goal is now the 40 miler here.

8 weeks until 50 miles.

August Heat

This week was hot! This picture was taken outside my extern site's office in Senatobia, MS. My first run in this heat was last Monday when the heat index was bordering 120. This was also the first run that I did not finish. I tried the Tour de Wolf, Seeking some shade. It was to no avail. The open grassy areas were smoldering. The sun was beaming down at my face at about a 60 degree angle. The breeze pummeled me like the exhaust from a red-lining Mack truck. I made it 8 miles and had to walk the last mile back to the car. I broke the rest of my runs up into two a day, morning and evening to save myself the extended suffering of the hot evening runs. On Thursday, Jessica and I hiked with Liam's carrier for 5.5 miles in the morning. My evening run started out just as hot, but by the 3rd mile, a strong northern wind dropped the temperature about 15 degrees and the rest of the run was pleasant.

The long run was displaced this weekend due to some event that was happening at Shelby Farms but I found another trail that worked out fine. The Wolf River trail is a four mile point-to-point in the swampy flat area along side the Wolf River. Blaize rode a mountain bike with me for the first 16 miles. It was a good run, crowded with some 50 other runners over the 5 hours we were on the trail. The trail was almost entirely flat and consisted of a reasonable soft sandy base. Mom, Jenny, and Liam joined us after 16 miles. I strapped Liam to my back and re-entered the forest for another hour and a half of hiking. My feet really started hurting at 19 miles at I was glad to be done and change shoes at 20.5. I took Sunday off trying to recover, gearing up for another hot week and a total of roughly sixty miles.

Nocturnal Mission

This was a normal week with an actual long run. Thursday's skies were pretty dark. There was a 30% chance for rain but 100% chance that I was going running. I started out with Liam. At 3 miles the skies cracked open and lightly coated us in cooling liquid. Momma got nervous when it thundered and drove out to pick my little running buddy up. Good thing, at 3.5 miles, all hell broke loose. At 4.75 I was pretty confident that I was going to be killed by lightening. I sprinted over to Theater Memphis and sought sanctuary with the actors. Jessica had to pick me up too. I am very thankful she is patient with me about these things.

This week's long run was much to far for Liam to tolerate. Jessica was home last night and wanted the family to hang out, so I couldn't run long last evening/night. She leaves for work at 6:10 am and is gone until 7:30pm. The only workable scenario was for me to substitute some sleep for some training.

At 1:35am I awake after some 3 hours of sleep. At 1:55am, I was lumbering down Robin Hood Lane in my reflective safety vest (complete with in-case-of-emergency information), a tiny LED flash light, and enough water for 8 miles. Its a balmy 84 degrees. This first bit was surprisingly lucid.

At mile 8, there is a 24 hour Mapco gas station that I have stopped at several times to replenish my water and use the restroom; but we all know about the best laid plans of mice and men (If not, Google it. You really should). The cold water is turned off. I filled my bottle with steaming hot water. This was exceptionally challenging. The cold water has never bothered me, but the hot water from the tap of a filthy road side gas station was stomach turning.

I made it back to the house at the "half-way" about 3:55am. I refilled my bottle with dilute Gatorade, shed my shirt, and swapped out for a dry bandanna. At this time it was 76 degrees and there was a soothing breeze. The arches of my feet hurt from mile 12-14 like every other long run and after that I was relatively comfortable. At mile 18, I enter into Audubon Park that offers a winding forested one mile loop adjacent to a golf course without any overhead lights. My LED scarcely lights the pavement 6 feet in front to me, beyond that, complete darkness. When you see nothing in any direction but the the next step in front of you, it allows you an unparalleled opportunity to assess oneself distraction free. The pain in my feet, from arch to toe tip was exquisite. Mentally I had already experienced the highs and lows and was stable at the moment. The sleeplessness added another dimension of exhaustion I have never otherwise experienced. I made it home at 20 miles for one more refueling and a short but poignantly painful last lap. I made it back at 6:00am. Just in time to speak with Jessica before she left for work.

Tomorrow, Liam and I are going to Shelby Farms for a few miles of easy jogging and to try out his new baby carrier backpack with a few miles of hiking. Until next week.

Hot weekend with Liam

This weekend is a step back weekend where I don't add any miles and my "long" run consist of two shorter back to back runs on Saturday and Sunday. Liam came with me on both days since Jessica was at work. Saturday, I got out there at 8:00 and was lucky to find a parking spot. There was some 5k for AIDS race going on. We ran for 1:45, I estimate about 10 miles. It was sweltering by the end. Sunday, Liam and I went mass and didn't get on the trail until 10:45am. We ran 2:15 and again I estimate the distance to be about 13 miles. It was freaking roasting. Liam was a trooper. I just lathered him in sun screen and bug spray and gave him some juice and he never made a peep. I ended up drinking just over a gallon of fluids and still ended up losing 4lbs in water weight after it was said and done. My legs felt good the entire time and with the exception of the imminent dehydration that was setting in, I felt really good. Time to rehydrate and rest up. Next weeks long run is really long. Until then.

Miles and Miles of Trails

Back to training at nearly full capacity! Today my culminated on a 20 mile run. I decided to run this one trails. Tour de Wolf trail at Shelby Farms was the choice; a 6.08 mile loop of nature. Staying off the pavement decreases the impact felt buy muscles and joints.

I am convinced that trails are much more challenging then road running. First, It had just rained. I expected some mud but thats ok. In this heat my shoe are seeping from sweat after 6 miles anyway. The terrain undulates relentlessly. The twists and turns test your balance and strain small stabilizing muscles and ligaments. The roots and puddles enhance the need for focus.

The run was at a slower pace then on the road, plus I walked up all the large hills.

The first lap was blissful and refreshing. I have never been on this trail and there is a lot to see. The entrance to the trail was a steep, slippery, rooty decent into the forest. The trail alternated between forest and open rolling glass lands.

The second lap was just ok. At 12 miles, no matter what, the arches of my feet start to hurt but it only last for about 2 miles. There were a lot of other runner and hikers on the trail for this lap and at the end of this lap I ate my only Gu.

The third lap started out great. The blood sugar spike from the Gu was rejuvenating. At mile 15, My blood sugar crashed and burned. This was ostensibly poor planning. You never ingest sugar then stop, the human endocrine system moves slow. You start by burning glucose in your blood, after some 30 minutes, your body, in an effort to conserve energy, switches to burning glycogen. After about an hour of sustained effort, you switch to burning body fat. After 2 hour of running, to insert sugar brings the cycle back to blood glucose. When its gone, its gone. With glycogen exhausted, you have to wait (suffer) until the body gets back to burning fat for energy. The sun was blazing at this point. In the forest, I had shade, but the rain was evaporating and the dense, wind blocking foliage was filled with a thick and almost misty humidity.

Miles 15-16 were horrendous, but stabilized there after.

I made it back to the car after the 3rd lap and at 18 miles was still feeling pretty good. Very hungry, my tank was officially on E but the legs were strong. I ran out and back for the last 2 miles.

Trail running is easier on the legs and the scenery was nice change of pace. I may have to make this a more regular occurance.

Training Woes

The training has been going ok. My mileage has increased from mid-30's to very close to 50 miles per week and I suffered my first set back at this high mileage. My weekly totals over the last 3 weeks are 45, followed by 47, and last week I only did 27. The training strategy I am employing contains 3 medium length (10 miles) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and long runs on Saturday AND Sunday...pushing Liam in his stroller. I must have added to many miles to quickly.

Any time I add miles in training my muscles get "tweaky." That is, just on the verge of injury. In my opinion, that is where you want to be stress-wise to adapt to longer distances. My Achilles tendon has been tweaky all last last week. I made some adjustments in my stride to baby the tendon and this biomechanical mistake led to a real injury...shin splints. Instead of gutting it out through the pain I took my weekend runs off this week in hopes that I can get back on track and avoid further injury.

Why Ultra?

The reasons are not so simple. I have no idea. I have been running for "fitness" since early 2004 at 19, in an undergraduate, post high school athletic glory days (152lbs), freshmen 15+ slump.

My first race was the Louisville Half Marathon on 04-24-04. My longest run before that was 7 miles. Needless to say I hurt myself that cool April morning. The thrill of crossing the finish line was indescribable. The limp I carried for the next two weeks I had EARNED. I wanted more.

Several Half marathons later, it was clear that the next logical step was to go the full distance. In October of 2006 I ran Chicago (with bronchitis). At the mile 13.1, I was plodding along next to a young lady also in her early 20s, when an older lady pulled by us exclaiming "Half way there kids!

Instantly, my reply was a raspy, quiet, almost beneath the breath, "F*********ck! The pain, the difficulty, the training was more than twice as challenging as for half, but so was the reward. I graduated a few month later and confounded my training.

In 2007 I was accepted into the Southern College of Optometry (170lbs). I still occasionally jogged but there were plenty of months that the running shoes lay in the closet. In 2008, I was married, studying a lot, and faded into a life full of unhealthy habits. I was eating food that was convenient, and running was not the type of "fun" I wanted to have during my very limited spare time (185lbs). These bad choices and scale weight haunted me. The phrase "fat and happy" is an oxymoron. Then, something spectacular happened. My wife, Jessica announced she was pregnant.

There was a lull, a lag period where the magnitude of this information couldn't be felt or at least fully appreciated. But in the summer of 2009, Jessica's belly and my son's fluttering feet inspired me. I was about the be a father. Someone, who through no choice of their own was about to have no other option but look to me as there most immediate male role model. I have to be superman. On 07/01/09, I embarked on a fitness expedition. I ate impeccably. NO high-glycemic carbs...ZERO. I ran to the best of my ability. Running on zero carbs is an awful experience. Most days my heart would burn like it was building lactic acid but the results were coming so I kept going. About 10 weeks into training, when the taste of bread was just a distant memory, I hit my goal weight. 160lbs. I ate a whole medium pizza in celebration.

This is the point when almost all "diets" fail. What do I do now that my goal has been reached? It was the answer I found to this question that lead down the path toward an ultra. Raise the bar.

I was in the best running shape ever. My son, Liam, was still 2 months away. The goal changed. I wanted to hit my wrestling weight of 152lbs before he was born. Training for the St. Jude Marathon was going to take me there. I wanted Liam to never know me as the fat slob I was. Liam came early but I still made it. The new, lighter, me finished the Marathon 2o minutes faster than my first. What now? Keep going.

My next race was the first time I have experienced an Ultra style event. The 2010 Swamp Stomper. It offers a 25k and 50k. I did the 25k because the prospect of going further than a marathon still sounded pretty stupid to me at this point. This was my first trail race and it lived up to its name. The first 4 miles was 4" of standing water. The next 8 undulating miles was sloppy mud, the last 4 was back through the standing water. This was the hardest race Ive ever done. Even in flat, paved marathon condition, there was no way I could have done another lap. Hanging out the finish line some hours later the 50k winner crossed the line. The race director said, "Congratulations! Is this your first Ultra win?" With no heavy breathing, he calmly replied "No."

It was this exchange that changed my perspective. I have to do this. Why? I still have no real answer. Maybe just to see if I can. Maybe for the pain and the pride that comes with it. Maybe because that's where the bar is sitting at the moment. Maybe to demonstrate to Liam that through effort, all things are possible. Its all of these things at different times, when I'm searching for inspiration to hit the road for another long run.