Screws In My Coffee

Setting my goal

I ran my first Ultra Marathon 100k (62.14 mile) Endurance Trail Run this past Saturday January 10, 2009.  My goal that I set in August was to run 100k at Bandera.  At the time the longest distance that I had run was 14 miles around LBJ Lake in Austin.  I did not have any idea how to prepare for running 100k, but I trusted my coach Robert Heynen when he said, if you do the work you will do the 100k.

Human interaction required

There are a lot of things that you can learn from books and on the Internet, trail running is not one of this things. I have taught myself a lot of skills from reading books and the Internet.  I learned HTML and how to manage a Linux server by reading.  There comes a time when you want to learn something that is bigger than you can grasp and that is when you need a coach or a mentor.

My coach, Robert Heynen, is like a tribal elder.  He is passing on a skill using words and real time experience to teach successful trail running.   The art of trail running is taught by doing it with the guidance of a coach.  Taking the words of my coach and then training my body to do what I think he said was a challenge.  Sometimes I got it right and sometimes he had to remind me to correct my body position.  Keep your back in a neutral position when you climb hills is what I repeat in my head as I climbed the steep trails in Bandera.

I knew nothing about trail running so I did everything my coach told me even though it did not make sense to me at first.  He told me to do things in training that I did not at first understand, but I did them anyway.  He made me get up early in the morning to run in the cold in the dark.

Skills learned

• Running over really rocky single track is fun.
• How to negotiate really rocky single track at night.
• What do you do to keep your body fueled for ultra trail running.
• How to fuel your body for long endurance running. I consumed about six liters water mixed with 24 scoops of Spiz. I also carried 2 liters of water with a light mixture of Heed.  I also ate 3 small grill cheese sandwiches, 1 PPJ, one small pan cake and two Sprites.

What I did not expect

• I met a lot of wonderful people who run on trails.
• I can run faster at night than I can during the day.
• The barriers to deep communication between people is removed when you talk to trail runners during an ultra event.
• I like listening to John Sharp yelling and making jokes as he talked to runners.  I could hear him 1/2 mile away when he was behind me or in front of me.
• Gordon Montgomery and John Sharp were yelling when we were close on my first loop.  When I was by my self at night I yelled.  I was starting to get loopy.  I was running without my iPod.  I had no way to turn off the voice in my head that was starting to tell me to stop running.  I thought about how Gordon was yelling Yooo-Hooo earlier in the day and how I yelled it back.  Now there was only me running in the dark with my green flash light.  I decided to start yelling, Yoo-Hoo.  It felt great and I kept running.  During my 16 hours on the trail there were many times when I had to tell my brain to shut up and then tell my body to keep running no matter what.

Pre-race jitters

I started the race by forgetting that on my way to my camping spot I had ripped a huge hole in the liner on the roof of my Grand Junction 5th wheel.  I lay awake early Saturday morning worring about the weather and if it was going to rain.  If it started raining I would have to get my tarp out and figure out how to get the roof covered.  I debated about dropping out of the race and taking care of my trailer.  There was a repair shop in Bandera.  Then I thought about what Robert said during my last trail class.  He said that you need to make a list of reasons that would prevent you from finishing and a list of why you should finish.  He then added that the list of reason not to finish had better be short, like getting a broken leg.   I decided that my roof problem was not on my list so I put my faith in the great weather spirit and asked for dry weather for my run.

Gordon decided to bunk with me in the trailer so we had good conversation until we went to sleep.  I had learned from other ultra runners that you need to play games with your head for a run because your head will always be playing with you.  I decided that I would take the advice of a woman (if she reads this please remind me of your name and I’ll give you credit) who said she would place a surprise Sprite in her drop bag to get her going.  I do not drink soda with corn syrup.  Ifi decided that I would get 4 bottles of imported Mexican Coke and drink all four after my run.  Gordon had a fifth of Bushmills Irish Whiskey.  I do not drink alcohol, but I decided to make another game and say that if I finished before 1 AM I would have a tiny shot of Bushmills Irish Whiskey.

Loop 1 0 to 31.7 miles

I started the race with my friend Stephanie along with Marsha and Gordon.  We ran the first loop at about a 14 minute mile.  The first loop was not fun for me.  I was glad to be finally running the 100k but I was worried that my left knee would prevent me from finishing.  My left knee has scar tissue and floating cartilage from a previous basketball injury.  During most of my training runs my left knee would whack out after about 10 miles and I would have to run for about 5 to 10 miles and hope that it would correct itself.  My last long training run ended at mile 37 when my knee would not take anymore running.

So for the first loop I ran waiting for my left knee to start hurting.  I tried to forget about it by talking and enjoying the beauty of the Bandera landscape.  Every downhill on the first loop I approached like I was running on black ice.  My goal was to have enough energy for the second loop.  I kept telling myself that this run was only two laps. I stayed with Stephanie and Marsha all the way until just after Cross Roads aid station.  I was starting to slow down so I told them to go ahead without me.  I got to Last Chance Aid station and started to get excited that I was almost done with my first loop.  My knees felt fine so I pressed on.

After going up Cairn’s Climb I thought about how I would feel later at night when I would be close to finishing my run.  I wanted to have the same amount of energy that I had now.  I wanted to finish strong and not be totally wiped out like I was after my 50k (31.7 miles) run at Palo Duro earlier this year. I ran up and down Boyle’s Bump and I thought about all of the rocks on the trail and how beautiful they looked.  I remembered how on my first trail class running in Barton Creek how the rocks always seemed in the wrong place for my feet.  I was still holding back on my running as I approached the Lode aid station.

When I arrived at the Lodge Aid station I had been on the trail for 7 hours and 19 minutes. I was finished with 50% of my run. I went into my trailer to re-fuel and get my thoughts focused.  As I stood in my trailer I saw other runners who had already finished their 50k or 25k run. They were all happy and enjoying the beautiful day.  I started thinking about stopping and just calling it a day.  As I finished putting fluids in my pack I thought about the four one liter Cokes in the refrigerator.  I decided to reward myself for completing one lap with a Coke.  I drank it and decided to start Loop 2.

Loop 2 31.7 to 62.14 miles

As I came out on my trailer I saw Gordon.  I waited for him to get ready and we both headed out for more fun.  As we ran I started to think about how much fear was gone after I completed loop 1 with no injures and not a hint of any pain in my knee. I stayed with Gordon until right before Nachos Aid station and I decided to start running faster.  I do not know why I started running faster but I did.  I started running the downhills as fast as I could.  I started running all of the uphills unless they were really steep. I made it from Nachos Chapas in one hour.  

It started to get dark so I took out my green flash light. I ran from Chapas to Cross Roads in one hour. I caught up with Stephanie and Marsha right before Cross Roads.  I did do one thing that my coach Robert said not to do.  I went into the tent at Cross Roads Aid Station and I sat down.  The weather was windy all day and now it was cold outside.  I was going through my drop bag getting a dry shirt and re-fueling my back pack with Spiz. When I left the aid station I was all stiff.  It took me about one and a half miles to start really running again.

I ran with Stephanie for a while up and down Sisters. Stephanie was with another runner when I met her.  I wanted to finish the race with her but she was having problems.  I decided to press on so I wished her good luck and took of on my own at the bottom of sisters. 

I was glad that I had come out to Bandera during BunMart because it gave me more experience with these trails.  Running with Marsha during the day was a real treat because she really knew the trail.  She answered all my questions about were we were during the first loop.  Now that I was alone in the dark with my flashlights and glow sticks I decided to run with wild abandon. When I got back to the Cross Roads Aid station I stayed at the edge of the tent.  It was 9:20 PM and I did not need to re-fuel my bag but I did drink a Sprite and I headed for Last Chance.  At this point in my run I had lots of energy and I was still running with no pain in my knees.  I had 15 miles to go to the finish line and I could feel the adrenaline in my stomach start to kick in and I really wanted to get this run over.  I got to Last Chance Aid station at 10:20 PM.  I ate a pancake that was rolled up like a burrito and had another Sprite.  At this point I was getting sick of Spiz and Heed.  I decided to try to finish the run before midnight so  that meant that I would have to really run all the way to the finish up Cairn’s Climb and Boyle’s Bump.  Boyle’s Bump has some of the most rock parts of the trail.

So I let my training take over.  Just like speed reading I continued to let my eyes scan rocks well in front of me as I ran. I had my green flash light which turned the night into a nice gray and all of the rock’s shadows were easy to distinguish.  I did not let my eyes focus on what was directl;y in front of my feet.  I just let my eyes and brain tell my feet where to go and I kept running.  I run faster on rocks at night because there is less information for my brain to process.  There are less distractions at night.  there is no color at night.  Running at night it was just me and my friends, the rocks.

I finished the race in 16 hours and eight minutes with energy to spare. I was surprised to find that some of my Bandera classmates had stayed up to greet me at the finish.  I got my Imported Mexican Coke and stat in the tent with some of the 100k runners.  Gordon passed around the Bushmills and a good time was had by all.  I really had fun at this event.

Support

I want to thank all of the volunteers that helped at the aid stations.  When you are running an ultra marathon it is nice to get help with food water and a smiling face to keep you running.

I also want to acknowledge my coach Robert Heynen and the program director Joe Prusaitis.  Stephanie Bond-Huie encouraged me to start trail running. When I started with Trail Running 101 I had no idea how I was going to run 100k.  All I knew is that if I created the possibility to do it and I surrounded myself with experts that could train me I could do it.

I have met lots of friends in the Hill Country Trail Runners group.  When you want to do what seems impossible you need to hang out with people that have done what you think is impossible. I went from barely running one mile in February 2005 to running 100k in January 2009. I had lots of fun and I’m looking forward to my next ultra marathon.

My first run at Bandera was just wonderful.  I carpooled with my buddy Stephanie and we arrived at 7:30 AM and it was 28 degrees.  We sat in the car and waited for signs on life to appear.  Soon the parking lot was buzzing with crazy folks getting ready to run. I was wondering if I would soon discover that I had forgotten some essential part of equipment like my running shoes.

Before the run got underway we all gathered around Jason’s truck where all the goodie bags were stored.  Henry was standing in the back giving a lecture on the course and handing out maps.  After the course description he started tossing out goodie bags by shirt size to the first person to raise their hand to claim it. I usually do not like holiday gift exchanges but this was the most unique white elephant exchange that I have participated in.  If you did not like your bag you still got the best gift of all and that was the run.

We all started out on the first 10 mile loop and soon separated into a fast pace group and a slower group that I was in.  Several others diverted away from the 10 mile loop but I did not keep track of where they ran. When I had talked to Joe Prusaitis about running the Bandera Race he recommended that I run the course before the event so that I could appreciate how beautiful Bandera was.  Joe said that the Bandera race was like Woodstock. The run this past Saturday was truly beautiful.  When we climed up the hills we got a view of the fire red oaks and the deep green cedars that was splendid.

I took several geology courses in college and when I was a kid and as an adult I have always loved exploring canyons studing rocks and rock formations.  Since I have started trail running I have a love hate relationship with rocks.  One thing that I am beginning to notice is that I am beginning to understand the Texas landscape by running trails and looking at rocks.  Usually in my rock exploration activities I am looking at rocks from a distance like in Monument Valley or the Grand Canyon.  When I take a closer look at rocks it was while walking.  Trail running is like watching text code stream across the screen in the movie the Matrix.  When I am running I am trying to see where the best place to place my size 13 shoe so that I can miss a sharp rock or twist my ankle.  While I am scanning the rocks I also notice the different colors and rock compositions and how they change.  One thing nice about Bandera is that the terrain changes so if you get bored with one type of terrain it will soon change.

Usually I start running a long run at a pace for a 10K which is too fast. Today I wanted to run at a sustainable pace. I know that my buddy Stephanie has run 50 mile races and I told her that when I am running behind her that I will not listen to her when she tells me to go ahead and get in front of her because I am faster.  Today I wanted to run smart so I told myself that I was going to run with Stephanie the whole run an see how it went.  I was also nursing my left knee which always gives me problems when I do not need them.  My left knee has a long history of injuries which started when I fell on it when I was about 28 while running across a bridge. I came down on it hard.  The second injury came in my late 40’s when I was playing basketball and I was hit by a line backer as I was going up for a jump shot.  I had all of my weight on my left leg when he hit me and my internal knee ligaments got stressed and stretched.  This injury was the first time that I had to wear a brace on my leg.  I was in it for about 6 months and it is the reason that I stopped running.

So I was running with a group of woman named Eva and Marsha and Stephanie lead by Henry.  I was paying particular attention to how fast we were running because I really need help with this aspect of my training.  We ran the down hills at about 9:30 minute miles.  We were running the flats at about 10-13 minute miles and we were walking the uphills at 14-15 minute miles.  Even though I ran less that half of the run that I will be doing at Bandera in January I finished feeling strong and not in any pain on my left knee.  My knee started to bother me at the end of the first 10 mile loop and I thought it was going to be a long painful afternoon but it did not get any worse.  My left knee has this personality that sometime it will nag me then when it gets warmed up it will just start behaving like my right knee. This was the case at about mile 17. The pain in the front of my left knee just when away and I was left with running with my normal fatigue.

When I finished the run it was 84 degrees.  I ran for about 6 hours.  I lost my group at the last water stop because I missed the turn on trail 9 when I should have gone on to trail 2C.  I was in the middle of this beautiful field or native grasses and I was yelling hello and listening to my echo.  I was not afraid of being lost I was in awe of the beautiful remoteness and calm quite that surrounded me.  I guess I have lived up to my BIC 2008 nick name, Space Cowboy.

I have made my goal of running 1,000 miles in one year.  When I started in January I had not enrolled myself in the idea of running 62 miles.  All I wanted to do was run around LBJ Lake and rack up the miles so that I could say that I ran 1,000 miles. Well much to my surprise I have made a lot of discoveries and friends along the way to running 1,000 miles in 2008.

1. Running on rocky trails is like feeling the force with a light saber in your hand and your eyes blindfolded.
2. Rocky trails are natures way of giving you the ultimate chance to do ballet tap dance and jazz all at once.
3. You can learn a lot about people by running two or three hours with them on a trail.
4. If you do not fuel your body on a long run the brain is the first thing to get cut off on energy.
5. I can run for over 8 hours but my Garmin 405’s battery can not.

For me setting goals is more about how I am being on the way to the goal instead of reaching the goal. I did not drag myself through 1,000 miles of running dreading the last 200 miles.  Last night I ran at night in Cedar Park.  I ran a 1.53 mile loop on Nelson Ranch Loop and enjoyed it.  I ran a slow lap at about 10 minutes per mile then a fast lap at 8:30 minute mile.  This was a 90 minute training run with no distance in the purpose.  I enjoyed running for the sake of running.  I ran 8.39 miles in 82 minutes.

Technical

Yesterday I ran from 7 AM to 4 PM and a distance of 37 miles.  This is the longest that I have run to date.  I ran in the Barton Greenbelt in Austin, Texas. The last time I attempted a long 30 mile training run I ran out of fuel and only completed 28 miles.  During that 28 mile run on 10/25/2008 I now know that the lack of fuel for my body directly affects the ability of my brain to focus on running.

There are several hurdles that I will overcome in my quest to do my 62 mile run at Bandera in January 2009. One of these hurdles was how to fuel my body on long runs.  During my run yesterday I tried Spiz for the first time.  I used Spiz exclusively for fuel with the exception of two handfuls of cashews and two sticks of dried sweetened papaya. The Spiz really helped because on my last lap at mile 30 from Zilker Park to the Hill of Life I was able to run the whole way with confidence and energy.  I only slowed my pace to go over the really rocky spots because I really wanted to finish without an injury to my tired feet.

I am using two bladders in my Nathan back pack.  I use the original Nathan bladder for 2.0 liters of water mixed with two scoops of Heed.  I also add a Camelback 1.5 liter bladder with water and 4 scoops of Spiz. My estimate is that I can run 15 miles with this fuel pack unsupported.

I also learned about Suceed S!Caps on this run. Roger Davis was the coach on this run.  At the first stop at Zilker Park at mile 17, he met us to see how we were doing.  He asked if anyone needed salt tablets.  He said that the lack of salt in your body prevents you from absorbing fluids.  I believe that the salt tablets are the missing link to my after event leg cramps.  I have done years of biking with distances of 100 miles and I have always relied on real food and no salt.  I always relied on Gatorade to replenish my elements.  A 100 mile bike ride takes me from 4 to 6 hours depending on the route and stops.  Running for 6 to 9 hours puts my body into a completely different realm of fueling needs.  I did notice that at the end of my run that my ring finger was not as large as it normally is so the salt tablets did help.

Psychological

OK, so what was I feeling while I was running?  I ran with the group in my class for 20 miles.  I was the only one in the group that was running the 35 mile training. It was really nice to be running with a pack of friends and chatting along the way.  I knew that my last 15miles would be lonely so I was planning to save my iPod for that leg of my run.

Running endurance races is a challenge.  I have come to understand that endurance running like any project takes planning.  Part of executing a project plan is being able to break the project up into smaller projects with a timeline.  I have started to do this with my runs.  Instead of looking at the whole distance when I start and getting overwhelmed I only look at the run in stages or loops.  

This run had three stages.  The first stage was a 9 mile loop down the Hill of Life and across the second dam at Barton Creek and then up the Hill of Death to the power Lines.  We continued on the power line trail until we hit the chain link fence.  we then turned around and headed back up to the Hill of Life. The second and third stages were from the Hill of Life down to Zilker Park and back.  Each stage for the Hill of Life to Zilker Park is 14 miles round trip.  I started the day thinking about running each stage and resting during my refueling.  

My first goal was that I wanted to complete this run in 7 hours, but it took me 9. My second goal was to see how long I could run on Spiz.  I wanted to see what my body would do during a long run. I am glad that I was able to gain access to the knowledge that my body can run for 9 hours and recover.  Today I am supposed to run 15 miles.  Currently I am wondering if I will be able to do it this evening.

At one point during my last stage from Zilker to the finish I felt like crying.  I had just past my 30 mile mark which meant that I was now running further than I had ever run.  It is amazing what you can do when you create the possibility that you can do it and you surround yourself with other people that can support your goals.  I am glad that the coaches and members of my Rogue Running class are all supportive in my efforts to attain my goals.  I also feel like I am supporting them with my positive attitude and efforts.  It really helps to be around people that are reaching out beyond what is probable to create what is possible. When I listen to people who complain about walking a mile the voice in my head tells me I am crazy for wanting to run 60 miles.  When I am around people that run 100 mile races the voice in my head suddenly gets really quite.

Enchanting

During my long runs I get ideas in my head.  I do not try to understand where they come from, I just enjoy them.  When I had my iPod on a song came on during my shuffle play, it was by Public Image Limited (PIL).  The song was Warrior.

So I was running through the canyons of Texas and I felt my Cherokee African ancestors running within me.  I felt my heart crying and laughing with joy at the energy and beauty that I felt running on the ground and rocks of Barton Creek.  I felt like I was a primal Aboriginal running in America before there were horses and the only way to get around was by running.  These are just some of the thoughts that go through my head when I am running.

I set my goal to run 1,000 miles in 2008. so far I am averaging 91 miles a month. I have run a total of 918 miles this year. In September I ran 137 miles. In October I ran 122 miles. My longest run so far is the 30 mile trail race that I did on October 18 in Palo Duro Canyon.

I am getting comfortable running trails at night with my green flashlight. I can comfortably run 10 miles in about 2 hours. A 10k (6.2 miles) run is just a warm up run for me now.

What I am dealing with now is how to get fuel into my body at mile 25.  I have been experimenting with eating PPJs, protien fruit smoothies and gels, but they do not last.  I am going to try a product called Spiz next.  I have placed an order with a local doctor and I will get it next week.