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.
- Running on rocky trails is like feeling the force with a light saber in your hand and your eyes blindfolded.
- Rocky trails are natures way of giving you the ultimate chance to do ballet tap dance and jazz all at once.
- You can learn a lot about people by running two or three hours with them on a trail.
- If you do not fuel your body on a long run the brain is the first thing to get cut off on energy.
- 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.
I ran my first 50K trail run this past weekend. It is the longest run that I have done in my life. I ran from 7 AM in the morning until 2:44 PM. My total time on the course was 6 hours and 44 minutes.
The run started in the dark. I was really excited to do this run. My friend Stephanie had told me that this trail run was really cool. When we started out of the starting gate it took about a quarter of a mile before we could all start running. It was a congested group of runners with flashlights and head lamps shuffling along down a path that got narrower and narrower until it was single track. For a few seconds I felt like I was in the crowed exiting ACL on Sunday night.
As we ran through the early pre-dawn I was in awe of how the colors of the canyon walls started to slowly fill with color. I was running with a green flashlight and I felt like Flash the Green Lantern as I hopped and danced over an occasional rock on the red dirt trail. I only hoped to have this much energy at mile 25.
I ran the first six mile loop without any effort. I was amazed that I had just completed a 10K and did not break a sweat. The conditions for the run were just perfect. It was not too hot or too cold and the sky was clear. The trail was moist from several inches of rainfall. There were some muddy spots but I did not get any mud on my shoes during the run.
There many signs along the trail. One of the ones that I really got was
Adversity does not build character, Adversity reveals character
I got loopy at about mile 25. I felt my feet hurting and I started to walk up really low hills. I felt like stopping. I kept running towards my last visit to the los locos senoras aid station. My first trip through I did not stop to appreciate the disco music. After I ran the down and back loop as I approached the aid station the third time I heard the music and I told myself to lighten up and I started to dance my way into the aid station. One thing that I started to realize as I ran was that it is really easy to focus on what is wrong with your tired body, but it takes a good positive attitude to keep running.
I was about three miles from the finish when I met a girl that was walking in the opposite direction away from the finish. I recognized her because I had passed her earlier because she had run the 20k. She told me that I was almost finished and that there was only one mile to go. I knew that this was not true, but I made my body believe it. I knew that I was about 2 miles from the finish but I decided that I would run really fast until I crossed the finish line. I remembered the speed training that I had done in August with RunTex and how I ran from mile zero to the Barton Creek Bridge and back really fast. I thought that this would be a chance to do a stress run so I started to build up my speed.
I finished the race strong, but I was really tired when I sat down. I was really inspired to cheer on all of the 50 mile runners as they passed by as I watched. It took me a half an hour to get my shoes and socks off. My leg muscles were almost cramping. I was glad that they held out for the 30 miles.
I am training for Bandera 100k Trail Race in January so this is why I am running this race in Palo Duro. I have been preparing for endurance running since last year. Currently my longest run is 20.36 miles. When I was in my forum the leader, Steve Zaffron was 70 years old and he was doing 100 mile runs in the Rockies. His goal was to be the strongest man for his age. This really inspired me.
I had stopped running in my early thirties because of knee injuries. I am 56 years old now. I had been telling myself that I could not run. So after Landmark Education training I started creating some possibilities and my life was being transformed. There were several areas that Landmark provided me with tools to make my life fulfilling. I transformed relationships at work, home and with my children, but I wanted more. I wanted to really challenge myself to do something that I had no way of figuring out how to do it except that I was going to take a big leap of faith and say that I wanted to do it. My goal is to run 100 miles.
When I started running again in February 2005 I did not have the idea that I would want to run. I actually got involved with an exercise program at work through the Cancer Association Active For Life. HT got a RunTex coach to come on campus to help several faculty and staff prepare for a 5k race that would benefit HT. I was planning on walking the event. What happened in the next few months was amazing, I got a pair of shoes and with the coaches help I started running.
My co-worker Stephanie Bond-Huie and I started running during lunch last year. She was training for this 50 mile trail race. At the time I could barely keep up with her on a four mile run. She was very encouraging with me and told me that I would love trail running if I would only try it. I thought she was nuts but I was inspired by her determination to run 50 miles. Well this year I signed up for the Rouge Running Trail 101 class. The prerequisite was to be able to run 6 miles without stopping. I spent the winter running loops around LBJ lake so I was very comfortable in running 10 miles without stopping. After running on a trail for the first time I was so excited that I could not contain myself. I thought to myself that I have gone all of my life walking on hiking trails and I never thought once to run on them.
I entered my first 10k trail race called The Saint and I ran it in 1 hour. I placed 102 out of 232 10k runners. I entered my second 10k race, a road race the Nike Human Race which I finished in 53 minutes. At the start of this year I made a goal to run 1,000 miles in one year. Currently I am at mile 767.27.
Now I am in a trail training class to run 100k at Bandera. When I signed up for the class I could not imagine how I would run 62 miles. I have never even run a Marathon of 26 miles. Once again I am using Landmark tools to create a gap or breakdown and then work towards creating a bridge to get across it. Along the way I am meeting new friends and getting a lot of knowledge about how my body works. One thing that I know is that when you hang out with people that say you cannot do something and you also tell yourself that you cannot do it then you most likely will have a tough time doing it. When you hang out with people who are doing amazing things and they encourage you to do amazing things then you will have an easier time accomplishing whatever you want. I am running with men and women of all shapes and sizes and they have one thing in common, they love endurance running. My trail coach is 55 years old and his wife is about 50. They both have run several 100 mile races.
So on Friday October 17 my wife and I will hit the road in our Dodge Cumins diesel and haul our 5th wheel Grand Junction to Palo Duro before. We plan to arrive dark and enjoy the pre race pasta dinner. I will start my run at 7 AM on Saturday. The course will be open for 7 hours. I am running 2 12.5 mile laps and one 6 mile lap. I run about 10 minute miles for 10 miles so I may average 13-15 minutes for the 30 miles. Stephanie tells me that the race crowd is pretty laid back. The canyon is beautiful so I will see the floor of the canyon for 30 miles on Saturday. We will hang out on Sunday and start back to Austin on Monday.