Feeling Too Good is Dangerous to My Health

A thought on the evening of Sunday, August 9th:
"It's only been a week since the 100 miler...I expected to feel much worse."
A thought on the evening of Sunday, August 16th, one week later:
"I feel much worse."
The thing with running your first 100 miler is that you also get to experience your first recovery from a 100 miler. The first week was about what I had expected, general soreness and stiffness, and a lack of energy. By the end of the week, I was beginning to loosen up and run without much pain. In my addled little mind, I decided I was mostly recovered. Hey, I observed that Mark fully recovers from a 100 miler in roughly 15 and 20 minutes, so couldn't I be ready to run hard again after a full week? So, I canned my recovery plan and went right into 'training for Akron Marathon' mode. Are you wondering how that played out for me? Here is the recap of what should have been week 2 of my recovery.

The week started inauspiciously, with a moderate 6 mile lunch time run in Independence. In anticipation of speed work on Tuesday, I concentrated on trying to open my stride which was still a bit compressed. On Tuesday, after work, I started my warm-up with a slow mile from home to the Solon High School track, and added another mile and half. Some of the regulars were not there, but I did talk with E-speed and Nicole. E asked me if I wanted to pace her at the Perfect 10 Miler on Sunday. She said she was targeting around 6:30 pace. I gave it a non-committal, "I'll see how I feel and let you know." As usual, before doing my mile repeats I ran 6 x 100 yard stride-outs. I increased my level of effort with each, starting with about a 60% and running the last at about 85%.
I toed the line for my first mile, with one goal...keeping it under 6 minutes so it would not be a total embarrassment. Wayne called out the start, and we were off. It was a very thin field, just Mark and I. I actually didn't feel bad for the first lap, my breathing was good and stride was opening up. The second lap was more difficult. My stride was good, but I was having trouble keeping the turnover. Midway through the third lap, I was thinking I would not be able to finish the mile, maybe not even the lap. I tried to concentrate on staying on my mid-foot, keeping a slight forward lean. I made it through that lap, and I don't remember much of the forth lap except that I was trying to stay as close as possible to Mark. On the backstretch, I felt the nausea creeping up my throat. I held it together, and since Mark was taking it easy we crossed the line together. 5:23.68 I kept moving, barely, hoping that the urge to throw-up would pass. It did. And I thought about what had just happened. The fastest mile I have run since in easily 30 years. Where did that come from?
We took a little longer than normal to recover from that first mile, then started the second mile. I knew within the first 100 yards that my second mile was going to be a struggle. I had used it all up in the first mile. I could not hang on to Mark, and fought hard just to hold a 2:45 after two laps. The third and fourth laps were, well, quite unpleasant. I finished with a 5:40, and believe me that could have been much worse. Again, I felt like tossing my lunch but kept moving until the nausea passed. After trying to recover for the third mile, I told Mark I was done. I did a couple of slow miles and headed home.
Wednesday was a nearly idyllic frolic in the woods. I reran a section of the BR100, starting at Alexander Road. Not as much fun as the last time I was there, but still a good run.
On Thursday, I went to the North Chagrin Reservation for the Twilight Trail 8k. The race has an unusual format. Instead of everyone starting together and sex/age group awards being given based on finishing time, the starts are staggered based on sex/age. Because of that, there are no age group awards. First through third men and women across the finish line win. There is also a two-runner team competition. I ran it in 32:32 and was the first man across the finish, so I took home the $60 prize money. Nice. E-speed and her friend Nicole won the women's team competition.

Feeling the effects of a tough track Tuesday and race Thursday, I ran a moderate paced 6.7 miles through Glen Willow after work on Friday. Saturday was a beautiful morning and I arrived a little early to run a warm-up mile or so with Wyatt before the rest of the Lock 29 group started. We did a comfortably paced 11.4 miles, then Wayne decided it had been too comfortable. He commented that, back in the day, we used to run hard for the last mile, and this group had gotten soft. Paul was the first to bite, separating from the group and picking up the pace. Then Mike R. took off and passed him. I caught Paul and said, "We have to catch him", so we really picked up the pace. The three of us covered the last mile at a 5:45 pace.

That set the stage for a very tough Sunday. At the track on Tuesday and again at the race on Thursday, E-speed had asked if I might pace her at the Perfect 10 Miler. I said I would have to see how I felt in a few days. On Sunday morning, Wyatt and I met at Jeff's house at 6:00 AM and ran the five miles to Brush High School, where the race would start. I was surprised by the humidity and heat so early in the day, tough conditions for a race. Wyatt was registered to run, but Jeff and I were just going on as bandits, using it as a tempo run.
I talked with E's coach and he told me how he wanted me to pace her. Go out fast, 6:20 pace or lower, then back off and eventually average out at 6:30 for the ten miles, which would be a 1 hour 5 minute finish. I found her near the start, and within a few minutes we were off and running.
The first few miles were fast, 6:16 and 6:20 I believe. We backed off a little and by the half way point, we were right on the 6:30 average. After 5.5 miles, I peeled off and retraced the route for a few miles, looking for my sister-in-law Lisa who said she would be running the race. I didn't find her, and I rejoined E between the 7 and 8 mile marks. She was looking strong, and I just tried to keep her on pace for her target finish. We were passed by Tracy M. who was really running strong, but she couldn't pull away and we passed her again within a half mile or so. When we approached the stadium for the finish, I peeled off and E ran the last few hundred yards to cross the finish within seconds of her target time. Well done on a tough, hot morning.

After a little break to watch some of my other running buddies finish, Jeff, Wyatt, and I ran back to Jeff's house. That run was tough for both Wyatt and I. Jeff had been smart about his tempo run, backing off at points to give himself some rest, so he seemed fresher. I was totally tanked by the last mile, the cumulative effect of the race, plus 100 miler 2 weeks earlier, and a week in which I pretended I didn't need to back off and recover from that 100 miler. Thankfully, we were able to shower at Jeff's house, then catch up with Sue and Lisa and friends Alex and Chris for breakfast at the Original Pancake House. Great food, and lots of it, but much too long a wait for it. The rest of the day Sunday, I couldn't get the energy to do much of anything.

Burning River 100 Mile Photos - Still no race report

I apologize to anyone who might want to read a race report, but I have been hesitant to try to write one. Maybe after a little more time, I'll attempt it, but for now, at least I have these photos to share.

The start at Squires Castle in Willoughby Hills, at 5:00 AM on Saturday. The beginning of an amazing adventure.

Early in the day, running with Patrick McGlade. He told me about his plan to run across the country, 26.2 miles a day, from California to Georgia. Good Luck, Patrick! He ran a great race and ended up 5th overall.

Approaching Alexander Road Station, 31 miles into the race and my left ankle was making me regret every step. That pain started at about 12 miles and continued until about 36 miles. My lower back was starting to ache, probably because of the fuel belt which I typically do not wear.

Between Alexander and Station Bridge, approximately 34 miles. At Alexander aid station, I decided that the fuel belt had to go. I grabbed a water bottle in each hand and ditched the belt. Running without the fuel belt did reduce my back pain.

Station Bridge aid station, mile 37. I had a couple of PBJ's and refilled my water bottles with Heed. From there, it was a very hot run on the tow path where there was very little shade to the Carriage Trail loop, then back on the towpath

Creek crossing in Brecksville, around 44 miles. I was feeling OK here, having run through the ankle pain and back ache. Of course, a few miles after this came my biggest screw-up of the day. I lost the trail, and lost about 45 minutes retracing my path to try to find it.

Boston store aid station, mile 56. Sue is waiting to hear what I need, but I am just too busy shoving watermelon into my mouth to talk.

At the Pine Hollow aid station (mile 75.1) with Paul Romanic, my pacer for miles 60.6 through 81.6. It was good to see Tim McGinty here (he took this photo.) He would pace me from Merriman Road (mile 93.5) to the finish (mile 101.2). Paul did a great job, reminding me to keep trying to pick up the pace, and keeping us on the trail in the dark when it is so easy to make a wrong turn. Thanks Paul.

Crossing the finish line on a hundred miler feels approximately 4 times better than crossing the finish lines at a marathon.

Just after crossing the finish line, with my pacer for the final 10 miles, Tim McGinty. (Thanks for taking me in, Tim!)

Done, having some coffee and waiting for Chef Bill Bailey and his crew to fire up the griddles and make breakfast. Thankfully, no one took a photo of me laying on the stoop in front of a store in the plaza, looking like a homeless guy.

Burning River 100 Runner Tracking

If you are interested in checking my progress, you can go to the Burning River 100 Webcast page. I have bib number 71, and I think the runners will be listed by name as well, so you should be able to find me. The race starts on Saturday 8/1 at 5:00 AM. This is not a road race, so there will not be RFID chips and automatic data collection devices. The times posted will be accurate, but the updates will not occur immediately. The aid station personnel will use their cell phones to tell the website administrator when runners arrive at their stations. The web admin will periodically update the web page.

Burning River Preparation

In preparing for this 100 miler, I've had to make decisions about what is essential enough that I need to carry it with me, and what can be left in drop bags at various points along the route. I have decided that I will wear a fuel belt with the following:

• 32 ounces of Heed
• S-Caps
  
• Endurolytes
• Gels (a few)
• Cliff and/or Mojo bars (one or two)
  
• A small amount of medical tape/band aids/toilet paper in a plastic bag.
  

At each aid station, I'll top-off my Heed and replace any items I've used along the way. Everything else I'll need will have to be in my drop bags.


I have been gathering and staging the supplies that I'll need for the eight drop bags I'll leave at various aid stations. I've talked with some of the more experienced 100 miler veterans like Mark Godale, Connie Gardner, and Wyatt Hornsby to insure that I don't neglect any essential. Each bag will contain:

• Lubricant (Body Glide or Vaseline)
• Medical tape and gauze
• Band Aids
• Antiseptic
  
• High caloric eat-and-run food like Cliff Bars and Mojo Bars.
  
• High protein food like beef jerky
• S-Caps
  
• Endurolytes
  
• Dried ginger (in case I need something to soothe my stomach)
  
• Sports/energy drink other than Heed (I'll be carrying Heed in my fuel belt, and refilling at the aid stations, so I'll want something different in my drop bags. I am packing coconut water and maybe another alternative.)
  
• Dry socks

Additionally, some drop bags will also have some fresh clothing in case I need to change:

• Shirt
• Shorts
• Cap
• Shoes (in case I want to change because I am getting blisters or just want a dry pair)
  
• Spare sunglasses

I will also have one bag stocked with my supplies which I'll need as day turns to night, and it gets cooler. I'll need to calculate the appropriate aid station at which to drop this one since I don't want to carry this stuff any longer than I need to, but I want to be sure to have it when the sun and the temperatures go down. This bag will have the following additional items:

• Long-sleeve shirt
  
• Head lamp and flashlight
  
• Spare batteries (in the bags after this point as well)
  

Still working out the particulars but I should be able to start packing my bags soon.

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Recap of the Last 2 Weeks

Very little of note in the prior two weeks. The week of the 13th, I was easing down the miles for the BT50k on Saturday of that week. I still had a solid speed workout on Tuesday of that week with mile intervals of 5:35, 5:42,and 5:35. The rest of the week was light mileage until the race on Saturday. The Sunday after the BT, I ran the Solon 8 mile with the SERC group rather than the 12 mile , but I was not hurting as bad as I had expected. I was more bothered by the muscle tightness. I did only 6 miles on Monday, trying to get loose. Tuesday at the track was interesting. I was not mentally or physically ready for hard 1 mile repeats, but I forced myself into the first one. Mark G. really helped pull me along, as I tried to keep close enough that I wasn't embarrassed. I ran a 5:31, the fastest mile I have done in 25 years. The last lap hurt and the last 100 was worse. I ran an 800 after than, but kept the aggressive pace with a 2:42. I was feeling about lifeless after than, but couldn't go home without one more mile, and surprised myself with a 5:37. I had trouble with nausea after that. I did a very slow recovery lap before my stomach was OK again. Back on the trails on Saturday, feeling good, if not exactly perky. Sunday, I did about 12 miles on the bike and 12.5 with the SERC group.

Buckeye Trail 50k Report

Before I start, I want to address my apparent inability to listen to very reasonable advice. I was supposed to be running this as a training run, not racing it. I was going to go for a time of about 5 hours and 30 minutes, which still would have been faster than my target pace for the Burning River 100 miler in two weeks, but would have been slow enough to allow me to recover. A few days before, when the trails were still dry and fast, I checked and found that the Grand Masters (over 50) record for the course was 4:41:32 (Jeff Ubersax). At that point, the weather had been dry for about a week and the trails were dry and fast. I figured I might never get such a good opportunity again, so why not go for the record. Unfortunately, rain Friday and Saturday morning changed the trails from dry and fast to muddy and slippery, making that record safe for another year. No matter, I decided to let it fly and see how close I could come to it.

I arrived at the Oak Grove pavilion at 6:15 AM. I brought two pairs of shoes but I knew already which I was going to wear, my new Inov-8 RocLites. These are legitimate trail shoes, made for providing better grip in just the kind of slippery conditions we were facing. It was a bit of a gamble since I just got them a few days before the race, and ran a total of four miles in them. My other option, a 500 mile old pair of Nike LunarTrainers, might have been my choice on a dry day, but on wet trails, they provide traction equivalent to bedroom slippers on Teflon. One other decision I made just a few minutes before the race was to ditch my fuel belt. I found Vince the RD and confirmed that there would be Heed at each of the aid stations, so I decided that I did not need to carry my own.

I met up with some of my SERC buddies, did a little warm-up run, and made one last trip to the mens' room. By then, the race was ready to start, unfortunately, my Garmin was not. I had turned it on, but but it was still struggling to lock on to the satellites when the starter sent us off. It was .24 miles into the race before it started recording. I know it was .24 because I was running with Zach Lewis whose Garmin was on from the start.


This is the part of every race report where I say that I realized I was going out far too fast. My target pace was about 9:04/mile, but my first two miles were 7:41 and 8:05. Granted, these were more runnable portions of the course, but that was mostly due to adrenaline. I was able to dial it down and get under control after that, although the hills may have had something to do with that. I was running the shorter and/or less steep hills, but power-walking the steepest hills. Long stretches of the trails were just wet but not very muddy, but most of the low-lying trails were mucky with fresh mud. My strategy became 'just make it through the mud, so you can run the better trails'. The Invo8s were proving to be a very smart decision. They provided good traction through the wet dirt, hung on to my feet through the shoe-sucking mud, and were still light enough to allow me to run the clear stretches. I was loving my Inov8s.

I was making good time and actually feeling very good as I came through aid station at Snowville Road, about the 6 mile mark. I drank about 8 ounces of Heed (2 half-full paper cups), grabbed a couple of PBJ sandwich quarters, thanked everyone and moved out quickly. My absolute rule in this race was drink at every opportunity, and take an electrolyte pill every 20 minutes. The 3 miles between Snowville and Boston store flew by so fast, I didn't even realize until I came down the hill and out onto the road. As I crossed the bridge, I heard E-speed shouting my name. Here is a photo she took of me chugging toward the aid station.

Again, as was my routine for the day, I shouted for Heed and PBJs as I approached, and the volunteers had them ready for me. I drank two more cups of Heed, took another electrolyte pill, ate a couple of PBJ quarters, then thanked everyone and ran on.

I climbed the big hill after Boston store, and ran root-filled stretch of trail called the Pines. It was not much further between mile 13 and 14 that I encountered the lead runner, Mike Seymore, running past me going the other direction. He had already made the turn and was heading back. About 50 yards behind him was Mark Godale. As he approached, a gray coyote dashed across the path between us. He gave me a quick look over his shoulder and vanished into the brush.

I reached the Pine Lane aid station, the half-way point, at about 2 hours and 16 minutes, even faster that the target I had set when the trails were dry, and much faster than I should have under the current conditions. I grabbed my PBJs, Heed, and electrolyte, and did a quick assessment of my condition. My legs were only OK, feeling some of the effects of 15 plus miles of mud, but no pain and no injuries. I had been eating and drinking faithfully, so my energy level was good. I was not tired. All considered, I was in good condition to run a strong second half. Here is a photo taken as I approached the aid station.

I began encountering runners heading toward me as I ran the back half. At first, just a few here and there, but after a few miles, it seemed like there were groups of runners every hundred yards. Most of the time, they gave way to let me through, but not all of the runners knew the protocol. Some were newbies, and they didn't realize they were supposed to yield to the returning runners, so there were a few awkward moments. I made it back for my second pass through the Pines, then back down and through the Boston store aid station again. You know the routine by now...PBJ, Heed, electrolyte, thanks, bye...the trail running equivalent of "Wham, Bam, Thank you Maam".
Last year, it was on the big hill just after Boston that my leg cramps started, and the worry was in my head as I began that climb. This year, I had no indications, not a hint of a cramp. I ran for a while with Patrick Fisher and Beth Woodward, the current woman's record holder for the course. Both of them were running strong. We played cat and mouse for the next five or six miles, taking turns passing each other and being passed. Eventually, Patrick dropped off the pace, and it was Beth and I running together for a few more miles.

By the second pass through Snowville aid station, the fatigue was beginning to tell on my legs. My pace on the more runnable sections was not as fast as on the way out. I could not get the leg turn-over I needed to to make up for the slower pace in the muddy areas as I had been doing. I realized that I was about a minute or more of the time I needed to break the Grand Master course record, and worse, I was getting slower not faster. Still, most important, there we no cramps or even early warning twinges. So I pressed on, hoping a second wind might come and allow me to get back on pace for the record.

The last six miles were nothing more than a gut check. I was beginning to struggle, the mud seemed deeper, the hills higher. I began marking time by looking for familiar landmarks, a creek crossing, a opening in the woods, anything to tell me I was getting closer to the finish. I continued to drink at every opportunity, and take my electrolytes. There were no more aid stations, but there were jugs of water stashed every three miles or so, that allowed me to keep hydrated. Finally, I came upon a sign that said '1 Mile to Finish'. This gave me a tremendous lift. I checked the time, and calculated that I had no chance at the record, I was off by a couple of minutes. Still, I felt great that I was that close to it on a day when the trails were not fast. Despite the fact that the leg cramps had not hit me, I knew they might at any time. I picked up the pace as much as I could, and began ticking off the familiar twists and turns. Finally, I emerged from the woods and ran the remaining quarter mile on the road leading to the finish. When I crossed the line, the clock read 4;44:13, 2 minutes and fifty seconds shy of the record, but nearly an hour (57 minutes) faster than my BT50k time last year.

I got a kiss from Sue, and my medal from Vince, although in the state I was in that could have been the other way around and I might not have known. I walked around for a while, got some food and drink, and rinsed the mud off my legs with some help from Sue. I found Mark and Kam, both looking as bad as I felt. Eventually, Sue and I found our way to the car and headed home.

Running Well

It was a good week, full of good runs. Monday was a very easy 8 mile recovery run, but Tuesday I picked up the pace and mileage. I ran a quick 6 miles at lunch, then did my track workout to add another 8.5 miles after work. After a couple of warm-up miles, and 6 x 100 stride-outs, I ran 3 x 1 mile repeats at 5:42, 5:49, 5:42. Not my best but certainly getting back into the range. I knew I was pressing because the nausea at the end of each mile told me so.
On Wednesday I ran a night trail run with Paul R. and Dave P., sort of a test run to check out how I would handle the post sunset portion of the Burning River 100. I wore my Petzl LED headlamp and carried a small flashlight (actually the removable LED headlight from my bike.) What did I learn? Well, my headlamp does not give enough light by itself, so the hand held flashlight is good idea. The flashlight was actually more useful because the beam was lower and at a better angle to the ground to reveal rocks and tree roots. Also, even with the hand held, I found that you don't get nearly as much reaction time. I naturally shortened my stride to allow for this. Looking up in the trees for the blazes can be tricky because you cannot take your eyes of the ground in front of you for too long. I found that I had to slow to a walk at times to get my bearings. And, because of these issues, you pace is slower even though you may be working just as hard. You just cannot cover as much ground at night. What else...oh, bugs are more of a problem, starting at twilight and into the early night. Thanks to Paul for bringing some spray. It was a successful run, and I did become comfortable with night running. Dave and Paul made it lots of fun. (You get into some weird conversations at night on the trails.)
Thursday I worked an abbreviated tempo run, 8.5 miles total, but only 4 of those at pace, averaging about 6:40. Friday was a recovery 6 miler. On Saturday, a group of us ran the first part of the Buckeye Trail 50k course, from Oak Grove to Snowville Road. It was a good morning, and after running the out portion at a moderate pace, some of use really picked it up on the return. It turned out to be a more aggressive run than I had planned, but it felt good. After that, I was determined to make Sunday a slower run, especially with the race only a week away. OK, so that was the plan. As it worked out, I did 11.44 miles at 7:29 pace. Not exactly taking it slow and easy. Total miles for the week: 72.

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Based on advice from many running friends, I am going to try to run the BT50k this Saturday as a training run for the Burning River 100 Mile Run, rather than run it all out. Wyatt in particular has been very emphatic that I need to go into the BR100 as strong, and the BT50k on top of three marathons in two months, will take too much out of me.

Week of June 29 - Ramping-up (or down) for Buckeye Trail 50k

I have not had much down time in the first few months of the racing season with three marathons, a half-marathon, and some shorter distance races to fill the gaps, and the most demanding month is still to come. In less than two weeks, I have the Buckeye Trail 50k , followed by the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Race two weeks later. I am just trying to stay healthy and avoid an injury.
Seattle was the most difficult road marathon course I have run, and the compounded effects of Boston, Cleveland, and Seattle over a two month span have me feeling less than 100%. The week after Seattle was filled with mostly slow paced recovery runs in the 8 mile range. I did get a sloggy trail run of about 8.5 miles on Thursday, but other wise only easy runs until Sunday. The Sunday run with the SERC group was the first time I did anything that caused me to push. I ran a nice 12 miler at a 7:29 pace.
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On Tuesday and Wednesday in Seattle, I ran in the Mercer Slough Nature Park, a small by beautiful preserve which includes wetlands and a blueberry farm. I found that I could run about 7 miles without repeating any trails. Here are a few photos.

Since the park was largely in a slough area, there were some areas where boardwalks were required.


This is an abandoned house that was just off the trail. It is in the swamp, filled with water.


The flora and fauna were different that I am used to in Ohio. There were quite a few of these leafy plants, but I do not know what they are called. I did see a variety of birds, including lots of Cedar Waxwings that seem to have been attracted by the berries.