The Hardrock Quandary

I had planned to spend a light summer of trail running while cross-training on the bike and focusing on corework. You know, all the stuff that most of us ultra-runners seem to ignore. Around mid-July the realization that I no longer have a Hardrock qualifier for next year's lottery means that my quest to run Hardrock 100 has come to an end. After talking with my long time friend and equally unsuccessful HR entrant Chris Fall, he convinced me to reconsider. Here is my thought process about the possibility of pulling off a 100-mile trail race in time to qualify for the Hardrock 100 lottery for 2015.

 

I have entered the lottery the past four years. I had 8 tickets in the 2014 lottery and next year would have 16 if I had a valid qualifying race. I could have started trying sooner and bettered my chances of getting selected to the point that I probably would have been drawn by now. My first 100-mile finish was Western States in 2006 which was considered a qualifier at that time. I was afraid of Hardrock in 2007 and 2008. I only had two hundreds under my belt, the second one being Wasatch in 2007. Hardrock is considered a post-graduate run and I was only in my second year of school preceded by an early dropout at Angeles Crest in 2003. I couldn't fathom trying something that difficult that early in my 100-mile career. Then I read some race reports and eventually traveled to Silverton, Colorado to help Bob Bachani with his race in 2009. Last year I paced him for the last 40 miles during his third finish whcih awarded him his Post-Doctorate of Distance. I've also trained on many of the trails and seen about 65% of the course. I'm not afraid anymore.

After last year's Leadville finish I should have had two years of eligibility in the lottery good through 2015. The HR Board determined that Leadville would no longer be a qualifier and allowed those of us who finished in 2013 to use it for only one year. Kind of a bullshit move if you ask me. I don't have a problem with removing Leadville but to take away a year of lottery eligibility was unnecessary. My quandary is that I would need another qualifier this year instead of backing off for a year and taking it easy; which is what I've been doing so far this summer. I basically had written off the HR post-graduate accomplishment and decided to move on although it still bothered my soul.

Now as Hardrock weekend approaches and I am sitting it out in Tucson it has occurred to me that I have put too much effort and sacrifice into making this happen to let it go. To throw it away just to start over with one ticket a couple of years from now makes no sense. How can I accomplish the seemingly impossible task of running an HR qualifier between now and December 1^st?

First of all, there are very few qualifying runs left. My only two options are on the same weekend of September 27^th. Bear 100 traverses the Northern Wasatch Range near the border of Utah and Idaho north of Salt Lake City starting in Logan. I finished Bear in 2009 coming off a torn hamstring four months earlier. I power hiked all of my training and had a goal of 34 hours, 2 hours under the 36 hour cut-off. I managed some light running on downhills but stuck mainly to the hiking plan and finished in just over 30 hours including a 30-minute nap. Bear is a beautiful course especially in the fall when the leaves are turning color and only one state away from Arizona for travel purposes.

The other race is much closer to home and starts in Pine, Arizona north of Payson. The Mogollon Monster is run along many of the Mogollon Rim trails and is actually 106 miles in length. A good portion of the route is on trails that I have run during my 5 Zane Grey 50-mile finishes. The race cost is $235 and I would have to complete 8 hours of volunteer work between now and then. The major plus to this option is that I can drive up there and not incur nearly the travel costs of going to Utah. Plus I could more easily get a pacer to go with me. I believe the obvious answer is to stay nearer to home and hug the Monster.

My biggest conundrum is how I get ready to attempt this feat in two and a half months with some level of confidence that I can finish in the 36-hour cutoff. Another problem is convincing my wife Trish that this is something that makes any sense at all. We've had some recent discussions and determined that running 100 miles maybe isn't the best thing for one's health. I can't deny that I have looked like death warmed over for up to a week after some of my 100-mile finishes. I think that after learning some lessons about taking care of myself during the event I have fared much better afterwards. I believe that being realistic about my current ability and accepting that 3 miles an hour from the start is the proper thing to do will lead to a successful finish.

For now I am going to plan a couple of longish (30-40 miles) mountainous trail run/hikes between now and Labor Day weekend. That gives me 3 available training weekends. I have National Guard drill on two other weekends between now and then so those are out. I could go back-to-back days on a couple of weekends and plan one overnighter. The whole goal here is to finish the 106 miles with no time goals except meeting the cut-offs and gaining my qualifier. I would have to try and not only stay awake all night but for another 12 hours the next day; excellent Hardrock training by the way.

I have to admit that the mountains are a part of who I am. The challenge of getting out there all day and night in the weather and amongst the natural beauty is something I cannot just walk away from. I am going to give myself until after Labor Day weekend to make my decision on this. Any thoughts…encouragement…stupid…crazy…impossible...are greatly appreciated.

Your Inner Dialogue; Processing Negativity

Training and racing are physically and mentally taxing. This is especially true when performed during a progressive training schedule leading to a goal event. Inner dialogue is something we all deal with and hopefully find a way to channel the negative thoughts into positive results. It’s not easy and it’s not usually pretty. I beat my brain up many times from convincing myself to keep going and sometimes just to get started in the first place. Many times it’s repetitious mind games that cycle through our heads which turn into mantras. Sometimes it takes awhile and sometimes it doesn’t always lead to success. The key is to always come back even if you take a break. Never completely give up; you will never forgive yourself.

Here are three recent examples of problems that I have dealt with and their outcomes.

 

Setting – 9am Wednesday morning:  I look out the living room window and see the neighbor’s flag waving at a 45 degree angle east to west; temperature gage says 51.3. What's that...like 30 degree windchill factor? It’s time to take the dogs for their daily walk and ball throwing of 20 minutes before I go out on my daily run. It’s also my warm-up walk. I’m bundled up with a jacket, scarf, long pants, stocking cap and gloves.  I head out the door with two leashes and two dogs.

Inner Dialogue – Brrrrrrrr…f**k…do the treadmill today…only ran 5.5 miles yesterday…got to do 8x400...not on the treadmill. Did 6x400 last week…need to make progress...10x400 next week...can't skip this week. I could go tomorrow…the wind’s only 5-10 mph and the sun’s breaking through a bit. What if it’s windier tomorrow, then I’m screwed…got to go today. I can run them downhill with a crosswind…could also run east to west, wind at my back…recover into the wind. I don’t need this shit…speed kills. The trees are moving, this sucks…got to go today…f**k!

(Repeat three times and then put on shorts and T-shirt, Garmin GPS watch, sunglasses, hat on backwards and head out the door.)

Result – Ran 3.5 mile warm-up, half of it into the wind and was chilly. Started the 400s at the top of a mile-long gradual downhill and turned around and ran up the grade on the recoveries. I need as much help on leg turnover as I can get. The extra momentum provided by the downgrade lifted my spirits so I pushed harder. I finished with a half-mile cool-down and walked into the house sweating and feeling good.

 

Setting – Leadville 100, mile 43 going up Hope Pass outbound: I left Twin Lakes, mile 39 aid station over half an hour ago. I’m almost halfway up the ascent to Hope Pass. I’ve never done this race before. I paced a buddy last year on the last 24 miles in the dark. It appears to be the easiest of the 100-mile Hardrock qualifiers. The course has a lot of runnable surface except for Hope Pass, twice. I need a qualifier to enter the Hardrock lottery. Training went well leading up to the race. We flew in two days before the race; not too much recent acclimatization to the elevation. I’ve been on what I think is a conservative plan this far into the race and still flirting with the sub 25-hour buckle.

Inner Dialogue – This sucks…(stop on switchback, bend over, grab knees, gasp, look down below and see a train of runners in various states of fatigue)…I’m never doing a 100-miler again…at least not a mountain 100…(continue plodding). What’s that sound? Funny…someone’s puking…poor bastard…my quads are blown…not even halfway. Is that thunder? Shit…the weather over Hope usually sucks…no rain though…no lightning…where’s the lightning? Man, just one close lightning strike…not enough to kill me…just end my race, concussion maybe…not my fault, can’t blame me…I tried. (Stop, bend over, gasp, gasp). Is that Hopeless aid station? That’s not topout!…f’ing liars. Wow! It’s sunny, no rain, no lightning, damn, I have to keep going…no excuses. It’s all good.

 

Result – I finished the race almost 4 hours slower than my goal. Coming up Hope Pass from the other side was worse than the outbound side. I got back to Twin Lakes, mile 61 aid station coming back at sunset over an hour slower than my pre-race plan. My quads were shot but I did a lot of walking in training and put myself in gear and walked the remaining 39 miles. Got my Hardrock qualifier.

 

Setting – Ran this morning for the fourth day in a row; heading to the gym in the late afternoon for weights and core-work: I’m working night-shift temporarily and have been on a new workout regimen. I run every morning before lunch Monday through Friday and take physical training time later at work to do a second workout. I alternate days with upper-body and leg weights. I do abdominal sets, core-work, and push-ups. I finish the workouts with 30-40 minutes on the stationary bike. Today is day 4, Thursday; I’m sitting at my desk thinking about the dinner I brought for later. It’s time to go to the gym.

 

Inner Dialogue – I’m hungry…you just ate 3 frickin’ snacks…save it for later. I don’t need this crap. One day off…who’s gonna know, gonna care…no one cares, why should you? Give it up for one day. I’m tired…you were tired yesterday…you’re always tired. One piece at a time…abs, weights, bike, done…I’m hungry. Just skip today…that will lead to two days then it’s the weekend then it’s a whole week then a month then three months then six months. You’ll be soft as hell…you’ll have to start over…it’ll take six months to get back…you’ll kill yourself doing it…you know it. Just do it.

Result – I left my desk and changed into gym clothes. I was tired. I walked to the gym and started my abdominal routine, went through the upper-body weight routine, and then finished up with 30 minutes on the stationary bike while reading a book. I’m not tired anymore. I’m not even hungry but I know my body needs some carbs and protein so I feed it. I will finish the work week on Friday with a morning trail run and a yoga session in the afternoon; that always makes me feel better. The hard work will be done except for an 18-mile long run on Saturday.  

 

Go ahead, talk to yourself, work it out, rattle the noggin' and get in gear. 

 

13 Lessons for Running Longevity

Some might say that I'm not the best person to bring up this subject since I have tended to be somewhat unorthodox regarding training and recovery methods over the years. I beg to differ. Although I have suffered my fair share of injuries and ran through many of them I am still having success after 22 years of competitive road and trail racing. Back in 1991 I found motivation to quit smoking and used running as a substitute habit. My initial thinking was if I ran well in high school then I should see if I still had any talent 6 years later. If I found something I was good at then it would probably keep me interested.

Pre-Race Rituals and the BPP

Establishing a routine before a race or big training run can be daunting without some preparation and thought ahead of time. After many years and races I have finally established pre-race rituals that give me the confidence I need going into a race. With the Backward Planning Process (BPP) you can toe the line feeling ready to go without forgetting the little things.

When I was attending the Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course as a prerequisite to a promotion to Staff Sergeant in the Army I had to give a brief on the BPP. The Army has a methodology for everything and most times reading about it in a manual or presenting it on Powerpoint will put you to sleep. I was able to draw on personal experience gained from running marathons and ultras to help with my presentation. Essentially, the BPP starts by identifying when the event begins - let's use 7am - and then identifying the task that needs to be completed just prior to the last task and so on until you reach the start of the plan. It goes like this:

- 7:00am - The race starts.

- 6:50 - Line up for last minute instructions, shoe-lace re-tying, find a good position, listen to the national anthem, turn my GPS watch on...

- 6:45am - One last chance to use the latrine.

Be respectful and use only designated areas.

- 6:40am - Leave after-gear bag, (Note: this is different than the drop bag), pre-packed with warm-ups and clothes to change into after the race, comfortable shoes, sandals, maybe baby wipes or a wet washcloth in a ziploc bag for cleaning up.

.- 6:35am - Remove warm-ups and keep items you will need on the run; water bottles or hydration pack, gloves and/or hat, sunglasses, gels, e-caps, NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs). Also, this is a good time to apply last minute body-lube in those places that need it.

- 6:20am - Warm-up; depending on the race you may not need to jog around beforehand. Shorter faster race efforts are enhanced by a 10-15 minute pre-race warm-up followed by 5 minutes of easy stretching. If it's longer than a marathon you're probably better off saving your energy.

- 6:10am - If the race offers to place drop bags for you then this is a good time to find where that is and drop them. The drop bag can contain a variety of items and is a subject in itself for another post but in essence the drop bag is primarily used for a change of clothing when the weather is unpredictable or expected to change. It's a good place to pick up a jacket, flashlight, or extra water bottle. It's also a good place to leave items you no longer need to carry and would like to see again.

- 6:00am - Arrive at the race and find a place to park. If you haven't entered yet or still need to pick up your race packet and number then adjust this time to 15 minutes earlier: 5:45am.

- 5:30am - Let's assume the race is a 20-minute drive from where you are staying and you already have your bib. Leave with 10-minutes to spare in case of detours or last minute necessities like stopping to use the restroom or grabbing a cup of coffee. Not only is coffee a great bowel mover but the slight stimulant of the caffeine helps focus the mind. Caffeine is also proven to release fatty acids into the bloodstream which is burned as energy before using glycogen stores in the early part of endurance events. Why do you think cyclists are always hanging out in coffee shops before their ride?

- 5:20am - Do a physical check and gather all of the items you want to take with you; drop bags, warm-ups, gear bag, water bottle, coffee, race number, keys, money, identification, phone, sunglasses. Shades are easy to forget when it is dark in the morning.

- 5:15am - Attach race number or timing chip and put gels, e-caps, NSAIDS in pockets where they fit best and are accessible. Also, grab a handful of toilet paper; you never know where this might come in hand; even porta-potties run out.

Do you think there will be any paper left?

- 5:05am - Get dressed; all of your race clothing should have been identified last night and placed together in one spot in the corner of the room or on a chair. I like to vaseline my toes before putting on my socks. I also use calf sleeves so it is a good idea to put those on before lubing the feet. Depending on past race experience you may want to use a couple of band-aids or medical tape for your nipples. Trust me, if you haven't heard of this before then watch some of the runners later in a race and look for the fading red streaks on the front of their singlet. If you are lucky, chaffing won't hurt too much until you are in the shower afterwards. Chaffing has caused many runners to DNF.

- 5:00am - Drink fluids; I like to have some form of electrolyte drink in the morning mixed with a tablespoon or two of Chia seeds. This is also a good time to ingest any vitamins or supplements that you choose to take. I like to take 400 mg of liqui-gel ibuprofen to offset any last minute aches and pains. I also take an electrolyte cap to pre-load my sodium intake especially if the weather is going to be hot and/or humid.

- 4:50am - This is a good time to brew some coffee, cook some instant oatmeal, eat a banana or bagel, eat an energy bar. You have 2 hours until the race. Unless you are running a 10K or shorter your body can use this extra bit of nutrition and will have plenty of time to digest before the run.

- 4:40am - Take a hot shower. You don't have to use soap, just get your muscles warmed-up. I like to do the wall stretch while the hot water sprays onto my lower back, hamstrings, and calves.

- 4:35am - Alarm clock goes off and you have a couple of minutes to remember where you are and then stretch your body in bed like a cat. Brush your teeth.

There you have it, less than 2 and a half hours before race-time and you are guaranteed to be prepared. For some of you this might be overly-detailed and a bit OCD but it is tried and true. For me, the Backwards Planning Process kicks in when my alarm clock goes off but it is useful in many other areas of life as well. It would be helpful to do a little planning and preparing the night before by putting out race clothes and shoes, pinning your race number, preparing the coffepot, filling water bottles and hydration pack, charging the GPS watch, just to name a few.

By the way, that Army course I gave the BPP brief in; I came out Honor Grad with the highest score in the class.

Happy and successful running to all of you!

Overcoming Trail Snail Syndrome

Most of us that love to run trails don’t spend a lot of time on the road or track. If you’re really averse to the road then you probably don’t run many road races either, especially short distance stuff under the half-marathon. When I first transcended from the road to the trail I left the track behind. My road speed proved very beneficial on the trail for a couple of years until I gradually slowed down. Besides age, a lot of the slowdown was due to the shorter leg stride used on trail as well as a lot of slower running and walking up hills. I realized I had developed TSS – Trail Snail Syndrome and now must overcome it by spending time each week working on leg turnover.

I started with 8 x 100 meter striders at the end of a 4-6 mile run. After a couple of weeks I moved to 6 x 200 meter sprints. Don’t get discouraged in the beginning by worrying about your speed; it’s the effort and consistency that counts. Build up to 12 x 200 before moving onto 400 meter intervals. If you have a GPS watch then take advantage of it in absence of a high school track or measured distance on a road. I set mine for the number of reps I intend to run and the rest time and/or distance I plan to take and then listen to the alarm prompts. It’s kind of robotic; the less thinking, the better.

If you don’t like speed work then don’t make it a full-time thing. Throw in 6 weeks of a progressive plan like the one outlined below every few months. If you don’t know what your current two-mile time is then do a test run. Then test yourself again at the middle and end of the 6 weeks and see your progression. If you choose to build on after the initial 6 weeks you can move up to half and full mile intervals which will really help develop your pacing ability. If you are determined to stay off of the track and on the trail and still want to get faster then run fartlek or speed play sessions once a week. In the desert I alternate between saguaros. Also, hill repetitions although slower, will bust your lungs and burn your legs. The strength and power developed from the push-off and knee-lift will translate to faster times on the flats.

As a Master Fitness Trainer I get asked for advice from soldiers a lot about how to get faster on the 2-mile run which is part of the bi-annual Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Believe it or not the Army actually has a manual for everything including how to do speed work. I have tailored their quarter-mile interval workout into a usable plan which can be adapted to anyone’s level of current fitness or goal time they would like to achieve. This is the exact plan I prescribe to the soldier trying to attain a high maximum score on the run. Most soldiers I know don’t run more than three days a week, in fact most of them only run 4 miles a year, so the plan’s total distance is not intense. Also, I always recommend a 4-week base build-up of mileage prior to running intervals; 3 days a week, 2-3 miles building to 3-4 miles per run should be good enough.

INTERVAL TRAINING PLAN
Current 2 mile run time = 13:00
Goal 2 mile run time = 12:00
Method: Bi-weekly interval training consisting of 200s and 400s

Week	Monday or Tuesday	Thursday or Friday
1.	6×200 with 200 jog/walk rest 40-45 seconds (1.5 M)	4×400 w/400 jog/walk rest 1:30-1:35 (2 M)
2.	8×200 @ 40-45 seconds (2 M)	5×400 @ 1:27-1:32 (2.5 M)
3.	8×200 @ 38-43 seconds (2 M)	6×400 @ 1:25-1:30 (3 M)
4.	2 Mile time trial (Goal – sub 12:30 = 1:34 1/4s)	6×400 @ 1:23-1:28 (3 M)
5.	6×400 @ 1:21-1:26 (3 M)	7×400 @ 1:24-1:29 w/1 minute Jog/walk rest (2.5M)
6.	8×400 @ 1:20-1:25 (4 M)	8×200 @ 36-41 seconds (2M)
7.	APFT 2 mile goal = sub 12:00 = 1:30 1/4s

Notes:
- Prior to all speed workouts, ensure that you do a warm-up jog of at least 10 minutes followed by light stretching of quads, hamstrings, calves and groin. I also suggest running 2-4 wind sprints – short pick-ups starting easy and building to full speed and then decelerating over a total distance of 100 meters each.
- Each speed session should be followed by a cool-down jog after the last recovery jog/walk. The cool-down should be 5-10 minutes of easy jogging. The purpose of the cool-down is to flush lactic acid build-up from the fast twitch muscle fibers. This will decrease the amount of soreness and recovery time.
- I placed the distance of each workout in parentheses (2 M). This includes the rest interval distance which is equal to the repetition distance unless stated otherwise. With a proper warm-up and cool-down you can add about 2 miles to these distances (a mile for the warm-up and another mile for the cool-down). Most speed days will range from 4-5 miles.
- The goal on each repetition is to stay within the 5 second time block through the entire workout. Starting out too fast and finishing too slow defeats the purpose of the workout. If the workout is extremely difficult after the second repetition then adjust the time block. After the workout is finished and you don’t feel tired then you may be ahead of schedule and will need to speed up on the next workout. Another option is to cut the recovery in half but keep in mind that the recovery is longer in order for you to run faster on each repetition.
- Week 5 has two days of 400 meter repeats. The first day is faster reps with longer rest. The second day is slower reps with shorter rest to mimic a more continuous effort.
- I recommend running a third day easy each week at a minimum usually in between the speed days to loosen your legs and build your base.

Top O' the Rocks

I am blessed to live and run in Tucson where I am surrounded by five mountain ranges, all with extensive trail systems. The Tucson Trail Runners use many of these trails to organize an informal series of annual runs. Over the last 17 years I have traversed every one of the series runs multiple times. Even though I have logged thousands of miles over well known terrain, I have a different trail experience each time. Some days I might be tired from a long day at work or a hard training run the day before. Those days are opportunities to take a better look at my surroundings, especially the condition of the trail, focusing on where and how I place my feet. On the flip side, I might be more rested for the trail run and ready to fly over the rocks and shoot for a fast time; in which case I will throw caution to the wind and let my feet do the thinking.

Depending on your state of fitness, energy level, or training intensity, your stride length and foot placement will change significantly. After finishing a trail run I can usually describe my day as a ‘Top O’ the Rocks’ or a ‘Tween the Rocks’ kind of day. If I am mentally sluggish or physically tired I tend to shorten my stride and step around or between objects rather than over them. This is especially true when running downhill. When I run tentatively too much I am more susceptible to ankle rolls and further fatigue sets in. When I am rested and feeling strong I can bound from rock to rock or over rocks, roots, and trees more efficiently with less impact. I can keep my body moving forward rather than expending energy with excessive lateral movement.

One of the benefits of trail running is how varied terrain strengthens the smaller supporting muscles of the lower legs and increases ankle resiliency. Both methods of negotiating objects on trail – over or around – have training effect especially in the ultra distance where you will experience different energy and fatigue levels throughout the day. There are often times the legs and feet need to know how to run on cruise control relying on the neural myelin wrap developed from the many hours of practice of foot placement on trail. For example, in the middle of the night you will need to rely on those automatic connections and strengthened muscles to keep you upright and on course. Look for tangents and avenues of approach that enable forward movement and solid foot placement. Don’t over think the trail; let the mind-body connection flow. Time on your feet is your greatest training advantage.

After a recent 15-mile hilly trail race, a friend of mine commented on how much faster I was able to run the downhill than he was. He is six inches taller than me and had much longer legs. We started the race together but when we got to a steep climb I power-hiked while he lifted his knees higher and pushed up the hill. I gradually lost sight of him until 45 minutes later on the downside of the course. As I was twisting and turning my way down the switchbacks with expert and subconscious foot placement, I caught a glimpse of him below. I caught up quickly and we cruised into the finish together. Even though I shortened my stride on the uphills and even walked at times, I managed to lower the course PR by 10 minutes. It wasn’t so much that I ran faster on the downhill that day, although I did; I ran more efficiently by saving my energy earlier in the run and relied on previous practiced foot placement. I really enjoyed a ‘Top O’ the Rocks’ trail day.

Ultra-running Tips and Advice

How to Prepare for an Ultra (any distance over the marathon)

Food - Normal marathon training programs will suffice to finish an ultra-distance race. The biggest difference is training yourself to take care of your body past three or four hours on the course. During the typical marathon a runner can survive on water, electrolyte fluids, and gels. On an ultra you must consider caloric intake; real food like potatoes, fruit, soup and sandwiches, and energy bars. It takes practice in training to get used to handling food on a running stomach.