I Run Ultras.com

Winding Down for Iron Horse 100

2012-02-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

Type in the words running and taper into Google's search engine and you will get over 12 million hits. You may find many sites/articles quotes such as, "many runners fail to realize that one of the most important aspects of [marathon] training is the taper phase," (Marathon Training Program: Tapering) and "tapering is imperative for a successful race," (Importance of Tapering from Inspire to Run), and several that provide tips, such as "12 Tips to a Terrific Taper."

You may also spot articles such as, "Performance Page: Don't Taper. Peak! Secrets for peaking on race day," by Greg McMillian (featured in the November 2008 issue of Running Times Magazine). McMillian noted that, from his perspective, the standard "tapering" model was inconsistent, with results being just as "hit-or-miss" as when compared with not tapering. Instead, he put forth his "secrets for your peaking phase -- the last 14 days before your race," which consists of :

1. Don't change your weekly running routine.

2. Reduce weekly training volume, but not too much.

3. Keep the engine revved.

4. Plan your strategy and stick with it.

5. Reflect on training to build confidence.

6. Have fun and smile.

I am still struggling to figure out how to "taper" or "peak" when it comes to ultras, and have seen somewhat of an inconsistency when applied to my own training/racing. One situation to look at is the 2010 Pineland Farms 50 Mile, an event that happened to fall right in the middle of some serious training for the 2010 Badwater Ultramarathon. In the 7 days prior to running the 50-miler, training looked like this :

Sat - 26.20

Sun - 26.20

Mon - 6.00

Tue - 18.20

Wed - 6.10

Thu - 9.25

Fri - 5.00

Sat - 3.20

That's just a tad over 100 miles in the 7 days leading up to the race. The result - an 8:49:19 personal best at that distance. Of course, one has to ponder, without those 100 miles, would the result have been even better?

After a solid week of training from 1/30 - 2/5, and with just 5 days to go until the Iron Horse 100, here is a look at what this week of training looked like, and what is planned for the week of the race:

Monday, February 6
Off

Tuesday, February 7
5:22 AM - 3.00 miles in 26:54 (8:57 pace)

Wednesday, February 8
5:10 AM - 5.60 miles in 46:10 (8:15 pace). Speed-work. Consistent 10 x 400 at 1:38, 1:38, 1:37, 1:38, 1:34, 1:36, 1:37, 1:37, 1:38 and 1:39.

Thursday, February 9
5:27 AM - 6.00 miles in 55:10 (9:12 pace)

Friday, February 10
7:46 AM - 8.40 miles in 1:14:47 (8:54 pace)

Saturday, February 11
6:51 AM - 11.00 miles in 1:43:23 (9:23 pace). Light snow.

Sunday, February 12
6:44 AM - 8.00 miles in 1:09:35 (8:42 pace). 18 degree morning with a slight wind.

Total Miles (Week) : 42.00
Average Pace (Week): 8:59
Total Miles (Month): 79.50
Average Pace (Month): 8:52
30-Day Rolling: 249.60 (9:19 avg. pace)

The plan leading up to Long Haul 100 next Saturday.....keep it simple:

Mon. - Off
Tues. - 5k easy
Wed. - Off
Thu. - 5 x 100m
Fri. - 5k easy
Sat. - Race Day

1st 100 Miler In 2012 Is Quest For #19

2012-02-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

Less than 10 days remain until the first 100-miler of 2012, the Iron Horse Endurance Runs (100 mile, 100k and 50 mile options are offered). If successful, it will the 19th since the first in September of 2007 (Grand Tetons 100; that distance is no longer offered at the Grand Teton Races). If, of course. The current streak of 18 completed out of 18 attempted looks like this :

09.01.2007 - 33:19:36 Grand Tetons

08.30.2008 - 31:46:20 Grand Tetons
09.15.2008 - 26:41:35 Javelina (101.4)

02.07.2009 - 23:24:39 Rocky Raccoon
04.04.2009 - 21:39:37 Umstead
07.13.2009 - 52:44:03 Badwater 135 (lost 7:20:00 due to fire at finish)
10.31.2009 - 23:42:11 Javelina (101.4)

01.23.2010 - 53:31:00 Brazil 135
03.27.2010 - 19:24:46 Umstead
07.12.2010 - 45:58:15 Badwater 135
08.21.2010 - 22:47:14 Beast of Burden Summer
10.23.2010 - 22:57:26 Javelina (101.4)
12.11.2010 - 21:55:04 Bartram

01.21.2011 - 55:24:00 Brazil 135 (part of Running the Caminho Da Fe)
04.02.2011 - 19:28:20 Umstead
07.11.2011 - 39:59:14 Badwater 135
11.12.2011 - 21:36:34 Javelina (101.4)
12.10.2011 - 20:18:39 Bartram

The Iron Horse 100 course consists of a 25-mile out-and-back on an old rail trail. It is flat with grassy and gravel surfaces, with about 4 miles of pavement. No hills and shaded, with aid stations about 5.5 miles apart. The time limit for this 100-miler is a 26 hours.

As far as training goes, since running the Bartram 100 on December 10/11, 2011, and logging a light 16 mile recovery week, things have been pleasantly consistent, not only on the mileage front, but also on the training pace front.

12.19 to 12.25 - 51.5 miles (9:34 average pace)
12.26 to 01.01 - 51.1 miles (9:22 average pace)
01.02 to 01.08 - 52.8 miles (8:58 average pace)
01.09 to 01.15 - 59.4 miles (9:28 average pace)
01.16 to 01.22 - 53.1 miles (9:40 average pace)
01.23 to 01.29 - 55.2 miles (9:21 average pace)
01.30 to 02.05 - 66.5 miles (9:04 average pace)

Hopefully things will go well and a 19th finish is in the cards. Regardless, seeing a bunch of friends out there will be a great way to kick off the 2012 100-mile season.

More of Frank McKinney's Survival to Thrival Tour

2012-01-18T06:44:00.001-05:00

Last night's CBS12.com piece on "Frank McKinney's Survival to Thrival Tour" :

"Delray Beach real estate mogul Frank McKinney can afford any home he wants. But he started with nothing. Now he hopes to show those who have lost everyhting there is still hope. He gave Suzanne Boyd the exclusive story."

Frank McKinney's Survival to Thrival Tour

2012-01-17T10:52:00.001-05:00

If you haven't had a chance to do so yet, check out "Frank McKinney's Survival to Thrival Tour".

Frank, a very good friend and family through our experiences at Badwater, embarked yesterday on a 16 city tour of soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food pantries (January 16 to February 8). Frank's crew will directly assist the people they meet and make significant donations to care-giving organizations. You can too by donating $0.01, $0.10, or $1.00 per mile of his 3,100 mile tour.

At each stop along the way, Frank will host a "home swap" for one night. Here's a video of Frank sleeping under the I-95 bridge at the first stop:

If you are in any of the 16 cities when Frank and company roll in, make sure to head out and pay him a visit!

January 16 - Ft. Lauderdale
January 18 - Jacksonville
January 20 - Charlotte
January 22 - Richmond
January 23 - Washington, D.C.
January 24 - Baltimore
January 26 - Philadelphia
January 27 - Newark
January 30 - New York City
February 1 - Pittsburgh
February 3 - Indianapolis
February 5 - Nashville
February 6 - Atlanta
February 7 - Orlando
February 8 - Delray Beach

2011 Year In Review

2011-12-29T12:28:00.001-05:00

"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils." - Louis-Hector Berlioz

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." - Carl Sandburg

"All my possessions for a moment of time." - Elizabeth I

2011 flew by faster than Superman circled the earth to reverse time and save his beloved Lois Lane.

It was a good year, with lots of lessons learned, friends made, and adventures completed (2 135-milers, 3 100-milers, and 2 50-milers), and as we say good-bye to 2011 and welcome in 2012, here's a short look back at our 2011 journeys.....

We kicked off 2011 with pacing duties at Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge (January 8 and 9) - 39.3 miles over two days, and over 6 hours of pacing the wife. It was my 7th consecutive Walt Disney World Marathon finish, a streak that will unfortunately die in 2012.

January was just getting started with the Goofy Challenge. Running the Caminho Da Fé would occupy 7+ days (January 18 to January 25) - approximately 340 miles from Cravinhos to Aparecida in Brazil in 182 hours, 9 minutes and 28 seconds with great friends Jarom Thurston and Chris Roman.....an amazing adventure that featured running the Brazil 135 Mile Ultramaration in 55:24:00, and to raise funds and awareness for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. You can read various "Pilgrimage Reports" starting with "Pilgrimage Report : Running the Caminho Da Fé - Introduction". Tremendous thanks to everyone that made this journey possible....CAF, all of the sponsors, Mario and Eliana Lacerda, Clovis and his wife, and the most important people out there, our 2-person crew of Lynne Hewett and Glauber.

February...no races, but a massive honor in being accepted to participate in our 3rd consecutive Badwater Ultramarathon. It is nearly impossible to describe what this 135-mile journey means to us (me, my family and crew), and just as difficult to describe what it feels like to both wait to find out if we are accepted (send/receive...send/receive...send/receive), and to receive that e-mail.

I wasn't expecting much at my 3rd Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run (April 2), but I certainly got a good ass-whooping from pacers Brenda Carawan and her friend, Tina - enough for a 29th place and sub-20 hour (19:29:43) finish. Good buddy Joason Overbaugh knocked out an 18:29:05! For the full race report, check out "A Pleasant Surprise - Race Report : 2011 Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run".

It seems as if the Pineland Farms 50 Mile is now a part of every Memorial Day weekend. A decent 9:17:01 finish capped of the month of may.

There is no place that we'd rather be in July than Death Valley, and the Badwater Ultramarathon (July 11). Our third year there turned out to be our best - 39:59:14, and another exciting sprint up Whitney Portal Road to the welcoming arms of Chris Kostman at the finish line. As I said to great friend Frank McKinney the day before the race, "this never gets old," and it sure doesn't. For the full race report, check out "2011 Badwater Ultramarathon Race Report". This event is a journey of epic proportions, a battle against the elements, a war against inner demons, and a triumph of the human spirit. It cannot be attempted or completed without the tremendous efforts of its race director, Chris Kostman, the entire race committee, each and every volunteer, and our crew - Chuck Mathison, Eric Gelber, Jason Overbaugh, and my wife and daughters.

September 25th brought a fun 50-miler, the Vermont 50 - 11:35:50 and 50 miles of fun with Cherie, Emmy and Iliana.

Javelina 100 (November 12), the 4th with Rick Gaston as my pacer was our best - 21:36:34 and 29th place out of 339 starters. We also raised some money for several great charities. You can read about that and the full race report at "Race Report : 2011 Javelina Jundred 101.4 Mile Endurance Run".

It was on, it was off, it was on again. The 2nd annual Bartram 100 turned out to be a pretty nice performance, just 4 weeks removed from Javelina. Jason Overbaugh and Dani came out to crew and pace me to a 3rd place finish in 20:18:39.

As for training and running in total, we just inched by last year's totals for time and distance, with 2,772.10 miles run. On a monthly basis, things looked something like this :

Jan - 411.80
Feb - 167.80
Mar - 201.65
Apr - 181.45
May - 242.10
Jun - 261.90
Jul - 197.70
Aug - 170.60
Sep - 186.80
Oct - 308.40
Nov - 213.30
Dec -228.60

Best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy and successful 2012!

Bartram 100 Mile and Thoughts on 2012

2011-12-07T11:45:00.001-05:00

It has been less than 4 weeks since putting in 101.4 miles at Javelina. Rested? Recovered? I sure hope so, as on Saturday we will try to notch our 5th 100+ miler in 2011 at the Bartram 100s.

Bartram 100 Mile is run on a 6.25 mile loop on forest service roads and some trail, but mostly dirt and grass. Yes, that would mean 16 loops. Probably the best part of the weekend will be getting to see Jason Overbaugh and Chuck Mathison - two Badwater crew members who will be coming out to throw down a couple of loops with me. With Jason comes his amazing girlfriend, Dani Grabol. Dani just finished riding her bike across Florida - 420 miles in 27 hours and 54 minutes - setting a record for such a feat.

In addition to being the holiday season, it is also the "planning season" - time to start thinking about what in in store for 2012. Thus far, registrations are complete for two 100-milers - Iron Horse 100 on February 18 and Umstead 100 on March 31. A 5th Javelina 100 on October 27 is almost a certainty, and the Keys 100 on May 19 is in the works. Also in consideration : Long Haul 100 on January 21 and San Diego 100 on June 9.

The usual 50-milers and 50ks will fit in here and there, including Pineland Farms 50 Mile on May 27 and Vermont 50 Mile on September 30.

Missing is the marathon distance. Perhaps a return trip to the Chicago Marathon or Twin Cities Marathon on October 7, or the New Jersey Marathon or Long Island Marathon on May 6.

Then there is also the Furnace Creek 508.....would love to give that a try.

Thinking about running 4 100-milers in consecutive months (Javelina / Bartram Nov/Dec of 2011 and possibly Long Haul / Iron Horse Jan/Feb of 2012), I thought of the great Monica Scholz and her 25 100-mile finishes in 2010 (the original plan and her results can be found in this post, "Monica's 3000+ Mile Odyssey"). Planning all of that must have been insane. Running them all.....can't even imagine.

Race Report : 2011 Javelina Jundred 101.4 Mile Endurance Run

2011-11-16T13:37:00.001-05:00

Our fourth Javelina Jundred (101.4 mile) turned out to be our best yet. With Rick Gaston returning for his 4th appearance as "super-pacer", and some special crewing assistance from Lisa K., Mike R. and Dave E. of the Golden Gate Triathlon Club, we chopped another 80 minutes off of our course-best, finishing in 21:36:34 (29th place out of 339 starters).

2008 - 26:41:35

2009 - 23:42:11

2010 - 22:57:26

2011 - 21:36:34

The 80 minute improvement from 2010's time means that I (and everyone else that pledged similarly) owe $40 to each of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, 'nPLAY Foundation, The Caring House Project Foundation, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and impossible2Possible. I'll make it a cool $50 to each. To everyone else that pledged....many, many, many thanks. You will get an email with details on where to send your dough.

The event itself is simply fantastic...one of the best organized and run events that I have had the honor of participating in. In the last four years, the number of starters has rising steadily - 147 in 2008...250 in 2009...263 in 2010...and 339 in 2011. A lot of that likely has to do with how much effort is put into the event by its race directors, Jamil and Nick Coury. Their dedication to the event, coupled with the Halloween theme and costume contest, make Javelina a must-see production.

Is it Chris....or Shannon ???

Gotta go ?

Our RD

Even though we once again improved on our previous finishing time, I do think that I could have run a "smarter" race.

I ran the first 15.4 mile loop (there are 6 total, plus a 9-mile short loop for 101.4 miles) with Chris Roman and Bradley Fenner. Chris is a far more talented runner than I am, and Bradley would go on to finish 10th overall with a time of 18:37:26, (last year he ran sub-20 hours), so, I should have been smart enough to know that a 2:30 first 15.4 miles was not wise. I wasn't. Even though I let Chris and Bradley pull ahead without pushing to keep up, I still kept them in my sights and wound up running the second loop in about 2:33 and received a semi-stern warning from Rick.

Hellbent on adjusting my pace downward for the third loop, I set a goal of 3 hours. I even walked some of the downhill portions just to keep myself in check, and finished in about 3:01. Now, with only Loop 4 standing in the way of getting Rick out there, I began to tire. I walked a good portion of the beginning part of the loop, at least until the 6.25 mile mark where you turn toward the left. Nutritionally, things were not great. I had not kept up my normal calorie intake. I felt depleted. Yet, aided by a really cool aid station dude from Brooklyn who hooked me up with a cold beer, I still managed a 3:20 loop, during which I hit the 50-mile mark on my Garmin in about 8:56.

Somewhere Out There

Having Rick as a pacer is simply indescribable. He has a knack for knowing how to push without pushing too hard. He has this sneaky way of getting your mind to drift from its thoughts of pain and despair. We started Loop 5 knowing that we needed to work on nutrition. But we also started the loop behind the eight ball from a mental standpoint - life stresses of the last several months began pouring in. Then, it got worse - "oh shit!!!!" - I somehow missed a rock and hit it dead on with my left foot, causing me to stumble forward. I didn't fall, but two toes on my foot felt shooting pain, and then finally went simply numb. In typical Rick style, he asked not if I was o.k., but if this would prevent us from finishing. Hell no...it is what it is we said, and in that moment I forgot about the life stresses that had engulfed my mind to focus on the throbbing pain. It took us a little longer to finish this loop, but not much - about 3:39.

Loop 6 was equally as difficult as Loop 5. Looking back on the splits from the Garmin data (see link above), it seems as if we were consistently 19 minutes slower for each of Loops 4, 6 and 6. Rick was worried about the foot situation, so much so that he thought it better to walk all of the rocky sections, even the downhills. I complied for a while, but ultimately moved into a slow run on the rocks. We knew that finishing this loop would signal the beginning of the end of the race, and used that to our advantage.

The last portion of the race is a short, 9-mile loop that features an ascent to the Tonto Trail, followed by a nice 2.6 mile smooth, downhill section of trail. I love this part. Last year we cruised down it to insure a sub-23 hour finish. This year would be no different. Struggling, we hit the top where the Pemberton Trail meets the Tonto Trail, and turned to descend. We hammered it, moving at 8 minute pace for much of the 2.6 miles.

The finish was sweet. My 17th race of 100 or more miles - 14 of which have come in the last 3 years. Another successful run with Rick. Another chance to see a slew of amazing people test the limits of the human spirit. Simply an amazing time.

What to do next? Well, how about another 100 in 23 days - the Bartram 100 in Milledgeville, Georgia is next!

Jeading to Javelina Jundred

2011-11-09T10:06:00.000-05:00

Heading out to Fountain Hills, Arizona for this weekend's (my 4th) Javelina Jundred 100 mile race.....well, 101.4 miles to be exact. The course consists of six 15.4 mile loops on the Pemberton Trail, followed by a seventh, 9 mile "partial" loop using the Pemberton and Tonto Tank Trails.

The latest communication from the race directors suggests the potential for an unusual weather year here:

Javelina Jundred Runners,

It looks like our typically desert heat wave may be in jeopardy this weekend as a storm is predicted to move into the area by Saturday. Current forecasts are calling for highs in the mid-sixties and lows in the low-fifties. Add in a 30 to 50 % chance of rain over the weekend, and we could be looking at some cold conditions out on the course this year, especially through the night. We urge you to be prepared by bringing cold weather gear (gloves, hat, rain jackets, ponchos, etc) and having them in your drop bags. Crews and pacers should also plan accordingly by bringing along rain gear and umbrellas just in case.

We'd also like to share the link for our race weekend live results and webcam one more time: http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/ultracast/

We look forward to seeing you all this weekend!

Sincerely,

Jamil & Nick Coury
Race Directors
Javelina Jundred

I am again lucky to have Rick Gaston as a pacer (he has paced me each of the prior 3 years at Javelina). Our 3 prior finishes :

2008 - 26:41:35
2009 - 23:42:11
2010 - 22:57:26

2011.....anything can happen. For incentive.....if I'm able to best my 2010 time of 22:57:26, for every minute under that time I will donate $0.50 to each of the following charities that I have supported this year:

Challenged Athletes Foundation

'nPLAY Foundation

The Caring House Project Foundation

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

For those as challenged at math as I am at times, each hour "under" is worth $30 to each charity (or, $120 total).

Anyone want to provide me with some added incentive and join in with a pledge to these great charities (or any one of them, or one that you support) if I can hit the "under"??? You can do a flat pledge for going under my 2010 time. Or even just $1 for every hour that I'm under (if I can - it will be a challenge). Either way, you'll be helping out great causes.

You can see live results and the webcam on Ultracast. I am bib # 34.

Weekly Training Recap (10/24/11 - 10/30/11)

2011-10-31T06:47:00.000-04:00

October.....what a fantastic month of training, so good that perhaps there is hope for a solid performance at Javelina 100. The month saw over 300 miles of running, the most mile-packed month of the year (except for January's 439.5 miles which included the 340 mile run of the Caminho Da Fé in Brazil). Weekly totals were consistent:

10/03 to 10/09 - 71.0

10/10 to 10/16 - 74.4

10/17 to 10/23 - 79.5

10/24 to 10/30 - 59.3

Monday, October 24

12:59 PM - 8.50 miles in 1:12:35 (8:33 pace) at Rockefeller State Park. After logging nearly 50 miles over the two days before, things went very well, and got better with each mile. Mile splits of:

Tuesday, October 25

5:38 AM - 3.00 miles in 26:38 (8:53 pace). Just an easy 3 today.

Wednesday, October 26

4:55 AM - 9.00 miles in 1:17:43 (8:38 pace).

Thursday, October 27

5:30 PM - 4.00 boring miles on the treadmill. But Sons of Anarchy is getting better and better by the episode.

Friday, October 28

4:56 AM - 5.20 miles in 47:24 (9:07 pace). Its getting colder and colder these days. Still in shorts. Snow on the way.

Saturday, October 29

4:37 AM - 20.60 miles in 3:08:33 (9:09 pace). Another split morning (like last week), starting with 11 miles in 1:37:51 (8:54 pace) in and around the neighborhood, followed by a quick drive to Rockefeller State Park for another 9.6 miles in 1:30:42 (9:27 pace), followed by volunteering at the Rocky's 5k.

Sunday, October 30

7:03 AM - 9.00 miles at a slower than slow pace. Yesterdays winter storm brought deep snow, slush, and downed trees and branches. While it made for a difficult trek, the sights were spectacular.

Total Miles (Week) - 59.30
Total Miles (Month) - 308.40
30-Day Rolling - 308.40
2011 Total Miles - 2,330.20

Running the Caminho Da Fé Part II is in the works for January 2013.....with a twist.

Weekly Training Recap (10/17/11 - 10/23/11)

2011-10-23T17:12:00.000-04:00

This was one of those weeks. Nearly 80 miles of solid training for Javelina, which now sits less than 20 days away. I will start thinking goals and strategy for Javelina in the coming days. The best part is that Rick Gaston will be pacing me again - the 4th year in a row at this event.

Monday, October 17, 2011

3:25 PM - 5.50 miles in 55:43 at Rockefeller State Park with Wayne B. A nice, easy run to start the week, especially after an intense effort on Saturday (22 miles at 8:40 pace) and an additional 22 miles on Sunday. Legs feel a bit on the tired side.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

5:01 AM - 6.60 miles in 1:02:16.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

4:40 AM - 9.00 miles in 1:22:25. An early start to beat the rain that was rolling in resulted in a good paced 9 miles.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

5:18 AM - 4.20 miles in 35:38. Mixed in a little speed, running at hard effort for 30 seconds every 1k.

Friday, October 21, 2011

5:16 AM - 6.00 miles in 54:35. Wrapped up a nice work-week of running.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

4:38 AM - 29.20 miles in 4:43:29. An early start and split - 11 miles in 1:44:40 in my neighborhood. A short drive to meet some friends and another 18.20 miles in 2:58:49 at Rockefeller State Park.

Saturday Run #2 at Rockefeller

Sunday, October 23, 2011

6:32 AM - 19.00 miles in 3:09:04. Wrapped up a nearly 80 mile week with an easy long run at Rockefeller State Park with Peter L. and Wayne B.

Total Miles (Week) - 79.50

Total Miles (Month) - 249.10

30-Day Rolling - 304.70

2011 Total Miles - 2,270.90

Throw away your multivitamins and antioxidants?

2011-10-18T06:52:00.000-04:00

Matt Hart shared two articles/posts on dietary supplement use that are interesting reads. Follow Matt at CoachingEndurance.com and on Twitter at @TheMattHart.

The first, is an NPR story from yesterday, October 17, 2011 titled "Americans Urged to Rethink Dietary Supplement Use."

The second is titled, "Throw away your multivitamins and dantioxidants!" It was posted on April 30, 2010 by Chris Kresser and is pasted below.

Throw away your multivitamins and antioxidants!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know I’m not a big fan of supplements. I’ve always believed that it’s preferable to get the nutrients we need from whole foods, as they’re found in nature, rather than from isolated, synthetic sources (i.e. supplements).

Unfortunately, modern medicine is obsessed with isolated, synthetic nutrients and has convinced itself that they have the same beneficial properties as nutrients found in whole foods.
A gigantic dietary supplement industry has arisen from this misguided belief. A 2006 National Institute of Health (NIH) conference (PDF) revealed that 20-30% of Americans use a multivitamin daily, forking over $23 billion a year to supplement manufacturers for the privilege. Many more Americans effectively take a multivitamin by eating fortified grain products, like Shredded Wheat cereal and Wonder Bread.

Most supplements don’t work

With these statistics in mind, you might be surprised (or even shocked) to learn that clinical trials have shown that most of these supplements not only don’t work as intended, they actually make things worse. The NIH conference examined the efficacy of 13 vitamins and 15 essential minerals as reported in long-term, randomized clinical trials.
First the positive results:

A combo of calcium and vitamin D was shown to increase bone mineral density and reduce fracture risk in postmenopausal women.
There was some evidence that selenium reduces risk of certain cancers.
Vitamin E may decrease cardiovascular deaths in women and prostate cancer deaths in male smokers.
Vitamin D showed some cardiovascular benefit.

Um, not too impressive considering the near universal faith considering how many people are popping these pills on a daily basis.
Now for the negative results:

Trials of niacin (B3), folate, riboflavin (B2), and vitamins B6 and B12 showed no positive effect on chronic disease occurrence in the general population
There was no evidence to recommend beta-carotene and some evidence that it may cause harm in smokers.
High-dose vitamin E supplementation increased the risk of death from all causes.

Then there’s the now infamous JAMA meta-analysis on antioxidants. They looked at 68 trials with over 230,000 participants. Here’s what they found:

Treatment with beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase mortality. The potential roles of vitamin C and selenium on mortality need further study.

Oops!

(Re)-introducing the concept of food synergy

It’s crazy to me that so many health care practitioners – both conventional and alternative – tell their patients to take multivitamins and antioxidants when their is little support for that position in the medical literature.

That’s why I was so happy to come across a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition addressing this issue. It’s called “Food synergy: an operational concept for understanding nutrition” and it’s one of the most encouraging pieces of research I’ve seen in a while. I’m relieved to learn that their are researchers working in the nutrition field that don’t buy into the synthetic nutrient hype, and understand the importance of whole food.

Since it’s such a great article, I’m going to quote from it and riff off of a few passages.

A person or animal eating a diet consisting solely of purified nutrients in their Dietary Reference Intake amounts, without benefit of the coordination inherent in food, may not thrive and probably would not have optimal health. This review argues for the primacy of food over supplements in meeting nutritional requirements of the population.

This is the crux of the authors’ argument, which I’m 100% behind. They congratulate science on the discovery of fundamental nutrients such as vitamin C, and clarifying their role in health and disease. The realization that scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency has saved a lot of lives. But, the approach to nutrition that is fundamentally guided by nutrients has a dark side:

The aspect of science that reduces to fundamental principles, however, can lead to oversimplification and ultimately stifle understanding and progress.

Translation: reductionistic thinking can get us in trouble if we’re not careful.

The concept of food synergy is based on the proposition that the interrelations between constituents in foods are significant. This significance is dependent on the balance between constituents within the food, how well the constituents survive digestion, and the extent to which they appear biologically active at the cellular level.

Yes! It makes me so happy to see this in a major, peer-reviewed journal. The authors go on to define several aspects of food synergy:

A buffer effect, i.e. the effect of a large intake of a particular nutrient may vary depending on if it is taken in concentrated form or as part of a whole food.
Nutrients can affect each other’s absorption, such as copper-inc and magnanese-iron. These interdependent nutrients tend to appear together in foods, but not necessarily in isolated supplements.
It matters whether the nutrients have been produced by technologic or biological processes. Trans fat produced in ruminant animals (such as conjugated linoleic acids in dairy products) are beneficial to health, whereas trans fats produced in the processing of industrial seed oils are highly toxic.

Then they provide evidence that whole foods are more effective than supplements in meeting nutrient needs:

Tomato consumption has a greater effect on human prostrate tissue than an equivalent amount of lycopene.
Whole pomegranates and broccoli had greater antiproliferative and in vitro chemical effects than did some of their individual constituents.
Free radicals were reduced by consumption of brassica vegetables, independent of micronutrient mix.

Note: In the supplement world, the idea is that “a nutrient is a nutrient, a molecule is a molecule” regardless of what source it comes from. These folks claim that it doesn’t matter whether a nutrient comes from a whole food complex or a laboratory. Did you know that most vitamin B1 supplements are made from derivatives of coal tar? That ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is made by reacting high-fructose corn syrup with sulfuric acid? That many iron supplements are made from rusty nails? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather eat some meat and vegetables to get those nutrients.

Should we all take a daily multivitamin as “insurance” against a nutrient deficiency? Here’s how the authors respond to that question:

In our view, the better “insurance” would be to eat food with a broad coverage of nutrients and take no supplements at all, unless they are deemed necessary to fix a specific medical problem.

Hallelujah! I’d like to buy these researchers a beer.

Okay, not all supplements are bad

Now that I’ve made my point (or at least I hope I have), I need to add a qualifier or two.
There are a few supplements that I do recommend – in certain situations.

Vitamin D may be necessary for those who live in northern latitudes, especially during the winter months. Low vitamin D is associated with so many diseases that it’s probably a good idea to keep levels up. The first choice would be to do this by eating seafood, but that’s not always practical or desirable for a number of reasons. Cod liver oil is my second choice for maintaining D levels. But note that this is more of a whole food than it is a supplement. In some cases when people are very deficient, i.e. under 25 ng/ml, I may suggest adding a D3 supplement in addition to the cod liver oil.

Fish oil has been shown to provide great benefit for cardiovascular disease and other inflammatory conditions. My preference here is that people reduce their intake of omega-6 fats and simply eat cold-water, oily fish a couple times a week to meet their omega-3 needs. Unfortunately, people have been scared away (unnecessarily, which is a topic for a future post) from eating fish, or perhaps it’s difficult for them to find or afford wild fish on a regular basis. In this situation I may recommend a fish oil. My favorites are whole-food based oils such as Green Pasture’s Fermented Cod Liver Oil and Vital Choice Wild Salmon Oil.

Magnesium is one of the most crucial nutrients in our diet, and many people are deficient. It protects against nearly every modern disease, and can be therapeutic for difficult to treat inflammatory conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, etc. Seaweed and various nuts and seeds are high in magnesium, but occasionally supplementation may be useful. I suggest using a highly-absorbable form such as magnesium glycinate.

Vitamin K2 has recently been revealed as an important nutrient in protecting against heart disease. It does this by telling the body to put calcium in the bones and teeth where it belongs, and not in the arteries and soft tissue. K2 is found in the fat of grass-fed animals and certain fermented foods like natto and hard cheese. I recognize that not everyone eats these foods for various reasons, so if someone has heart disease or is at risk for it I may recommend either Fermented Cod Liver / Butter Oil from Green Pastures, and/or an MK-4 supplement. For more on vitamin K, see my post Vitamin K2: The Missing Nutrient.

But even in these cases, I only suggest that people take these if they need them, and if they can’t (or won’t) get the nutrients from foods.

Natural Vitality Organic Life Vitamins

2011-10-17T10:27:00.001-04:00

For the past several months I have been using two products from Natural Vitality on a fairly regular basis - Organic Life Vitamins and Energy 28. I've been using them in addition to, and not in lieu of, my regular and very simply daily supplement regime of Phix Energy Drink, Centrum Ultra Men's multi-vitamin, and CosaminDS. This post will focus on Organic Life Vitamins. Another on Energy 28 will follow.

Organic Life Vitamins are billed as being "an energy-packed multi-nutrient - more than a multi-vitamin.....a new generation in multis.....a convenient, great-tasting and economical way to get premium nutrition your body can use every day." Talented and highly accomplished ultra-runner David Ploskonka peaked my interest in Natural Vitality products when he conveyed that they got him through the last 35 miles of the Badwater Ultramarathon at a time when his stomach couldn't handle solid foods. "It tasted really good and calmed my stomach," he said. It also is a liquid form vitamin, a feature that is a big bonus for me. Here are a few key notes from the Natural Vitality website:

Liquid: We believe liquid is a superior delivery system for supplements. In fact, we’re so convinced that we only make liquids and water-soluble powders

Taste: We designed OLV so we could take it ourselves. We wanted it to be a good experience, and that starts with taste. We don’t like cough-syrup sweet or heavily green-tasting liquids. We use organic flavors and sweeten with organic stevia and organic agave.

Organic Aloe Vera: Aloe vera contains over 200 amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, enzymes and sterols. We put 4.5 grams of premium organic ACTIValoe® in each serving. It’s an organic whole-food functional multi within a multi.

24 organic superfruits, veggies & fruits:We believe in organics, so we made sure that our superfruit, veggie and fruit blend included only organic produce. To us it’s worth the extra cost, not only for the health benefits but also to support organic farming.

Covering nutritional bases: A multi should be well rounded, but we believe it isn’t honest to put a lot of items on a label in very small quantities that don’t really do anything. We use enough of an ingredient to make a difference. And we don’t shop for the cheapest ingredients to give our product a price advantage. Instead, we look for the best forms we can get. OLV has 800 IU of vitamin D3, 450 mg of trace minerals, a good amount of chromium and premium-branded selenium.

Essential Vitamins: Organic Life Vitamins provides a range of important vitamins including A, B vitamins, C, D and E.

How does it taste? Pretty good. They have actually done a fine job of creating a product that is easy on the palate.

East of use? Fantastic. You can buy Organic Life Vitamins in a 30 oz bottle or in convenient on-the-go single serving packets.

How has it worked? Well, it is always tough to tell with any multi-vitamin product, especially since I have yet to switch totally to Organic Life Vitamins as an only source of vitamins. But I can say that I have felt some difference in my overall level of energy since starting to use it. The next step is to substitute Organic Life Vitamins in place of Centrum Ultra Men's and see where things go from there.

For the ease of use and its liquid form alone, it just might be something you find worth giving a try.

Weekly Traiing Recap (Double - 10/3/11 - 10/16/11)

2011-10-16T12:50:00.000-04:00

The last two weeks of training have been solid, as things are coming together nicely in preparation for 100 miles at Javelina. It seems as if the real turning point was getting to run a 5k race with my daughters - I ran with my 9 year old, and Cherie ran with my 10 year old. I had never run with "the little one" before, and this was truly special - she ran the entire way, 28:37, for first place in her age group (although, the only thing she really cared about was beating her sister). Cherie wrote a great, short report on it - "1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place: a 5k, Two Little Girls, and A Whole Lot of Fun". Drawing from that experience, and with the help of some true friends on the weekend, I logged some quality miles over the last 2 weeks.

Products, products, products. The in-box has been flooded as of late with offers of products to test. I've found it hard to work new products into peak training for a 100-mile race, but I've found a good pre-run regime by combining PHIX Energy Drink and two Natural Vitality products (Energy 28 and Organic Life Vitamins). Hammer Nutrition products (Heed, Perpetuem and Hammer Gel) remain my main source of calories.

Lastly, thanks to my good friend Chris K., I'm looking at getting into cycling (its been a while since I was hit head on by a car). Of course, why do anything small scale - how about "The Toughest 48 hours in Sport" - the Furnace Creek 508? That course has 35,000 feet of elevation gain and crosses ten mountain passes. It just may be something to shoot for in the near future, maybe even a try at the Death Valley Cup if I'm lucky enough to get the honor to participate in both events. Chris, Peter L., and Peter H. have all been so cool in offering a ton of advice and help....I'm in good hand.

On to the two week training summary :

Monday, October 3

5:12 PM - 4.50 miles in 42:42 at Rockefeller State Park.

Tuesday, October 4

5:04 AM - 6.00 miles in 55:01.

Wednesday, October 5

5:25 AM - 3.00 miles in 21:49 (7:16 pace). 5k hard effort was the plan.

7:33 PM - An easy 1.2 miles with my 9-year old.

Thursday, October 6

5:33 AM - 3.00 miles in 22:10 (7:23 pace). Again, the plan was to do 5k at hard effort. I felt good about my times on both days.

Friday, October 7

8:02 AM - 7.00 miles in 1:06:10 at Rockefeller State Park.

Saturday, October 8

6:17 AM - 22.30 miles in 3:37:17 at Rockefeller State Park. Temps today ranged from 47 to 69 degrees. A nice long run with Peter H. and Aaron H.

Sunday October 9

6:17 AM - 20.80 miles in 3:31:01, then another 3.2 surprise miles with my 9-year old, all at Rockefeller State Park. I was about a mile from the park on the way home when I got the call that she wanted to come out and do some running. What a blast.

Monday, October 10

7:54 AM - 8.00 miles in 1:19:11 at Rockefeller State Park with Peter L.

Tuesday, October 11

5:04 AM - 6.00 miles in 50:35 (8:25 pace). .6 miles at hard effort followed by .6 miles at easy, recovery effort, x 10.

Wednesday, October 12

5:22 AM - 5.00 miles in 46.08.

Thursday, October 13

5:04 AM - 7.20 miles in 1:06:24.

Friday, October 14

5:12 AM - 4.20 miles in 39:17.

Saturday, October 15

6:36 AM - 22.00 miles in 3:10:53 (8:40 pace). Amazing long run on the North County Trail way with Peter H. Worked hard.

Sunday, October 16

6:14 AM - 22.00 miles in 3:37:39 (9:53 pace). Another long run on the North County Trailway, this time a bit slower than yesterday.

Total miles (10/3 week) - 71.00

Total miles (10/10 week) - 74.40

30-Day Rolling - 263.40

2011 Total Miles - 2,191.40

Garmin Announces New Forerunner® 910XT

2011-10-06T09:12:00.000-04:00

Two days ago Garmin announced its new Forerunner 910XT. The price....pretty hefty - $449.99 with a heart rate monitor, $399.99 without. For an unbelievably thorough review, check out DC Rainmaker's post, "Garmin Forerunner 910XT In Depth Review".

The Ultimate Multisport Training Experience: Garmin® Forerunner® 910XT

OLATHE, Kan./Oct 4, 2011/Business Wire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the Forerunner 910XT – the only all-in-one GPS-enabled device that provides detailed swim metrics and tracks distance, speed/pace, elevation and heart rate for running and cycling. The 910XT sports a sleek profile allowing users to easily slide wetsuits on and off, and has an on-board barometric altimeter for improved elevation data, all without sacrificing the size of its easy-to-read display. The Forerunner 910XT was announced in preparation for the Triathlon World Championship in Kona, HI, October 8, 2011 where it will be prominently displayed.

“Having one solution that provides athletes with all the metrics they are after is what the Forerunner 910XT is all about,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Seeing swimming metrics such as stroke count, stroke rate and stroke identification, and seeing running and cycling metrics such as pace, distance, heart rate and power, place the Forerunner 910XT in a class of its own.”

With Forerunner 910XT, swimming will never be the same again. Designed for both open water and pool swimming, Forerunner 910XT is water resistant to 50 meters and is Garmin’s first multisport watch to offer extensive swim metrics, including swim distance, stroke identification, stroke count and pool lengths. It also computes a user’s swolf score – the sum of the time for one length plus the number of strokes for that length. For example, 30 seconds plus 15 strokes equals a swolf score of 45. Swolf is a measurement of swimming efficiency and, like golf, lower is better. The 910XT’s robust design and easy operation make it suited for other water sports, including paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing to name a few.

When an athlete is ready to jump out of the water and onto the bike, Forerunner 910XT moves easily from wrist to handlebar with the optional quick release and bike mounts. Forerunner 910XT categorizes multisport activities in one workout and can also log transition time in the process, so triathletes can analyze their performance from start to finish. And with up to 20 hours of battery life, even hardcore endurance athletes can push themselves further than ever.

Forerunner 910XT uses a vibration motor for alerts such as heart rate, pace/speed and distance when audible tones cannot be heard (heart monitor included in some bundles or available separately). With the heart rate monitor, Forerunner 910XT also allows athletes to track their training intensity via the Training Effect feature. By inputting key information into the watch, a user can measure the impact of an exercise regimen on their aerobic fitness.

In a true race against the clock, Forerunner 910XT adds Virtual Racer™. With this feature, Garmin has an answer for every excuse- no more, “I could have beaten that time”- where users can race themselves over their previous bests or against other users’ times. These can be taken from activities stored on the watch or downloaded wirelessly from the huge and expanding Garmin Connect™ community (http://connect.garmin.com). Here users can quickly and easily log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with friends and family and participate in an online fitness community of more than 70 million activities around the world. Also, users can now create and plan workouts, and even design courses and send it all directly to your 910XT with the click of a button. Garmin Connect displays metrics such as time, distance, pace, elevation and heart rate. This information is shown through charts, illustrations, reports and a variety of map representations including street, photo, topographic, and elevation maps.

During and after the workout, Forerunner 910XT blends the best wireless connectivity of all of its predecessors in the Garmin fitness family, syncing wirelessly through ANT+™ technology with Garmin heart rate monitors and foot pods, compatible third-party fitness equipment and power meters, and the user’s PC or Mac for automatic data download. The Forerunner 910XT will be compatible with Garmin’s innovative power meter Vector™ and display independent left/right power.

Forerunner 910XT is the latest breakthrough from Garmin, which has spent more than 20 years developing technologies and innovations to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. For more about features, pricing and availability, as well as information about Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com, www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin. To watch step-by-step, feature-specific tutorial videos for Forerunner 910XT and other Garmin products, visit the online learning center at www.garmin.com/learningcenter.

2011 Vermont 50 Mile Race Preview

2011-09-22T19:17:00.000-04:00

On Sunday I will participate in my 4th Vermont 50 Mile race, an event that was my first 50-miler waaaay back in 2006 in the pouring rain (11:48:46). I ran it again in the mud in 2009 (11:47:29; see "Race Report - Vermont MUDder Frackin' 50 Mile"), and in 2010, finally, in beautiful weather (9:54:45; see "Race Report - Vermont 50 Mile"). In 2011, we get a course that has been heavily impacted by Irene.

"You've no doubt heard about how Vermont got slammed by Tropical Storm Irene, and, not surprisingly, our course took some hits as well. The good news is that a tireless crew of folks from STAB (Sport Trails of the Ascutney Basin) have been logging all manner of hours creating reroutes and clearing obstructions in order to ensure that you will be able to safely negotiate the renowned VT-50 network

Under normal conditions runners would not be likely to get their feet soaked in any steam or creek crossings, but currently it can happen. We have had recent rains, and the forecast calls for more in the next couple of days. Therefore you CAN expect to encounter muddy sections. The STAB people have created diverts at many such locations to minimize the amount of mud-trucking you have to do, but count on getting muddy anyway.

Keeping trail course segment measurements exact is always challenging, and with these recent changes, you can expect both the 50K and 50 Mile courses to be a bit longer than what you've seen in print on the website.

As for the course surfaces, the heavy rains a few weeks ago washed away quite a bit of the topsoil, leaving the trails scoured and stony in many locations. When I'm asked if road shoes can be worn for the event, I normally say that they can work, but now I'd advise participants to consider trail shoes in order to cope with the unevenness."

- From Race Committee Member Zeke Zucker

I will use this race to train for Javelina, and plan on spending plenty of time on the course with Cherie and Emmy. It should be loads of fun, with gorgeous scenery and plenty of mud.

Below is the Garmin data from last year's event. The course is slightly different this year, but the challenge remains the same.

Weekly Training Recap (9/12/11 - 9/18/11)

2011-09-18T10:54:00.000-04:00

The weekly training recap/summary returns (and will get more detailed going forward).....

Having decided to run the Vermont 50 Mile next Sunday, this week's training was a little "light"....logging only 43 miles.

Monday, September 12, 2011

AM - 3.00 miles in 27:00.

PM - 3.00 miles in 30:00 (treadmill).

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

6.00 miles in 51:31 - .5 mile warm-up and cool-down. 10 x 400m with 400m easy in between.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Off day.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Off day.

Friday, September 16, 2011

3.00 Miles in 26:17.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

21.70 miles in 3:30:58 at Rockefeller State Park - An overall great run. Spent the first 14 miles with Kristen, at about 10:07 overall pace. Picked up the pace for the last 7 miles.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

6.30 miles in 1:04:22 at Rockefeller State Park - Nice, easy run with Steve, who is still out there logging another 9 miles or so.

Total Miles (Week) - 43.00

30-Day Rolling - 201.00

Total Miles (2011) - 1,956.00

Finding My Way

2011-09-05T16:01:00.002-04:00

Hit play - duh. :)

It has been quite a while since anything meaningful has been posted on irunultras.com....well over a month. Perhaps it can be blamed on Badwater withdrawal symptoms. Or, maybe just sheer exhaustion from the first 6+ months of 2011. The cause doesn't really matter. It is time to get back to posting - "runnin', findin' my way back home."

There is no better time than now, the last "true" day of Summer, to write a catch-up post, a bullet-point blow-by-blow of what's been happening since our 3rd consecutive finish of the Badwater Ultramarathon, and what lies ahead.

Badwater And Other Impacts. This year's event took a heavy toll, both physically and mentally, especially considering running the entire length of the Caminho da Fé in Brazil in January (about 340 miles over 7 days), and a sub-20 hour finish at Umstead 100 in April. On top of that, without giving myself sufficient time to recover, I volunteered at an event a mere one month after Badwater that resulted in 70+ hours without any real sleep, resulting in a significant set-back in recovery and a major blow to general health and wellness. Now, with 67 days to go until Javelina Jundred, an event I greatly desire to perform well at, I find myself behind the 8 ball preparation-wise. But, as my brother Chris posted yesterday, "do or do not....there is no try." (Yoda)

To Vermont 50, Or Not To Vermont 50. I am registered for my 4th Vermont 50, taking place this year on September 25. Participating in this year's event had very special meaning - running the entire race with one of my good friends, a cancer survivor. I learned today that a knee injury is going to keep this friend from running, and thus I am considering not making the trip to Brownsville. Chances are that my performance would be sub-par, as well as eat into training for Javelina. Still, it is on the schedule and paid for, so perhaps it is worth doing.

Product Testing. Since July there has been a drastic increase in the amount of products that have come my way for testing, from electronics to supplements. We should have some reviews up soon.

Auria Exceed Earphones

Javelina Jundred Training. It has begun, but it has to, and will, get more focused. I'm looking forward to being reunited with Rick Gaston as my pacer. We have improved every year at Javelina, and we want to yet again.

Charitable Causes. 'nPlay Foundation, founded by a good friend, has caught my eye for possible joint efforts with The Challenged Athletes Foundation, and we are working hard to make some of those efforts possible. Jennie Finch, Gary Player, Summer Sanders, Grant Hill, Shannon Miller, Paul Pierce and a coalition of 35 professional athletes, both active and retired from 15 sports, have united to fight the childhood obesity epidemic in America, to raise money that can be put directly back into schools so they can obtain the tools to change the culture inside to one of health and wellness, and meet the criteria of the USDA’s HealthierUS Schools Challenge. This group of world class athletes has committed themselves on both a national and local level to help and encourage students, teachers and parents strive for a healthier lifestyle for children. There are some great synergies here, and I'm hopeful that there will be some great things coming in the future.

2011-08-29T12:47:00.000-04:00

A few pictures from today's run at Rockefeller State Park.....In general, the section we ran was not too bad, although there are portions that have been washed out a bit.

2011 Badwater Ultramarathon Race Report

2011-07-24T11:43:00.002-04:00

"This never gets old." It was day before the 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon, and, with a slight crack in my voice, those four simple words where all that I could muster to good friend Frank McKinney while standing adjacent to the swimming pool at the Furnace Creek Inn during the racers group photo. "This never gets old." Frank, a 6 time Badwater Ultramarathon finisher responded, "it sure as hell doesn't."

It has only been a short time since we were successful in completing our third consecutive Badwater Ultramarathon, this time in 39 hours, 59 minutes, 14 seconds.....shaving off 6 hours from our previous best finish in 2010 (45:58:15).....a short time since we left Death Valley, a place (and a race) that has become a yearly ritual of growth, internal reflection, and spiritual triumph, a place where you can literally become one with your surroundings, a place where you can forget everything, yet remember and relive so much. It is often times nearly impossible to describe in words what Death Valley and the Badwater Ultramarathon is and means on an individual level. It certainly is a place that facilitates tremendous internal reflection.....reflection that is quite life changing. The best way to understand it, to get it, to know and feel it, is to go there, and each visit, each experience, each journey, will offer distinct and separate memories, and forever impact the lives we live.

Ouch

Our 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon was unique and special in many ways. For the first time, my wife and two daughters would join us as crew-members (well, they called themselves "crew to the crew"). They would bounce ahead 5 miles at a time, supplying extra ice and water when needed, and, more importantly, provide an emotional boost at just the right times. They were absolutely awesome.

The "Crew to the Crew"

In 2009 and 2010 we had 5 and 6 crew-members respectively, alternating in shifts of 8-10 hours each. Not so in 2011. With the family coming, we decided to go with a 3 person "main" crew, on all the time. It worked, and it worked well. I couldn't have asked for a better trio. From the moment they arrived, Eric, Jason and Chuck clicked in every way, and as a group they were the primary reason for our tremendous improvement over past years. There is no way to adequately thank them, no way to repay them for their selflessness, no way to property give them their just due. Each one of them put in nearly 40 miles of pacing and nearly 40 hours of endless waiting, all without a single complaint or negative word. The synergy was amazing. The result was spectacular.

The Guys

Eric put together a summary of statistics that are approximate and include the runner and 3 crew members. I can say for sure that I did not have a lick of orange juice, but absolutely drank my fair share of Red Bull.

• 30 gallons of water
• 100 lbs of ice
• 75 S-caps
• 100 Hammer Gels
• 12 servings Perpetuem
• 20 servings Heed
• 3 servings Ultragen
• 3 lbs of turkey
• 2 lbs of cheese
• 2 loaves of bread
• 6 pbj sandwiches
• 2 liters Mountain Dew
• 2 gallons Gatorade
• 1 liter Ginger ale
• 1 quart OJ
• 10 Red Bulls
• 2 Cantaloupes
• 1 large smoothie
• 6 ice pops
• 4 popped blisters
• 1 tube Sportslick
• 3 cans sunscreen
• 15 Tylenol
• 1 Rattle Snake scare
• 135 miles by Tony in 39hrs 59min
• 3 crew members pace about 40 miles each
• 550 times getting both in and out of the crew vehicle
• 45 hours no sleep
• McDonald's and Beer post run
• 3rd Badwater Buckle for Tony:)

Ok, so, the actual race. Another difference from the prior 2 years at Badwater was the establishment of a clear set of goal times for each "stretch" of the race, basically from check point to check point. Yes, 36 hours was the "dream goal".....the goal that we thought was on the edge of attainability. The "realistic" goal was somewhere between there and 40 hours, and it wasn't until the stretch from Darwin (90.1 miles) to Lone Pine (122.3) miles that goal re-assessment landed us at shooting for the 39-hour range. Below are the time goals we set (for the particular section) and how they played out, followed by a comparison between our times from 2010 vs 2011 (chart provided by the Badwater Ultramarathon web-cast):

Start to Furnace Creek (17.4 miles) - Goal time 3:30 (nearly 30 minutes slower than last year).....actual of 3:20
FC to Stovepipe Wells (41.9 miles) - Goal time 6:00.....actual of 5:55
SPW to Panamint Springs (72.3 miles) - Goal time 7:30.....actual of 9:27
PS to Darwin (90.1 miles) - Goal time 7:00.....actual of 6:20 (making up 40 minutes from the prior section)
DW to Lone Pine (122.3 miles) - Goal time 8:00.....actual of 10:43 (the longest, toughest stretch, a place for future improvement)
LP to Finish (135.0 miles) - Goal time 4:00.....actual of 4:14 (and faster than 2010 by 8 minutes)

With the exception of the stretch from Panamint Springs (72.3 miles) to Darwin (90.1 miles), which took a mere 6 minutes longer in 2011 vs 2010, but was actually 40 minutes faster than our goal time, and the stretch from the Start to Furnace Creek (17.4 miles), which was intentionally meant to be 30 minutes slower than in 2010, we improved (and some times greatly improved) our times. In 2010 it took us 7:21 to get from Furnace Creek to Stovepipe Wells.....in 2011, only 5:55. Better yet, in 2010 it took us 12:53 to get from Stovepipe Wells to Panamint Springs, a section that included the 5,000 foot, 17 mile climb up Townes Pass.....in 2011, a 3 hour and 26 minute improvement to 9:27.

2010 Badwater Ultramarathon Splits

2011 Badwater Ultramarathon Splits

How did we accomplish this? Sure, training/preparation/devotion. Without question, we prepared ourselves for this race like it would be our last. But, for me, a big part was a shift internally. I let go. I trusted 100 percent in my crew. What they said, I did. What they handed me, I ate and drank. Oh, and, thanks to the great Dan Rose, we went in with what seemed to be a perfect fueling plan, one that we deviated from slightly depending on varying factors during the race. Phix Energy Drink was also an option and great pre-race wake-up.

It is clear to see where the toughest parts of the race were. But, what is so great about this race is the amount of times that other runners, during our deepest and darkest struggles, took the time to try to give us a lift, to try to revive us, to give us hope. I spend a great deal of time with Frank McKinney and his amazing crew on the course. We chatted a lot. We struggled a lot. We encouraged each other and pushed each other tremendously. I will never forget the time spent with him on that road. He, like all of the competitors out there, is an incredible fighter. The guy nearly passed out twice going up Whitney Portal Road to the Finish, and thought only of finishing. Amazing. While climbing Townes Pass the leaders from the 10:00 AM group finally caught us, and each and every one of them....Zach Gingerich, Marco Farinazzo, Oswaldo Lopez, Iris Cooper Imhoff, Jen Vogel, etc.....all offered words of support, pats on the back, and hugs. I had a great back-and-forth conversation with Zach and his pacer Evan Hone in which we made a feeble attempt to analyze why we choose to torture ourselves this way every year.

Past Crew-Member Now Racer Jen Vogel

Zach Gingerich and Evan Hone (shirt-less)

The race start is always a blast, and we got to see and catch up with some old friends and really cool people.....

"Badwater" Ben Jones

Moeben Founder Shannon Farar-Griefer

Legends Marshal Ulrich and Lisa Smith-Batchen

Off We Go

Ed Ettinghausen (costume), Ed Kelly and Meredith Murphy

Ab-Tastic...I'm keeping my shirt on...

...but enjoying every second of it.

The first 42 miles (from the start to Stovepipe Wells) went according to plan. We held back in an effort to deal with the heat, and it worked. I spent a great deal of time with Frank McKinney. Our professional lives cross the same industry, and our personal lives are forever linked by Badwater. In the prior two years I was forced into a hotel room at Stovepipe Wells to deal with overheating issues. Not this year. We breezed right by the Stovepipe Wells check point and started the climb up Townes Pass. That climb was a struggle. It is supposed to be. 17 miles.....5,000 feet.....it is long and emotionally taxing. I believe it was some point between Stovepipe Wells and Panamint Springs that we took a short break to deal with a few blisters. Eric received a crash course in blister treatment and did semi-o.k. with the first one, but extremely well with the second. We would stop one more time to re-treat blisters, but overall blisters did not have an impact. During the climb a ton of elite athletes caught up to us, one of my favorite parts of the race. At some point Chris Roman, probably my best friend in life and my brother in running, caught us. That was a moment I couldn't wait for. It was awesome. Jimmy Dean Freeman took time to stop by and check on us, more than once. My great friends Mario Lacerda (race director of the Brazil 135) and Jarom Thurston passed by and gave me a huge boost. Seeing all of those great people made the climb to 5,000 feet a lot "easier".

Jarom Thurston and Mario Lacerda

Mario Lacerda

Reaching Panamint Springs (72.3 miles) in the middle of the night was a treat - smoothie time. I swear they have the best smoothies at Panamint Springs. It made the trek to Darwin (90.1 miles) a good one - we polished off that short section 40 minutes faster than planned. But, the arrival at Darwin also signaled daylight, and with daylight came the sun and heat. Sure enough, Darwin to Line Pine (122.3) was torture. We would continue to leap-frog with Frank McKinney and his crew. I had never gone through Keeler and reached Lone Pine in the daylight before. It was very cool to experience these portions of the race from a different perspective.

The Solitude of the Night

My Secret Weapon Pacer

Lone Pine

In Lone Pine, I felt as if I had nothing left to give to the desert. Not only was I walking, I was walking slowly. I can do math, and it wasn't looking good at all. It was about 5:45 PM. It was still hot, at least to me, and I found myself talking out loud to the sun, begging it to set behind the mountains. It wouldn't (at least not in the time frame that I demanded). Slowly we moved up the Portal Road, each step more painful than the last. Until.....something hit me few miles into the climb that starts at 3,610 feet in Lone Pine and culminates at 8,360 feet at Whitney Portal. My wife and daughters had taken our second vehicle to the finish line to wait. At the pace we were moving, it would take us several hours to get to them. On the way to Lone Pine I told Eric that there would be no repeat of 2010's climb up the Portal Road, that there would be no running, that there would be no all-out push to finish. I was wrong, and a few "long" miles into that climb, it was time to move. And boy did we move, running and walking with a purpose to the finish line, using each vehicle returning from Whitney Portal as a spring-board to run harder and faster. Red Bull.....give me a Red Bull in a bottle. Passing the amazing Danny Westergaard, he said, "you must be the guy that just asked for Red Bull in a bottle." We exchanged words of support and parted ways. I would pass by several other runners, some inching along, willing themselves to the finish line. Finally, the finish line. 39:59:14.

Race Director Chris Kostman

The great thing about finishing at 10 pm vs finishing at 4 am.....you can still acquire alcoholic beverages on the way back to the hotel. That and a hefty portion of McDonald's hit the spot. Even better, we would reflect on what we had just accomplished and what we did not succumb to. We never stopped moving, treating every step of the Badwater journey as if it were a privilege and honor. It was. It is.

There are so many people to thank.

For starters, this race.....this experience.....this journey of self-discovery.....it would not exists without the herculean efforts of Chris Kostman and the entire AdventureCORPS and Badwater race staff. They are true believers in the triumph of the human spirit, and their dedication and devotion to this event and its participants is second to none. The webcast production team (Keith Kostman, Anna Leeg and Marcus Edvalson), the webcast video team (Rachel Schmitt, Lauren McMachon and Angel Rincon), the photography team (Ron Jones, Poosa Kostman, Dave and Margaret Nelson, Jimena Rodriguez), the race operations team (Mike Angelos, Jeff Bell, Ruben Cantu, Scott Dakus, Leon Draxler, Tracy Fisher, Mandy Genato, Ricky Herrera, Poosa Kostman, Joe Garza, Steve Gray, Ashley Gray, Jay Hodde, Mary Kashurba, Sophie Kashurba, Tim Kjenstad, Cory Linkel, Don Meyer, John Marino, John Marino, Jr., Scott Wall, John Wiley, Don Lundell & Gillian Robinson), the medical team (Megan Dell, Dave Heckman, Jeff Lynn, Steve Teal, Andrea Harrell and Francis Ignacio), and the foot care team (Denise Jones and John Vonhoff).....and everyone that I may have missed.....without them none of this would be possible.

My crew, Eric Gelber, Jason Overbaugh and Chuck Mathison. They were amazing from start to finish, always going the extra "mile" for me to make sure this journey was successful and meaningful. Of course, the "crew to the crew", my wife and two daughters. They (my daughters) actually behaved most of the time and having my family there was even more valuable and meaningful than I could have ever imagined. If I ever get the chance to return to Badwater I will surely beg them to make the journey with me.

To everyone that contributed to our fund-raising efforts, a huge thank you! Together we raised over $32,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation in a very, very short period of time. However, our efforts, like our journey, does not end with completion of the race. If you can support this amazing charity, please do!

To everyone that sent an email before and after the race, to all of my friends that offered their tremendous support, I thank you a thousand fold and appreciate your friendship and kindness.

There are no guarantees that I will ever be accepted to run in the Badwater Ultramarathon again, which is why I treat every step out there as if it will be my last. The number and quality of applicants is growing and getting better with each passing year. I will surely apply again. I will undoubtedly keep my fingers crossed. I will always hold out hope that I will some day get to return to Badwater and continue the learning and growing process that began a few years ago. But, no matter what, I can say that without a shadow of a doubt, that the friendships and memories that have come from participating in the Badwater Ultramarathon, the lessons learned along the way, and the profound impact that it has had on me as a person and on my life, will forever be etched in my soul.

Legendary NHL broadcaster Mike "Doc" Emrick often invokes the words of the late Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News writer Steve Summers at the end of championship games, expanding on that quote.....

"The episodes in life that last so many years in memory are often measured in fleeting minutes as they happen. In minutes, this won't last very long, but the memories sure will."

The experience of the Badwater Ultramarathon flashes by in what seems like milliseconds. But, the memories and the impact it has are forever a part what shapes life in the future. Those memories will never fade.

Space Mountain Meets The Great Movie Ride Meets The Backlot Tour

2011-07-07T16:01:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I liken the Badwater Ultramarathon to an amusement park ride, perhaps a mix between the twists/turns/highs/lows of a Space Mountain, the constant changing terrain and scenery of the past like The Great Movie Ride (taking guests through scenes from famous films throughout history), and a look into the inner workings of what it takes to not only cover 135 miles in extreme conditions, but also to organize it (sort of like the Studio Backlot Tour that takes you through sets and props from famous movies into a working movie studio). The event truly is a mixture of so many different things. Well, the ride is finally upon us, so grab your Fast Pass tickets, get on line, secure that lap bar/belt, and hold on to your hats!

From a preparation standpoint, things feel pretty darn good. As usual, I'm still scared to death by this race for a variety of reasons. We have assembled a great crew, which includes my good friend Eric Gelber (his second go at being my crew chief), Jason Overbaugh, and Chuck Mathison. Eric is quietly becoming a seasoned ultra-runner, having finished 4 100-milers, including a nearly 3 hour personal best finish at Umstead in April (20:18:38). Jason broke into the 100-mile realm with a stellar 2nd place finish at GRR100 (21:41:47) in March, and quickly followed that up with a strong finish at Umstead a month later (18:29:05) and in the Keys 100 5 weeks after that (27:17:42) - that's 3 100s in 3 months! Chuck, filling in for the injured David Wronski who is still on our team in spirit, also fared well in his first 100-miler (22:59:12; Umstead).

On the fundraising front, we did really well in the last few weeks, pulling in over $30,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. We can't thank everyone enough for their generosity and support of CAF (and you can still donate right HERE)!

There are ways to track us before, during and after the race. We have set up a SPOT GPS Shared Page (http://tinyurl.com/3pdkgqa) for real-time tracking. For now, there are not GPS locations to plot, but we will start it up on Friday when we arrive, and keep it on during the daytime until the race begins, and then straight through our finish. It should update with a location every 10 minutes. You may have to zoom in/out of the map as necessary.

Also, make sure to check out the Badwater Race Webcast for live updates, including my personal race update page.

Finally, many thanks to Joel Ballezza of Brooks for a great post on me and the race on the Brooks Blog, to the entire Badwater race staff and volunteers for giving us the opportunity to participate in this event, and to my family and friends for the amazing support!!

Badwater Training Week In Review (June 20 to June 26)

2011-06-26T15:11:00.000-04:00

2 weeks to go. That's it. This training week started with some weird leg soreness/tightness, and the result was more cross-training and lots of stretching. It seems to have worked. A 7.5 mile run on Tuesday, an easy 3 miles on Saturday, and 22+ miles today made for an easy 32.7 mile running week.

Sunday's Group Run Crew

The focus now shifts to two areas - solid heat training and serious packing. Here's a shot of all the Hammer Nutrition products that have to make their way into our luggage:

Joel Wolpert Video on Geoff Roes

2011-06-21T09:42:00.000-04:00

A great video by Joel Wolpert on Geoff Roes and featured on the Running Times website. I came across it on Tony Krupicka's site...it is definately worth a look.

Badwater Training Week In Review (June 13 to June 19)

2011-06-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

The last 8 weeks of training have been very consistent, with weekly mileage at about 66, 58, 54, 47, 60, 61, 83 and 78. My legs are certainly feeling it. They have worked hard since taking 2 weeks off after Umstead 100, and are ready for an easy taper. I have made a conscious effort to keep my long training runs at a 10-10:30 min/mi pace, focusing more on getting comfortable with the products that we will use at Badwater. The result - a month of June that has already exceeded the last two year's of June Badwater preparation...and we still have 11 days left in the month.

Monday, June 13

9:10 AM - 10.00 miles in 1:28:28 (8:50 pace). A great, nice-paced run following a runs of 25 and 31 miles the previous two days.

Tuesday, June 14

4:56 AM - 6.30 miles in 1:02:44 (9:57 pace).

Wednesday, June 15

OFF

Thursday, June 16

4:56 AM - 6.00 miles in 1:00:15 (10:02 pace).

Friday, June 17

5:48 AM - 25.30 miles in 4:19:46 (10:16 pace). Pouring rain, thunder and lightning. My favorite.

Saturday, June 18

5:59 AM - 18.20 miles in 3:10:22 (10:27 pace). Dead legs. Absolutely exhausted. The first 12 miles were under a 10 min/mi pace. The last 6.2 miles were tough.

Sunday, June 19
7:55 AM - 12.40 miles in 1:59:06 (9:36 pace). Pleasantly surprised to be able to keep this pace on a hilly Father's Day run, especially considering yesterday's struggles.

Badwater Training Week In Review (June 6 to June 12)

2011-06-12T16:53:00.000-04:00

This week and next week (June 13 - June 19) are perhaps the most important training weeks for me, with a goal to have them be the highest mileage weeks in my Badwater training program. With less than 30 days until race day, it is time to log some solid back-to-back long runs, and use them to practice the nutrition strategy that we will employ in the desert. I have to admit, the closer we get to the race, the more scared to death of it I am (more on that in a separate post....it is actually a good thing).

This week was solid...very solid. Everything feels good, with nothing major on the injury front to report. I seem to have my nutrition plan (courtesy of the awesome Dan Rose) in perfect shape, and it is working on my long training runs, especially that 1/2 serving of Ultragen mid-way.

Another very amazing thing worth mentioning this week, as mushy and corny as it may sound...Over the course of the 2010 Badwater Ultramarathon and the 340 mile, 7+ day journey that was Running the Caminho Da Fé in Brazil in January of 2011, I somehow added a 3rd brother to my family, one I seem to talk to and/or text and/or email several times a day. It is absolutely true what his wife posts on Facebook, when she posts for me to tell her husband things. Even my own wife jokes about the incredible bond that I've developed with this person. Sure, we have a lot in common - we have a similar passion for running, we have two daughters that are roughly the same age (he has an absolutely amazing family), and we support with vigor the same charity - but we, and our families, seem to have grown so very close in the last year (in part, perhaps, due to some interesting travel issues related to our return from Brazil). We share training (and drinking) stories what seems like every single day. I honesty have grown to trust and confide in this person an incredible amount, a person who is true to his friends, his ideals, and his family, and I can't wait to see how well he does at Badwater this year. If there were a Chris Roman fan club (maybe there is?), I'd be its #1 fan (but I'd surely expect nothing less than being named the President and CEO of the club). So, the point, really? Well, I just wanted to say thank you to a guy that has been such a tremendous friend, and more importantly to his family for so graciously letting him spend (or not killing him for spending) so much time chatting and running with me. See you in the desert my friend.

Monday, June 6

5:42 AM - 4.20 miles in 40:01 (9:46 pace)

Tuesday, June 7

5:10 AM - 6.00 miles in 55:00 (9:09 pace)

5:26 PM - 4.00 miles in 35:57 (8:59 pace). After dropping my youngest daughter off at soccer practice, I had a little time to kill and headed to the Westlake High track for 4 .25-mile repeats - 1:33, 1:33, 1:34 and 1:37.

Wednesday, June 8

OFF

Thursday, June 9

4:44 AM - 6.00 miles in 1:02:09 (10:21 pace), running with Eric (his first run since a PR at the North Face Endurance Challenge in Washington, DC last Saturday.

Friday, June 10

4:45 AM - 7.00 miles in 1:08:49 (9:49 pace).

Saturday, June 11

5:57 AM - 31.00 miles in 5:17:26 (10:14 pace). Cloudy and rainy run at Rockefeller with Aaron and Micah (for the first 17 or so miles).

Sunday, June 12

5:44 AM - 25.00 miles in 4:31:37 (10:51 pace). We actually had a good 5-10 minutes worth of "down time" to re-fuel at the car and again for a quick stop at a gas station c-store. I shifted things a bit mid-run as the legs got tired, moving to an 8/2 run/walk. 63 miles over the last 3 days (7, 31 and 25) have certainly had an impact on leg speed.

Total miles for the week - 83.2

100 (+) Mile Progression

2011-06-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

It has been a tad over 3 years and 9 months since I ran my first 100-mile ultra, the Grand Tetons 100, an event that, unfortunately, no longer exists. In that period of time, those 45 months, I have been lucky enough to have run in 34 ultra events - 4 135-milers; 11 100-milers; 11 50-milers; 2 60ks; and 6 50ks - as well as 10 marathons.

Since the inception of my marathon-and-beyond running in October of 2004, the totals have looked like this (complete listing of marathon and ultra results can be found in the Ultramarathon and Marathon Race Results post) :

Total Ultramarathons = 41
   135M - 4
     100M - 11
       50M - 12
       60K - 3
       50K - 11

Total Marathons =22

Note that the first race that I ever ran in was the New York Road Runners 5k (February 1, 2004), an event in which I huffed and puffed my way through the freezing cold of winter to a 28:01 finish. I think I might have even swore at that point that I would never run a race again (I've now run in 102 total races of various distances).

But, it is the distance of 100+ miles that happens to intrigue me the most. What the body and mind goes through during the course of a 100-miler is simply, at times, indescribable. It is certainly a distance where one can encounter the most extreme limits and incredible triumphs of the human spirit.

So, as I prepare for an attempt at my 3rd Badwater Ultramarathon finish in the last 3 years, I thought it neat to look at my 100 mile progression since that first one back in September of 2007. I am certainly getting older (yes, I hit the big 40 this year), but am still managing to grasp on to a little bit of improvement. Hopefully, there is more of that to come.

Badwater Training Week In Review (May 30 to June 5)

2011-06-05T12:21:00.000-04:00

Recovery week after last Sunday's Pineland Farms 50 mile? Not. It was more like a recovery 2-3 days. Thanks to a re-activation special at Club Fit, heat training in the sauna has begun and I was surprised how difficult (and boring) it is when you first start out.

Monday, May 30

OFF

Tuesday, May 31

3:22 PM - 2.00 miles in 20:36 (10:18 pace) as an easy return to running after Sunday's 50. A lovely 87 degrees out. 20 minutes in sauna.

Wednesday, June 1

2:57 PM - 5.00 miles in 53:04 (10:36 pace). I ran this with Wayne at a very easy pace (he is returning from / battling injury). Temperatures were again in the upper 80s. 15 minutes in sauna.

Thursday, June 2

2:05 PM - 6.70 miles in 1:03:54 (9:32 pace). A cooler day and an improved pace (again, running with Wayne). 25 minutes in sauna.

Friday, June 3

5:30 AM - 9.00 miles in 1:18:55 (8:45 pace).

4:13 PM - 5.50 miles of speed-work at the track, doing a modified ladder workout that looked like this:

1.00 in 9:52 warm-up
0.25 in 1:44
0.25 in 2:20 recovery lap
0.50 in 3:25
0.25 in 2:14 recovery lap
0.75 in 5:11
0.25 in 2:19 recovery lap
0.50 in 3:22
0.25 in 2:16 recovery lap
0.25 in 1:34
0.50 in 4:33 recovery lap (2)
0.25 in 1:41
0.50 in 4:53 cool-down

Saturday, June 4
6:02 AM - 18.20 miles in 3:01:20 (9:57 pace). 25 minutes in sauna.

Sunday, June 5

6:19 AM - 15.00 miles in 2:26:54 (9:47 pace). Out-and-back on the paved North/South County Trailway.

Totals for the week:

Running Miles - 61.40

Sauna Time - 1 hour 25 minutes

Badwater Training Week In Review (May 23 to May 29)

2011-05-30T11:31:00.000-04:00

This was a very light week going into the Pineland Farms 50 Mile on Sunday, a race I used to try out some fueling/calorie strategies. I have begun to slack on the P90X program...there simply isn't enough time in the day to fit in running, weight training and sauna training. Something has to give, and it will likely mean some modified form of P90X for the next month.

The push in support of the Challenged Athletes Foundation has begun. If you can lend your support by donating at my CAF Personal Page, please do so!

Monday, May 23
4:45 PM - P90X Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Tuesday, May 24
6:45 PM - 3.00 miles in 24:31 (8:10 pace) with 80 degree temps.

Wednesday, May 25
Off day.

Thursday, May 26
5:22 AM - 3.00 miles in 27:00 (9:00 pace).

Friday, May 27
9:26 AM - 4.00 miles in 33:34 (8:24 pace).

Saturday, May 28
Off day.

Sunday, May 29
6:03 AM - 50.00 miles in 9:17:01 in the Pineland Farms 50 Mile race.

Totals for the week:

Running Miles - 60.00
Weight Training / Cross Training - 1 hour

Badwater Training Week In Review (May 16 to May 22)

2011-05-27T13:09:00.000-04:00

This post is coming a little on the late side, but last week was a busy one, and it showed in overall training. However, I am running my 4th Pineland Farms 50 Mile this coming Sunday. Last year I went into that race having already put in over 50 miles of training for that week, plus 120 miles the week before, and, even without the race-week rest I was able to put in a decent PR time of 8:49:19. Who knows what will happen this Sunday, but it is a great, well organized race, with fantastic entertainment and free beer! And, they don't just offer a 50-miler. Two days of BBQ, family events, and seminars are warm-ups to the bevy of events - 5k, 10k, Barefoot 5k, 5k Canicross, 25k, 50k and 50 miles!

June is going to be one hell of a training month...a big push to be ready for Badwater. That means a few things:

First, the return of sauna training...oh joy.

Second, and more important, a fund-raising push in support of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. It is always a difficult task, but this is a charity that I truly love. What most people don't know is this - any Badwater race entrant that raises at least $6,000 for CAF gets their entire Badwater race entry fee returned to them. That is $995 back in my pocket.....NOT.....As is always the case, if we are able to raise the $6,000 entitled us to a refund of our race entry fee, every penny of the $995 refund is going straight to CAF!

So, if you can, please, please, please head over to my CAF Personal Page and donate (no amount is too small)!

Monday, May 16

5:00 PM - P90X Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, and 200 reps of ab work. A much, much better workout than the one last Monday.

Tuesday, May 17

4:43 AM - 6.10 miles in 57:17 (9:23 pace). After an easy 2 miles or so, ran pick-ups of about 2:30 in length for 2+ miles, then finished at a good pace. The weather here remains awful. Nothing but rain for days now. While I enjoy running in the rain, I'm looking forward to a run without it.

PM - Somehow I forgot to do my Plyometrics workout.

Wednesday, May 18

5:18 AM - 6.00 miles in 51:36 (8:36 pace). Guess what...circles in the rain.

Thursday, May 19

2:00 PM - P90X Back and Biceps

Friday, May 20

6:40 AM - 11.50 miles in 1:50:52 (9:38 pace).

Saturday, May 21

6:56 AM - 10.00 miles in 1:39:44 (9:58 pace).

Sunday, May 22

7:03 AM - 13.00 miles in 1:56:35 (8:59 pace).

Totals for the week:

Running Miles - 46.60

Weight Training / Cross Training - 2 hours

Badwater Training Week In Review (May 9 to May 15)

2011-05-15T09:40:00.000-04:00

A couple of lessons were learned/reinforced this week. First, doing P90X Legs and Back, at least the leg portion of it, the day prior to long training runs will have a substantial impact on on the long training run(s). My legs were simply toast this weekend, a sign that they worked hard during training. P90X Legs and Back is about an hour workout, and it features the following leg-focused exercises:

Balance Lunges (25)
Calf Raise Squats (25 x 15 lbs)
Super Skaters (25)
Wall Squats
Step Back Lunges (15 x 15 lbs)
Alternating Side Lunges (24 x 15 lbs)
Single Leg Wall Squats - ouch !
Dead Lift Squat (20)
Three-Way Lunge (15)
Sneaky Lunges (20)
Chair Salutations
Toe-Roll Iso Lunges (20)
Groucho Walk
Calf Raises (75 x 15 lbs)
80-20 Siebers Speed Squats

It may not seem like much, but it leaves your legs burning. Plus, after every 2 leg exercises they throw in a back move.

Second, I've been reading a lot of posts from other Badwater veterans regarding power-walking during training and how it can be extremely beneficial at a race like Badwater. I used to incorporate hill power-walking into my long runs, but had abandoned that quite some time ago. I'm reconsidering adding them back in, or perhaps throwing in some power-walking focused workouts.

All is well on the injury front, with no negative effects from the bout with anterior tibial tendinitis. Looking forward to a good effort at the Pineland Farms 50 Mile Race in 2 weeks, and a chance to see my good friends Bob G. and Natalia.

Monday, May 9

5:45 PM - P90X Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, plus 155 reps of ab work. This was simply an awful workout. I felt just miserable throughout. Looking at my calender I noticed that I have done some sort of workout for the last 35 days straight (counting through Sunday's run), so I suppose a miserable one here and there is to be expected.

Tuesday, May 10

5:02 AM - 6.00 miles in 58:58 (9:49 pace). A nice, easy run to get things moving for the week.

4:30 PM - 1 hour of Plyometrics wearing the Kutting Weight sweat shirt and pants. Oh boy is this outfit a killer. I cannot help but curse Brian Recore every time I put it on and do a workout . I finish drenched in sweat and thoroughly exhausted.

Wednesday, May 11

5:25 AM - 4.20 miles in 34:30 (8:12 pace). A short warm-up was followed by 1 minute pick-ups.

4:30 PM - P90X Back and Biceps, plus 155 reps of ab work.

Thursday, May 12

5:00 AM - 6.30 miles in 1:00:13 (9:34 pace).

Friday, May 13

3:00 PM - P90X Back and Legs, plus 100 reps of ab work. Note to self: consider not doing the leg portion of this workout the day prior to long training runs (more on that above and below).

Saturday, May 14

5:58 AM - 25.20 miles in 3:57:19 (9:25 pace). The first 9-10 miles were run with Eric and Dave B. at a comfortable pace. When they split I opened things up a bit, pushing most of the miles in to the 8s and lower 9s until mile 23. I used very little in the way of nutrition today - 4 bottles of water and 4 Hammer Gels. That's it. Doing the legs portion of yesterday's P90X workout absolutely took its toll as my legs certainly felt the hills.

Sunday, May 15

6:05 AM - 12.50 miles in 2:02:51 (9:49 pace). Woke up to some serious rain and thunder outside. Had hoped for a longer run, but....9 miles in there was this big ball of light that flashed in front of my eyes (Aaron's too). That big ball of white light (that I can still see when I close my eyes) was followed by a loud crackle of lightning in the woods, not more than 20 yards from us. That crackle was followed by a giant crash of thunder directly above us. Most of you know how much of a chicken I am...enough said. :) Legs are tired, but a good tired.

Totals for the week:

Running Miles - 54.20

Weight Training / Cross Training - 4 Hours 35 Minutes

Days Until Badwater - 56

Badwater Training Week In Review (May 2 to May 8)

2011-05-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

This was a second straight solid week of training. On the strength training front, it was a recovery week in the P90X program, meaning a week of core, yoga, stretching and cardio. Unfortunately, I only followed the P90X script once, doing 40 minutes of the Core Synergistics workout Thursday night. I can see a problem with trying to follow the P90X program while training for major ultra endurance events - lack of time. Muscle-specific session start up again this week...let's see how much we actually can get in.

Monday, May 2

6:00 PM - 42 minutes on the stationary bike.

Tuesday, May 3

5:15 AM - 6.00 miles in 50:45.

Wednesday, May 4

4:34 AM - 7.00 miles in 1:08:04.

Thursday, May 5

4:57 AM - 4.75 miles in 47:23. Easy run with Eric as he tested out his injury to see if a go at the North Face Endurance Challenge at Bear Mountain would be possible.

6:00 PM - Pressed for time tonight, but managed to get in 40 minutes of P90X Core Synergistics.

Friday, May 6
2:22 PM - 7.50 miles in 1:02:37 (8:21 pace). Had some fun on the trails with some nice hill climbs, keeping a decent pace after an easy warm-up mile. Splits of 9:30, 8:51, 8:14, 8:23, 8:08, 8:02, 7:29.

Saturday, May 7
5:56 AM - 25.05 miles in 4:01:22 (9:38 pace) with Micah at Rockefeller. A gorgeous sunny morning with temps in the 60s. The goal for this run was to keep it to a 10 min./mi. pace. A little on the fast side early on but consistent and I'm feeling good.

Sunday, May 8
6:04 AM - 8.00 miles in 1:11:55 (8:59 pace). Short, Mother's Day recovery run with a few nice hills. After starting with two, slower, "climbing" miles of 9:50 and 9:29, finished with splits of 8:56, 9:00, 8:53, 8:45, 8:30 and 8:28. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

Totals for the week:

Running Miles - 58.30

Weight Training / Cross Training - 1 hour 22 minutes

Days Until Badwater - 64

Badwater Training Week In Review (April 25 to May 1)

2011-05-01T12:08:00.000-04:00

April showers bring May flowers?????? Bring me some heat please!!! Well, some warmer weather arrived in New York, but it didn't last that long. What will last is the amazing advice that Ray Zahab gave me earlier in the week. We had a great call to discuss my tendinitis issues and even talked a bit about training and gear. What followed was a solid, 61+ mile training week...pain-free. Plus, it was one of those weeks where I read one of those Facebook comments that someone rights that lights a fire under your ass. Consider the fire lighted and training in full flame!

I learned this week that I drew the 6:00 AM start at Badwater. With it comes the honor of lining up at the start with some amazing legends and friends, such as Shannon Farar-Griefer, Dan Jensen, Ed Kelly, Dan Marinsik, Frank McKinney, Meredith Murphy, Lisa Smith-Batchen, Marshall Ulrich, Art Webb, and Cheryl Zwarkowski. I can't wait to see them all (and everyone else) in the desert in July.

Monday, April 25

5:00 AM - P90X Chest and Back and 225 reps of Ab Ripper X (I'm getting there). Chest and Back is a pushing and pulling routine, with plenty of push-ups and pull-ups. I have definitely improved since the first week of P90X (this is week #3).

Tuesday, April 26

5:15 AM - 4.20 miles in 37:10 wearing a lighter shoe (Brooks Green Silence). Ray thought that lightening my shoe-load (among many other things) could help improve my running form and tendinitis issues. I was psyched to have no issues with it on this short run, but I still remain cautiously optimistic about how it will hold up on longer runs.

5:30 PM - A solid hour of P90X Plyometrics wearing my Kutting Weight Sweat Shirt. I finished drenched in sweat.

Wednesday, April 27

4:43 AM - 8.20 miles in 1:18:26. Started off with hill repeats (4 x .40 miles), gradually increasing speed to the top of the hill, and easy on the return trip down. Finished with 5+ very easy miles. No leg issues.

7:00 PM - An hour of P90X Shoulders and Arms.

Thursday, April 28
4:49 AM - 6.30 miles in 1:03:35. Back to the trails for a nice and easy run.

Friday, April 29
8:15 AM - P90X Legs and Back, and 240 reps of Ab Ripper X.

Saturday, April 30
6:10 AM - 22.00 miles in 3:22:53 (9:14 pace) at Rockefeller. Really felt great today and kept at a nice, steady, talking pace. About 2,700 feet of climbing per data on one site. Finished off the month of April with 181.40 miles, with more than half coming from Umstead.

Sunday, May 1
6:50 AM - 21 miles in 3:16:34 (9:21 pace) at Rockefeller with Wayne P. This second long run of the weekend served as a huge confidence booster to round out a very solid week of training. Everything seems to be in good shape - time for the serious training to begin!

Totals for the week:

Running Miles - 61.70
Weight Training / Cross Training - 4 hours 25 minutes
Days Until Badwater - 70

Badwater Training Week In Review (April 18 - April 24)

2011-04-24T09:41:00.000-04:00

There are less than 80 days until the 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon. That seems like plenty of time to get fully prepared for the daunting challenge, but when you are recovering from an injury it is extremely important to not push things. Easing back into a steady training schedule before ramping up the mileage is essential to becoming and remaining injury free. Thus, while in my heart I wanted to pound the pavement this week, get back to hill repeats, and up my long run miles, I continued to "play it safe" in order to insure that my bout with tendinitis doesn't turn into something worse. The tendon is still slightly swollen, but it had no negative impact on the short training runs that I put in during the week.

Two weeks of P90X is complete, and I've been able to follow the schedule quite well due to pulling back on running miles. While the workouts do not take more than an hour and a half of my time, I can envision what will happen when my running session increase in the coming weeks - schedule overload.

Monday, April 18 - P90X Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X.

Tuesday, April 19 - 4.20 miles in 38:30 without any tendinitis issues followed by 1 hour of P90X Plyometrics.

Wednesday, April 20 - P90X Shoulders and Back and Ab Ripper X.

Thursday, April 21 - 5.00 miles in 46:12, but did not have time to do Yoga X.

Friday, April 22 - P90X Legs and Back and Ab Ripper X, then a 2 hour hike with my 10 year old at Rockefeller.

Saturday, April 23 - 9.50 mile run/hike at Bear Mountain in plenty of rain with 2,336 feet of ascent and descent. We were out there for nearly 3 hours (by far my longest stint of running since Umstead). The shin held up well.

Sunday, April 24 - 12.05 miles in 1:47:14 (8:53 pace). Much different run than yesterday and, finally, some warmer weather (in the 60s). Running with speedy Peter H. and James today, I learned two things - tendinitis/shin splints don't want to leave me alone and I need to ease back into things after a 3 week layoff. Time for Easter festivities!

Totals for this week:

Running Miles - 30.75

Stationary Bike - 0

Weight Training/Other Cardio -4 hours 40 minutes

Soaking Wet At Bear Mountain

2011-04-23T13:16:00.000-04:00

It was a cold, rainy, foggy, soaking wet day for a trip to Bear Mountain State Park, but certainly worth it as I was joined by Cherie and her boyfriend Wayne for a trek through some challenging trails. Running at Bear Mountain is difficult at best (at least for me - rocky, technical trails are not my strong suit), but add wet, slippery rocks to the equation and it is downright nasty. Yet, the three of us had a blast and the tendinitis was a non-factor (so far).

Running On Empty New York Book Launch Party

2011-04-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

I had the priviledge of attending the official New York City launch event for Marshall Ulrich's book, Running on Empty - An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America at the Super Runners Shop in Times Square. It was quite an event, with plenty of folks from the running and non-running community attending. A segment of the Running America documentary was played and followed by a slide-show presentation given by Marshall. Earlier in the day, despite rainy weather, Marshall hosted a short training run in Central Park (two times around the lower 1.7 mile loop of the park).

About 15-20 of those that attended the launch event followed it up with a trip to my favorite watering hole in New York City, BXL Cafe for some food and drinks. Below are a few pictures from the run, launch event and post-launch event festivities courtesy of Frank Colella and Chip Tilden.

Book Review: "Running on Empty" by Marshall Ulrich

2011-04-17T15:04:00.001-04:00

I pre-ordered Running on Empty - An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America written by Marshall Ulrich (Foreword by Christopher McDougall) on February 28th. When it arrived almost two months later on April 16th, I immediately immersed myself into it, finishing this well-written, easy to read account of Ulrich's epic run across America in 2008, in 100 mile "sub-24 hour" fashion. That is how attention-grabbing Ulrich's account is. I loved it.

I had a very particular interest in reading this book, (one Ulrich actually alluded to in a post about a week ago) and, my review of it is most likely semi-skewed toward that interest. Let me explain. I have seen Running America, a documentary film that follows renowned ultra runners Charlie Engle and Ulrich on their attempt at a record breaking run from San Francisco to New York City (Ulrich would complete the journey, setting both a masters and grand masters record for such a crossing; Engle would succumb to injury after nearly 18 days), and have read various posts and commentary touching on Engle's storied past (his battle with and conquer of drug and alcohol addiction) and troubled present (Engle is presently serving a 21-month sentence in a Federal prison after being found guilty of 12 counts of bank, mail and/or wire fraud), including a somewhat interesting and heated exchange of comments to Scott Dunlap's blog post titled, "A Trail Runner's Blog: Charlie Engle's "Fraud-Funded" Sahara Run - Will He Get 111 Days In The Slammer." I have also had the honor and privilege of sharing the road with both Ulrich (in 2009 and 2010) and Engle (in 2009) at the Badwater Ultramarathon, where they both took the time to provide me with insight and encouragement. I have spoken and corresponded with, and seen them both outside of the realm of ultra running (Engle as recently as a month ago, and Ulrich during a training visit to Colorado last June when we met up at one of Lisa Smith-Batchen's "Running Hope Through America" 50-mile runs, and just yesterday when we corresponded via Facebook). Running America was, in my mind, extremely deficient in detailing the interpersonal relationship between Engle and Ulrich (and their respective crews) during their time together crossing America, and I was very interested in Ulrich's account of how an epic journey such as this could lead to the degradation of his relationship with Engle. Ulrich writes, "the passage of time has allowed me to get a greater sense of why things went south between us, why we couldn't be friends when it all was over. We could analyze his character and mine, pick apart every action and decision, dissect every conversation, speculate on every motive, but it all boils down to one, essential thing: the miles."

Having myself spent 8 days running through the mountains of Brazil with two friends, Jarom Thurston and Chris Roman, I felt as if I had some understanding (although on a much, much, smaller scale) of what it takes to spend multiple days trying to cover a distance with other runners, and how that experience can impact the preexisting relationship. Opposite of the Engle-Ulrich experience, mine served to strengthen my bond and friendship with those two individuals. So, in reading this book there was a part of me that purely wanted it to provide insight into, and one person's point of view of, what might have gone wrong between these two friends. It certainly did, but, Running on Empty turned out to be much, much more.

The book grabs you right from the start with a heart wrenching discussion of Ulrich's first wife Jean's battle with and death from cancer, and how, as I took it, her death not only immersed Ulrich with despair and fear, but also drove him to become the "zen master of extremes." I particularly enjoyed how Ulrich filled in the monumental gaps I was left with after watching Running America, not only with respect to his interactions with Engle, but also with respect to various other aspects of his journey, from his preparation for the trek, to his struggles with injuries and other ailments, including a dislocated fibula, tendon tears and severe plantar fasciitis. In various appendixes Ulrich shares portions of his training schedule (created for him by Canadian ultra running legend Ray Zahab), a day-by-day account of the course statistics, his nutrition and diet, the supplies, clothing and gear used, and details about the injuries, ailments and treatments experienced and received along the way. I was pleasantly surprised to see this information included, and before even getting into the meat of the story itself I read and re-read the training schedule appendix.

On the Engle-Ulrich drama, it was pervasive throughout the book, at least until the 8 pages (184-191) that detailed how "everything came to a head on October 21, day thirty-nine of the run." The remaining 50+ pages (the book, sans appendixes is 253 pages in length) are scant of mention of any interaction with Engle. At times I felt as if the book was more about the issues with Engle than anything else - the index seems to have more mention of Engle than any other topic, including a slew of "conflicts with" references (pages 152, 157-58, 176-78, 184-91, 194, and 205). However, at the same time I felt myself wanting even more details about the destruction of the friendship. It was also interesting to learn that their troubles started well before the run. Ulrich writes that Engle's "braggadocio and craving for the limelight had begun to rub me the wrong way...he neglected to include me or even mention my name in most of the pre-race publicity and sponsorships, and he'd made promises he'd failed to keep...Heather and I had begun to joke that I was the 'invisible man'."

I felt that the book was lacking in just one area - I would have liked to have read more about the interactions Ulrich and his crew had with people along the route. The book does have a few passages in this regard, but I still was left with the feeling of wanting a bit more. Other than that, there isn't much to want. Ulrich provided exactly what I expected, and more - a succinct account of his record-setting run, the aspects of his personal life that led him to this point and that will continue to guide his future, and his personal take on a failed friendship. He writes with clarity, purpose, and desire, just as he lives his life.

Ulrich describes the so-called "Marshall Law," or, the "Ten Commandments of Endurance" :

1. Expect a journey and a battle.
2. Focus on the present and set intermediate goals.
3. Don't dwell on the negative.
4. Transcend the physical.
5. Accept your fate.
6. Have confidence that you will succeed.
7. Know that there will be an end.
8. Suffering is okay.
9. Be kind to yourself.
10. Quitting is not an option.

Ulrich follows those commandments in Running on Empty, is brutally honest, real and straight forward. Whether his accounts of his interactions with Engle are true or not, the way he tells his story is riveting and provides a look at the good, the bad, and the downright ugly that can be associated with a 3,063 mile haul by foot across the country.

After finishing the book today I immediately popped in my DVD of Running America, and I'm glad I did. I watched it from a different perspective and found that I enjoyed it even more than the first 10 times I watched it, primarily because I felt I now knew part of the story that Running America failed to convey.

I am no more of a Marshall Ulrich fan, and no less of a Charlie Engle fan, than I was yesterday. I have the greatest respect for the physical and personal accomplishments of both of these fine athletes, and continue to call them both friends. There are two sides to every story. Things happen. People grow apart. Some friendships just don't last forever. But, what I am is tremendously happy that Ulrich chose to give us his no-holds-barred account of this 52-day experience, and I'd surely recommend giving it a read.

Badwater Training Week In Review (April 11 - April 17)

2011-04-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

This is actually somewhat of an "odd" week training-wise. Although it marked the kick-off of "official" training for the 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon (Monday, July 11), it simultaneously acted as a 2nd recovery week from the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run. Couple that with a nagging case of Anterior Tibial Tendinitis and you've got a battle of competing goals.

Monday, April 11 - The positive...I woke up and trained. After a week of being a tad on the lazy side following Umstead, a 4:30 AM training session was exactly what the doctor ordered. I certainly realized how behind I am in strength/weight training as Tony Horton and his P90X Chest and Back DVD literally kicked me silly (boy to I have some work to do). And the Ab Ripper X portion...forget it. I was laughing out loud as I attempted to perform some of those exercises. But, I finished it, worked hard, and hit the stationary bike for a short 20 minute ride.

Tuesday, April 12 - The first post-Umstead 100 run, a simple, short 2 miles to see where things stand with the tendinitis. Yes, 2 miles is not much of a training run, but it yielded a lot of good information about where my injury stands - no pain, but still tight and noticeable when running up/down hills. More P90X today as well, this time the jump-training of Plyometrics which provide a fantastic lower-body workout.

Wednesday, April 13 - Using the knowledge that was gathered from yesterday's 2 mile run, today was another "no running" day. Instead, a dose of P90X Shoulders and Arms, and Ab Ripper X. Now, the Ab Ripper X portion consists of 16 minutes and 7 seconds of abdominal insanity. 329 reps of abdominal exercises (if you can keep up with Mr. Horton). I'm still only able to do about half of them.

Thursday, April 14 - Another try at running today...again, 2 easy miles. Today was a "better" run, with less tightness in the tendon/shin. I have been told that yoga can do wonders for your general fitness and athletic performance, and in the past I have attempted to work a yoga program into my training. 45 minutes of the P90X Yoga X reminded me how uncoordinated I am.

Friday, April 15 - P90X Legs and Back, and another bout with Ab Ripper X.

Saturday, April 16 - 6 miles in 56:26. Short, easy run at Rockefeller State Park Preserve, plus an hour of P90X Kenpo X. This is the longest I've run since Umstead 100 and it is clear that I will have to ease my tendinitis-plagued shin back into things.

Sunday, April 17 - Woke with some soreness in the shin and opted for 45 minutes on the stationary bike and some stretching.

I feel positive about the start of some serious training. I am certainly rested from the 100-miler two weeks ago, and if I can keep an eye on the tendinitis, things should fall into place nicely. A great addition to this year's Badwater training is the addition of my wife to the crew. We had a little "sit-down" to discuss working on my nutrition and eating/drinking habits and how to change them over the next 12 weeks, a task that I know will be extremely difficult.

Totals for this 2nd post-Umstead 100 recovery week:

Running Miles - 10.0

Stationary Bike - 65 minutes

Weight Training/Other Cardio - 5 hours 50 minutes

A Pleasant Surprise - Race Report : 2011 Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run

2011-04-15T11:23:00.000-04:00

What a blast we all had! We assembled an impressive, fun, and laid-back group of people to crew, pace and hang out. Eric, Tani, Isla, Ginette, Meredith, Eddie, Zoe, Iman, Jason, Danielle, Chuck, Yvonne, Brett, and my two amazing pacers, Brenda and Tina. We shared drinks on Friday, the trails on Saturday (and a short part of Sunday), and more drinks on Sunday. It was simply an awesome time with awesome people. From a race perspective, I didn't have much of a goal, with the plan being to see where things stood at mile 50 and figure it all out from there (see, "Carolina In My Mind").

Umstead 100 has been "very, very good to me" in the past, producing my two best 100-mile performances (time-wise) with a 21:39:37 in 2009 and 19:24:48 in 2010. Now, we can add a third. Surprisingly, things went extremely well. Straying from his race plan, Eric stuck with me for the first 50 miles, as we logged 4 fairly consistent 12.5-mile loops (see 2011 Umstead 100 Splits chart below) and hitting the half-way point in 9:03:00. Last year, in order to go sub-20 hours, I set a 50-mile goal of 9:15:00. With Iman ready to pace Eric, and Brenda and Tina set to drag my ass for 50 miles, things were looking great.

There are many factors that can determine success and/or failure in a 100-mile race (injury, nutrition, etc...). One of my most important concepts - keep moving...avoid spending too much time in a stationary position and in aid stations...relentless forward progress, which, ironically is in the title of Bryon Powell's new book, "Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons". The data from my Garmin 310XT would show a moving time vs elapsed time difference of a mere 9 minutes. Perfect. Brenda and Tina employed a great pacing strategy - Brenda kicked my ass on loop #5, Tina took loop #6, then another ass-beating by Bredna for loop #7, and Tina to wind it up for loop #8. The alternating of pacers actually worked psychological wonders, helping to insure that we took things one loop at a time. The first 75 miles were eerily similar to last year's race, and the last 25 miles were only 15 minutes slower. I had some stomach-related issues at some point in the second half, worked through the anterior tibial tendinitis issue as best as I could (I could feel it every now and then), but in the end we finished strong for a 25th place finish in 19:29:43.

Eric's performance was amazing - a new PR and a 29th place finish in 20:18:38. Jason threw down an 18:29:05! How cool is it to have him on my Badwater crew? Chuck, a 22:59:12 first 100! Meredith, yet another Umstead 100 finish (her 4th)! Peter, or, "UK Pete" as we called him, came all the way from the UK to run his first 100-miler in 18:53:48. Of course, there were many, many others...too many to name, but congrats to them all!

Jason and Me Post-Race

I owe my success to three amazing people - Ginette, Brenda and Tina. Ginette kept me moving at the main aid station, having things set for me each and every time I came around. Brenda kicked my ass, literally, making sure that I was always moving forward, never letting me slow to a walk too often. Tina was a breath of fresh air, an excellent, encouraging pacer. Huge, huge, huge, giant thanks to the three of them for making this such a great run.

Strength Training For Runners and the P90X-Factor

2011-04-09T08:53:00.000-04:00

Strength/weight training for runners, whether it be to improve speed, prevent injuries, increase endurance, or improve running efficiency/economy, has always been a topic for debate and discussion among endurance athletes. Simply search "weight training for runners" or "strength training for runners" in Google and it will return well over 1,000,000 links and videos.

Articles discussing strength/weight training for runners have appeared in a host of running and fitness magazines and blogs over the years, including Runners World (which has an online strength and cross training section), Running Planet ("Strength Training for Distance Runners"), Active.com ("Strength Training Program for Runners"), Hal Higdon.com ("Six Spectacular Strength Exercises"), and iRunFar.com ("Improving Running Economy").

It has been at least two years since I purchased the P90X Home Fitness System by Beachbody.com in an attempt to work strength training and cardio into my running program. It has gone through its cycles of use and dust collection, but when my good friend Jamie suggested I incorporate the program into training for the 2010 Badwater Ultramarathon, the 12-DVD program went from the shelf to the television stand. P90X's 13-week program features some seriously intense workouts targeting the major muscle groups - DVDs focusing on and titled:

(1) Chest and Back;

(2) Shoulders and Arms;

(3) Legs and Back;

(4) Chest, Shoulders and Triceps; and

(5) Back and Biceps.

Better yet, P90X also includes workouts that may certainly make a difference in a running training program:

(6) Plyometrics (explosive jump training);

(7) Yoga X (for strength, balance and flexibility);

(8) Kenpo X (cardio kick/punching routine for endurance, balance and coordination);

(9) X Stretch;

(10) Core Synergistics;

(11) Cardio X (low-impact cardio routine); and

(12) Ab Ripper X (an extremely difficult, for me, core workout - "I hate it, but I love it!").

Oh, and your personal on-screen instructor, Tony Horton . . . I cannot help but crack up and smile at times as he imparts his own brand of humor into each workout (probably a product of his stint making a living as a stand-up comedian; see "The Power of P90X" published December 18, 2010 by Men's Health).

There are plenty of other programs out there as well, and Beachbody.com has a ton of them. My wife has used Power 90 (also a Tony Horton led program) to supplement her running routine, and I have "borrowed" the abdominal portion of Power 90 from time to time. And, if P90X wasn't enough, there is a P90X2 on its way to release at some point in 2011. Personally, I like the convenience of popping these workouts into my DVD player without having to head to the gym, and I think that if I incorporate more of the P90X workouts into my running training schedule, it could help with my overall performance in ultramarathons.

So, where are we going with this? Well, as it turns out the P90X 13 week program, if started this Monday, April 11, would end on Sunday, July 10 - the day before the start of the 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon. Badwater is my 2011 "A" race, and I'm going to pull out all the stops to be in the best possible shape at the starting line on July 11. Weekly training summaries will return next week and will certainly include strength/weight training.

Carolina In My Mind

2011-03-31T18:11:00.000-04:00

"In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina" - well, actually, assuming there are no weather issues with tomorrow's flight to Raleigh-Durham, I'm physically headed to Carolina for this weekend's Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run, my third consecutive go at this 100-miler.

I'm headed to Carolina with mixed emotions and no clear goals. My legs and body took a good beating from Running the Caminho Da Fé in January and are still not at 100 percent. Yet, my mileage and general fitness has remained constant. I have been relatively successful in the past at Umstead (21:39:37 in 2009, and 19:24:48 in 2010), and the course is so much like the trails I regularly train on at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Unfortunately, my pacer-by-default, Rick Gaston, will not be a part of this year's run (ironically, he was to take part in the Lake Sonoma 50 this weekend, an event with a highly talented field, but I learned today from Rick that the event was canceled due to heavy rains and flooding). However, the silver lining is that my wife is making the trip to lend a hand, and Brenda Carawan (2nd place at both Rocky Raccoon 100 and Javelina Jundred in 2010, and an accepted entrant in the 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon) is coming with a friend to do some pacing.

My goal? See where I stand at the 50-mile mark and figure out the rest from there. Rick wrote a great "Crewing and Pacing at Umstead 100" report on our experience out there last year. I often re-read it to remind myself of what I'm capable of, and although I may not be primed for a repeat of last year, I will certainly go in with one goal in mind - to go, live, suffer and grow. The two videos below taken by Caren Zaroff last year always make me smile. In the first, Rick gives me his "wasting time" scolding after the first loop. In the second he makes an early statement on our hitting the sub-20 hour goal.

Another plus - There are tons of friends running at Umstead this weekend. I can't wait to see them all, and wish everyone the very best of luck!

Weekend Run On The North County Trailway

2011-03-20T11:01:00.001-04:00

The North County Trailway (and South County Trailway) are part of a rail-to-trails project that is supposed to eventually connect Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to the Putnam County Trailway. Its name is a little deceiving as the "trail" is actually a car-free bike path. The North County trailway is about 22.1 miles, running from the Putnam County border down to the Eastview section of southern Greenburgh where it meets the South County Trailway. The South County Trailway then extends 14.1 miles to Van Cortlandt Park.

The Putnam Railroad once followed much of this trail system, providing freight and passenger service between the Bronx and Putnam County from 1881 to 1958, and serving 23 stations in Westchester County. Former stations can still be found along the way in Briarcliff Manor, Millwood and Railroad Park in Yorktown Heights.

On Saturday I joined Eric for a 30-miler on the South County Trailway (a 15-mile out and back from Millwood to Lake Mahopac). On the return trip we met up with Cherie and had an absolute blast. Today saw a shorter 13 or so mile run back at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Overall it was a good week of training, a perfect last week leading in to the taper for Umstead.

Out-And-Back On The North County Trailway

Around Sunrise Saturday AM

Farm Along The North County Trail

The Old Lake Mahopac Station (I believe) Now Housing the American Legion Building

Lake Mahopac Thompson House Station Long Ago

Sunday At Rockefeller

Forward Progress : Brazil, Umstead, Badwater and Other Musings

2011-03-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

Seven weeks have passed since returning from Brazil and Running the Caminho Da Fé, and at times I still feel mentally and physically drained from the experience. Mentally, I am constantly thinking back to what an amazing adventure and experience it was. Physically, I feel as if I am not fully back to normal, particularly on long training runs in that I get that "heavy legs" feeling around mile 17/18. I suppose logging about 340 miles over a 7 and 1/2 day period (and 412 total miles in January) could have something to do with that.

I took about 10 days off after Running the Caminho Da Fé, running only 16 easy miles in the first full week following our return. But, with Umstead 100 looming around the corner, it was time to get back to training. The quantity and quality of some of my training runs weren't at a level that I had hoped for, but decent weekly mileage somewhat made up for that :

02.07 to 02.13 - 61 miles

02.14 to 02.20 - 54 miles

02.21 to 02.27 - 36 miles

02.28 to 03.06 - 65 miles

03.07 to 03.13 - 63 miles

Not too bad, and actually about the same as in 2010.

I had originally planned on running the New Jersey Ultra Festival 50-Mile this coming Saturday, but do many reasons I have opted for a 40ish mile run near home instead, which I think will be a nice way to enter a 2-week taper for Umstead.

Speaking of Umstead, I have no idea how to approach this race given the wear and tear of the last few months (especially January). It could be an absolute crap-shoot compared to last year when I went in with a sub-20 hour goal. While I would love to best last year's time of 19:24:46, it will be extremely difficult, if not near impossible. But, never say never, right? Unfortunately, I will not have the services of my go-to pacer Rick Gaston as he has other obligations that weekend. The good news is that I got a surprise note from Brenda Carawan (2nd place female finisher at both Rocky Racoon 100 in 2011 and Javelina Jundred in 2010), and she has offered to come and do a bit of pacing. Brenda was also accepted to run in the 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon, which means we will have plenty to talk about.

Speaking of Badwater, yes, I am honored, blessed and thankful to have been accepted to be at the starting line on July 11 (my 3rd go at it). Many folks have their own opinions on this event (and they are certainly entitled to them), but for me, it is the absolute highlight of my running year and I will work even harder to prepare for it than I have in the past, both at training and at fund-raising. As usual, I will be running for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. My personal donation page will be updated soon with details about this year's event, but you can still head there now and make a donation (any amount helps, great or small). The link located in the side-bar is the best way to land you on my donation page.

Thanks to my good friend Brian Recore, I have picked up the Kutting Weight Sauna Suit, "Sweat" Shirt, Pant and Hat, hoping that it will be a good tool to use for Badwater training. I will say this - 45 minutes on the stationary bike yesterday in the "Sweat" Shirt and Pant, and I was sweating bullets!! I will make sure to post more on this product as I continue to test it out.

Lastly, fellow Pilgrim Chris Roman and I are already in preliminary discussions for our next adventure...let the insanity begin!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and enjoy March Madness!

Running With Inspiring People

2011-03-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet, run with (and get to know) some amazing and inspiring people since I got into this whole ultra-running thing. Some of those folks have become my closest of friends. Many of them, for one reason or another, have provided a certain "infusion of motivation" into my life, whether it be because of their accomplishments/triumphs/tragedies, or perhaps their unyielding dedication to a goal (no matter how big or small).

I met one such person today on a long run at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. It is funny, I am "friends" with this guy on Facebook, and he is the brother-in-law of someone who has become one of my closest running friends, but I'd never talked to him, met him, or really focused on his "story" before today. In fact, we joked briefly about how we were "Facebook Friends" and now that we met we can actually pay attention to what each other posts on line. Heck, I can't even pronounce his name...you try saying Iman Poeraatmadja without fucking it up. Say it three times correctly and you get a prize.

So, anyway, yeah, as I was saying, here's a guy that is motivated to make positive changes in his life through fitness. For most of his life he was in good shape, an "athlete/partier" as he describes himself on his site. In his 40's, he opted for more of the "party" side, and his fitness decreased. He saw this as being a bad recipe for a long life, and a terrible example for his son. He joins a gym and weighs in at 5 feet, six inches and 248 pounds. Today he is down over 40 pounds and has set a goal to be "fit at fifty (hence, the title of his blog, Fit at Fifty - The Last Leg). His site is a "conversation about [his] quest to be fit by the time [he] turns 50 on June 19, 2011...but more importantly, how we can interact to help each other with similar goals."

I ran a bit with Iman today and loved it. He showed up with a smile, ran with a smile and left with a smile (the leaving smile, I'm sure, was more due to the cold beer waiting for him back at Eric's house). He told me how it was at 40 that he started to fall out of shape - "it's all downhill at 40," he said. Great, I just turned 40 two weeks ago. Inspired to NOT head downhill at 40, I ran 21 miles fairly hilly miles today:

I love meeting people like Iman - down to earth, funny, good-spirited...just generally a nice guy. Sometimes, in my own life, I wish I could be more like him...I suppose that is exactly what providing inspiration is all about.

Pilgrimage Report : Running the Caminho Da Fé - Pilgrims At Last

2011-02-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

Day 7 (Paraisopolis to Campos do Jordão)

We thought we had tackled the toughest portion of the Caminho Da Fé in the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon. Out good friend Gustavo Netto, who has biked many portions of the Caminho Da Fé, told us otherwise. He suggested that we only cover the distance to Campos do Jordão, describing to us the difficulty of the so-called "Hill of the Broken Leg." Gustavo was dead on.

We started the day with a great surprise. Michelle, Ashley, Clovis, Clovis's Wife, Mario and several others came out to wish us well. The first mile felt as if it took an hour, but we soon settled into a groove.

While climbing the "Hill of the Broken Leg" we were treated to a delicious meal made for us by one of the local residents. The well needed break provided one of the more comical moments of the journey, as Glauber, working the video camera, got bored with the commentary Chris was providing and simply panned away. To this day we still believe that Glauber can understand and speak English.

The nearly 40 miles that we covered on Day 7 took nearly 13 hours. The elevation profile tells it all.

Day 8 (Campos do Jordão to Aparecida)

It would be an amazing finish to a 7 day, 14 hour journey. The eve of our last day was spent at the best pousada - the proprietor greeted us with shots of Cachaca and plenty of beer. A pizza feast at night was followed by an amazing breakfast that was fully prepared and waiting for us when we woke. We began the day with a beautiful view as we prepared to cover a nice chunk of the final 40 miles on an old railroad track. Glauber told us the tracks were not in use. When I saw several people working on the tracks up ahead, I had my doubts that Glauber was right. He wasn't, and we soon had to make way for the oncoming train.

Railroad Section (several miles of this)

There was an annoying section that was covered entirely with large rocks. It was probably the first time I'd seen Chris not happy and quiet. The last 50k was extremely challenging as it was entirely on heavily trafficked highways. And, it was so fitting that the last 6k featured an intense wind-driven downpour that had all three of us searching for shelter (to no avail). With about 2k to go we were joined by Mario and his brother. They had driven a great distance to see us complete the pilgrimage. Walking through the parking lot of the church, and then into the church itself, was so surreal. What we had started 7 days and 14 hours earlier, was now over.

We could not wait to get through this ankle-twisting section.

2k to go!

Our Lady of Aparecida - The end of the Pilgrimage

Here are my feet in a picture taken when at the hotel on the night we finished. 7 days, 14 hours, 340-some miles...not too bad. I used Drymax Lite Trail Running Socks the entire time.

We would return to the Basilica of the National Shrine of Aparecida the following day to receive our "Mariana" (Certificate of Pilgrimage).

Reflections and Gratitude

There are a tremendous number of folks to thank for helping to make this pilgrimage happen. For starters, our sponsors - The Challenged Athletes Foundation, Phix Energy Drink, Drymax Socks, and Cleanse Organic. Phix has continued fund raising efforts in support of CAF by pledging a donation for each Facebook fan that signs up for a Phix free trial - follow Phix on Facebook, and go to the Free Trial + $1 Donation to CAF page for more details.

Our tremendous support crew - Lynne, Glauber, Clovis, and Clovis's Wife. Without the help of these amazing people the 3 of us would likely be still wondering on the Caminho Da Fé. Each of these great people devoted time from their already busy lives to support our journey, and we are forever grateful for their kindness and generosity.

Mario and Eliana Lacerda, the race directors of the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon, and their entire staff. Their support and encouragement began when this idea was hatched at the 2010 BR135, and it continues to this very day.

Our families and friends, and everyone that has supported, in one form or another, the Challenged Athletes Foundation - may you continue to assist CAF in recognizing "the athletic greatness inherent in all people with physical challenges" and support "their athletic endeavors by providing unparalleled sports opportunities that lead to success in sports - and in life."

Personally, I am still trying to grasp and understand what I have taken from (and left on) the Caminho Da Fé. It is difficult to explain. I have new friends, new brothers, new fellow-pilgrims. Perhaps, it can be captured in a simple saying, one that Erin Roman sent us on our journey with - "Go, Live, suffer, grow - make it happen." Simple, yet powerful words...words that have new meaning in my life, and words that had such an impact on Jarom that he will now see them each and every day of his life.....

Enjoy this final wrap-up video with clips from the last 2 days of Caminho Da Fé an a few others from along the way. Until our next adventure.....

Pilgrimage Report : Running the Caminho Da Fé - The Brazil 135 Ultramarathon

2011-02-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

Garmin Course Profile

Brazil 135 Ultramarathon Site Coure Profile

It was, perhaps, the most difficult aspect of running nearly 340 miles over a 7 day period. Actually, it was for certain. As if running 130 miles in 3 days wasn't enough, the next portion of Running the Caminho Da Fé required 55+ hours of non-stop suffering - 135 miles, 30,000+ feet of elevation gain and loss.....The Brazil 135 Mile Ultramarathon. The first 3 days were difficult. 14 hours...13 hours...7 hours...rain...mud... The next 55 hours would prove to be an unbelievable challenge. The bright side...when finished with BR135, we'd only have about 80 miles left to cover.

First, you may notice that the entire BR135 course and elevation chart was captured by my Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Wait a minute. The 310XT boasts up to 20 hours of battery life. How did you get it to record 55+ hours worth of data without having to stop to recharge it? Use the Enercell or Digipower 2 in 1 USB AC Adapter and Battery Pack. It is a very simply set-up and requires about 30-40 minutes to charge the Garmin to full strength (depending, of course, on how low the Garmin battery is at the time you re-charge it). You simply loosen the Garmin on your wrist and attach the charging clip, plug ihe USB end of the charging clip into the Enercell/Digipower device, and tuck the Enercell/Digipower device into your pocket (even better, if you have RaceReady shorts, it fits nicely into the mesh pockets).

For the BR135 portion of the journey, we would only have support from Glauber. Lynne, who had worked tirelessly with Glauber over the first 3 days was now a runner, attempting her first 135 miler. Lynne shot right out of the gate at the start of the race - expected for someone who had been waiting patiently to run for 3 days. We watched her running with a purpose, so focused and determined that at one point she blew right by Glauber and the support truck, not even realizing that she had missed him. Lynne had entered the race with an injured knee (I believe it was a torn meniscus). Coming out of a difficult climb into the coffee fields, she stepped to the side and I cold see her grimace in pain. It was worse now, and soon thereafter she was, at times, reduced to a steady limp. Lynne gave it all she could, but in the end, injury won out and she had to drop from the race. Yet, she refused to take a ride to Paraisopolis, insisting on supporting me, Chris and Jarom through the race.

Cheryl

Ray

BR135 would be a series of ups and downs. Last year I struggled climbing Pico do Gaviao. Not this year, as the three of us powered our way to the top of the highest point on the BR135 course (the 26 mile mark of the race). My lowest point came somewhere before the start of the first night when everything simply went stiff. It was emotional, and I seriously thought it was the end of the journey for me.


Top of Pico Do Gaviao

Sleep deprivation took its toll. At times, Jarom and I were literally falling asleep on our feet, weaving back and forth across the trail. The second night (I think it was the second night), we were so exhausted that we decided to take a short nap on the trail. Jarom had an idea - lay the tarp on the ground and put our feet up on the bushes. Sounded reasonable. It only took 5 minutes for my body to cool down and start to shiver. All of a sudden I was freezing. I got up and walked around. Chris said to get back on the tarp (which I reluctantly did), and he then proceeded to make a tarp-taco out of the 3 of us. Great, now there is dirt in my eyes and mouth and I'm trying my best to spit it all out. 5 more minutes of shivering, and then the best words I heard all day from Jarom - "Tony...psst...should we just get up and go?" Hell yes! 10 minutes later we had warmed up again.

There were plenty of memorable and hilarious moments. We went through some town at night and they had a festival or carnival going on. It sounded like a rodeo. I never expected to hear "Callin' Baton Rouge" (Garth Brooks) blasting on a loud speaker in Brazil. Then there was Maria Rita Fernandes running in the reverse direction down a hill towards us...screaming that a man looking like a zombie had jumped out of the bushes and was chasing her. Try as we might, we couldn't locate the "zombie" at all. It was so funny watching her walk with Chris and grab his arm and shirt as she looked in all directions. Of course, finishing...now that was memorable. 55+ hours of exhaustion. An emotional finish for all 3 of us. Another amazing race put on by Mario and Eliana Lacerda and their amazing staff. Now, just 80 miles of the Caminho Da Fé to go.

Ironically, we took only a minimum amount of videos on the course. Chris's flip video recorder stopped working at one point, then revived itself. The best way to capture some of what we experienced is to simply look at the pictures (above) and watch this 9 minute video that contains a variety of video clips taken along the way...so, enjoy!

Pilgrimage Report : Running the Caminho Da Fé - Day 3

2011-02-10T18:33:00.000-05:00

After two days, 103 miles, lots of climbing and plenty of rain, a short Day 3 was a welcome sight. Or was it? We awoke to an all too familiar Brazil sound - pouring rain! Jarom, who had suffered for much of day 1 with hydration and stomach issues and appeared to have worked out those issues on day 2, started the day off with some very impressive vomiting in the hotel parking lot. Of course, the day ended with an absolutely sick, cold downpour, one that forced Jacksonville heat-loving Chris shivering as we hiked up some steep hills.

We were, however, excited to get to São João da Boa Vista and race check-in for the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon. Sitting at dinner later that night, we discussed Jarom's ability to continue this journey. He was having second thoughts, thinking that he was somehow slowing the rest of us down (NOT). The dehydration and stomach issues had gotten to his psyche. The decision became easy...there was no way we were letting him give in, and we were certainly glad that he didn't.

The Buffet of the Caminho Da Fe

Glauber

Pilgrimage Report : Running the Caminho Da Fé - Day 2

2011-02-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

Day 2 - Approximately 47 Miles

Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down.....

If the first 56 miles of Running the Caminho Da Fé didn't act as a wake-up call to what was on the horizon, Day 2 certainly did. It was without question a far more difficult day than the first. The scenery continued to be absolutely amazing, but the mid-day heat and humidity were simply brutal, slowing us down considerably.

There were some longer stretches today where we would be without Lynne, Glauber, Clovis and his wife, and not having them proved to be extremely difficult. We hit a long stretch of road (SP-215). Looking back we could see some serious storm clouds. They were closing in. You could actually see the rain a good mile or two back on the road, slowly inching its way toward us. And then.....downpour.....hail.....wind. Just crazy, drenching rain and hail engulfed us. It ended just before we got off the road and headed back onto the dirt trails.

We reach a Pousada early in the evening and had thoughts about making that our stopping point for the day. We hadn't covered as many miles as we hoped for, but the next section of the Caminho Da Fé would be one where our crew vehicle simply could not go, and it was a decent stretch of about 2 hours or so. Looking back on the decision to press forward....it was an excellent one. The next few hours were spent on muddy (deep) cow pastures, with uneven footing and plenty of cow-patties. If we had stopped at the Pousada and started Day 3 with this section, we would have surely been miserable. Getting this part done with on Day 2 was a big lift, and we rewarded ourselves with plenty of beer and pizza.

Pilgrimage Report : Running the Caminho Da Fé - Arrival & Day 1

2011-02-03T20:50:00.000-05:00

There is no doubt that we were all ready to get Running the Caminho Da Fé started. A novel idea that was concocted by me and Brian Krogmann shortly after the 2010 Brazil 135 Ultramarathon had grown into a grant event. And, what better way to kick it off than a send-off party at my house with special guest Chris Roman and friends Steve, Elena, Eric, Tani, Ken, Sue, Todd, Marge, Emmy, Aaron, Kassy, and the BXL crew of Maor, Matt and Tamara - quick plug for BXL...if you are ever in Times Square (43rd between 6th and Broadway) or the East Side (51st between 2nd and 3rd) make sure to stop by BXL for some great Belgian food and drinks! The send-off was fantastic and plenty of beverages were consumed.

Joey, Me, Ken and Steve

Chris, Me, Ken and Emmy

Eric

Elena, Me and Marge

Me, Ken and Emmy

Chris, Me and Some Fine Belgian Beer

Our flight left JFK for Brazil at 9:30 PM on Sunday, with a scheduled 10:00 AM arrival on Monday. Clearing customs was relatively painless, and we soon met up with Lynne (she had flown from New York the day before to Rio, and then that morning from Rio to São Paulo). We waited a bit for Jarom and Glauber to arrive, then we were off to rent our wheels for the journey.

Lynne, Monica, Me and Chris in São Paulo

Our 4 x 4

A long drive to Cravinhos followed by a wonderful dinner with Clovis and his wife...we were ready to start our Journey.

Day 1 - Approximately 56 Miles

What an amazing start to Running the Caminho Da Fé. We had expected to encounter a lot of rain, but not today. It was simply HOT and hilly (as expected). We moved well to start. Jarom began to experience stomach issues as he appeared to fall behind on his fluid and food intake. I've seen Jarom hurl a few times before (even caught it on video at last year's BR135)...it isn't a pretty sight, and it wasn't pretty this time. Yet, we made sure to pick each other up in times of trouble, and putting in 56 miles on day 1 was a huge accomplishment.

Glauber Having Fun