tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6147464474282663342024-03-19T05:33:18.552-07:00Runner's ManiaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-73805869531656880372014-06-02T13:09:00.000-07:002014-06-02T13:09:23.825-07:00Nanny Goat Ultra: Lessons Learned<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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After running 61 kilometers (38 miles) for my birthday last
January I decided that I would like to run an ultra marathon race. A local one
if possible and the Nanny Goat 12/24hour 100mile race in May fit the bill. It is a
one-mile loop course on a horse ranch dotted with lots of orange trees and
other assorted trees like Eucalyptus along Victoria Avenue.
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I did not sign up right away as I was intimidated by the
prospect but did start training as if I were going to run it. I started ramping
up my distance and working into doing back-to-back long runs on the weekend. It
was hard at first running at the slower pace but I did finally adapt to it. The
toughest part for me was when the weather started getting warmer. I found it
hard to be out on training runs of 4 hours or more in the hotter weather but I
knew that there was a great possibility that I would be running in those very
conditions during a 24-hour race.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHwyrLM88okS_pQR-lOJDKqha2hYCe_PQQ_H1MnUq4PUZNzS3bMYicdE82NPoZyvdnF0WapFmBGPjEe7wjb-sGfZWE3PAsznmEoaZslUI4SLIQ0PDx7PtIFWgQfOG68cq3PHfI0sLyQI/s1600/Nanny+Goat+pen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHwyrLM88okS_pQR-lOJDKqha2hYCe_PQQ_H1MnUq4PUZNzS3bMYicdE82NPoZyvdnF0WapFmBGPjEe7wjb-sGfZWE3PAsznmEoaZslUI4SLIQ0PDx7PtIFWgQfOG68cq3PHfI0sLyQI/s1600/Nanny+Goat+pen.jpg" height="150" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the Goat Pen just before the race! </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found that I
really struggled after the 3.5 to 4 hour mark on warm days but did not link
this with a lack of salt. I simply thought I was not acclimated to the warmer
climate as yet and just needed to run in the heat more. I did find that dry
heat with a 20-degree dew point or lower did not bother me nearly as much as say
a 50 or 60-degree dew point day with overcast and relatively low temps in the
70’s. While above 60 degrees is not really ideal for running anyway there was a
huge difference between running at 70 degrees with a 40-degree dew point and
bright sunshine and 70 degrees with a 65-degree dew point and overcast. For me
the difference was astounding. I have come to believe that heavy sweaters have
the most trouble with higher dew points than average to low sweaters.</div>
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I found that I needed to take in 50 ounces or more of fluids
an hour to try and stay fully hydrated in this kind of weather as opposed to
only about half that in 50 degrees and a 40-degree or lower dew point. This is
apparently why I did not have that much trouble running 38 miles in 7 hours and
20 minutes back in January starting at 4:30am. I was hoping with the extra
training to be able to do close to the same at Nanny Goat in the 24-hour race.</div>
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My last two long training runs of 27 miles were an omen of
things to come. The first one was actually planned as 27 but I really fell off
during the last 7 miles. The next one a week later was planned as 30 miles but
my ankle and heel were killing me by mile 17. I also wasn’t feeling so great at
that point but kept on running. By mile 26 I was really struggling and my left
heel and ankle were really getting tight and sore. I decided that if I could
get my wife to pick me up at the 27-mile mark, with an easy access to the trail
for the road, that I would take her up on it. Truth be told, if I weren’t
feeling so badly other wise from dead legs and stomach problems I probably
would have gutted it out even with the heel and ankle problem. </div>
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That was three weeks out from the race and I did not run
again for 5 days do to my heel and ankle being sore. Then next few weeks I did
not get in nearly enough running. I know I was tapering but with the little
running I did it was a super taper. This was mostly due to the weather combined
with my heel and ankle problems not healing as quickly as I would like.</div>
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The day of the race came and most were relieved to see that
the morning would be mostly overcast. I on the other hand was not excited about
that at all as along with the 60+ degree starting temperature and overcast was
a 60-65 degree dew point. When the dew point and the temperature are almost the
same it means that the humidity is pretty close to 100%. Also when I am able to
stand around in my running clothes feeling perfectly comfortable before a race
it does not bode well for me. Those were the exact conditions that occurred.</div>
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Other than some initial intestinal problems and maybe
drinking a little too much during the first 2 hours of the race I managed to
stay fairly comfortable for the first 5 hours albeit at a much slower pace than
I had hoped for. Somewhere between 4 and 5 hours I started having stomach
problems and preferred water over my Perpetuem sports drink. I was taking
electrolyte capsules every hour but between the capsules and what my drink
provided I was only taking in about 450mg per hour of sodium. Because of my
sweat rate and the fact that I leave a lot of salt on my skin it would appear
that I should have been taking in close to 3 times that amount of sodium.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwA5WfgLWNbrlvhOQIs55DhnChQGNqwbSNUgqOos_SladVUL7GylziDnEApdVCc8t5QLm6Ic32B62GrWEciN9dR4wiungcBgP5DObNr3lgMlewALnz4XHmUNYWG8E1fVqHm-ZjhLcr8Y/s1600/Nanny+Goat+24+hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwA5WfgLWNbrlvhOQIs55DhnChQGNqwbSNUgqOos_SladVUL7GylziDnEApdVCc8t5QLm6Ic32B62GrWEciN9dR4wiungcBgP5DObNr3lgMlewALnz4XHmUNYWG8E1fVqHm-ZjhLcr8Y/s1600/Nanny+Goat+24+hour.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Me at mile 25 </div>
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I was falling into a brain fog and I was really forcing
myself to take in any nutrition at all. My urine output and color was fine yet
I was feeling extremely hot even when I was just sitting for the 20 minutes
rest I took at about 6.5 hours into the race. I was walking as much or more
than I was running by that time. This was my first time having gone that long
of a time in these weather conditions and while I could get away with it in a
4-5 hour marathon I was not getting away with it here.</div>
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In hind sight I wish I would have known that it was a salt
problem and I would have sat or walked slowly for an hour or two while I built
my blood sodium levels back up. I, however, was not thinking clearly and was in
such distress that I could not imagine keeping this up for another 16 hours or
more. </div>
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At just a little under 8 hours I decided to sit a while and
see if rest would revive me again but after about 30 minutes or more of sitting
and trying to drink I felt it was best to stop and live to fight another day. </div>
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I had made it 30 miles in just less than 8 hours and yet 4
months earlier I had run 38 miles in just 7 hours 20 minutes and did not feel
at all bad at the end. In fact I was able to give a 200-yard sprint at the end
of that long run. Here I was all spent and 8 miles short of my longest run and
that wasn’t even a race.</div>
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It took until noon the next day before my brain fog lifted.
I weighed exactly the same when I got home as I weighed when I left home that
morning. I, however, could not eat a full meal all evening. I could only manage
small snacks here and there. I really did not want breakfast the next morning
but forced myself. By noon my demeanor was returning to normal but my legs
still felt like lead and I was extremely sore. This all leads me to believe
that I was in the early stages of hyponatremia from my blood sodium levels
being to low. I did have some of the classic symptoms, although I was not
cramping, but not everyone does.</div>
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I am anxious to test out my hypothesis of too little sodium,
but the experience has left me with a feeling of anxiety about doing another
long run in the heat. I am sure that will wear off soon and I will be able to
test out my theory as there is plenty of summer left, although we don’t often
get 65 degree dew points during the summer months in the inland Southern California area.</div>
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I hope my story can help someone else diagnose a problem
they are having doing long runs in the heat and or high humidity and solve it
before they have a disappointing result in a race because of it. </div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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Russ Barber</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-70579844008379973302014-04-12T14:22:00.000-07:002014-04-12T14:22:45.381-07:00My 38 Mile (61K) Birthday Celebration Run<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Well it has been way to long since my last blog post so it
is high time I write about one of the most epic runs I have done to date. I
have always wondered what it would be like to run an ultra distance and decided
that this year I would give it a try and run 61K for my 61rst birthday. I
turned 61 on January 14 this of this year and ran the distance on January 18<sup>th</sup>.
You can view my Garmin Connect stats of the route here: <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/431987695">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/4319876</a>
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I planned out a relatively flat, nearly 10K course that I
could run in the city of Redlands, CA. It was pretty well lit so I would not
have to wear a headlamp. I would be able to refill my bottles with fluids with
a minimum of disruption from the run and perhaps even run a bit with a few
friend from the Redlands Runegades if I timed it right.</div>
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I was a bit apprehensive about the run but I had increased
my weekly mileage to an average of 50 a week up from about 35, and had been
doing back to back long runs on the weekends. This gave me a little more
confidence but still it was unknown territory for me and I would be running the
vast majority of the run all by myself.</div>
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I started the run a few minutes past 4am on a Saturday
morning. The weather was nice and cool which was definitely in my favor, as I
don’t do heat well. It is kind of weird running at 4am with almost no traffic
and hardly ever seeing a soul the first two hours of the run. There were a
couple of places that lighting was not all that good and I had to make sure I
lifted my feet a little higher than normal at these sections.</div>
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I had decided that I would try and bank a little time by
running the first 10K at my normal long run pace and heart rate (HR), which is
about a 140-143HR. The first lap went well averaging a little less than a 9min
pace. The next lap I decided to try and drop my HR down to about 130 but that
lasted for only the first mile as it was hard to make myself run so much slower
than I was used to and overall I was only about 3-4 beats a minute slower on
average for the second lap.</div>
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I met up with some of the Runegades on lap 3 and we ran
together for about 2 miles before they split off going a different direction.
It was nice to interact with them and it gave me a lift to my spirits even
though I was definitely not in any real distress at that point in my run. It
was a little easier by this time to run at the lower HR and slower pace and I
was feeling great the whole way. I guess I had over hydrated the day before as I
had gone to the bathroom more than I was used to on a long run by now. The
cooler weather was also making it hard for me to drink as much as I had wanted
to and most of my nutrition was in my fluids.</div>
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By mile 19 it had turned full daylight and was beginning to
warm up. I forgot to mention that there was close to a 10-degree temperature
difference from the higher portion of the route to the lower portion during the
first 3 laps. This would change somewhat as the run went on.</div>
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I did not have any trouble with loneliness as I have done
quite a lot of solo running. However after I reached the marathon distance,
even though I was not racing, I began to feel just a little lonely and it
seemed that time dragged on a little bit more from this point on. My legs were
definitely feeling a little weary by this time but I told myself that I only
had 2 more laps to go.</div>
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From this point on it was not hard at all to run at the
lower HR and even on the downhill sections of the run I was not tempted to run
too fast. The warmth was beginning to affect me a bit at this point but just
mildly. I also said hello and waved to a few of my friends just as I started my
next to last lap, which gave me a little lift to my gait. </div>
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When I got back to my truck for my last pit stop I was
joined by Robin Derdowski and Jim Glick for the last lap. It was really nice to
have them join me for this lap and I am sure that I averaged 30 seconds faster
per mile just because they were with me. I am very appreciative to them for
running this with me after they had already run about 15 miles earlier that
morning.</div>
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After we got to the top of the last uphill and turned to the
last quarter mile of the run I decided to see what I had left in my legs and
picked up the pace surprising myself with how well I actually felt. I then
broke into nearly a sprint to the end. This told me that my mind had been lying
to me about how I felt and it was just trying so save me by telling my body to
conserve my energy, as it had never gone this distance before. </div>
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Overall it was not as hard as I had imagined it would be and
I know without a doubt that I could have finished another 12 miles for a 50
miler. However that was not my intent and I had accomplished what I had set out
to do which was run my age in kilometers. My total time, with no watch stoppage,
was 7hours 23 minutes and 10 seconds. Average pace: 11:39 with an average
moving pace of 10:27. My average HR was 129 compared with my usual long run HR
of 141.</div>
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This had inspired me to sign up for the Nanny Goat 24-hour
race in Riverside, CA on May 24<sup>th</sup>. I have been trying to up my
mileage again to 50+ miles per week hoping to peak at 70 miles and doing
several back to back long runs with my longest hopefully being 20 and 31.</div>
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As I write this I presently have had a little setback with
sciatica again but feel sure I will be back at it soon. Last weekend I ran a 17
mile trail run on the PCT and followed it with a 15 mile run the next day in
the morning and a 12 mile run in the afternoon. </div>
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Follow me on my journey as I prepare to run my first ultra
marathon race on May 24 and 25.</div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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Russ Barber</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-88980115677353993262013-12-06T15:32:00.000-08:002013-12-06T15:32:23.694-08:00An Interview With The Jester Part II<br /><b>What extra training do
you do to get ready for Badwater?</b><br />
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For Badwater I usually try to get in some extra miles in the hottest part
of the day, and ramp up my weekly mileage to around 80-100 miles, if my schedule
allows. Didn’t do that this year, and my finish time suffered greatly. Since I
live in SoCal, the heat here is the same heat as BW’s dry heat just “a degree or
two” lower. Some people will also sit in the sauna for increasing periods of
time. I tried that once while training for my first BW and just got too bored,
so I didn’t do it again. Luckily for me I do okay in heat, so I don’t require
that much extra heat acclimation. </div>
<br /><br /><b>Did
you do any practice runs with your crew this year or any year?</b><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No. It would be nice to do that, but they’re already sacrificing
the better part of a week, so I don’t want to obligate them to anything extra.
Besides, my wife is now an old pro as crew chief so she’s pretty good at getting
them up to speed on the fly, during the race. There’s actually not much to it.
Get the water bottles prepared with my drink of choice, have a new hat with ice,
have the water sprayer ready as I come by, swap the old for the new, see what I
want for the next stop, get in the car, drive one mile ahead, repeat. Then do it
134 more times! Rather tedious work for the crew actually.</span><br /><b>Do you
get cranky during the race and if so do you have any antidote to tell?</b><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, you’d have to check with those that have crewed for me over
the past three years, but overall I think I’m a pretty easy going runner. I
think the only time I get a little impatient is when I ask for something I want
at the next stop, and it’s not ready. I don’t want to waste time by waiting, so
I’ll tell them to have it ready for certain at the next stop. I’m sure I
probably get a little short with them at that point. I think if I started to
become a pain in the butt, my wife would tell me. You can’t afford to piss off
your crew by being a jerk, because they could just drive away and leave your
sorry butt to cook out there.</span><br /><br /><b>Are you allowed pacers at any point
during the race?</b><br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386372188805_3240" style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes. If you’re over 65, you can opt to
have a pacer for all 135 miles, otherwise your pacer can’t join you until the
first check-point, which is Furnace Creek, 17 miles into the race. This is for
logistical purposes, since everyone is crowded together in each of the three
wave starts (about 30-35 runners per wave), and we are running on open state
highways. Once we get to the first checkpoint, we’re a few hours into the race
and pretty much spread out. And to clarify, the pacers aren’t pacers, in the
truest sense of the word, in that they are required to stay behind the runner,
not actually “pace” them. Now what a pacer is allowed to do, which is against
the rules in most other ultras, is mule for their runner. In-other-words, they
can carry their runner’s water, etc. </span><br /><b>Are you allowed to run any
significant distance with other racers?</b><br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386372188805_3238" style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, you’re
allowed to run the whole race with another runner, but the problem with that is
that you’re not allowed to run side-by-side, only single file, so with two
runners and their two pacers there would be a congo line of four people, not the
most fun way to run with another person. Again, this is strictly for safety
reasons on the busy highway. One runner could theoretically set the pace for
another runner, but I think that would just be too difficult to monitor, so
there’s no rule against that. There is a point were we climb from Stovepipe
Wells at mile 42 up to the top of Town’s Pass – 17 miles with 5,100 feet of gain
– where there is usually a head wind, sometimes pretty strong, so that would be
a good place to draft off of another runner. I’ve never drafted off of someone,
or been drafted off of, but I guess it’s legal, and would sure save a lot of
energy.</span><br />I know when I run marathons it seems that my kidneys shut
down and I really don't have to eliminate during the race. It would seem that
you must have to drink enough to eliminate some during the race. <br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386372188805_3236" style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, some people have major kidney issues, and have even had kidney
failure at BW. I’m lucky in that I’ve never had any kidney problems there, or at
any other race. I’m pretty good at taking in the proper amount of fluids, which
is a ton, so not a problem for me. I’ll typically go 8 to 12 hours before taking
my first pee, but the color is always good – lemonade. Urine the cooler of
Kool-aid (urine in the blood) or Coke (really seriously under-hydrated) is
really bad and would require some immediate attention. That’s also one of the
tasks of the crew, to monitor urine output – volume, color, and flow. Luckily
for me I’m always coherent enough to monitor it myself and then report my
findings to my crew to document. Some runners can become so disoriented and
incoherent that their crew actually have to directly observe their urination
output. This is why you should never be on a BW crew. It can be a pretty nasty
job. </span><br /><b>What do you eat and drink during the race?</b><br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386372188805_3234" style="font-family: Calibri;">It varies from year to year. Drink wise I will take some
electrolyte drink like Gatorade, which can get old real quick, so the crew will
switch up flavors every couple of hours. Sometimes I only feel like drinking
water, especially if I get “gator gut” (fluids aren’t processing through and
just sit in the stomach). I also like V-8, Starbucks Frap’s, Muscle Milk or some
similar protein drink. Last year I got to a point where the only liquid I could
stomach was Sprite, so I did about 40 miles pretty much on Sprite alone. I’m
also quite religious about taking S-Caps (electrolytes and essential minerals in
pill form). Food wise depends on how I’m feeling. It’s so darn hot for so much
of the race that you really don’t have much of an appetite that first day. I
might eat fresh juicy fruits like pineapple chunks, oranges, grapes, and
watermelon. I also like Pringles chips, sliced pickles, sliced tomatoes with
salt, and sliced avocado with salt. For something sweet, I’ll have pudding cups
or fruit cups with the sugary syrup, and licorice. I’ve also recently started
eating Payday candy bars at my ultras, so I’ll add that to my menu for BW, if I
run it again.</span><br /><b>Is there any point during the race that you
considered stopping and if so how did you overcome that urge?</b><br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386372188805_3232" style="font-family: Calibri;">No, I’m real lucky that not finishing is never an option in my
mind, so I’ve never even considered quitting. I suppose if I ran into some real
serious issues, I might consider quitting, but that would only be if I, or
Martha, felt my health could be seriously compromised if I continued on.
Badwater is such a high profile race, and so many people have committed to get
their runner to the finish line that the DNF (did not finish) rate at BW is
actually quite low. This year I think there were 15 out of 97 that didn’t
finish, and that was about double from last year (this year was hotter than
normal at 125 degrees). For most 100 mile races, a 30% drop rate is actually
pretty good, and 40-70% drop rate is typical on the really hard 100s. It also
helps that there is an application process that tries to get 100 of the most
qualified ultra runners out of the applicant pool of runners from around the
world.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br /><b>Anything else you would like to
share about your experiences doing Badwater?</b><br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1386372188805_3230" style="font-family: Calibri;">Out of the 52
100 mile races I’ve done, Badwater is absolutely the most amazing ultra race of
them all. I would do it every single year if they let me in (and I could afford
it – it’s actually quite costly to put together a BW crew, including the entry
fee of $1,000.) In spite of all the scary stories you might hear about BW, it’s
actually a blast. And even though it is by far the hottest race I’ve ever ran, I
wouldn’t say it’s the most difficult race I’ve ever ran. But then again, my
ultra strengths are heat, street, and big miles, so it’s not as hard on my body
as it is for some others. The first few times I read about BW, including Dean
Karnazes ‘Ultramarathon Man’ I was totally scared off by even the thought of
running it, but after talking with a few people that had done it, and getting a
good number of 100 mile races under my belt, I slowly came around to where I
couldn’t wait to crew, and then to run it myself. If anyone reading this is
thinking about doing BW, I would definitely talk to those that have ran it, and
then crew for someone. You might find that Badwater will suddenly go from the
scariest race you’ve ever heard about, to the top of your bucket list. Maybe
someday you’ll be running it with me, or I’ll be crewing for you. Jester on . .
.</span><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Russ<br />
<br />
Thank you Ed for the interview!<br />
<br />
Happy Trails,<br />
<br />
Russ Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-59041809625075462832013-11-11T11:15:00.001-08:002013-11-11T11:15:38.086-08:00Mission Inn Run-Half Marathon Race Report<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
I have been looking forward to this local race in Riverside, CA for weeks now as a
test to see exactly what kind of shape I am in. I have been struggling with
injuries for the last few years that keep setting me back, but for the last few
months I have been able to run with near full health and it has made a big
difference. In fact I have not been 100% myself since early 2004. That is a
little over 9 years since I have been in my best running form. The frustration
of coming back, then getting hurt (not always running injuries) has played with
my psyche to the point of wondering if it is all worth it. Bottom line is, I
love running and while they are nice, I don’t need PR’s to keep me going. Still
there is something about wanting to perform at one’s best possible self that
drives me to keep on trying.
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Earlier this year I had a 7-week layoff from injury and a
3-week layoff prior to that. That is significant time off especially since they
both came after a significant improvement in racing form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the last 2 months I have been able to
really up my total weekly mileage from around 35 a week to 50 and 60 a week. I
have also been doing intervals and repeats on Tuesdays and Tempo runs most
Thursdays.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Two weeks ago I tweaked my right shoulder and had to curtail
my running, both pace and distance. A week ago Saturday I decided to try and
run a fairly hard run at HM pace for 5 miles of an 8-mile run. While running
downhill, at a 6 minute pace on a steep section, I tweaked my shoulder again
but continued running anyway at HM pace. After the run I knew I had hurt my
shoulder even more and as a result took the next 5 days completely off. I was
tapering anyway this week but I did not plan on this steep of a taper. I ran 2
miles Thursday and 4 miles Friday, taking Saturday off. Both runs my legs felt
quite refreshed, but I still had some shoulder pain, however, significantly
reduced. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Sunday morning race day is here: November 10, 2013, about 53
degrees and mostly sunny. Almost perfect running conditions. It would warm up
about 10 degrees during the race but the dew point was so low that it did not
matter much. </div>
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<br /></div>
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My plan was to run at an average HR of 157 beats per minute
for the whole race. I knew that it would take nearly 2 miles for my HR to ramp
up and that I would mostly have to go by feel the first two miles of the race.
Partway into mile two we started the only significant hill in the race. I kept
watching my Garmin to make sure that I did not go too far above my target HR.
It was hard to keep it below 160 on the uphill, but for the most part mission
accomplished. Then came a short but very steep downhill section where I passed
about 5 runners. As we turned the corner it mostly flattened out and I found
myself settling into a pretty steady stride. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Just past the two-mile mark someone in a gold colored top
went past me with grayish hair. A possible age group contender I thought to
myself. I tried to listen to his breathing as he went by to get an idea of his
effort. I couldn’t really tell for sure but I did get the impression that he
was just a little labored for this short distance into the race. I let him go
and continued running my own pace. As we came around the backside of Mt
Rubidoux, onto the bike path and finishing mile-3, two more runners passed me
that I thought could be in my age group. The first one’s breathing seemed fine
but the second one did seem a little labored. Again I let them both go but
asked the second one what his age group was. He either didn’t hear me or
ignored me. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After about mile-6 another runner passed me who could be in
my age category and I was thinking looks like I may not place like I was hoping
for. Still I wanted this to be a test of my condition. By this time into the
race I was running quite well and had been on my second wind since about
mile-3. I was doing well at maintaining my HR, right around 157, but did
occasionally dose off and fall down around 154. This only happened a few times
and became apparent when I was passed by someone I didn’t think should be passing
me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Soon after the mile six marker I came up on one of the guys
who I thought had been breathing a little harder than he should earlier and
asked him his age group. This time he responded, “50-54. And you?” “60,” I
replied as another guy running next to us laughed. Then the runner in the 50
category said, “Oh man that hurts,” to which the man who laughed replied, “I
shouldn’t be laughing, as I’m only 41.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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The levity provided me with a little bit of a lift and the
next time I looked at my Garmin I was at a 160 HR. Whoa!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slowed it back down to a steady 157 HR. I
was almost right on my pace as we hit mile 7 at 7:59 average pace. But my
Garmin was also reporting me as having gone .07 miles farther than the mile marker,
which meant that I was actually a little slower than that if the mile marker
was correct. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I wanted to increase my pace but I felt I should keep on
track with my plan. Soon we made the turn a round, and shortly after hit the
mile 8 marker. Once again my watch read that I was at 8.08 miles. It would be
mostly downhill to mile 12 from here but it would only be a very slight
downhill and there was a slight breeze in my face. The breeze actually felt
good as it was beginning to warm up just a little by this time. I had now
passed all of the possible age groupers I had spotted earlier except for one,
including the first one in the gold colored top. I was then passed by one of my
friends, Tom Kenefick. I wanted to try and keep up with him but continued to
maintain my HR. Every time we went under an overpass he seemed to gain a little
more on me until by mile 12 he was at least a minute ahead. At mile 11 I had
increased my HR closer to 160 and tried to keep it there the rest of the way. </div>
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<br /></div>
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By mile 12 I knew I was not going to reach my goals. I had two
goals in mind; one of setting a new PR, which was now over 10 years old, and
the other was breaking 1:45:00. Still I wanted to do my best. Soon we came to
the next most significant hill, which was only about 150 to 200 yards long, but
at the end of a race it seemed gigantic. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After finally hitting the top of the hill and turning the
corner I again increased my HR up to about 162. I did not know if I could hold
it the rest of the way but I was going to do my best. With about .4 miles left
I kicked it in and pretty closely maintained about a 7:15 pace to the finish
getting my HR up to 167. </div>
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I crossed the finish line and my Garmin said 13.2 miles and
a time of 1:46:18. My official time was 1:46:22. I was just 34 seconds from my
previous PR of 1:45:48, and that was on a course with a net downhill while this
one was about a 0.0 net. I also placed 3<sup>rd</sup> in my age division. When
I say my previous PR, I mean on a fairly normal course. I did have a 1:35 at
Fontana in 2003 but that is about an 1800-foot drop in only 13.1 miles so I
don’t count that as a PR.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I am very pleased with my result and it should translate
into a Boston qualifying time at Tucson on December 8<sup>th</sup>. I need a
3:55 to qualify for Boston and feel I should have no problem getting 3:50 or
better. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-75995100306914349552013-11-07T11:55:00.000-08:002013-11-07T11:55:06.569-08:00An Interview with the Jester - Part I<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
If you are pretty heavy into ultra distance running then you
have probably heard of the “Jester” by now. Even if you have not have heard of
him I thought it would be nice to get to know him. He has a Facebook page with
quite a following called <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/RunJesterRun/" target="_blank">Run Jester Run Friends</a>.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/RunJesterRun/
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His real name is Ed Ettinghausen, and he has been making
quite a name for himself in the world of ultra distance running. Having
completed the Badwater 135 race several times, considered by most to be the
toughest foot race in the world. He finished the race in 2011 in 13<sup>th</sup>
place out of 95 entrants. He had a little tougher race in 2012 but still
managed to finish in 23<sup>rd</sup> place out of 96 entrants. He ran it again
this year finishing in 24<sup>th</sup> place overall in a time of 36:17:12. It
is hard to compare each race with another from year to year, as start time,
weather conditions and many other factors are never quite the same. The only
thing that is always the same is the distance of 135 miles across the desert at
the hottest time of the year. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Ed is one of the most humble men I have ever come across. He
really is not one to brag about his accomplishments but I have asked him to do
this interview for my readers and me. I thought I would try and get into the
mind of the Jester by asking him a few questions concerning himself, his family
and the world of ultra running.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here is Part I. It consists of only two questions and
answers. The answers are a little long, but very interesting, so I only
included the two to make for a shorter post.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYEefB8ubTRoHNovp2YMR_LL0EiGU5-mphS8ddAW3Zx4Cw9ApmnjgIi-JCUp452Q1hqhGot4qF4lRqxTt_QP1GtUJlYd5hTy2YzMVciEC02r3J_a4_CN_MH05clJby4jHknskrWZIlVE/s1600/The+Jester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYEefB8ubTRoHNovp2YMR_LL0EiGU5-mphS8ddAW3Zx4Cw9ApmnjgIi-JCUp452Q1hqhGot4qF4lRqxTt_QP1GtUJlYd5hTy2YzMVciEC02r3J_a4_CN_MH05clJby4jHknskrWZIlVE/s320/The+Jester.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b>Runner’s Mania:</b> What prompted you to start running in
ultra races?</div>
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<b>Jester: </b><i>I ran my first marathon when I was 17, in
high school, and I was hooked. One month later I ran my second marathon and ran
a total of five marathons in a nine-month period. The next 28 years was a big
dry spell for marathons. I was focused on family and work obligations and
didn’t make the time for running. I did one marathon in 2000, with three of my
kids, who were 11, 9 and 8 at the time. My 11 year old finished in 5:42, and I
crossed the finish line with my 8 and 9 year old in 8:40. That was a very long
day. It was another nine years, March of 09, for my next marathon. I ran
another one in April, and then in early May I ran a local small marathon in
Chino Hills that was a 1.8 mile loop around Ayala Park. <br />
<br />
There were also 3, 6, and 12-hour race option taking place at the same time. I
choose this race so that I could run the marathon while my youngest daughter,
14 at the time, could run her final long run, before running her first marathon
in June. <br />
<br />
While waiting for the race to start I noticed a car in the parking lot with a
Badwater 135 sticker on the window. I got the notion that it would be fun to
run a little bit with each runner and try to find out who this Badwater runner
was. There were only 26 runners, so eliminating my daughter and myself, which
left just 24 possibilities. Mind you, at that time I had absolutely zero
interest in running the Badwater ultramarathon, but I had a curiosity about
that ‘crazy race in the desert’. Besides I wanted to get some advice about
possibly running a 50k, and I figured that maybe I could get some pointers from
this guy on doing my first ultra.<br />
<br />
After running with a couple of folks, who weren’t the mystery Badwater runner,
I struck up a conversation with a guy running in cyclist compression shorts
named Steve Teal. He was there for the 12-hour race, and was training for a
triple Ironman distance triathlon, so needed to get some long miles in. Sure
enough, this was the guy. He hadn’t just ran Badwater once, but had ran it four
times.<br />
<br />
He was happy to share his Badwater experiences, which were totally mind blowing
to a guy that had only ran a couple of marathons. Although his stories were
enthralling, my real intention was of course to pick his brain about running my
first ultra, sometime way, way, way in the future. <br />
<br />
We ran quite a few miles together, and by the time we were done he had
convinced me to sign-up for my first ultra, two weeks down the road. This was a
new 24-hour race around a one-mile course in Riverside, CA called Nanny Goat. I
really didn’t think I was ready to jump from marathons into an ultra-marathon
fray, but he convinced me that I had enough training and had nothing to loose.
Since any mileage would count in the 24-hour race, I could go at my own pace,
run or walk as fast or slow as I wanted, and I couldn’t DNF, a big plus in my
book. <br />
<br />
If it wasn’t just two weeks away, I might have talked myself out of it, but I
registered for the race as soon as I got home that day. I heard someone once
say that 90% of a race is just showing up. I don’t know about that, but I did
show up and somehow made it through the whole 24 hours. I ended up with 102
miles for a third place finish. The rest, as they say, is history.</i></div>
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<b>Runner’s Mania:</b> I heard you made it into the Guinness
Book of World Records. What can you tell us about that? </div>
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<b>Jester: </b><i>Well . . . kind of. Here’s the story. At
that same marathon in Chino Hills where I met Steve Teal, I also met a woman
from Corona named Yolanda Holder, also know as ‘The Walking Diva’. She
introduced me to a running club she belonged to called Marathon Maniacs, which
I joined. This group has some pretty hardcore marathoners that try to squeeze
in as many marathons as they can into a year. Yolanda was planning to break the
Guinness World Record for most marathons in a year by a female in 2010, by
running 100 marathons. Again, not something I had any interest in at the time,
but it did plant a seed.<br />
<br />
In the summer of 2010 I heard about a nationwide contest sponsored by Runner’s
World Magazine and New Balance running shoes for most race miles in a year. The
winner would receive $25,000 for their favorite charity. Although by the time I
joined the contest in August I had already ran about 32 marathons and four
ultras, including one 100-mile race since January 1st, I was only in 5th place,
with a little over 1,000 race miles, so I decided to step it up and see what I
could do by the end of the year.<br />
<br />
In the next five months I ran 38 marathons and 17 ultras, including six 100+
mile races, finishing the year with a 72-hour race in which I ran 238 miles. My
total race miles for 2010 were just over 3,000. I barely beat out Yolanda, who
had finished the year with 106 marathons to set a new marathon Guinness World
Record. <br />
<br />
Winning the contest was quite rewarding, especially when my chosen charity
received that $25,000 check. Since I was already on a roll I decided to go for
the male record for “most marathons in a year.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend and fellow Marathon Maniac from San Antonio, Larry
Macon, had also ran 106 marathons in 2010 finishing the last one with Yolanda.
That broke his own previous male world record of 101.<br />
<br />
Guinness allows any 365 consecutive day period to count for their records, so I
decided to see how many marathons I could do in the next seven months. I
finished my one year streak on July 16, 2011 at Badwater 135, which was my 135<sup>th</sup>
marathon/ultra in 365 days setting a new world record. I celebrated by running
another 100 mile race four days later.<br />
<br />
The amount of paper work and red tape required by Guinness to verify a world
record is pretty extensive, for even a single event, but I had 135 separate
events to provide documentation for. Guinness assigned me a case number and
agreed that once I submitted the required documentation and they were able to
verify each event, I would have the new world record.<br />
<br />
Simple enough, just get all the paperwork together. Knowing the herculean task
before me, I found plenty of ‘more important’ things to do, like running
100-mile races, so I procrastinated getting the paperwork together. Besides,
who would try to do more than 135 marathons in one year, so why rush it? <br />
<br />
In early 2011 at the Death Valley Trail Marathon I met a chap from the U.K.
named Traviss Willcox who was hoping to break the world record himself. He had
started his 365 days on Jan. 1, and by the time I finished my 135 in July, he
was not on a pace to break the 135 marathons, but could still break 106. I
promised Traviss that I would hold off submitting my documentation until the
end of the year (another reason to procrastinate) to see if he could break the
106. He ended up doing 114, so I agreed to wait until he got the world record
for 114, and then I would submit my 135 after Guinness verified his new record.<br />
<br />
In the meantime Larry Macon had completed 113 marathons, and submitted his
documentation to Guinness in January 2012, which Guinness confirmed within one
week. Larry had just broken his own record for a second time. Although both
Traviss and I had more marathons in a year than Larry, with Guinness it’s all
about whose record is verified first.<br />
<br />
Guinness is a private U.K. company that has two revenue source, book
sales and world record processing fees. There are three options for getting a
record verified by Guinness. Submit the required documentation and pay the
approximately $3,500 processing fee (the fee is actually in Euros, so the
actual amount changes dependent on how the dollar is doing compared to the
Euro) and Guinness will guarantee to verify the record within seven days.
Option two is to submit the documentation with the app. $500 processing fee and
Guinness guarantees to process the paperwork within one to two months. And for
those that would rather pay nothing, Guinness does have the third option of no
processing fee, but there’s also no guarantee on the timeline. <br />
<br />
By the time Traviss finally had all his paperwork in order and submitted to
Guinness it was March of 2011. For seven months Guinness kept requiring
additional paperwork from Traviss, always offering to speed up the processing
time for a fee. But finally by October of 2011 Guinness completed their
verification process and awarded Traviss the new world record, with 114 marathons.<br />
<br />
Finally, over a year after I had completed my 135 marathons, keeping my promise
to Traviss of waiting until he got his Guinness World Record, it was time for
me to submit my documentation and finally claim my rightfully earned record.
<br />
<br />
All would be well and good, except during this whole process, Larry Macon was
quietly stacking up marathons. By the end of October Larry had already
surpassed Traviss’s 114 and was about to surpass my 135. There was no way I was
going to pay the $3,500 fee, which I knew Larry would do without batting an
eye. Besides, what would be the point when I knew I didn’t really hold the
record if someone else had surpassed 135 but I beat them to the punch by
getting my paperwork in before them. <br />
<br />
So, on December 31, 2011, Larry Macon ran his 157<sup>th</sup> marathon of the
year. By the first week in January 2012, Guinness had already verified that
Larry Macon was the new marathon king, with the Guinness World Record for Most
Marathon Races in 365 Consecutive Days – Male.<br />
<br />
There you have it. That’s the story behind my almost Guinness World Record.<br />
<br />
But wait, there’s more! Guinness also gave me a case number for setting a new
Guinness World Record for most race miles ran in one year, which I did around
4,500. Even Larry’s 157 marathons wouldn’t beat that. But at this point I
really don’t feel like putting in the required effort it would take to claim
the record. On the other hand I do have an interest in breaking the world
record for most 100-mile races in one year, which is currently 36 held by my
friend Liz Bauer. My friend Scott Brockmeyer holds the male record, at 28. So
I’m seriously thinking about next year going for both the most 100-mile races
in one year, while simultaneously trying to surpass my 4,500 race miles. We’ll
see . . .</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-34496104643023094682013-11-05T13:04:00.001-08:002013-11-06T18:19:33.603-08:00Cactus to Clouds an Epic HikeSince I started hiking, about seven months after my first marathon back in 2000, I have always wanted to do this hike called "Cactus to Clouds." I first heard about it while talking with a hiker I met at the top of San Gorgonio Peak. He told me about this hike were one could go from near sea level to almost 11,000 feet in a single day hike. He said he tried to do it at least once a year, usually in the late spring or early fall. I looked the hike up on the internet and several local hiking books. They all said it was one of the toughest day hikes one could do and that it should be done with someone else who had done it before as the trail gets quite faint at times, with a lot of false trails made by the local wildlife such as dear and mountain goats.<br />
<br />
The first 9.6 miles of the hike ascend 7900 feet for an average incline grade of 15.6%. Since there are some relatively flat areas of the trail and even some bits of downhill at times this entails climbing some grades in excess of 20% at times.<br />
<br />
The day of the hike was Saturday, October 27, 2013. This would be almost exactly 13 years after I had first heard about it and now the time had finally arrived.<br />
<br />
Several of our group had spent the night in Palm Springs, CA as the hike begins at the back of the Palm Springs Art Museum Parking Lot. The rest of our group met each other and drove in together from Redlands, about a 50 minute drive. Most of us got up that morning at about 2:00am. We left Redlands at around 3:20am. We met the rest of the group at the museum and by the time we were all packed up and ready to start it was about 4:40am, and pretty dark. It was also about 60 degrees which was actually just a little warm at first.<br />
<br />
We donned our headlamps and began the trek. It was immediately apparent that this was going to be a steep and long hike. It didn't take long for our heart rates to climb and we had started at only about 450 feet above sea level. What would it be like when we reached 6,000 feet and above?<br />
<br />
The trail became faint in several places very early on, mostly because it was quite rocky and not a lot of vegetation. I was leading and got us off on a wrong turn. We then had to back track a bit and Dev took over as he had the first part of the trail on GPS with his phone. This helped out quite bit as the trail was pretty tricky to spot at times. We quickly caught on to the fact that someone had blazed some of the rocks with blotches of white paint so they could be spotted a little farther ahead and this also helped out.<br />
<br />
Dev, being young and in better shape, was setting a pretty tough pace for us as my heart rate was climbing to about 150 which is my maximum range for a marathon. I knew that I couldn't sustain that HR for more than about 4 hours so I commented that we should slow down a bit that I could not keep that pace up for over 12 hours or more. So Dev still went ahead scouting the trail while I led the rest of us at a more reasonable pace of around a 130-135 hear rate. Dev would wait for us whenever he was about to get out of sight.<br />
<br />
We took short one to two minute breaks about every half hour or so and about every two hours we took a 10 minute or more break. After we had climbed for about an hour it was really awesome to look back toward the city lights from our elevated height! Below is a picture just before sunrise.<br />
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As with all hikes there are some who are slower and faster or having a good day or not so good day. So it was with our group. But we would always try to keep those behind in visual or hearing range and when we would lose sight or sound of them we would hold up until they caught back up to us. It was not a race but neither did we want to be in cold darkness any longer than necessary on the way back.<br />
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For the most part the trail was a relentless uphill trek but there were a few breaks here and there. The first 2 hours of the hike were in mostly darkness and then when the sun came out it began to warm up quickly. At least it was fall. The predicted high for the day at Palm Springs was 91 and we knew we would not get anywhere close to that, but still the sun would beat on us for the next 3.5 hours as there was no tree cover.<br />
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The last 2 miles of the hike to the saddle, just before the tram, were probably the most intense as far as elevation climb goes, but thankfully we did have some tree cover from time to time on this part. I can only imagine the difficulty encountered for those who try this in the heat of the summer. Some have actually died or have had to be rescued off this side of the mountain for underestimating how difficult it is and not taking enough food and water with them. Most of us took close to 1.5 gallons each with us and many said they went through all or most of it by the time we got to the tram 8 hours into the hike.<br />
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There are some pretty spectacular views of the San Bernardino Mountain Range to the north when doing this hike. Below are a few pictures.<br />
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Those last 2 miles of the initial 9.6 miles to the saddle took close to 2 hours to complete. It was very steep and rocky, with some places requiring a little pulling with the arms and hands up and over boulders etc. We took breaks a little more often on this section and at one point had a fairly long nutrition break.<br />
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After reaching the saddle at about 8300 foot elevation we took another 10 minute break and then headed out on the short .5 miles to the tram station. A lot of hikers call it quits at this point and take the tram back down to the parking lot, about 4 miles from Palm Springs and about 7 miles from where our vehicles were parked. We still had an 11 mile hike in front of us.<br />
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At the tram station, we took a very long break and most refilled water bottles etc. After our long break at the tram station we continued on for hour final 5.5 mile trek to the summit of San Jacinto Peak at 10, 834 feet. Even though this section was only about 2500 feet over the next 5 miles, a much less steep ascent than we had just accomplished, we were also at a much higher altitude and already tired from the earlier steep ascent. It was now after 1pm and we knew that we would probably have a little darkness again on the way back. <br />
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This section of the hike had quite a bit of tree cover and combined with the higher altitude it made for a much cooler trek. After about 2-3 miles in it got cold enough that I decided to put on my wind breaker and gloves and I was glad I did as it would only get cooler from there. Once we reached the intersection from the trail coming from Humber Park to the south side of the mountains from Idlewild, CA we had some more great views.<br />
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From here it was on up to the summit. We fully intended to just continue on to the summit and eat a good snack there but a little over a half mile from the summit most of u, including me, were beginning to feel the effects of glycogen depletion and we decided to take a much needed nutrition break. After about a 10 minute break we made out final assault on to the peak. Just before the peak there is a small rock cabin for rangers and hikers to be able to take shelter in from severe weather. Just past the cabin the trail ends and one has to climb a hundred feet or more scrambling over large boulders to reach the summit.<br />
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Finally we reached the summit of San Jacinto. While it was a bit cold, thankfully the wind was not blowing badly so we could keep our footing much easier and not get quite as cold as it could have been. Here are some pictures from the top. The two oldest from our group were Warren Johns and me, Russ Barber at the ages of 68 and 60 respectively. I am to the left in the pictures of the two of us. We both figure that we are in about 3:50 marathon shape at the time if that gives you any indication of the shape you need to be in to do this hike successfully without killing yourself.<br />
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The trek back down the boulders to the trail can be a bit precarious but it is not to bad as long you you don't hurry. From the trail back to the tram seems to be a very easy trek compared to everything else we had done that day. About half way back Dragana and I left the rest of the group behind and began running back. Shortly we ran into Tito who was waiting at a fork in the trail, not wanting to take the wrong one he had waited for the group to catch up. He had gone ahead earlier. We left our headlamps off until about 6:30pm when we just could not quite make out the trail enough to make sure of our footing. Even with a headlamp the shadows can make for unpredictable results in figuring out the footing of the trail, but we were able to keep a bit of a jog going and when not jogging we were walking quite fast. We made it back to the tram station at about 7pm for a total of about 14.5 hours for the whole ordeal. The others arrived about 10 minutes later and we all gave each other high fives and hugs. It truly was an epic experience. Almost all of the others said they would probably never do it again but were glad they had done it at least once. I suspect they will change their minds in the days to come as the bad parts of the memory fade and mostly good memories remain. We had a bit of a fiasco waiting for a cab that never came setting us back about 60 minutes more than it would have. Next time we will have a car at the parking lot and shuttle back and forth.<br />
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Here is a link to my Garmin Connect page where you can view all the stats from the hike: <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/396318962" target="_blank">C2C Hike Garmin Connect </a>. <br />
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As to the difficulty of this hike, about half of us had done Whitney within the last two years and all felt that this hike was definitely tougher than Whitney. Backpacker magazine considers it to be the 5th toughest day hike in the united states <a href="http://www.backpacker.com/may_2005_feature_hardest_dayhikes/destinations/8485?page=3" target="_blank">Americas Hardest Day Hikes</a> . All those in our group were runners and capable of running a full marathon.<br />
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I definitely suggest that you have a least one person who has done the hike to the tram station with you, as this will greatly help in finding the trail. <br />
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Happy Trail,<br />
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RussAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-32871593461794462182013-09-20T10:29:00.000-07:002013-09-20T13:19:59.507-07:0030-Day Fitness Rebound, Final Update<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
Well I am over two weeks late writing this update to my
August 30-Day Fitness Rebound, but here it is! Unfortunately I was not able to
do a definitive final run in the same weather conditions etc. because we have
had very unusually high temps combined with high humidity, some nights not even
getting below 74 degrees. I did have a significant long run at the end of week
three that I will attempt to extrapolate from to give you an idea of where I
ended up. As you recall I had not run previous to this for 8 full weeks and
wanted to test how my fitness would rebound over the 30 days of August. Here is
a recap of where I left off beginning with my initial test.
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
See initial article here:
<a href="http://runnersmania.blogspot.com/2013/08/30-day-fitness-rebound-begins.html">http://runnersmania.blogspot.com/2013/08/30-day-fitness-rebound-begins.html</a></div>
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I ran 6 miles at a 10:43 Avg. pace per mile. My first mile
was at a pace of 10:11 and my last mile was at a pace of 11:13. That is about a
minute difference. Based on experience I know that these two extremes will get much
closer together as I regain my fitness over the next 30 days. I also expect my
overall pace to get faster. So I am going to look at 3 metrics for evaluation
as to how much fitness I can regain in 30 days.<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Average Heart Rate:</b>
139.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal will be to be within
2 beats of this number, on either side, for my test on August 31. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Average pace per mile:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10:43 per mile.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>First and last mile pace:</b>
10:11 for first mile and 11:13 for the last mile.</li>
</ol>
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<b>Here are my progress stats end of week one:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>1. <b>Average
Heart Rate: </b>142 Just a hair over my goal.<b> </b><br />
<b> </b>2. <b>Average Pace Per Mile:</b>
10:06.<b> </b><br />
<b> </b>3. <b>First and Last Mile
Pace:</b> 9:39 for first mile and 10:41 for the last mile.</div>
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My average pace per mile improved by 37 seconds, but the
difference between first mile time and last mile time stayed exactly the same
at 62 seconds. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My next test run was actually a 12-mile run instead of a
6-mile run, but it is the closest run I have in this time frame under nearly
the same conditions, at least starting conditions. </div>
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<b>Run on August 24 Week Three:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span><b>Average Heart Rate: </b>143 Two beats over my goal but not
bad for a 12 mile run.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span><b>Average Pace Per Mile:</b> 9:35.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span><b>First and last mile pace:</b> 9:27 for the first mile and
8:46 for the last mile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span><b>Approximation of first and last</b>: 9:27 for first mile
and 9:46 for mile 9.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My average pace per mile improved by 68 seconds over my
initial test run while the difference between first and last mile, based on
approximation, was only 11 seconds. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately the first and last mile comparisons are not
valid as this was an out and back 6 miles each way where as the initial course
was out and back ½ mile each way, with each mile being exactly the same
terrain. In this last test the first mile was uphill and the last mile was down
the same hill. However, mile 9 would approximate the same difficulty of hill
the first mile so I used it as an approximation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you can see in just 24 days I had a significant
improvement from what I had lost. During the 8 weeks of no running. I might add
that during week 3 I had to take 4 days off because my left heel was too sore
to run.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that these results would have been even better
over the same course and only 6 miles but the results speak for themselves.
Unfortunately the following week the temperatures climbed and the humidity and
dew point soared with dew points reaching into the low 70’s at times and
greatly affecting my times, as I was not acclimated to such conditions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Subsequent to this I ran a very challenging 20-mile run with
2400 feet of continuous elevation gain over 7.3 miles and 3400 feet of
elevation loss over 12.7 miles on September 13<sup>th,</sup> with an average
pace of 9:42 and a PR for me on that course. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I not only regained my previous fitness in less than 30 days
after an 8-week break from running but also actually improved on it</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Trails,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-42981268848627667872013-08-08T11:58:00.003-07:002013-08-08T11:58:50.548-07:0030-Day Fitness Rebound Week One Update<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
It has been a really good week. I was going to wait until
tomorrow to report but my body was getting a little tired and I am not sure I
will run tomorrow, at least no more than a mile. So far I have run at least one
mile 8 days in a row for a total of 32 miles including a 10-mile long run. I am
planning on running at least a mile a day through the month of August. In
addition I have cycled twice for a total of 47 miles doing a 1-mile run at the
end of each ride in 80+-degree temperature. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So last Friday I set some benchmarks to compare my progress,
here is a review: (<a href="http://runnersmania.blogspot.com/2013/08/30-day-fitness-rebound-begins.html" target="_blank">See post</a>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ran 6 miles at a 10:43 Avg. pace per mile. My first mile
was at a pace of 10:11 and my last mile was at a pace of 11:13. That is about a
minute difference. Based on experience I know that these two extremes will get
much closer together as I regain my fitness over the next 30 days. I also
expect my overall pace to get faster. So I am going to look at 3 metrics for
evaluation as to how much fitness I can regain in 30 days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Average
Heart Rate:</b> 139.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal will
be to be within 2 beats of this number, on either side, for my test on
August 31. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Average
pace per mile:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10:43 per mile.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>First
and last mile pace:</b> 10:11 for first mile and 11:13 for the last mile.</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Here are my progress stats end of week one:</b></div>
<b> </b>1. <b>Average
Heart Rate: </b>142 Just a hair over my goal.<b> </b><br />
<b> </b>2. <b>Average
Pace Per Mile:</b> 10:06.<b> </b><br />
<b> </b>3. <b>First
and Last Mile Pace:</b> 9:39 for first mile and 10:41 for the last mile.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My average pace per mile improved by 37 seconds, but the
difference between first mile time and last mile time stayed exactly the same
at 62 seconds. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Overall I am very happy with my progress and could not
really wish for a much better result in just one week. I would like to have
seen the difference between my first and last mile be less than the week before
but overall I really can’t complain at all. To improve by 37 seconds in one
week is a very significant improvement. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let’s review my goals for August 31. I stated last week
that I would like to be back to an average pace of a 9:30 pace per mile under
the same conditions or as close as possible to the same conditions. At this
point I am already halfway there. Does that mean I can reach my goal in just 2
weeks instead of 4 weeks? Probably not, as I expect my progress next week to be
somewhat diminished over this week. I would really be greatly surprised to
reach my goal by the end of next week. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever chronicled a fitness rebound? What kind of
gains in fitness did you expect and how did your result measure up against your
goals and expectations?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quite frankly, I would never have guessed that I would be
able to knock off 37 seconds in just one week. Part of this is probably do to
running at least one mile each day and also doing some cycling on a couple of
my easy days. I did not cycle at a particularly hard effort, in fact both rides
were fairly easy efforts overall. I ran only one stressful workout and that was
the 8 hill-repeats I ran Tuesday night and even that was conservative because I
felt my heel tighten up so I did not run the full twelve repeats I had planned.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me know about your comeback experiences!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Trails,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-40738293403313290532013-08-02T13:54:00.000-07:002013-08-02T14:05:12.829-07:0030-Day Fitness Rebound Begins<div class="MsoNormal">
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</xml><![endif]-->Ok so an 8-week layoff from running really sucks, especially
when you are just sitting or lying around, in order stay off your feet so you
can heal an injury. So this morning I am out doing my normal 6-mile run and I
realize that I am probably running close to 60 seconds slower per mile than I
did 8 weeks ago and I feel weaker too. Well, it was actually 9 weeks ago as I
have already been running again for a week now. On the lighter side, how many
people can lay off 8-weeks and then go out and do a 2-mile, 4-mile and 8-mile
run in 4 days time? I have to be happy about that. And, I wasn’t nearly as sore
as I thought I would be the next day after the 8-mile run last Sunday. I was
sure I would be walking around like I had run a marathon instead of only 8
miles.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I have lost some fitness for sure. Now I am thinking how
much can I get back in the next 30 days, counting today? I had to go back to
early May to find a run that came close to matching the same conditions. This
run was 9 miles instead of 6 and it had a lot more elevation gain but I ran a
9:45 avg. pace. Because of the extra hills and distance I would handicap it and
say I would probably have done about 9:30 on the same course and conditions as
today. I suck when the temperature gets above 60 degrees with bright sunshine
and a relatively high dew point of around 55. Today, according to Accuweather,
it was 68 degrees at the finish with a dew point of 56 and bright sunshine to
boot. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ok, so now I have a baseline of a 9:30 pace in conditions of
66-68 degrees with bright sunshine starting my run at about 8:00 in the
morning. I would easily be 30 seconds faster per mile at 55-60 degrees and a
6:00am start, but I started too late in the day. What a slacker I am. Never
mind that I didn’t get to bed until 12:45am, but enough of the excuses, that
was my own fault!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So this morning I ran 6 miles at a 10:43 Avg. pace per mile.
My first mile was at a pace of 10:11 and my last mile was at a pace of 11:13.
That is about a minute difference. Based on experience I know that these two
extremes will get much closer together as I regain my fitness over the next 30
days. I also expect my overall pace to get faster. So I am going to look at 3
metrics for evaluation as to how much fitness I can regain in 30 days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Average
Heart Rate:</b> Today it was 139.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My goal will be to be within 2 beats of this number, on either
side, for my test on August 31. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Average
pace per mile:</b> Starting pace is 10:43 per mile.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>First
and last mile pace:</b> Starting is 10:11 for first mile and 11:13 for the
last mile.</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do I have a goal in mind you ask? Well certainly. My goal is
to be back to an average pace of 9:30 per mile under the same conditions or as
close as possible to the same conditions. Is it possible to reach that goal for
a 60-year-old man? Yes, it is possible but not probable. So why do I set the
goal so high? I always like to reach for the possible and maybe beyond what I
might think possible! If I fail I still gave it all I had and made it a good
fight. If I succeed then of course I set new and more challenging goals for
myself in the future.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what is my main goal for the remainder of 2013? I would
like to <a href="http://runnersmania.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-start-into-world-of-running.html" target="_blank">qualify for the Boston Marathon again</a>. To qualify I will need a
marathon time of 3:55 or better. To actually be sure of getting accepted I will
probably need closer to 3:45 or better because, the faster you are the earlier
you are allowed to register. My personal best was almost 11 years ago at <a href="http://www.stgeorgemarathon.com/" target="_blank">StGeorge, UT</a> with a time of 3:33:40 for and average pace of 8:09 per mile. I
would really love to match or beat that time from 11 years ago. Is it possible?
Once again the answer is yes. Is it probable? Again, the answer is no. However,
I am making it my goal to PR at the <a href="http://www.tucsonmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Tucson Marathon on December 8, 2013</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would assure me an entry in the 2015
<a href="http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon.aspx" target="_blank">Boston Marathon.</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR4IitWCgPzhnqOJrS3MBjX_A0RFFeZavAVTx8E4bIoPuu_CoDJHuvW-MzvXuhaA6IhNSiHcMnwzzKu5xkajmEXuu7-u1qHfxgE-uHWeIe_S2N4z22LzkX7auaSmdiFpXpC_sdgKKj_Q/s1600/russmarathon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR4IitWCgPzhnqOJrS3MBjX_A0RFFeZavAVTx8E4bIoPuu_CoDJHuvW-MzvXuhaA6IhNSiHcMnwzzKu5xkajmEXuu7-u1qHfxgE-uHWeIe_S2N4z22LzkX7auaSmdiFpXpC_sdgKKj_Q/s1600/russmarathon3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Me at St George Marathon 2002 Where I qualified for Boston with a time of 3:33:40.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are some lofty goals for me for sure, but first things
first. That means I will be working on the 30-day fitness rebound goal. If I
make that goal it greatly enhances my chances of meeting my year-end goal of a
marathon PR and Boston Qualifier.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my progress and final
results.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Trails and see you at the finish line,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-14410184199733877392013-07-26T15:58:00.000-07:002013-07-26T15:58:23.484-07:00A Matter of the Heel<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
Those of you who have been following my blog know that I
have been trying to rehab my left heal for the last 6 weeks after breaking
three ribs two weeks earlier. The heel has been bothering me for well over two
years now. The ribs are completely healed and I have started running again. Day
one of running was yesterday for a slow 2 miles and day two was today for an
even slower 4 miles with a dew point of 60 degrees. Very muggy run! Glad it was
only two miles.
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The heel was a little sore about 3 hours after my run
yesterday and today it was a little sore and tight before I ran but not enough
to cause a limp. The pain is kind of a warm burning sensation right at the
attachment of the Achilles to the heel bone. As I started running this morning
I had a little more ache, than when I was just walking, to the heel for the
first half-mile then it went away and I was fine for the rest of the run. After
the run I could feel a deep burning sensation just like before I started. It
was the same feeling I had before starting rehab only not as intense. The rehab
consisted of wearing a boot to keep the heel stationary, and twice a week
physical therapy to strengthen my foot, calf and soleus muscles. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I am not back to where I was when I started therapy, I
can tell that the heel is basically doing the same thing as before. I will take
tomorrow off and see if that helps but I am not confident that it will do much
but calm down a little and then flare up when I run again. This is very
frustrating! I feel as though I have wasted 8 weeks that I could have been
running and would have only lost 2-3 weeks from the ribs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I guess I will try and run 3 days a week, cycle 2-3 days and
swim one or two days. Swimming can be done on the same day as a run or bike ride.
Hopefully by cross training in this way I can still maintain my running fitness
without aggravating the heel much more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From here I guess I need to continue to try and convince the
doctor(s) to help me find the true source of my problem. I still feel that it
is a nerve problem stemming from my lower back, my hip or the piriformis muscle
in the buttock area. This is called <a href="http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/piriformis-syndrome-causes-symptoms-treatments" target="_blank">Piriformis Syndrome</a>. This muscle can get inflamed and cause the
sciatic nerve to become inflamed and subsequently affect the whole leg all the
way down to the foot. The problem is getting insurance to cover doing the MRI,s
needed to see exactly where the inflammation is occurring. Ugh, it is all so
frustrating.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Either way I have decided to train for the <a href="http://www.tucsonmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Tucson marathon</a>
on December 8<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should
have plenty of time to train for it as it is about 19 weeks away. That gives me
16 weeks of training and 3 weeks to taper. Hoping to run 6-8 miles this Sunday,
even if it is really slow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bottom line is that the conservative treatment, with
therapy, has not worked at all. I didn’t really expect it to but I was hopeful,
and that kept me focused during the whole ordeal. Here’s to hoping for
miracles. I can run but I am held back from doing my best because of this
stupid heel. Here goes cross training. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for letting
me vent! LOL!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Trails,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PS. The interview with the Jester, AKA Ed Ettinghausen is in
the works. Hopefully I will have it all ready sometime early next week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-13077719833770564002013-07-20T15:55:00.003-07:002013-07-20T15:55:39.385-07:00Rehab Of Heel And Ribs Almost Complete<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Many of you know already that I have had some forced time off from running. For those of you who are not aware of how I got to this point see: ( <a href="http://runnersmania.blogspot.com/2013/07/struggling-with-downtime.html" target="_blank">Struggling With Downtime</a> ) <br />
<br />
Today I cycled for the first time in 7 weeks. I have not run
yet and will not try until I am given the go ahead by my
physical therapist (PT), next Thursday. He said he would give me a protocol at that time which
would probably involve only walking and cycling to begin with. In fact, I was
not given the go ahead to cycle as of yet but I just could not resist the
opportunity to try and see how the heel would respond. So far the heel seems
fine and cycling, while bothersome, never did inflame it as much as running. I
usually only noticed a problem hours to a day afterward. It has been 4 hours
and so far no noticeable problem. The ribs are pretty much completely healed,
as I do not notice any soreness unless I do some sort of extreme movement or
pressure in the wrong place. Cycling was no problem for the ribs ( <a href="http://runnersmania.blogspot.com/2013/06/trail-run-fall-broken-ribs-oh-my.html" target="_blank">See: Trail Run,Fall, Broken Ribs, Oh My</a>) at all, and I
am sure running would not be either.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have 6 more days until the walking boot comes
off. I know I will want to try and run immediately but my PT says he will put
me on a walking protocol first and graduate to running. This will be tough, but
no one wants this to work more than I, so I will follow the protocol. He said
cycling would probably be OK also.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hopefully the epidural shot I received last Monday in my
sacroiliac joint will be a more complete and long-term solution to my heel and
leg problems. Within 3 days of the shot I noticed a significant relief in my
left hip and leg, allowing me to increase my flexibility by almost six inches in
several stretches including touching my toes from a standing stiff leg bend and
even down to the second finger joints being bent. Another stretch that I had
been doing was from a seated position bringing my left foot up and crossing it
over my right knee while bending forward at the waist. This stretch would often
elicit a slight shock like sensation from my hamstrings to my heel. Not only
has this disappeared, but I can now lean forward touching my head to my left leg
at the knee, whereas before my head was about 6 inches away. In two days I see
the pain doctor and he will hopefully prescribe at least one or more future
injections to completely calm the hip and leg soreness from the nerve problem.
The relief I have gotten is significant enough to verify that the main problem
is a nerve inflammation</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My plan for the future is to start training for another
marathon as soon as possible whether or not my heel is completely better. The
reason for this is that the next course of action, if it is not better, would
be surgery and I do not want to be out any longer than I have to being off my
feet. I would rather go into surgery from a state of maximum conditioning than
to go in already having lost 10 weeks or more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I have my sights set on training for the Tucson Marathon
in December. I may also do a trail Ragnar in the meantime. Pray for my heel to
be completely healed within the next two weeks!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking forward to training again very soon!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ON a lighter note, I am hoping to score an interview with
The Jester, AKA Ed Ettinghausen. He is a rather prolific ultra marathoner who
has just completed his 3<sup>rd</sup> Badwater 135 mile ultra marathon, from
Death Valley to the Mt. Whitney portals. This race is considered by most to be
the hardest foot race in the world with temperatures reaching near 130 degrees
and upwards of 150 degrees and more at road level. Make sure to check back
soon!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Trails,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-84970748597362871902013-07-17T12:45:00.000-07:002013-07-20T12:07:06.562-07:00My Bear Story<div class="MsoNormal">
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</xml><![endif]-->This article has nothing to do with running, but as I said in the preface to my blog I will occasionally write about gold prospecting so here is one of my prospecting stories.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Early one fall, about 12 years ago, I decide to do a little
gold prospecting. I drove out the 15fwy, north to Hwy 138 and headed east toward Silverwood Lake. I turned off at Little Horse Thief Canyon to the north
of the highway. The road was fairly rough and driving it was a slow task. About
10 minutes later I got to the claim and started scouting it out.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had been here a few times before so I had a place in
mind up one of the side tributaries of the small creek. I took off on foot walking
up the creek bed looking for just the right spot. I soon spotted a place where
the bench material was clearly sitting on top of a layer of caliche. And I
knew, from pervious experience, that the best gold would be lying right on top
of the caliche because it acts as false bedrock. The gold in this area is
pretty fine although a few nuggets have been found, most of them have been
pretty small. There is however, quite a bit of fine gold, and I was looking
forward to seeing that color in the bottom of my pan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I decided to walk back to the truck from the bank above the
creek bed, just to get a little different view of the surrounding area. As I
walked along I saw some fresh berries on some bushes and could tell that
someone or something had already picked or eaten most of them. A little farther
down I saw bear scat and could tell that he or she had enjoyed quite a meal
from the berry bush. Not only that but the scat was fairly fresh, probably not
more than two hours old.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got back to the truck and made several trips back and
forth carrying my equipment and buckets. I had six 5gallon buckets that I
wanted to fill with screened material, and later run it through my small Gold
Buddy at home in my spare time. There was no water in the creek at all and I did
not have a dry washer or I would have used that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had gotten a late start and knew I only had about 2 hours
to work before dusk. I was working with my back to the creek and my face to the
bank. I had worked a fairly large opening into the bank and had quite a bit of
material to screen through into buckets. Since the gold was really fine I was
using a screen of ¼ inch. I wore gloves with rubber coating on the palms and
fingers so as not to scrape up my hands too much. I was working mostly on my hands and knees as worked the material out from the bank.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The time passed quickly and I noticed that it was starting
to get dark. I needed to start carrying things back to my truck before it
turned to dark to see my way. I began to hurry a little more as I was not quite
done. All of a sudden I felt a hot breath on the back of my neck and knew that
some kind of animal was behind me. I could not see what it was without backing
my body out of the small cave I had dug into the bank. I reached for my 38 Smith & Wesson
revolver from my holster, holding my breath, my heart pounding I
slowly removed it. My mind flashed back to having seen the bear scat earlier
and I was really thinking that it could be a bear. The hair was standing up on
the back of my head as I slowly turned to see a dog wagging his tail and
licking my face knocking off my hat in the process. Where he had come from and
how he found me I will never know for sure, but I was extremely relieved to know that it
was a dog and not a bear. He did have tags and I figured he must have just
wandered of from someone else hiking in the area. Then I remembered having seen
a building that could have been a living quarters about a mile farther down the
road once before. I then figured he must have come from there and did not try
and take him back with me as he looked well fed and cared for.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had just enough time to get everything in my truck and
leave before it turned really dark, then I heard a voice calling, “Rusty,
Rusty” which must have been the dogs name as he took off running in the
direction of the voice. I got everything into my truck just before dark and
then headed back home with a great story to tell.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Latter that weekend I ran my material and did find some
pretty good gold. It was nothing to get excited about but still worth it just
to see that yellow gold in bottom of my pan.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-12210504007492748242013-07-13T10:06:00.001-07:002013-07-15T11:07:10.958-07:002006 The Lost Year<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->I have been a runner since July of 1999, when I started
training for my first marathon. I started running from being a virtual couch
potato. In March of 2000 I ran my first marathon and even though I swore, after
crossing the finish line, that I would never run another marathon, I changed my
mind and have never looked back. Even though I say I never looked back I did
basically have a lost year where I only ran very sporadically and fell back
into weight gain and not exorcising much at all. In fact I was clinically
depressed. That year was 2006 and lasted into the early spring of 2007. According to my log book I only ran 101 miles in 2006 including the races I ran, and only 41 miles in the first 4 months of 2007, half of those in the month of April. A normal year would be between 1200 and 1600 miles for me.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though I call it a lost year, I had made a few
desperate attempts at coming back but it never lasted more than a few days or weeks at
a time. I had signed up for an adventure race in Colorado called the Imogene
pass run and a good friend had signed up for it with me. Even though I was
totally out of shape I followed through and left for Ouray, Colorado to run the
Imogene Pass Run from the town of Ouray at 7880’ up over a 13,121’ peak and
back down to the town of Telluride at 8880’. As it turned out a big snowstorm
had come in two nights before the race and it was impossible for the race crew
to even get their support crew to the top of the mountain and the course was
altered to a 14-mile race never getting above 10,600’ in elevation. Although it
was a big disappointment to everyone it was probably a good thing for me. I
made it through the 14 miles but had to walk a lot more than most and finished
back toward the last. <i>Subsequently I did run this race again in 2008 and was
able to complete the true course this time. See</i>: <a href="http://runnersmania.blogspot.com/2013/05/imogene-pass-run-2008-race-report.html" target="_blank">Imogene Pass Run RaceReport.</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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A month later in early October, despite hardly running at
all, I ran a marathon. I finished but it was my slowest marathon ever in
6:00:02. That was marathon #15. I had decided to run it even though I was not
trained, because I had already paid for it and was trying desperately to get
myself motivated again. It was a beautiful fall trail marathon in northern California
called Bizz Johnson, with a net elevation loss of around 1800 feet. It was a
kind of humiliation to me in some respects and yet it was an accomplishment to
finish such a long distance without having really trained for it. I didn’t
really run again until April of 2007 I had gone 16 months of hardly running at
all and the last 6 months without running at all.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During this whole time I kept up with my running friends,
going to breakfast on Sunday mornings to talk and see how they were all doing.
They all continued to give me encouragement and did not judge me for not
running with them. Through this whole time I knew that deep down inside I
wanted to run again but somehow the depression just weighted me down. I took
comfort in being around my friends even though I could not bring myself to run.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During this time I finally started taking medication, which
I guess, eventually helped but I still wish I had not taken it as I feel that
it also took something from me emotionally. While I have gotten most of my
emotions back I still feel that something was taken from me. However, I did get
better and eventually started running again. I have had a few ups and downs but
for the most part have continued to run since starting up again in April of
2007.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I write this in the hopes that I might encourage someone
else who has fallen into depression. I encourage them to keep their
relationships with their running friends and to seek professional help. Don’t
give up on your dreams and goals. There is always hope no matter how bleak life
may appear.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since coming back I have finished another 7 marathons. I
truly enjoy running again. I am rehabbing an injury right now and have another
two weeks to go until I can try and resume running. It has been hard these last
6 weeks to not run at all. I am really looking forward to being able to run
again and train for my next marathon. Hopefully that will be the Tucson
marathon in December.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-4681397721701317652013-07-09T16:06:00.000-07:002013-07-09T16:06:32.138-07:0013 Benefits of Running<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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Running has many health benefits. But, just what are these benefits and what do they mean for your health and well being? I have listed 13 ways that running can benefit you. There are probably many more but these are some of the primary benefits to running.</div>
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<br /></div>
<b>Weight Control:</b><br />
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It doesn’t take a genius to know that running burns a lot of
calories. The reason for this is that it involves almost all the muscles in the
body especially the largest muscles, those in the legs. Because of this, there
is almost no other exorcise that will burn more calories faster than running.
This can obviously help in controlling ones weight. This is true unless one
subscribes to the notion, “I run to eat!” This phrase can be a double hazard
for runners as it can sabotage the weight loss or control that would normally
occur from running. The other problem is, eating the wrong foods such as those
high in fat and or sugar can still cause cardio vascular disease, even in
runners, if it is over done!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Prevents Muscle and Bone Loss:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running can build more muscle mass in your legs. Proper nutrition with the correct balance of protein and carbohydrate is essential or the reverse can occur.<b> </b>Studies show that running helps build stronger bones
especially in the mid and lower body. It can actually help reverse osteoporosis along with a proper diet. This is especially helpful to those
over the age of 50, as that is when a greater number of people start losing
bone mass from inactivity.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cardiovascular Health and Blood Pressure:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running can dramatically improve Cardiovascular Health!
Running helps to control cholesterol, reduces blood pressure and increases vascularity. These things will help keep your heart healthy dramatically
decreasing your chances of a heart attack. It also increases corpuscles,
thereby improving circulation throughout the body and the extremities. This in
turn can make your skin tone look healthier and more vibrant.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>General Health:</b></div>
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Running improves general overall health. Keeping the body
moving improves join health and balance, as well as helping to maintain a
healthy weight. In general running helps improve the immune system although extremely long distance running can bring down the immune system for a short period of time. </div>
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<br /></div>
<b>Improved Sense of Well Being:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
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Running has been show to improve how one feels about themselves.
It instills a sense of accomplishment and confidence.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Relieves Stress:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running is a great stress reliever. Studies show that
runners report that they have much less stress than those who do not run. It is
a great time to work things out that are bothering you. Running with others can
help relieve stress by venting and exorcising at the same time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Relieves Depression</b>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running may be just as effective—and in some instances
better—than SSRI drugs in treating depression. These antidepressant meds keep
neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepineprhine in the synapses longer,
improving both mood and outlook. However, aerobic exercise does the same thing.
Studies show, patients who were successfully treated with SSRIs relapsed sooner
than those who stayed physically active. Other studies using placebo suggest
that running was just as effective if not better than SSRIs in decreasing depression. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/articel/pii/S0006899310007493">Science
Direct</a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Runner’s High:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The famed "runner’s high" often associated with the release of
endorphins, has sometimes been dismissed as myth. However, recent research has
shown that it is indeed a fact. One generally has to run more than 30 minutes
for the true effect to occur but there is more than compelling evidence to
support the “Runner’s High.” <a href="http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/qt/Runners-High.htm">About.com
Sports Medicine</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<b>Improved Coordination and Balance:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 405.0pt;">
Running improves overall
coordination and balance. Have you ever noticed older runners and how they move
easier and younger than their age counterparts who are not runners? Running
oils up all the joints in the body, keeping them more pliable and strong.
Because of this it enhances all aspects of your life and your health. You can
do things others your age are unable to do without hurting themselves because
your body is able to cope with the stress placed on it!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Versatility:</b></div>
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Running helps with so many other facets of your life. It
doesn’t cost a lot of money and you can do it virtually anywhere. You can go on
an impromptu hike and not kill yourself. You will have no problem navigating
stairs. Playing almost any sport will be easier. It can help you be a better
dancer, have more endurance for a round of golf. It makes you capable of doing
a lot more things in life that you probably would never do because you would
think it would make you too sore or you would feel dead after doing it. You
might find you are less tired after a shopping spree to the mall.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Improves Ones Mood:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Runner’s High we mentioned above actually continues past
the run. The neurochemicals released while running have a long-term affect on
your mood level even after your run. This is probably one of the reasons
runners have such a hard time dealing with not being able to run after
sustaining an injury or when something else comes up that keeps them from their
normal run. My wife and kids will sometimes say to me, when I get a little
cranky, “Have you run yet today?”</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Fountain of Youth:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Running has so many great affects on the body that it is
often referred to as the fountain of youth! Although running may or may not
extend your life, certainly your quality of life will be much healthier into
old age than those who do not. It keeps both the body and mind in a healthier,
more vibrant state. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Improved Brain Health</b>:</div>
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A 2011 study reported in the <em>Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences</em> (PNAS), indicates older adults who exercised regularly
increased the volume of their hippocampus—the area of the brain responsible for
learning and memory—by two percent, compared to inactive peers. That may not
sound like a lot until you realize that this part of the brain isn't known for
increasing at any point in adulthood. It is much more likely to decrease.
What's more, running appears to "preserve" many brain cells that
would otherwise die. University of Illinois researchers exposed mice to three
types of brain stimulators, savory foods, new toys and exercise wheels. The
wheel was the only one that increased cognitive function.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is by no means an exhaustive list on the benefits of
running but I hope it has enlightened you and that you share it with your
friends and loved ones. We need to spread the gospel of running and help others
improve their health and enjoyment of life.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-5822455364499245432013-07-07T13:21:00.000-07:002013-07-07T13:21:07.824-07:00Running Dreams!<div class="MsoNormal">
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</xml><![endif]--> Do you ever dream about running? Not just daydreaming but
literally dreaming about running in your sleep. I have done this many times but
it seems most prevalent just before a race event. As many of you know I am five
weeks along in rehabbing my ribs from a fall and three weeks in on rehabbing my
heel from chronic pain that I have run with for over 2 years now. We had a
group outing yesterday that I had helped organize. It was hard, knowing I could
not join in on the trail run, but I went along with the group and waited for
them to return, then joined them for the BBQ afterward. The night before this
event I had a dream about running. Many of my dreams do not always make total
sense or flow in an organized manner and so it was with this dream.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was apparently in the middle a 100-mile race. I have never
even done a 50k ultra before but I have wanted to try an ultra race for
sometime now. Part of the reason I have not actually trained for one is my
chronic pain problem. Anyway back to the dream.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dream started with me running through a mountainous area
and I was ascending up a rather steep slope. I started running the slope but
found myself going anaerobic and had to slow to a fast walk. Then two other
runners passed me and I wondered to myself if they were going anaerobic also or
if they really had that much in reserve before they had hit the hill. I decided
to let them go, as I knew if I tried to keep up I would just be killing my
chances for a successful finish.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I crested the hill I could see they had gained about a
quarter mile on me and I just let myself loose on the downhill. My goal on the
downhill was to not fall and to just keep it under control without having to
break my natural stride. Soon I realized that I was gaining on the two guys who
had passed me on the uphill and I worried that I might be running too fast. A
quick assessment of my breathing told me that I was doing just fine and so I
kept my pace. Now I had to fight the urge to push it even harder to make sure
that I would catch up and maybe even be able to pass them. Suddenly I saw the
front runner fall, the runner directly behind him tried to jump over the
stumbling runner in front but could not quite avoid clipping him and tumbling
to the ground himself. I was now right upon them as they both got up to assess
their state and hopefully continue. I asked if they were OK as I passed by and
they both assured me they were.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took a quick glance behind me as I came to another ascent.
I could no longer see the other two runners. Suddenly my dream shifted away
from the race and back to what I think was a half marathon, training race. I
found myself close to the finish of the race with an age-group competitor just
ahead of me I decided to try and pick of the pace and catch him. As he turned a
corner in front of me I saw him glance back at me and pick up his pace, as he
knew I had gained on him. We then turned another corner and had about 200 yards
to go to the finish line with me just 20 feet behind him. I started to give
another kick and found myself neck and neck with him just 20 feet from the
finish line where I somehow tripped over my own feet and took a really hard
fall to the pavement dashing my hopes of beating him and hurting myself in the
process.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Suddenly I was back in the 100-mile race and feeling really
tired at about mile 70. I just did not want to continue and I knew that there
was an aid station less than two miles ahead. I told myself to just walk to the
aid station and then I could withdraw from the race. As I walked I began to
feel a little better and by the time I got to the aid station I got some food
and liquid refreshment and just sat in a chair for about five minutes. After
resting five minutes I felt an overwhelming urge to want to go to sleep but
somehow I got back up out of the comfortable chair and started moving again.
Slowly at first and then back into a jog and finally into actual 10 minute per
mile run pace. I did not know where the energy came from but I was thrilled
that I felt revived again. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I found myself passing a few other runners that looked as if
they were going through the same thing I had just gone through during the last
half hour only they had 10 more miles to the next aid station. I wondered if
they would be able to make it and tried to offer words of encouragement.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of a sudden my dream changed again, with me in the
middle of a swim in an ironman competition where I got kicked in the face
causing me to accidentally swallow water during a breath and start choking.
This in turn caused me great panic, as I knew I was out in the middle of an
expanse of water with no way to touch the bottom and compose myself. Suddenly I
found myself sinking under the water trying to hold my breath but actually
breathing in water. Then the dream changed again with me back in the 100-mile
race.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I was near the finish line and people were beginning to
line the course and yell out words of encouragement. I was so tired, but now I
could actually see the finish line and was sure I would be able to cross the line
and finish. My legs were quite wobbly but I still managed a slight jog but
definitely not a run. Suddenly I was awakened by the alarm clock. “No,” I said
to myself, “I want to finish the race.” I so badly wanted to go back to sleep
and finish my dream and the race but new I would over sleep.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything in the dream was as real as if I had been in an
actual race and the disappointment of not finishing was just as strong as if I
had been in an actual race. How nice it would be to enter that dream again and
be able to finish the race.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How about you? Do you ever dream about running? Let me know
about it by sharing in the comments section or if you follow my posts on
Facebook comment there!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Trails,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-45726766814705331952013-07-04T10:20:00.002-07:002013-07-04T10:23:25.673-07:00Struggling With Downtime<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
It has been five weeks since I last ran and I am
struggling to keep a positive mental attitude! In the meantime I have been
doing a lot of writing, but not so much about running because writing about
running kind of depresses me at the moment. The hardest part is, that now my ribs are
healed enough to run, but I chose to try and fix my chronic left heel pain so I have been in a walking boot for 3 weeks, which I am also supposed to wear
even when I sleep. This boot keeps my heel immobile. The only time I am
supposed to have it off is for showering, physical therapy exorcises, and
swimming. If you have been following my blogs at all you know I am a terrible
swimmer. I have 3 more weeks of the boot and physical therapy. So far I have
really not noticed any difference in my heel and am not optimistic that what I
am going through will actually help, which makes matters even worse.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If my heel were feeling even a little better than is does,
from not running for even three days, then I would have some optimism but it
does not. I am determined to follow through with the therapy and the boot
regimen in the slight hope that it will actually help. But, the longer I go
without seeing results the harder it is and the more I long to run even if I
continue to have the heel pain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am close to a large group of runners and hear from many
them every day on facebook. I also meet with some of them almost every Sunday
morning at Panera Bread after their run. I love to hear about how their runs
went and what races they are preparing for, but I miss not being able to share how mine went. Still, just being close
to them and hearing their enthusiasm about running keeps me going mentally. I
draw a sense of belonging and camaraderie from just being around them and being
able to feel their sense of accomplishment and enjoyment of what they have just
experienced. For some this might be depressing but for me I draw strength and
connectedness from mingling with the group even though I cannot run with them
right now. This whole thing would be so much harder without being able to talk
and commiserate with my fellow runners.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what are my plans if the therapy does not work? The
answer to that depends on what my doctor says, but most likely surgery would be
in the works. That would mean being away from running for 3-6 months. If that
is the decision then I will put off the surgery until I complete another
marathon and hopefully have the surgery scheduled for the week after the
marathon. That way I will be near top shape and not lose as much fitness. It
would be awful to go strait from 8 weeks of not running to an additional 3-6
months of not running and be out a total of 8-10 months. I cringe even thinking
about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is one other possibility and that is that all of this
is actually being caused by a nerve problem originating in my hip and traveling
down my whole leg to the heel and foot. I will be having an epidural on Monday,
July 15<sup>th</sup>. If that gives relief to the nerve problem and allows the
muscles to relax more, then that may solve the other problem also.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still holding on to the hope that I will not need surgery.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy Trails,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Russ Barber</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-88587649220886799852013-06-29T07:00:00.000-07:002013-07-01T08:32:29.453-07:00Speed and Body Weight<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I have been asked the question; “How does body weight affect
speed?” several times lately. Most of us know that a few extra pounds will
affect our running performance, but just how much and in what way?
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Extra body weight affects our running performance in several
ways. Depending on how much extra weight one has it can affect “running
efficiency” by causing one to shorten their stride or alter their upper body’s
normal position over the legs in order to handle the weight. Endurance is affected
because the muscles tire more quickly the more weight they have to handle.
VO2max, sometimes referred to as aerobic capacity, or the measure of the body’s
ability to consume oxygen and supply it to the muscles for fuel is affected.
While most of us cannot afford to have our VO2max tested, it can be
approximated using Dr. Jack Daniel’s VDOT chart. This chart combines running
efficiency with VO2max to give an approximation value based on ones time for a
given distance. It is not quite the same as VO2max but it can be used as a
close approximation. The reason that it differs is that while two people of
identical size, sex and weight may have an identical VO2max they may differ as
much as 15 minutes in a 10K race because one has a much better running efficiency
than the other one.</div>
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Below is a part of Dr. Jack Daniel’s VDOT Chart.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YeQQL0xB1_k4dqgrJlN65xf_Q2VTA9vs7Tiy2y8q637URyFec7QvtQlBwxGVKI1TgoktO9ONItelpNLHhjQyLLPpzPUbkcc3ZkYCMK4WkUwQL9i9V4WS37mazaTCQAPkNyXYy58vZ3o/s520/VDOT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YeQQL0xB1_k4dqgrJlN65xf_Q2VTA9vs7Tiy2y8q637URyFec7QvtQlBwxGVKI1TgoktO9ONItelpNLHhjQyLLPpzPUbkcc3ZkYCMK4WkUwQL9i9V4WS37mazaTCQAPkNyXYy58vZ3o/s320/VDOT2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let’s say that an individual is at 185 pounds and a body fat
percentage of 23%. This would put him at the outside edge of healthful but by
most people’s standard somewhat overweight. An elite male runner would have a
body fat percentage of about 4-6% and an elite female runner about 6-10%. Now
let’s say that since our 185 pound male is not going to be an elite runner he
only wants to get down to 12% body fat. Assuming that his muscle and bone
structure remain the same this would take him down to about 162 pounds. Now
let’s say that he recently ran his best 10K race, on a flat course, in a time
of 1:03:46 putting him at a VDOT of 30. Six months later he is a lean, but not
extremely low, weight of 162 pounds. We can predict his new 10K time by using
the formula for VO2max of ml/kg/mn i.e. milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of
body weight per minute. Using VDOT as VO2max or milliliters of oxygen we multiply
30 by 84.1 (body weight in kg’s) and get a product of 2522.73. If we now divide
our answer of 2522.73 by our new body weight in kg’s of 73.63 we find a new
VDOT value of 34.26. According to our</div>
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chart he should now be able to run a 10K in an approximate time
of 57:26 or 6 minutes and 20 seconds faster than his previous time. He lowered
his race time by approximately one minute per mile by loosing 23 pounds. In his
case, that works out to about 2.66 seconds per mile, per pound of body weight.
Of course this is not really that linear but only an average.</div>
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The example above only put VO2max into the equation if he
also improved his running efficiency and gained more endurance because his
muscles didn’t have to work as hard for the same distance his time would probably
be reduced at least another half second per mile or more per pound of body weight, and all this without
doing speed work. Now add speed work to the equation and the sky is the limit!
Well almost!</div>
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There are other factors that go into this i.e. if you could
loose 23 pounds immediately you could not expect to get all of this result
right away as you would still have to get your legs and your nervous system
used to going this pace. However, you would reap about 80% of this benefit
almost immediately and the rest would come in as little as 4 weeks. I hope this
has inspired some of you to loose a little of that extra weight that you really
don’t need. By the way when you are loosing weight quickly, and running at the same
time, you can expect to feel a little sluggish at times, as it is hard to keep
the glycogen in your muscles and loose weight fast. If all you are loosing
is a half-pound to a pound a week you should be fine. Any more than that and
you will probably find that you are feeling tired a lot of the time and your
legs feel like they have lead weights attached to them. Either way it is well
worth the sacrifice in the long run to get rid of any excess weight.</div>
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Other benefits of loosing those extra pounds:</div>
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1. You should be able to increase your weekly mileage with
less risk of injury.</div>
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2. You will have more energy for other activities.</div>
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3. You will look and feel great!</div>
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4. You may sweat less.<br />
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Happy Trails,<br />
<br />
Russ </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-49502912961525063462013-06-22T08:34:00.000-07:002013-06-25T21:45:03.052-07:00Don't take Life for Granted<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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At the age of 62 my father was still playing slow pitch
softball. That same year he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I loved
that my dad was still active at the age of 62. Over the next 14 years the
disease gradually took its toll on my dad’s body. He slowly went from being
active and mobile to having to have help dressing and walking. The muscle
rigidity made his Trapezius muscles in his neck feel almost like iron. He had a
hard time sleeping for very long at a time. The disease finally took his life
through pneumonia at the age of 76.</div>
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In watching my father fight this disease, as gracefully as
anyone can, I remember thinking how hard it must have been for him to hang on.
He would try so hard to be able to just walk on his own. Seeing this made me
resolve to try and never take my health for granted and yet I did just that. I
let myself go over a period of four years, three of those years being the last
three of my father’s life, going from 176 pounds to 212 pounds. I did not have
the energy to walk even a mile with my wife. I did not feel like playing ball
with my son or even playing golf riding in a cart. I had gone back to school
and two years after starting school my father died. I finished school with my
BS degree in Electronics Engineering. That is when I knew I had to make a big
change so I decided to train for a marathon.</div>
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I ran my first marathon in March of 2000. When I crossed the
finish line I could not imagine running another one, but a few days later I
decided that I could do better and why let all this training go to waste on
just one marathon. I ran that first marathon at a pace of 12:12 per mile for a
time of 5:19:49. Just two and half years later in October of 2002 I qualified
for Boston with a time of 3:33:40 at an 8:09 pace. I ran Boston the following
April. I was hooked on running. I knew that I needed running to keep me healthy
and sane! Even if I came down with some debilitating disease like my father I
would at least go down fighting and take every advantage of my health as long
as I possibly could.</div>
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Now I am 60 years old, just two years younger than my dad
was when he was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Other than a few aches and
pains that tend to slow me down a bit, I seem to be in perfect health. At the
present time I am recovering from three broken ribs sustained on a trail run
three weeks ago. I am also rehabbing a chronically sore left heel and have five
more weeks of physical therapy to go through. Hopefully this will work so that
I won’t have to have surgery. Either way I will do my best to stay as active as
I possibly can. As long as I am able I will continue to run and if I can’t run
then I will cycle or swim.</div>
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My mother was taken from me about a year after my father
passed. She died at the young age of 64 from a stroke, heart attack
combination. She was obese and had diabetes, which tends to run in her side of
the family. I remember being upset when she died because she did not take care
of herself. I had been running for about four months when she passed. I was
hoping that she would be able to hear about me finishing my marathon. Hoping
that it would spur her on to try and work on getting healthy again.</div>
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I have a brother who has been diagnosed with Idiopathic
Pulmonary Fibrosis. He has, for the most part, taken his health pretty serious.
It is possible that his occupation as a stone mason had something to do with
developing his disease but it could also have to do with living about four
miles from one of our nations worst nuclear disasters, when he was a young
teen, at Rocky Flats Plant on Mother’s Day 1969. I happened to be away at boarding
school 30 miles to the north of where we lived in Golden, CO at the time. My
sister also suffers from respiratory problems and another brother had asthma when he was young.</div>
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The point of all of this is, that because of my family's
health problems I am very conscious of how precious my life and health are. I
don’t want to take anything for granted. Anytime something could happen to take
that away from me, but as long as I can do something about it like run, cycle,
hike and swim I will continue to be as active as I possibly can. Running is my
first love, but I enjoy being active in any way I can.</div>
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One of the best things we can do for our health is to do 40
minutes or more of some aerobic activity at least 3 times as week. This will
help keep our hearts, minds and bodies as healthy as possible. I love to go
beyond that for my own enjoyment, but for health reasons all that is necessary
is the small amount mentioned above. </div>
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Don’t take your life for granted. My brother and sister
would love to be able to run or cycle if they could. I run for them and for
myself because I can.</div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
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Russ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-35956848517489560392013-06-03T11:21:00.000-07:002013-06-22T07:30:46.154-07:00Trail run, fall, Broken Ribs, Oh My!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Sooner or later, if you do enough trail runs, you are going
to fall. It is just a matter of when, where and how badly, but you will fall.
To be perfectly fair most falls really aren’t that bad. I mean, at most you
usually walk or run away with a few scratches or bruises, but are still able to
carry on and finish the run without much fanfare. So if you know that you are
going to fall sometime why on earth would you want to do trail running?
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As I said earlier most falls have minimal impact as far as
injury goes. As athletes we seem to develop a natural way of protecting
ourselves when we fall. I have fallen on the road as well as the trail.
Admittedly I have not really fallen all that often when you consider how many
miles I have run in the last 14 years.</div>
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There is just something about being out in nature, running
the trails, keeping your mind occupied with reading the ground for each step
that gives you a feeling of freedom like no other. It is like you are one with
nature and you're home at last! A true sense of belonging with all of your senses
at a heightened level! It is the call of the wild! </div>
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Yesterday I did my second trail run of the year as my first
was on New Year’s Day. The run on New Years was mostly on dirt road, but the
unevenness makes me count it as trail and there was some small part of it that
was on single-track trail. It was not particularly challenging in that there
were really no rocks, tree roots and bushes to navigate.</div>
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Here I am five months later doing what would be called a
technical trail run. At least 75% of the trail was technical in nature, meaning
that one has to read the trail for foot placement, adjust balance regularly and
constantly be alert for tree roots, rocks and uneven ground. This is especially
important on the downhill sections as momentum has it’s own set of risks.</div>
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I had about a 40-minute late start from what I had planned,
because even though I had set my alarm for a 4:45am wake-up, I had forgotten to
arm it! I woke up at almost 5:30 on the nose and quickly went into action
getting ready. That was the time I had hoped to be at the ranger station to get
a same day wilderness permit. It seems that whenever I start a trip in a
hurried manner that somehow that carries over into the whole day. Note to self:
Slow down and relax. It isn’t worth the stress. Anyway I got to the trailhead
about 30 minutes later than I had planned, but had to drive and rush faster
then I had wanted to. </div>
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It was a good 10 degrees warmer than I was expecting when I
got to the trailhead at 6900’ elevation. Still plenty cool but it didn’t take
me long to break into a full sweat with the altitude and incline of the trail.
As usual the first 10 – 20 minutes of altitude running and or hiking brings a
bit of an uncomfortable feeling in the lungs. Even though my heart rate was not
all that high my lungs felt like I was running a 5k. I knew that my body would
soon acclimate and that this feeling would diminish in time. </div>
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I arrived at Horse meadows, about 1.1 miles into the trek
feeling ready for a very short break. I paused just long enough to get a fairly
long drink from my bottle and continued the upward journey. Soon I was into the
only open spot where there was no tree cover at all for the next half-mile or
so. This part of the trail was also pretty rocky and made it a little harder to
run so I just walked most of it at a fairly fast clip. After half a mile I
entered one of the more dense parts of the trail as far as plant life. Very
lush and green even in this very dry year. I stopped to take a photo or two.</div>
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Next stop was the scenic lookout of the backside of Mt San
Gorgonio, also called “Old Greybacks,” just past the summit of Poop-out Hill.
It really isn’t that tough of a hill as far as hiking goes, although I only ran
a small portion of it! Here I stopped to take another picture of “Old
Greybacks.” This was a little more than 2 miles into the trek.</div>
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Next came a very runnable mile section of trail as it is
mostly flat and or slightly downhill. I really enjoy this section of trail both
out and back. Soon I came to a steeper section that most runners will hike on
the way up and some will even have trouble navigating it while running
downhill. It is a very technically fun section to run down.</div>
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At about 3.6 miles I came to a split in the trail. Strait
ahead is the way to Dollar Lake and San Gorgonio summit. To the left is a break
spot called “South Fork Meadows” and here the trail continues up to Dry Lake
and SanG summit. There is a bit of a creek to ford at this point and a couple more
just beyond it. This year it was no trouble as we have had a very mild winter
and very low snowfall. From here it is another 2 miles to the far end of Dry
Lake, and overall a steeper climb with not as many runnable parts of the trail
on the ascent.</div>
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About 45 minutes later I reached my destination of Dry Lake
Campground (9100’) and here I took a picture of Dry Lake with SanG in the
background. Some years the lake still has water in it this time of the year and
other times it is just a mud hole or even dry like this year. I show a picture
of this year and another picture taken just one week earlier from another year
for contrast.</div>
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I had a bit of a chat with several campers that had just
broken camp and were making their way back down. Seems that almost everyone in
the mountains are in a good mood and very cheerful. I petted their dog that was
a very friendly Pit Bull mix and we all started back. I was soon out of sight
and hearing distance, as I did not have a 35-45 pound pack on my back.</div>
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10 minutes later I tripped but caught myself by running very
quickly to get back my balance. I thought to myself that I was doing pretty
good as most people would probably have fallen on that one. Then 5 minutes
later I was sprawled out on the trail trying to catch my breath and get my
composure as I was pretty shaken up. I had taken a very sudden fall at about a
9-minute per mile pace on an 8% grade section of trail. I remember thinking, as
I was going down, that I needed to try and avoid the rock in the middle of the
trail, but it all happened too fast and I landed on my right side on top of a
rock which was about the size of a big loaf of bread rising out of the ground
about 3-4 inches. It took me a good minute to get to my feet, and then I walked
about 10 feet to a big rock to sit down and gather myself. After about another
minute or two I decided to try and continue running. I knew I possibly had
broken ribs but they could also just be bruised. I ran another 1.5 miles back
to South Fork Meadows. I tried running down the steep section just past the
meadows but the pounding was just too much and I had to slow down and walk. I
did manage to run a little bit of this section and then some more relatively
flat but soon I just knew I had broken my ribs and decided I needed to walk the
rest of the way back to the car.</div>
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Even walking was tough, as every time I had to stabilize
myself from lateral movement it hurt. I made it back to the car then back down
the hill to the edge of Mentone and Redlands. I knew it was going to be a long wait
at urgent care, so I decided to get something to eat at Mc Donald’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not something I would normally do these
days! LOL.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After what seemed like an eternity I was x-rayed and then
saw the doctor who confirmed I had two broken ribs. She said that one was
completely fractured but only displaced a little and should heal well. The
other above it had a hairline fracture and would heal nicely. She also said I
needed to make sure that I took several deep breaths every hour, even though it
hurt, to make sure I did not get pneumonia as the shallow breathing would make
me more susceptible to that. Then she asked if I wanted her to clean up the
scratches that I had on both shins. I told her no, that the one on the left was
from the day before from a giant Frisbee and the other was from today but that
I would clean and dress it. She laughed and asked, “How old are you?” She then
looked at my chart again smiling as I said 60. She then shook her head and
muttered, “awesome!”<br />
<br />
A week later I saw my doctor who let me know that the radiologist reported that I actually had 3 broken ribs. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So what do I take away from this? Number one is that I will
certainly trail run again as soon as possible. Number two I should have toned
it down after the first stumble, especially since it was my first technical
trail run of the year. Live and learn!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
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Russ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-20609064404739715322013-05-23T11:24:00.000-07:002013-05-24T17:58:09.434-07:00Solo vs. Partner or Group Running<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<h1>
</h1>
<h1>
Solo vs. Partner or Group Running</h1>
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Runners are a varied and individual group as a whole. We all
have little individual quirks, likes and dislikes; even styles and
personalities, yet we are all tied together as a community because we enjoy and
even love running. Some run short distances, some long, some mostly trails and
some exclusively street, but we are all runners. Some like to mostly run alone,
while others like to run with a partner or a group. I want to look at the
contrasts between those who mostly like to run solo and those who mostly like
to run with a partner or a group.</div>
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I’m mostly a solo runner and yet I still enjoy running with
a partner or a group. I guess it may be I am not much of a talker in social
situations. I am probably a pretty boring running partner overall as I don’t
contribute a lot to conversation while running. In a way that is kind of funny
because when I run alone I kind of carry on a constant dialog with myself, not
out loud of course as I wouldn’t want to scare anyone. It is more of a running
thought process where I gather my thoughts about things going on in my life, my
dreams, aspirations and goals. I guess you could say that I entertain myself
with my own thoughts while I run. If it is not a hard run I try and enjoy the
surroundings and general atmosphere in the area I am running.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On the other hand I do have friends that really enjoy
running with a partner or a group and both of these have their own individual
dynamics. It is funny to me sometimes to run with a group and hear two maybe
three conversations going on at the same time. I find myself switching back and
forth trying to hear each conversation before I finally settle in on one
conversation. I do try and join in on the conversation from time to time but it
is often only after being asked a question.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the great things about running with a partner or
group is that it is much easier to get in that run where you just aren’t
feeling it or where you aren’t sure if you can go the distance you had planned,
but then the group sucks you in and encourages you, giving you the motivation
and strength to accomplish what you otherwise might not have on your own. Often
this is not even spoken it just happens by being part of the group. One draws
energy from the group as a whole. Also if someone is struggling a little bit
often someone else in the group will drop back to stay along side them giving
encouragement and making sure they don’t feel alone or left out! Group running
is a very dynamic way to make sure that you accomplish your set goals. It is
probably the best kind of running for new runners, as they are the ones who
need the group dynamic most.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I have one friend that pretty much won’t run unless he has
someone to run with. Living in an apartment he doesn’t have a dog to run with
so he always tries to arrange a run with a friend or group of friends. If I get
a call from him wanting to know if I can run with him I figure I must be his
last choice because I am not the worlds greatest conversationalist when I am
running. I usually try to oblige him, as I know he does not enjoy running
alone. He does call me to see if I want to run with him and a few others from
time to time also so I guess I’m not really a last resort!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Running partners may or may not be that close in their personal
lives. Often they simply share the pleasure of running with someone and both
run at or near the same pace. They may have met in a group or even at a race or
some other event where running came up in the conversation. They may find that
they have similar interests and live near each other with similar schedules so
it just works out. I have a running partner that I run with once a week because
I started a local fitness group for just six weeks and she showed up. She does
not have a running partner all the time and doesn’t feel safe running alone. So
I have been running with her on Wednesday mornings. Her sister has joined us a
few times also. We have no other connection outside of running other than we
attend the same Church, which the fitness group was started from.</div>
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By the way a running partner does not have to be a humanoid.
Dogs can make great running partners. I have several friends who run with their
dogs. Be aware that certain breeds are better than others especially for long
distance running or warmer weather. Generally dogs with shorter snouts do not
do as well at distance or warmth. Medium sized dogs tend to be the best. There
are some good articles online about running with canine friends and even how to
choose a dog for a running companion. See this article; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/fashion/21fitness.html?_r=0" target="_blank">“A Best Friend, Yes.Best Runner, Maybe Not!”</a> .</div>
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<br /></div>
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On the other hand as a mostly solo runner I often enjoy the
solitude. While it is not really recommended I especially enjoy this on trail
runs. There is something about the quietness of being away from the streets and
noises of the city and just hearing the sounds of nature. I love hearing what I
call natures concert! It is a combination of sounds from birds singing their
songs to even hearing the rustle of a snake sliding through the grass along side
the trail. When alone on a trail run I always see more wild animals than I do
when running with one or more other people. Sure it is fun to be able to share
the enjoyment of seeing that deer, raccoon or coyote with someone else, but it
is really nice to see more of them because they are not scared off by hearing
our conversation before we happen into their vicinity. I try not to do a lot
solo runs on trails where the there is a chance no one else will be coming
along, at least sometime that day, however I have done it and probably will do
it again. I always let someone know where I will be running and what time frame
to expect me to return. The same goes for solo hiking or backpacking. Always
let someone know the general details of where you are going and when you plan
to return.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So what seems to be the main personality difference between
those who enjoy solo running more and those who enjoy the camaraderie of the
partner or group? Generally I have observed that those who are more gregarious
in there normal everyday lives tend to be the same when it comes to running and
those who are not as gregarious seem to like running solo better. I say
generally because there are exceptions. I enjoy both but I do a lot more solo
than group or partner running. However, I do actually organize group outings
from time to time! Imagine that!</div>
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<br /></div>
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So what do you like better, Solo, partner or group? If you
have comments please leave them as I would like to hear from you! If you find
it difficult to leave a comment on the actual blog go to my Runner’s Mania
facebook fan page. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RunnersManiaFanPage?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/RunnersManiaFanPage?fref=ts</a>
.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
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Russ</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-75083392310031648832013-05-11T13:51:00.000-07:002013-05-11T13:51:10.840-07:00Running and Weight Control<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<h1>
Running and Weight Control</h1>
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A lot of people assume that if you are a runner you won’t
have any problems with weight control. This is a fallacy! If you had trouble
with weight control before running don’t assume that becoming a runner will
solve your weight problem. If you don’t change some things it could actually
make it worse. On the other hand, some lucky individuals have very high
metabolisms and don’t really have much of a weight problem. Often times these
individuals are young, and if they continue to eat the same way, will develop
weight problems as they get older. So what are some of the problems affecting runners and weight control?</div>
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<br /></div>
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For one thing, running can dramatically increase ones
appetite! And, it is really easy to think; “I ran so many miles, so now I can
reward myself with food.” This kind of thinking can be disastrous when it comes
to weight control. I don’t know how many times I have heard the phrase, “I run
to eat!” Often it is said in a jovial manner, but for many it is their mantra!
In addition to this problematic thinking there are other factors that can
affect weight.</div>
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<br /></div>
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While it is true that calories in vs. calories out or
calories expended is a key to weight control, there are other factors involved.
I have seen it myself; I count my calories in and count my calories expended,
with a significant deficit, only to discover that I didn’t lose any weight at
all or worse actually gained weight! What went wrong?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s address the problem of “running to eat” first.</div>
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It is very easy to not really be aware of how few calories
were actually depleted during a one-hour run. Most calorie calculators give you
the total calories burned during the hour but do not give you the factor of how
many calories you burned above your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR). Let’s say the
average person burns 100 calories per mile at a 10 minute per mile pace. That
equals 600 calories burned. But if their BMR is 1500 calories a day
(1500/24=62.5 cal per hour) they only burned 537.5 calories more than they
would normally have burned during that hour just sitting. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s use these 537 calories expended as our example and
let’s say that you run 5 hours a week. So 537x5=2685. That is a pretty
significant calorie deficit, right? I mean that is equivalent to roughly a
little more than 2/3 a pound of weight loss in a week. Sounds good, right?
However, we all know that we need to replace glycogen by eating carbohydrates
(carbs). Mentally and physically we feel a bit drained from our run and we then
eat a recovery meal. Unfortunately, we often miscalculate the amount of carbs
needed to replace that glycogen spent during exercise. Even though we expended
537 calories, roughly 60% of those calories were glycogen, which we replace
through carbs, and 40% were fat. If we make the mistake of thinking that we
need to replace all 537 calories as carbs we can quickly run into trouble if
our goal is weight loss. In other words 40% of those calories will be converted
to fat by the body instead of glycogen, so we don’t want to replace all 537
calories with carbs. We only want to replace 322 of those calories expended
with carbs. In actuality it is even more complicated than this if you are going
to count calories. I just used this example to illustrate how we can trick
ourselves into eating more than we really need. In fact many of us don’t do the
calculations at all; we simply guesstimate and we are usually way off the mark.</div>
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How about the person that really is meticulous about their
calorie counting and eats “healthy foods” only to discover they remain the same
weight, or worse, gain weight? What is going on with them? I have found myself
in this situation where I did lose weight but only to a certain point, then no
matter what I just couldn’t lose those last 10-15 pounds. Mind you, I was not
clinically overweight but definitely had extra weight I could lose in order to
be a better runner/athlete!</div>
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<br /></div>
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According to Lyn Genet Recitas, author of the book “The
Plan”, some of the foods that you are eating may be causing an inflammatory
response in your body that you are not aware of. This inflammatory response can
cause weight gain because it releases hormones like Cortisol into our blood
stream and causes our metabolism to slow down and burn less calories and
actually store more fat. Mrs. Recitas has been working with people and their
diets for many years and has recorded responses to foods. She has listed the
most reactive foods on her website ( http://lyngenet.com/ ) and in her book.
While you might be tempted to just use this list to stay away from those foods
that are the most reactive, you would really be depriving yourself of a lot of
foods that you may not be reactive to. Everyone is different so everyone needs
to follow the plan to find those foods that may be giving him or her trouble.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Plan starts with a 3-day cleanse type diet to get your
body out of its potential inflammatory state. While the food is a little bland
during the three days, it is not really that bad. I love my food and I had no
problem with it. At the end of day 3 she introduces meat back into the diet. If
you are vegan or vegetarian she also has a plan for you on her website but you
still need to read the book first to understand how the plan works and what is
going on.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My wife followed the 20-day plan regimen first and had
remarkable improvement with the inflammation she had been feeling in her legs
and knees. She found that she was reactive to Salmon, Oatmeal and some wheat
breads. She had to experiment after the initial 20 days and found that she was
not reactive to all wheat breads. Apparently those that use yeast are the most
reactive for her and also multi-grain breads. While not trying the diet to loose weight, she lost 9 pounds
during the initial 20 days and an additional 2 pounds after the 20 days with an
ending weight of 112 pounds.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The plan is not a diet in the sense of cutting calories to
lose weight. It is more about finding your reactive foods and eliminating them.
Don’t get scared about this as it will probably only be a few items. It’s not
that you can never have these foods again, you just have to know what your
reaction will be and that after a few days of eating your good foods again you
will be right back to normal.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After seeing my wife’s results I started following “The
Plan.” I did not find things that I was reactive to during the plan but then
again I did not eat many of the things that were normal to my diet during that
time. I lost 13 pounds and seemed to recover from my runs much faster,
especially my hard runs. I have yet to try Salmon, which my wife and I
previously had 2-3 times a week. The bread I have been eating is the same bread
my wife found she was not reactive to and I have not tried other breads other
than restaurants, which skews the results because of the high sodium content in
their meals. </div>
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During my 20 days on “The Plan” I exercised, but not as much
as usual. On day eight I did a 23-mile bike ride and totally ran out of energy
on the return trip. My best guess is that because I had dropped 8 pounds in the
previous 7 days that my body was trying to conserve. You see our bodies try to
maintain our weight if we have been at the same weight for some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that day I felt great! I did a 16 mile
run three days later without any problem at all. Remember that I was not
cutting calories; I was simply eating differently with a lot more fresh
vegetables, spices, and good fats than usual. This required more planning both
in buying foods and preparing foods. We have generally, as a society, gotten
way too dependent on prepackaged and prepared foods. This is another thing that
is making us fat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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By the way, I now eat almost twice as much fat in my diet
than before and I still lost and maintained my new weight. The difference is
they are healthy fats from avocado, nuts, goat cheese and olive oil. Fats are
essential for satiety in our diets. If we don’t get enough of the right kind of
fats we will never feel satisfied and will get hungry faster and more often.
Don’t be afraid of these good fats!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what is the bottom line? If you have been struggling with
losing those last 5-15 pounds I highly recommend “The Plan” by Lyn Genet
Recitas.” And by the way if you plan on buying the book through Amazon, please
click through one of the Amazon ads to the right of my articles. Once at the
site you can do a search for the book.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Thanks and Happy Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russ Barber</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-62491769107218019662013-05-08T14:42:00.000-07:002013-05-09T11:40:41.862-07:00Imogene Pass Run 2008 Race Report<!--[if !mso]>
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<h1>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Imogene Pass Run</span></h1>
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In early September of 2008, I ran what some might call an
adventure race in Colorado. The picture that you see at the top of my blog
page (also included in this post) is at the
summit of the race, altitude 13,114’!</div>
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The race starts at 7810’, in the old mining town of Ouray,
CO (pronounced YUR-RAY with the accent on the last syllable). It is run mostly
on what is an old dirt road that starts out well maintained but quickly becomes
much less maintained and passable only by 4-wheel drive. It is 10 miles from
the start to the summit. The finish is 7.1 miles from the summit at 8750’ in
the town of Telluride, CO. According to the website one should plan on making
the 17.1 mile run in approximately their marathon time as the altitude and
ascent make it very difficult to run very fast. The winners are usually in the
area of a 2:15:00 time. My time was 5:34:54. You can get information concerning entering the race at
this website: <a href="http://imogenerun.com/">http://imogenerun.com/</a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Course Profile:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-azNOAAHXhP4sYh3X6QbU5rxd2ZMXO7hhqavZvcSi-51KPNU5PajjY830yDakKbwrTm8cGlzoR1mxAEFkNF_vTH09NHG892JMPKVc4XmOcUIR5MIMzibJjxirPH8cafT8rcVJFaWuxyQ/s1600/Profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-azNOAAHXhP4sYh3X6QbU5rxd2ZMXO7hhqavZvcSi-51KPNU5PajjY830yDakKbwrTm8cGlzoR1mxAEFkNF_vTH09NHG892JMPKVc4XmOcUIR5MIMzibJjxirPH8cafT8rcVJFaWuxyQ/s640/Profile.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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The race gets its name from Imogene basin named by Andy
Richardson for his wife, Imogene. He is reportedly the first white man to ever
enter this basin. There is an
interesting book based on the diary of a housewife during this time and place
called, “Tomboy Bride” by Harriet Fish Backus, Pruett Publishing Co. Boulder,
Co. I found it to be a good read since I love reading about life during the
gold rush days, especially if it is set in the mountains of Colorado. You see I
was born in Denver and mostly grew up in Golden, CO. at the base of the
Rocky Mountains. I have very fond memories of my youthful days and the times
spent roaming those mountains near home. The San Juan mountain range in
southern Colorado is quite a bit different from the mountains near Golden and
Denver. While I love both, I think the San Juan rage is much prettier overall.</div>
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The race began at 7:30am and the weather was quite brisk.
You never know what kind of weather you are going to get in the Colorado
Mountains in September. I entered the race two years prior and it was the first
time they ever had to alter the course because a major snowstorm the day before made the pass
almost impassable. It was very disappointing for everyone. That is why I had to
do it again two years later even though I had just come off an injury and
depression and was not really in shape to give it my best effort!</div>
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We were mostly all dressed in layers, as we would be going
through several climate changes during the run. I unzipped my jacket about 3
miles into the run as I warmed up enough to be sweating pretty well. It was
still around 50 degrees at that time and the steady uphill effort was already
fairly intense. It was really great to smell the pine trees and hear the birds
singing as we ran along. The road began to get more faint and
at times looked more like a wide trail than a road.</div>
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As we began to climb out of the woods at about 10,600 feet
the views became even more spectacular with bright blue skies and a mixture of
cloud formations. The lighting was constantly changing giving each view several
different textures and hues. My lungs were now really beginning to feel the
thin air and it was getting much harder to actually run. Many of the hills were
now being walked briskly rather than actually running. Every time we would
get to a bit of more level ground I would sigh with relief but it was always
short lived.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivHtP18PF25I6CNwEDzIT_MU2fhvoDVUxWamDZ4XUmFKeq0BS6w6C94UgaEnNx6lRYJtE131vQ0av_KgvNTBNhyphenhyphengOtKKfN-lgPorA-ihyphenhyphenbOjT4HMl5ExuUKvKjg_WOB7SzWgb6y4EWSM/s1600/2006Imogene003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivHtP18PF25I6CNwEDzIT_MU2fhvoDVUxWamDZ4XUmFKeq0BS6w6C94UgaEnNx6lRYJtE131vQ0av_KgvNTBNhyphenhyphengOtKKfN-lgPorA-ihyphenhyphenbOjT4HMl5ExuUKvKjg_WOB7SzWgb6y4EWSM/s640/2006Imogene003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As we got up above 11,000 and 12,000 feet I actually had
trouble doing a brisk walk. And by the time I was within 600 feet of the summit
I even had to take breaks from walking. If you have never been at these
altitudes or tried moving with any speed at this height, it is really hard to describe
the feeling of weakness that comes over you. This is why some put this into the
“adventure race” category. Others just call it a difficult trail race!
</div>
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As I reached the summit I breathed a sigh of relief knowing
that there was very little uphill left on the other side. The warm chicken
broth tasted great and was very comforting to my stomach. Someone offered to take my picture and I offered
to take others pictures, as I was not in a real hurry to head back down the
other side. After taking about a 5-minute break at the top I started my decent.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtozS2q0jU5S6CPsWDE-rW00QVGO8NBZ7R1kWNNO46VlwUsGJdJyPWuEXQwyR7V-O72VqNFSz9n8WZQm1fHl_057u7lkYG9EZEpSb-mSjIe1EkT6J8nDNoU7P6kUftIYAzpBreDgslNk/s1600/P1010002b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtozS2q0jU5S6CPsWDE-rW00QVGO8NBZ7R1kWNNO46VlwUsGJdJyPWuEXQwyR7V-O72VqNFSz9n8WZQm1fHl_057u7lkYG9EZEpSb-mSjIe1EkT6J8nDNoU7P6kUftIYAzpBreDgslNk/s640/P1010002b.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The beginning of the decent was rather steep, which wasn’t
what really bothered me, rather it was the slick shale like footing that made
it hard to navigate without slipping and falling. The previous year one of my friends did the race and had a fall cutting her leg. She was able to
tie her jacket around the cut and make it back to the finish, but she ended up
having close to a dozen stitches. She was brave enough to come back and run the
race with me again this time as we had planned on running it together the
previous year but I was not able to make it.</div>
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It was hard for me to imagine that some of the front-runners were running between 6 and 7-minute miles down this side of the mountain. I was
a bit timid the first part of my decent, probably more so since hearing of my
friends fall the previous year. After about 2 miles the footing began to get
much more firm and I had no problems other than general race fatigue. Soon I
could look out over the valley floor and see parts of the town of Telluride in
front of me. I could also see the ski slopes on the mountain range on the other
side of town. Telluride is a very beautiful mountain resort community. Very
expensive to live there, but I can see why anyone who has the means would
absolutely love it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgSLKG8WR1bkaylGAwuWNg9GM08y5XHq5bsLQQb4hPQaXpllLn9AriFG-1lh3rwseGvq5VyP5J4gA03-Lo8Q5iUpE7UF3jp9dC216OTRw1kojapVTRcDyVm9qTYTbLABWZ9HqnBz-9lU/s1600/2006Imogene002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgSLKG8WR1bkaylGAwuWNg9GM08y5XHq5bsLQQb4hPQaXpllLn9AriFG-1lh3rwseGvq5VyP5J4gA03-Lo8Q5iUpE7UF3jp9dC216OTRw1kojapVTRcDyVm9qTYTbLABWZ9HqnBz-9lU/s640/2006Imogene002.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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As I crossed the finish line I felt the joy and relief of
finishing another great race. It was great to be greeted by my brother Pat and
several of my friends. Now it was time to celebrate with a good meal and take
in the sights and sounds of the town of Telluride.</div>
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There are many other places and sites to visit while staying in this area such as the Silverton Railroad, in the town of Silverton. Orvis Hot Springs near Ridgeway. Not to mention the towns of Ouray and Telluride. </div>
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My hope is to get another chance at running this race and I hope I will be in
much better shape. I am 30 pounds lighter now than I was at that time back in
2008. However, I am also 5 years older. This race is very popular and there is a limited number of entries so it sells out in a few hours, but they do have a bib exchange policy.
June 1rst is opening day for registration so if you are interested make sure
you have it marked on your calendar. </div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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Russ Barber </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-87783137446021648792013-05-04T10:44:00.001-07:002013-06-25T21:37:58.709-07:00Some Thoughts on Dealing with Injury and Alternate Training.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>Some Thoughts on Dealing with Injury and Alternate Training</b></div>
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So two weeks ago I had one of my best races in a long time
and came up limping 20 minutes after the race. I didn’t mention it in the last
article because I was hoping it would just go away and be nothing. I have
really been putting in some good concentrated efforts lately and peaked at the
right time but then disaster. Although it appears I might have a stress
fracture in the lower third of my left Tibia, it has not been confirmed. My
doctor said that he thought x-rays looked negative but they often do right
after this kind of injury. After speaking with the radiologist a week later he
says the radiologist thinks he sees a possible injury site, so now a bone scan
is next (Monday, May 13). Either way I am not supposed to run for 4-6 weeks at least. What do I
do?
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The first week I simply tried staying off of the leg as much
as possible. At this writing it has now been 14 days since the injury, and most
if not all of the pain is gone. I can walk without pain although I have yet to
try walking fast or far.</div>
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Tuesday I swam 500 yards in a local pool, which is a pretty
good workout for me since I am a terrible swimmer. Wednesday I cycled for 30
miles and about 2hours time at a relatively easy pace and Friday I cycled for
40 miles. Both were OK’d by my doctor once the pain was gone. So far no pain
from either of the bike rides.</div>
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I guess you could say that I am lucky because my injury
still lets me stay somewhat active and I can do sports that would normally be
called cross training. I do feel lucky in that regard but I also feel a little
bit cheated because I had big plans. I had a marathon planned 6 weeks after the
half marathon and everything was pointing to a pretty easy Boston qualifying
time. I was not even thinking about the possibility of just squeaking in under
the time, I was thinking about pretty much being 10 to 15 minutes under that
time for sure.</div>
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So yeah, I am a bit depressed and frustrated right now. I
know it will pass but I need to vent a little. So you get to be the recipients
of my venting. I don’t know if this will help me deal with the time off from
running but right now I feel a little bit better just writing this down.
@&%$ %^*&!$!, OK I said it, you can put in your own words. But now that
I’ve let out my frustrations a little, what caused me to get injured in the
first place?</div>
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Part of me wants to just think that it is a fluke but
another part of me says that is a cop out! You see I did have a warning sign
that something could be wrong after my long run the week before, and should
probably have taken the whole week off. I came up a little sore in the same
general area the evening of that last long run. I had run a little harder on
the downhill than I normally would have on any other long run. I had also been
doing a lot of extra hill running the previous 6 weeks preparing for this race.
In hindsight I should have probably given myself at least every other week off
from hills, especially as I was also doing two tempo runs a week. Bottom line
is I probably crossed that fine line between simply peaking and actually
overtraining. </div>
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So here I am whining about being injured and it is probably
my own fault. Perhaps if I had just taken the whole week off I would not have
had the injury. But, there is always the possibility that I was already injured
and still would have injured myself more even with the rest. I guess we will
never know for sure. Either way, here I am injured and, now I have to deal with
it!</div>
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So yes I am lucky that I can cycle and swim and even perhaps
do some “Pool Running.” I do enjoy cycling although not quite as much as
running. Swimming not so much and there is nothing more boring than Pool
Running. However, I know that these things will keep me in pretty good shape
and getting back to where I was will not be all that difficult because of it.</div>
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I am trying to be good and not injure myself more by running
before I am fully healed and then I will have to curb my enthusiasm as I start
running again and not try and pick up where I left off. From another stand
point it is an opportunity to work on my swimming that I have been putting off
for a long time simply because I am terrible at it! </div>
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So here’s to alternate training and getting healthy again! </div>
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Cheers and Happy Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
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Russ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-491067266265397332013-04-27T00:00:00.001-07:002013-04-27T00:50:56.301-07:00Heart Rate Training and Racing<!--[if !mso]>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 18.0pt;">Heart Rate
Training</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">In order for one to get the
most out of Heart Rate Training (HRT) one must first find their true Maximum
Heart Rate (MHR). I do not recommend using formulas to estimate your MHR
because they can be off by as much as 20 beats per minute or more and this
could cause one to be over training or under training depending on what the
case may be.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">Finding Your Maximum
Heart Rate</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">The safest and best way to
find your MHR is to have a stress test done by a health professional or a
Sports Testing Center. This can be expensive and prohibitive for many. If you
have had heart problems in the past you should have your doctors ok before
trying to find your MRH. Assuming that you have been running for about 3 months
or more with no heart related problems or history, your MHR can be reasonably
determined by using a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) and a stressful run. Start by
warming up for 15-20 minutes at an easy run pace. After warming up completely,
run at your 5K race pace (Usually about 1.5 – 2 minutes faster than your easy
run pace) for about ¾ of a mile then run the last ¼ mile as fast as you can
while watching your HRM occasionally. The highest reading you can achieve in
this manner will be very close to your MHR. </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">Note: “</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">5K race pace” is the pace that you can maximally
sustain for a distance of 3.1 miles without slowing down from leg fatigue.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">Using Your MHR to
Determine Your Training Heat Rate</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Training Heart Rate (THR) is
the Heart Rate (HR) that you will use for different types of training. Old
school THR used a percentage of MHR but I believe that the better way is to use
a percentage of VO2max as estimated by HR. The best method for calculating this
is the Karvonen Method and you can find a calculator for this at this web site:
</span><span style="color: #810081; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><a href="http://www.fitzroy-bramble.com/fitness/id18.html">http://www.fitzroy-bramble.com/fitness/id18.html</a>
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">The formula, if you want to
work it out on your own is X% = ((Max HR-Resting HR)*X/100)+Resting HR. To find
your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) it is best to take it in the morning when you
first wake up and before getting out of bed. Some athletes even wear their HRM
in bed so they can get a reading without moving much at all when they wake up.
This may seem extreme but for serious athletes it can help them know when to
cut back on their training. A resting HR that is 10 beats or more above normal
is an indication of over training or illness and one should either skip their
workout for a day or two or cut way back on distance and intensity.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">After you have determined your
MHR you can use the calculator at the web site above to determine you training
zones for your workouts. If possible it is good to get in an Aerobic Threshold
(AT) workout and a VO2max workout each week.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Remember that racing counts
as a speed workout with half-marathon to 10K being AT pace and 5K or shorter
being VO2max pace. The following chart would be an ideal week for an
intermediate to advanced marathoner at 60 miles a week. The total daily miles
include warm-up and cool-down along with the workout distance all to be done in
the approximate allotted time. Taking Tuesday as an example, warm-up would be
about 1.5 miles then the 1mile intervals and then about 1.5 miles of cool-down
for a total of about 10 miles. This runner would be about a 3.5 hour marathoner.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">3.5 Hour Marathoner / Max HR of 186</span></b></div>
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" 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<b><span style="color: black;">4 Hour Marathoner / Max HR of 186</span></b></div>
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" /><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">While doing the 400 meter
repeats the HR may not reach the target zone until half way to the end of the
workout but it should climb a little higher on each succeeding attempt. Also
one who is not used to doing these repeats and intervals will find it difficult
if not impossible to do that many at first. If you are just starting out it
would be a good idea to only start with about 4-6 repeats and add one or two
each week or so until you can handle the full 16 repeats. Also Tuesday and
Friday workouts can be swapped. Just make sure that you don’t do these types of
workouts two days in a row except for on occasion. There is a time and place
for Hyper-training but only on occasion and then you need to take several easy
or off days following these double sessions.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">Heart Rate and Racing</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">5K racing is usually done at
a HR of 90-95% of VO2max while 10K racing is usually done at a HR of 88-92% of
VO2max. Half-marathon is run at approximately 83-88% of VO2max and the Marathon
is run at 80-85% of VO2max. Some elite athletes have been able to run the
marathon at close to 90% of their VO2max.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">Easy and Long Run
Training</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Easy running is 80 – 90% of
the running that a runner does. This is the range which produces a training
effect but doesn’t overly stress the body so as to cause it to break down
unless one runs too many of these miles too often or builds up to running a
high number of miles too soon. This running is done in the 60 – 70% of VO2max
range. Generally the higher number of miles one can build up to running in a
week, without over training, the better the results one will get from their
running. It is best to build a strong base mileage before beginning a speed
program. This base of weekly easy mileage is the core of your strength as a
runner. How much is enough? To reach your maximum potential as a marathoner you
would want to try and build up to 50 – 100 miles a week or more.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">It has been shown that there
is no more “aerobic” benefit to running more than 70-75 miles a week, i.e. it
will not increase VO2max, nor will it increase mitochondria. However, for the
elite athlete there may be a psychological advantage to running more miles, as
many seem to perform better with 100 miles or more a week. My advice is to
gradually build your weekly mileage until you feel that you are not getting
anymore benefit from adding more, or until you feel that more would be pushing
yourself too far and stay at that point or even back off just a little. When
building mileage one should back off or stop speed work altogether until they
have settled into their new mileage for a while. Never increase both at the
same time. You will be asking to get injured by doing so.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">AT Training</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">We mentioned earlier about
(AT) or Aerobic Threshold. This is the point at which the body starts to
produce Lactic Acid at a rate to fast for the body to get rid of and so it
begins to build up in the blood stream causing leg muscles to get that burning,
tired feeling. For untrained individuals this can be as low as 60% of VO2max
and for very highly trained athletes as high as 92% of VO2max.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">AT training helps raise the
threshold to a higher percentage of VO2max thus allowing the runner to go
faster for a given period of time without building up too much lactic acid.
Typically AT training is running for a time period of about 20-30 minutes at
about 10 seconds slower than ones present 10K race pace. However, it is also
beneficial to do four 5 minute intervals at 10K race pace with 1-2 minute jogs
in between.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">There has been some leaning
of late to run longer AT or Tempo runs at about half marathon pace or about
15-20 seconds slower than 10k race pace. These run periods can be 30-60 minutes
in duration. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">VO2max Training</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">VO2max training is running at
a pace that causes one to be at close to VO2max and MHR. Raising ones VO2max is
of the greatest value in trying to reach your best potential as a runner. No
one thing is more a determinant in ones potential as a runner than VO2max. This
is the measure of ones ability to supply oxygen as fuel to the muscles.
Probably the ideal VO2max workout is a 5K race. The next best workouts would be
400-meter intervals or repeats with very short recovery intervals usually no
more than 1 minute.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">Summary</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Heart Rate Training can be a
great asset in your training as a runner. Using a HRM you will always know what
your effort is in your training and you can have confidence that you are in the
training zone that you intended. However, I do caution on getting too dependent
on your HRM. Try and guess from time to time what your effort is before looking
at your HRM. In this way you will train yourself to begin to know by feel what
is your effort.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Weather conditions can affect
your HR and so it is a good indicator of how hard you are working. In hot
weather your HR can be 10-20 beats faster for the same pace. In long distance
races you would want to stay within or even lower your expectations as to your
ability to maintain your normal HR when the weather is very warm.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">When doing speed workout i.e.
AT and VO2max workouts don’t pay too much attention to your monitor under
warmer conditions. This is the time to be going by time more than by HR but it
is still a good idea to know were you are under different conditions.</span></div>
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I have tried to be short and concise. In doing so I may have
sacrificed some clarity. The purpose if this article is to be more of a primer
on heart rate running rather than an in depth discourse on the subject. For
more information I recommend the book “Heart Zone Training” by Sally Edwards.
This book is a great overall how to on Heart Rate Training. She has also
written other books on the subject for specific sports such as cycling and
triathlon. </div>
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Happy Trails,</div>
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Russ</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614746447428266334.post-9656737167354704202013-04-22T13:41:00.000-07:002013-04-22T13:41:25.761-07:00Run Through Redlands Half Marathon ReportRace day was pretty much what I expected given the weather predictions. The race started at about 60+ degrees and just a light breeze with bright sunshine and finished in the low 70's with bright sunshine. I was definitely looking for shade to stand in at the end of the race.<br />
<br />
I got to the start line about 15 minutes before race time and the 10K had just started. As soon as the 10k all got across the mat they announce that the Half Marathon runners could line up for the race. Our starting line was about a block further back than the 10K. At first it didn't look like there were very many runners but as we got closer to the start time the street began to fill. I got to see quite a few runners that I knew from the Loma Linda Lopers and Redlands Runegades, as well as other runners I have made acquaintance with. We were all talking about how warm it was going to get and how we were doing. All of this began to build up excitement and add to the adrenaline rush that hit as soon as the horn sounded.<br />
<br />
I started about 10 - 12 feet from the actual start line and did not have any problems trying to run around or past other runners, which was great. I did pass a few and a few passed me in the first quarter mile. By then the spread between runners had fanned out pretty well and any passing or being passed was no problem at all. After about 3/4 of a mile I began to look around for those I thought might be in my age group and size them up. I think anyone who is serious about trying to place in a race does a little of this whether they admit it or not! I saw two runners that I felt were probably in that category and tried to keep them in sight as long as I could. I know that most runners, I am competitive with, are faster on the uphill than me and I am generally as fast or faster on the downhill than they are. My objective was to try and keep them in sight. I did a pretty good job of that until about mile 5 when I began to lose sight of both of them.<br />
<br />
The race was pretty flat for the first two miles but than it began to head uphill, almost 600 feet of total gain over the next 4.6 miles. I had to watch my heart rate (HR) monitor on my Garmin to make sure that I did not push too hard trying to keep up with my competition. My goal was to stay within 155-157 beats per minute. I did find myself at about 160 a couple of times and had to back off just a bit. At 7.1 miles we reached the highest point of the race and I was so relieved to know that it was mostly downhill for the next 4 miles.<br />
<br />
As I crested the top I had the urge to just relax and rest a bit as the last hill was really steep, but I kept up my intensity at the same HR as on the uphill and let my body carry me as I tried to relax and just let gravity pull me down the hills; running as smoothly as possible trying not to put on the breaks. I seem to be a pretty natural downhill runner and began to pass quite a few people as I made my way down. This made me a little nervous at first wondering if I might be pushing to hard but a quick glance at my watch showed that my HR was just a little lower than my target so I picked it up a little more. I only got passed by two people on the downhill sections and they were much younger than me, one of them I later passed again toward the end of the downhill sections. Mile 11 was the straightest and most natural grades of downhill, and I was amazed to see later that I had run it at a 7:07 pace. Even though it was downhill it was still 11 miles into the race.<br />
<br />
As we got to the bottom I knew that we had 1.9 miles of flat, to slightly uphill, left to the end of the race and about 0.2 miles of downhill to the finish line. I was definitely beginning to feel that fatigue after those eleven miles and could feel it getting harder to maintain my pace but I sucked it up and started to run at the upper limits I had set for myself at around 157 HR. As I approached 12.7 miles a friend, Jim Glick, came along side of me to run me in. This gave me a big lift and I increased my HR up to around 160. As I rounded the corner Jim patted me on the back and gave me some words of encouragement. I then began my kick to the finish line and found that I had more left in my legs than I thought! I crossed the finish in 1:50:35, beating my previous best in this race by almost 4 minutes on what runners consider a pretty warm day. On top of that I finished 3rd in my age group about 3 minutes behind 2nd place runner who happened to be one of the runners I had my eye on at the beginning of the race. I never saw who got number one in our age group but I presume it was probably the other guy I had my eye on.<br />
<br />
I am very happy with my result and credit my new way of eating as helping me get back to this condition. I am nearly back to the shape I was at the end of 2002, and through the early part of 2004. All because I can run more without the nagging pains I was having. I still have a little pain but it is minimal compared to what is has been.<br />
<br />
I am looking forward to being able to continue to build my mileage even more. I know that I still have room for improvement as I have yet to peak to my potential. Where that is remains to be seen but I will definitely keep you posted.<br />
<br />
Happy Trails,<br />
<br />
Russ <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014331268986580722noreply@blogger.com0