Not Sure I'm Still a Runner

Since running the 17 miles at Rick's Too Hot 50K, I have avoided running. For a while, work was really to blame. There are only so many hours in a day. Work and sleep were all I accomplished for a while, and it was much more of the former than the latter.

When the weekend arrived though, I still avoided the run. Partially it was the PF flair up I experienced in the last run. But mostly I am feeling that as the miles increase, there is some sort of injury just around the corner. Maybe after the knee and back issues over the last few years, I am right to feel this way. I really want to keep improving my conditioning but fear that setback. So over the weekend I spent my time on my bikes. Fifteen miles of easy trail Saturday evening on the mountain bike followed by 47 miles of road cycling Sunday. I've also managed two nice mountain bike rides after work this week.

I feel I would just go completely to cycling, but a few things really hold me back. Short days in the winter make keeping up the mileage year round difficult. Bicycle racing is complicated with licenses, categories, egos, and expensive equipment; that is the opposite of everything I love about ultra races. But mostly, I really like the people I run with.

Tomorrow, I really need to get out for a run. If I feel good, maybe I'll find a balance.

Rick’s Really Hot 50K

I’m in no shape to run a 50K, but that was not really what this was about. After a series of injuries starting in the spring of 2008, getting back into shape has been a slow process. I’ve lost touch with those friends who think going out for a 30 mile run with your buds is just as normal as heading out for a beer. And this run was about celebrating those friends as well as remembering one we lost two years ago.

Unlike many of those out for the run, I barely knew Rick Gastelum. I really only remember running with him one time in 2004 as a group of us made our way from Spyglass through various loops to the top of the Hill of Life. Our trip together ended there as he took the more direct route back due to injury. I abandoned the group a few miles later due to foot pain. Almost five years later, I ended this run in the same way as I walked back to the Spyglass entrance with foot pain. I called it quits after 17 very slow miles.

Four in the morning is very early to start anything, but that is when we began. Actually, the day had begun at 2:30 as I struggled to get out of the house and arrive on time. The sign at Camp Mabry said it was still 81 degrees as I passed. We actually had a nice crowd at the start. Others would join in a few minutes late catching me as I fell behind the pack or when I stopped to refuel at the top of the Hill of Life. I felt I was dragging and spent more time walking than running. Later in the day I would pass more friends out on their own runs. Although it was a slow 17 miles, I was pretty happy with the way things went. I actually managed a better pace than I had expected and gone longer than I had in over a year.

I really could have continued and possibly wrapped up the 50K; however, years of experience told me to bail. The foot pain was probably the biggest issues, but I knew other issues would follow. My knee had hurt early but felt fine after warming up and settling into an easy pace. Late in long runs is usually when things go wrong if they do. I expect it is a combination of losing form due to exhaustion as well as the long wear and tear. I didn’t feel there was any training benefit to continuing.

In the end, I either DNF’ed the 50K for DFL’ed the 17 miler. I don’t really feel it as a DNF so I’ll take the DFL.

Real Heat and the Art of Hydration

For my first few years of running, long runs really did me in. It wasn't just the effort. I would be left very dehydrated and having headaches for the rest of the day or longer. Yesterday, I made the same mistakes all over again. It has been well over a year since I have been on a run this long. And much longer since I have put myself through the long run in severe heat. Things were forgotten.

Now, it was not that I neglected hydration. Over 15 miles I took in 120 oz of fluids and several salt caplets. That would have been fine at a reasonable pace. Reasonable is not the pace I was running. Extremely slow is a better description. The trip took over 3.5 hours to complete. Temperatures were probably around 80 at the start and over 90 by the time I finished. It was also extremely humid.

Looking back now, I can see I was conserving salt and fluids early. I normally drink every half mile or every 5 minutes. As it gets hotter, I usually take bigger drinks instead of drinking more often. Still, trails often force me into the every 5 minutes schedule which would have been more often than the every half mile at the pace I was moving.

It was not just a fluid issue either. Given my lighter running schedule, one of the things I haven't purchased recently is salt. I started the run down to the last 5 caplets I have. I started taking one an hour. I was losing much more.

Now I know many runners consideration hydration a science. It has never worked that way for me. Maybe it is the extreme heat and humidity I run in during the summer. Maybe it is that I weigh 250 pounds. Maybe it is the long miles I run.

Yesterday was a reminder of some tough lessons. Listen carefully to the body and what it is craving. Pay attention to how it feels. Yes, I can feel when I am becoming dehydrated. Never conserve water or salt even if it feels terrible to run out late in a run.

I'm sure yesterday I dehydrated myself early and was just never able to catch up. All the fluid I took on at mile 9 and after finishing may have helped but never corrected the damage I did early in the run.

Next week, I should hit the same run again to see if I have learned anything. Sometimes it takes a while.

The Heat is On

I've been suffering through the heat lately. It is just that time of year, and we are in one of those nasty weather patterns. If you live in central Texas, you know. Today's high was around 109. The only good point to that is the humidity wasn't in its usual range.

I've been getting out during lunch a few days a week. I'm targeting four days, but sometimes the work commitments take over.

Still, the hard work in the heat is having an impact. And I mean that in a good way. A month ago I was struggling to keep moving forward faster than a walk for more than a couple of miles. With each week, I stretch the run out a little further. Tuesday's run was just over 4 miles with temperatures around 98 at run time.

Today I went out for a few miles with my boss. He has just started running again after a few years off and feels good about his progress after running for two months. He is feeling good about his progress. I tried to take it easy on the guy. We did take a few walk breaks, and I held back quite a bit. We talked about running together once or twice a week to push him and give me a break.

It was easy to look back afterward and see that he isn't far from where I was a month ago. And at that time, I wasn't facing the temperatures we were in today. It was 100 by the time we finished just after 1. It was also very nice to be able to run in such ridiculous temperatures and feel good. It was a chance for me to actually see progress that wasn't just a measurement of speed or distance.

Tomorrow I'm out in the heat again for a much more arduous effort. Having struggled through trying to run in the Texas summer heat for several years now, I know what to expect. Progress during the hot months seems stalled or in slow motion. That perception changes with the first cold front. The hard work eventually pays off.

I'm also happy I can handle 100 degree weather again. It is a confidence builder. To run in the heat, you have to train in the heat. Maybe fall will have a nice surprise for me.

Wii as a Fitness Tool

The family now as a Wii. Actually, my daughter has the Wii, but it is connected to my TV for now.
One of the things that we purchased along with the Wii was the Wii Fit.

Before even considering if there are any fitness benefits, let me say that this is fun. The games are interesting and challenging. I like the skiing and snowboarding games especially. And having to lean and balance to control the skis through the turns is so much better than pushing keys on a small controller. I'm sure the graphics are not as great as the PS3 or Xbox 360, but if that is what you are looking for, you don't buy the Wii.

Having pushed myself to some strange limits, I was not expecting much from the Wii Fit. How much exercise can you really get from a balance board and some software?

To start, it makes some effort to asses the user. It measures weight and BMI. It also measures the balance or balance agility of the user and provides a Wii Fit age. I was not impressed; however, what I do like is that it encourages the user to come back to measure progress or to set goals. It also tracks the overall time spent exercising and unlocks more activitys as the total time increases or as the skills improve.

Wii Fit covers four areas: balance, areobics, strength, and yoga. The balance portion makes the best use of the balance board. It includes the best games and easily keeps the user involved to the point of forgetting the purpose at time.

Some of the aerobics activities work pretty well with the board. The running avoids using it at all. None would be considered intense by anyone who runs, cycles, or swims.

The strength section is pretty good for some activities. The board is used but plays a minor role. Some of the exercises have me sweating while others are way too easy.

I have avoided the yoga so far. My daughter will keeps prodding sure it will be entertaining.

For someone like me, the Wii is either entertainment or an easy way to track weight loss/BMI. I have enjoyed it as some low intensity activity. For others, however, I can see it being more. If it gets people off the sofa and moving, it can't be all bad. My daughter has no interest in running or exercising with me, but she will spend hours on the Wii Fit.

I won't be skipping runs to play Wii Fit. For anyone wanting to get off the sofa and do something, I'm all for it.

Got to Keep the Loonies on the Path

Interesting day out at the motocross park today as I spent my morning volunteering at the Loop. It it the only time pedestrians are allowed out on these trails, and this race makes the most of it. Unfortunately, I'm still not ready to race. But I made the most of the opportunity to spend the day with other runners and help out my friends. And I got to make a loop of the course cleaning up the signs and markers.

I was questioning my sanity when the alarm went off at 3:30 this morning. Still, I managed to get ready and make it to the race site by 5. First task of the day was parking attendant. Nothing too interesting there except the woman who drove through and wanted to question me about what was going on, did we have permits, and why didn't we notify the home owner's association.

After everyone was parked and both the 30K runners and the 10K runners were off on the trail, I found myself back in the parking lot directing a different kind of traffic. It was a task I had initially underestimated. Near the end of the race course, runners drop down a hill, cross the parking lot, and hit the final, short section of trail to the finish. Part of the problem was that you could actually see the finish from where you crossed the parking lot. And the other problem was that the old course used to drop you down a hill and little further up and turn you right directly into the finish line. So I'm cheering the runners on as they cross the lot, telling them to go straight across, encouraging them, then yelling at them not to turn right. It became such a repeated pattern that I eventually adjusted my position and directions enough to stop most of the problem. There were a couple willing to argue with me about it, but once you looked, the signs and flags were very clear. Two hours in the sun yelling for and at the runners left me dehydrated, hoarse, and sunburned.

I wrapped up the day sweeping the course picking up signs and markers. It was a great way to get to run some of the wonderful trails without having to push myself racing. It was an easy pace with lots of stops to gather ribbon and signs.

In a few weeks the last race in the series will happen. I'm considering actually racing this one. It will depend on how things go with training, but I feel I could handle a trail 10K pretty well if not fast.

Struggle, struggle, struggle

I start. I stop. I start. I stop again.

That seems to be the story lately. Now that the heat and humidity are back, what little fitness I had just isn't enough. I fought my way through four slow miles this morning. I tried to make up for some of that by spending half an hour on the elliptical trainer during lunch. It is a battle to keep moving.

In my defense, the sinus infection I had really had me down. I just didn't have it in me to do anything that took any energy. After that, it just took a bit to get moving again.

At least the knee has felt pretty good lately. But then, maybe it is just that I have lacked the endurance to push it very much. At least it is not the limiting factor now.

Yard work is planned for tomorrow, but I should squeeze in a few more miles of running and maybe even a few miles on the mountain bike.