caught up

Last report of 3.


Mohican - 3rd attempt

2013 had been an odd year weather-wise and I have no complaints about this summer.  Even with a cooler than normal August last year, there have been 30+ fewer days this year where the temps have reached 90 here in Louisville.  It's been (so far) the coolest summer in recent memory.

So, back in June, I had several major factors in my favor entering Mohican:  normal temps (rare) on race day, a gut somewhat under control, injury free, mentally re-focused (from Massanutten) and some rare training days in June when it's usually too hot to even think about it.  I felt really good about my chances.

However, stupid me couldn't sit still taper week & decided to do some Spring cleaning & moved some heavy boxes around.  I didn't even realize what I was doing till my back went out -- just what I didn't need before a race where I DNF'd twice because of severe back pain!  Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!  So that's my race & report in a nutshell -- DNF with back problems -- again.



 
A couple notes about the recorded time above:

At the 50 mile mark, I was feeling good with a time of 12:43 and had over 19 hours to finish the 2nd half.  But my back started shutting me down around the 100k mark & by the time I got to the aid station at mile 73, even baby steps were painful & I called it quits.  Since they were the last aid station before the end of the loop, I believe the aid station captain was reluctant to take anyone back (this was about 1:30 a.m.) -- so I had to join the other disabled runner who was lying on the ground on a blanket.

About an hour later, another runner in really bad shape came into the aid station.  Since I tried & was able to stand without pain, I told them I would give that runner my blanket spot & try to walk it in (it turned out to be a slow & painful trek w/many breaks & wished I hadn't tried it!).  I had shut off my timer when I stopped at the aid station & for some reason (hoping for a miracle?) restarted it when I left, so that's why there's a discrepancy in the times.

Next up:

I've postponed all my construction projects around the house this summer due to my back & have been getting alot of back rest.  I used to call my running nemesis the "fickle" back -- I never knew when it was going to flare up.  I've dealt with it most of my running years and now, after a short absence, it has returned.   Since I no longer perform heavy lifting on a regular basis (using wood as a primary source of heat), I feel (& hope) this is just temporary.  Maybe I'll find out when I try Woodstock next month . . .

catch up - continued

After the mental disaster at Massanutten, I could hardly think about anything else.  I figured the best medicine to help get over it was to run another race as soon as possible.  I looked at the calendar & saw a familiar race in Mohican in June, so I set my sights on that race, although twice before (2008 & 2009) it was too hot for me & I also had major back problems.  I mostly don't consider Mohican each year because of that heat (mid 80's to low 90's).  So for it to be a possibility this year, I figured I needed to cram in some heat training. 

I looked for a shorter race in the heat that wasn't too far to drive to and found a 50k in Tennessee: the inaugural Music City Trail Ultra just outside Nashville.  As the date for this race approached, it was clear it was going to be what I was looking for:  forecast was for 89 degrees w/partly cloudy skies, humid and a chance of thundershowers.  I've NEVER finished an ultra where the temps have reached the mid 80's, so I knew it would be a challenge just to finish! 

I camped right at the start/finish line.  It was a hot & muggy night.  There were over 200 that signed up for the 50k, 25k & 10k -- a pretty good turnout for a first time running.  The RD had carved out a rugged course in what seemed to be a rarely frequented nature preserve & consisted of gravel roads, fire breaks and ancient logging roads, with a small amount of seldom used single track & a little bushwacking.  I heard it took months to knock down the brush & weeds to fashion out the trails.

Early in the race on a firebreak, pic courtesy of Chris Bosh:

The ticks & flies were the worst.  The flies weren't the usual deer flies I'm used to.  They didn't seem to bite as much but I've never encountered so many flies (kept the mouth closed). These were like huge houseflies (small horseflies?) that you could knock 2 or 3 down with every swing.  Aid station workers were pulling ticks off my legs even though I had soaked myself with repellent (probably lost it with sweat & going thru the streams).  I also ran over a long black snake before I knew it, as I thought it was just a stick.

I could hardly make heads or tails of the course from the small map on the website.  I couldn't tell which direction the race proceeded and on which trails -- turns out this would affect my race.  I came across 2 confusing intersections.  The 1st one I lucked out as a group of runners came up on me & after a consensus, decided the way to go (I would have went the wrong way otherwise).  At the 2nd intersection, I was by myself & with another 50/50 chance, I took the wrong way.  Ended up with about 1 bonus mile after double tracking twice.  I think if the people who marked the course went in both directions on the out'n'back sections, they would notice the markings can look alot different going in the other direction.

The skies were mostly cloudy with periods of sun thruout the day.  This kept the temps down (only 85!).  The sun only seemed to come out when I was out in open & then it felt like 110.  But what helped the most was the unexpected breeze.  Occasionally there would be a hint of rain in that humid breeze -- I finished the last mile in a downpour.  Had it reached 89 with partly cloudy skies & no wind, I would NOT have finished this race.  This was the hottest ultra I've ever finished.  I survived the challenge (w/the lucky break in the weather) & felt I was ready for an attempt at Mohican.

1 more catch up report to follow . . .

catch up

It's been almost 4 months since my last post . . . where has the time gone!?   Really, I had a mental collapse at Massanutten in May & have been so depressed over it, I haven't been able to write about it till now.  The race will probably haunt me forever.

my physical status:

I recovered from my shin splints back in April.  I don't think I had a stress fracture as it would've taken longer than the 3 weeks it took to recover from the injury.

With my night time "position" therapy my gut continues to feel better -- this has been the greatest news to me!  I still feel there's a restriction or temporary blockage somewhere down the line.  I don't expect I'll ever get the real medical reason or treatment for this malady.

Stubbed my 2nd (& longest) toe very hard late April & jammed the bones all the way back a couple joints into my foot.  Usually I just crush the toe, but this pain is at a joint 3 inches back into my foot.  Hurts the most when I step on a rock at the middle of my foot.  It's still continuing to improve.  Jamming toes & the fear of breaking my toes is the main reason I abandoned my Vibrams years ago.  Maybe if the trails around my house were less technical or I ran races mostly on non-technical trails, I would train in them.

My back is the main physical ailment at the moment.  Moved some heavy boxes (stupid) & totally messed it up in mid June.  I haven't recovered & currently cannot run as long as I'd like to.  Back pain was the main reason for my DNFs before my gut problems took over.  I thought I had gotten rid of the pains when I got rid of the wood stove a couple years back.  Wood may be cheap to use, but it's not worth it by a long shot.

I've attempted 3 races since my last post, but to shorten this today, I'm just going to post about one race right now:

May 18 - Massanutten - Land of the ROCKS - DNF

Back in the Spring, I had plans to visit my brother in Virginia and while I was there I would try running Massanutten again.  Losing 3 weeks of training with the shin splint injury, I would only have 3 weeks instead of 6 to prepare after Potowatomi.  I debated it, but decided to go ahead with the race, although I didn't think I had a chance to finish it.  I believe it was this thought that was the actual reason for my downfall -- not mentally into it!

Also, another reason I believe contributed to my downfall:  the crazy 4 am start -- because of the excitement, the only time I can get good sleep before a big race seems to be between 3 & 5 a.m. & this race won't let me get any of that sleep. 

Felt great at the start with no signs of my previous injury.  In fact, I felt great all day up to the halfway point under "unusual" conditions -- there were very thick clouds with the threat of rain & temps were near normal (rare) -- nothing like the hot & humid weather in past years & were super conditions for me.  By nightfall, I was a couple hours ahead of my previous attempt 2 years ago.  In that year I was battling cutoffs. When it gets dark though, it's tougher & on the 2nd half of this course it gets even rockier (I didn't think that could be possible!).

At about 4 a.m. around 73 miles on what was the rockiest section of trail that I've ever been on, I had a mental breakdown!  I had ROCKS on the brain.  I didn't want to take one more step on any rock.  Every step seemed to alternate up or down & required the utmost attention & it being 24 hrs into a physically & mentally demanding race, I just couldn't handle it any more. Unbelievably to me now, finishing was not a high priority then!  No disabling physical problems -- yes, I was tired, but not overly so and although my jammed toe foot hurt, it was still at a tolerable level.

After that mindless decision, I continued to battle & curse the rocks (25 to 30 minute pace) for the next 2 very long miles.  I even passed 6 runners (actually I believe 3 runners & 3 pacers).  I then ran into a gravel road & coasted downhill 2 more miles to the aid station & dropped.  The fellow who took my number said I would regret it, especially since I was still 2 hours ahead of cutoff -- and he was right.  By the time I caught a ride back, I was in a state of depression.  Enough said.

 









2 more reports to follow . . . 

injury

I racked up another DNF at Potawatomi on April 6 but it was hardly a surprise.  It wasn't my gut, back, the heat or the mud -- all the reasons (excuses) for my other 100 mile DNFs though.  I can now add my leg to the list.  Not sure exactly what injury that broke me down at mile 49 at Potawatomi -- either shin splints, a stress fracture or a combination of both.  I had always heard that this is a common runner's injury & wondered how it occurred.  And, what does it feel like?  Well it's like someone comes up & kicks you squarely on the shin with hard shoes on.  And every time you try to stand back up, he kicks you again.

how to get injured:

After Clinton Lake, all I had planned to do was to get in a recovery run so I'd be rested up for the long ultra in McNaughton Park in Pekin, IL.  Unfortunately, I did not follow thru.  My car needed work before the trip, so I decided to jog over to the gym (a half mile away from the shop) while the car was being worked on.  I did my regular routine with the weights.  My legs were a little sore as I would expect from a good workout & thought nothing of it when I went back to pick up the car.

Next morning, my right calf was so sore, I could hardly walk!  It felt like something was torn.  I had done my regular routine at the gym, but the problem was I hadn't been going to the gym regularly.  It doesn't take much to overstretch a muscle on those machines & apparently that's what I did.

So no recovery run & each day I had whirlpool/massage treatments & just hoped I would be ready for the race the next week.  Weather was going to be nice & cool & the course was going to be unbelieveably dry -- perfect conditions for an attempt at 150 miles!  How could I pass up this rare opportunity?

I was still sore come race day so I started with an extra easy pace.  The course was in super condition!  The 1st crossing of the creek was only ankle deep & the 2nd crossing you could carefully step across on well placed rocks.  There was no mud that couldn't be avoided -- pretty incredible for this course this time of year.

I felt OK for the 1st mile on level ground, but on the 1st hill, I was afraid to push off with my still sore right calf.  It felt like I was on the verge of straining it again, so I pushed off with my left leg up the hill while I brought up my right leg slightly cockeyed so I could not strain it (looked like a bad limp).  This seemed to work OK for about 18 miles on the hills.  By then my left leg was getting overly tired, so I had to go to my regular stride.  I really didn't have much choice and the right calf was feeling much better.

On the 3rd lap, mile 20 to 30, I felt great going back to normal running!  This trail is a bear when it's muddy.  When it's dry, it can be very enjoyable.  The sun was going down & it was cooling off too.  That had to be one of my favorite loops ever on this course.  I even had delusions of grandeur -- actually finishing 15 laps -- ha!

The 4th lap was in darkness.  It was fun too, but I got down to business & settled in for the long haul.  No gut issues made me very happy!  A very strong breeze with gusts up to 30 mph or more made for a nice, cool run.

The 5th lap was much like the 4th, except nearing the end of the loop, my left shin started hurting.  Quickly it started hurting real bad.  I knew then my race was over.  I didn't take a bad step or fall or anything like that.  The only thing I could figure was that shifting the load onto my left leg the 1st 2 laps was now coming back to haunt me.  Thank goodness I was nearing the start/finish area.  If I was out in the middle of the course, they would have had to haul me back.

The last short, but steep hill a quarter mile from the finish (for those who know the course) was almost an insurmountable barrier.  There was no turning this leg cockeyed to stop the pain.  It would have been faster to crawl on all fours up that hill (no one would have seen me in those early morning hours), but I literally inched myself up that hill & limped over the timing mat before I collapsed in the car.  That was just the beginning of the ordeal.  I had a very rough time, including a long drive home.

next up:

I'm out of commission at present.  Recovery has been agonizingly slow.  Here it is 10 days after the race & if I put weight on the left leg for a while . . . . heat, redness & pain return to the shin bone just above the ankle.

Some very good news though among the bad:  lately my gut has been feeling better than it's been the last 2 or 3 YEARS.  I don't think I'm cured, but I sure am happy about how it feels!!

no disappointment

Last Saturday, I finished my 5th Clinton Lake 30m race.  I came in with no expectations so that I wouldn't be disappointed.  I was prepared to enjoy myself regardless and would be happy with anything.  Well, it worked.  Guess that's how I need to prepare myself from now on . . . . . 
 
Clinton Lake power plant:

   : 
After the 800+ runners at LBL, it seemed like only a handful of runners showed up this race -- the smallest field that I can remember for this venue.  The RD had us park door to door so that everyone could fit into the parking lot, but only half or so of the lot ever filled up. 

The RD had another new idea:  have your race number imprinted on the white singlet that you were given at packet pick-up.  I wasn't planning on wearing a shirt.  I usually don't wear shirts that have advertisement plastered on them or if they're white either (because of deer hunters).  Most other runners were wearing them, so I wore it at the start.

Speaking of deer, this brute was just outside my bedroom window about a month ago:
  

It seems my abdominal pain is morphing once again:  some added pain along & under the entire ribcage w/occasional cramps.  It has been tolerable (so far).  It had no effect on me race day.

Race day temps were 33 to 50.  It was warmer than predicted, but still a great running temp range.  The only drawback to the warmer temps was the course thawed out quickly when the sun came out.  What was just wet on the 2nd half of the 1st loop, turned into a mudfest by the 3rd loop.  I couldn't believe that this trail would ever have me bringing out comparisons to McNaughton Park (not good).  The super sloppy sections were much shorter here, but beared the same ressemblance.  There were records broken this day (I was lapped by 2 runners for the 1st time here), but the faster runners missed out on this mud fun.

Even with a faster early pace, I never felt any of that fatigue feeling like at LBL -- just a steady loss of leg lift as the race progressed.

next up:

I've always used Clinton Lake 30m as practice for the longer race at McNaughton Park (now Potawatomi Trail Runs) that follows 2 weeks later.  The short up & down hills with soft dirt trails are somewhat similar, although Potawatomi has a few larger hills.  I hope I won't have to make use of the bonus practice I earned on last Saturday's soupy trails, although I suspect it's about time for another rainy day at muddy McNutty.  If it's anything like at Clinton Lake, I will likely have a very short time to have fun.  I'm signed up for 150 miles, but I have no expectations.

a new norm

The abdominal pain I have is not consistently the same, whether it be when, where in the abdomen or its intensity.  If it was the same all the time, I think the Drs. or I could pinpoint it & figure it out.  I'm afraid my running performance has taken on the same resemblance -- unpredictable (& not pleasant) more times than not.  After my run at Land Between the Lakes (LBL) this past weekend, I believe I need to accept the new norm for my performances, which is inconsistent/unpredictable.  The "good" run I had at Mountain Mist last January seems to have been just an aberration.  My list of things that can go wrong just seems to grow.

At LBL, I had a very unexpected collapse at mile 11 of the 50 mile race.  The boring details:

I cannot blame the pace this time as I forced myself to run at about 12 minutes/mile for the 1st 2 miles -- this was mostly so that I would be placed with others near that same pace when the course entered the single track off the road.  As every year, where you were placed would largely determine your pace for the 1st loop, unless you did something drastic -- like pull off & wait or constantly pass a continuous line of runners.  I felt I did that better than any other of my 7 previous starts in this race.  It was also the slowest I've ever started.  The plan worked perfect & I was patting myself on the back as I felt the 12 minute/mile pace I found myself running on the single track trail was restrained, not pushed like in previous years.  I had run the 1st 18 miles of Mountain Mist 50k comfortably earlier this year at just less than a 12 minute/mile average & finished well so I was feeling pretty confident.

At mile 11 though, I suddenly became very fatigued!  I had just been thinking . . . in a couple more miles I can be free to run my style when most of the runners peel off after the 1st lap.  Really puzzled by this abrupt "collapse", I immediately had to go into my "survival" pace -- a pace that I would be able to finish the 60k race with & not have to walk.  The 50 mile cutoff was now impossible & in no way could I make 50 miles anyway the way I felt.  I had slogged 26 miles at Pinhoti at my survival pace when I was shutdown by the heat at 25 miles, so I thought it wouldn't be a problem -- I was wrong.  With 9 miles left to finish the 3 laps (60k), I just didn't have any more energy.  I should have dropped at mid-lap, but was just too stubborn & didn't want to bother anyone either.  What didn't help was I also lost motivation -- I walked everything, including every downhill.  It took over 3 hours to walk those 9 uninspired miles.  I tried hard to enjoy the beautiful day -- that's the only thing that kept me going.  Still, I was dejected & out of it as I slowly walked down the hill to the finish -- all in sight of the spectators who were cheering? at the finish line.  That was a first for me as I've always at least trotted across a finish line -- pretty sad.

Other notes:

This race always has the most runners that I know and can recognize & I always enjoy being able say a few words with many of them -- whether it be at packet pickup or sometime during race day.  In fact, the highlight of the race was being able to run with Chris & Jeff, at least for a mile or two! 

Scott Breeden, who won LLTH 50k in an INCREDIBLE 4:07, repeated with another super performance with 4:07 in the 60k - WOW!   He lapped me near mile 15 (he was on mile 26).  He was running a sub 3 hour marathon & I know I couldn't keep up with him even if I was sprinting a 50 yard dash.

With global warming, the new norm for late Spring & early Fall (when heat matters the most to me) is that temps will be above average -- I realize that (but still haven't accepted it yet).  This year it started early with the 10 deg above average temps at LBL, but it was certainly not a factor for me this race day.  Had it reached the mid 70's (it didn't) and I was running (I wasn't), it might have been a factor.

My belly hurt a little during the race, but nothing unusual & not a factor.  I've found that my new posture at night & that the liquid diet pre-race (& only gels during the race) has helped (so far).  Based on training runs around home though, I've found that even this can be inconsistent.

Having gone on a diet after seeing my belly hang out at LLTH, I lost 5 pounds in less than 4 weeks and edged below the so-called "obese" weight for my height (I'm still very much overweight though).  At first I thought this diet could have had some effect on my race performance at LBL, but really, I don't think it would have been that drastic.  However, I have decided to suspend serious dieting till the summer off season & to load up with more carbs during taper week.

I came down with some kind of "bug" Monday night after LBL.  Other than a little nagging cough now & then, it appears I'm finally over it.  I'm planning on getting in a good run (in the rain) tomorrow morning.


Next up:

With my new norm, I have dropped all expectations for my 5th Clinton Lake 30m next Saturday.  I had felt I could run better than 6:30 and was hoping to break 6 hours, but that was before LBL.  Weather is expected to be cool (& windy) as it's always been there -- which will be nice.

LBL threw a wrench into my plans, however,  I'm still signed up for 3 long ultra races this Spring:  Potawatomi, Indiana Trail & Massanutten.  Potawatomi had a half price early bird special ($75) last April & I couldn't resist.  I signed up for Indiana Trail as a backup/alternate to Potawatomi (they're only 2 weeks apart).  Also, I'm on the waiting list (#22 currently) for Massanutten in May so I can't count on getting in.

a most revealing video

A couple weeks ago, I ran in my favorite race, Louisville's Lovin' The Hills (LLTH) 50k.  As I predicted, I did better previously in my "solo race" (7:21) over the same course than on the actual race day (7:41).  Percentage wise, that's less than 5% slower -- is that the difference between a good race & a bad one?   Not really, but those 20 minutes extra were very, very tough, plus I felt terrible afterwards -- no comparison whatsoever between the two races.  What did I do wrong?  Again, I blame the usual -- get caught up in all the hoopla & excitement & start out too fast.   Will I ever learn?  Don't think so -- I may go a race, sometimes 2 after a disaster like this, but I always revert.  All my ultra PR's have been where my top priority has been to start out "slower than slow".  So the cycle continues . . .
 
 Feb 9, 2013 race day:                             Dec 18, 2012 "solo race"
 

At LLTH this year, I let someone use my camera to take some video of the race.  I've seen many pictures of myself during a race, but I had never seen a video.  Several things were revealed to me & a couple that I won't ever get out of my mind:

1.  I thought I started near the back of the pack, but the video revealed I actually started near the middle.  With the record number of runners this year, I clearly misjudged this & messed up big time here.

2.  There was also video taken at about the 5 mile point & I watched as the lead runners flew past the camera.  The main pack passes 10 minutes later.  Ten more minutes & some of the runners are walking up the slight grade.  Several minutes later, here I come, dragging along.  I was really more like "scooting" along.  Starting too fast? - in my mind only!  Didn't realize that my running style is truly a shuffle too.

3.  Also, there's one sight which others shouldn't have to endure:  seeing someone wearing very tight compression shorts who's also shirtless on a sub-freezing day & letting his beer gut hang a couple inches out & over at the waistline.  AWFUL!  No wonder other runners don't like being passed by someone looking so overweight and do their best to pass back!  I can be a great motivator though as some runners I pass really do come right back & pass me & I never see them again.

Yep, I've been on a diet since the race.  It took a video to renew my diet training which has always been the hardest type training to me of all.  Unfortunately, once your gut gets distorted to such an extent for so long, it will never go away no matter the weight reduction -- so people are just going to have to turn their head (quicker) if they don't want to see it.

Now that I've learned not to sleep on my right side, I've not had any more severe pain (knock on wood) and this has helped me more than anything else these past 2+ years.  One of the culprits could be temporary blockage or a physical restriction/dislodging of the intestines (my Dr. calls it an "anatomical issue") or a malfunctioning bowel.  The medicines I take, including those for acid reduction, could actually be contributing to the problem.  Still trying new meds though & the latest one I took was a combo for anti-cramping (muscle relaxer)/anxiety (benzodiazepine).  It was yet another med to help me sleep, but it too gave me such a buzz I had to discontinue it.

Next up is Land Between the Lakes 50 miler.  If there's one place where early pace has been a continual problem for me it's been at LBL.  I've had only one evenly paced race in 7 attempts.  It doesn't help that there's a fairly tight cutoff at 36 miles (must maintain a 13 minute/mile avg pace).  The urgency to make that cutoff disrupts my usual running scheme from the word go.  I would do better if there wasn't a cutoff, but I can't just forget it's there either.