OPSF 5050.....or my beautiful disaster

   So the big day came for my first 50 mile race.  I spent the three weeks prior tapering and nursing a niggle in my left Achilles tendon.  I ran every third day and just tried to eat as much nutrient dense food as that I could think of.  I was sleeping well and even slept well the night before the big race.

     Race day morning my wife and I packed up the car and headed for the Rattlesnake Campground where the start/finish was in the Owen Putnam State Forest.  Race nerves weren't really present.  My wife found out that our friends camped out the night before with their kids.  Man, they had a sweet shelter with a propane fire, a generator, and all kinds of awesomeness.  The setup and the great company almost had me forgetting that I was about to tackle the longest distance I have ever attempted on a very hilly and muddy course.
     Then it was time to get to the start line and I saw all my running friends who were either running the 50k or 50 mile.  More hang out time with people !!! (For about three or five minutes anyway)  And then we were off !!!

waiting at the starting line photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher

     It was in the dark so headlamps were in use.  We didn't have to use them long....maybe fifteen minutes or so.  I had a plan to not start off too fast.  I wanted to do 12 minute miles most of the race.  Needless to say I didn't follow that plan.  It would be safe to say that I wiped that plan with my ass, pissed on it, then threw it out the window.  I was cruising along anywhere between a 9 minute mile to 11 minute miles for the first 8 to 10 miles.  Eventually I started to mellow out to my target pace.  At one point I ran with a fellow who was doing the 50k.  When he asked how I was doing I said "I'm going too fast.  I gotta slow down."  When I told him I was doing my first 50 miler he told me I was doing great. (He would go on to win the 50k race)  I felt great too.  That taper shit works !!!
    I finished the first lap (14 miles), had a quick aid station stop and chat with my wife, then headed back out for lap #2.  I kept my pace pretty consistently and the next 5 miles went by pretty well for me.  I came to the aid station B and saw my buddy and his girlfriend who were volunteering and headed for the out and back section of the course.

Coming into the start/finish aid station mile 14 photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher

     About a mile or two (around mile 22) into that section is when things started to turn to shit.  On one of the downhills my right knee decided it didn't like what I was doing.  The tendons just started to hurt with every footfall going down the hill.  I was kind of surprised by this.  I thought my left Achilles tendon would be the one to ruin the day.  I also didn't sweat it because I figured weird pains like this can come and go in a long race.
     I got to the aid station  C and two of my friends were there  with their little baby.  It was so cool to see the little guy.  He had on some kind of muppet fur onesie thing on which was cute.   I got some water and turned to finish the rest of the out and back.

second trip to aid station C  photo courtesy Terry Fletcher

      A little ways after the turnaround, a friend passed me.  We briefly talked and we headed our separate ways.  I turned around and yelled to him "Hurry up and catch me" or something like that.  I just wanted someone to run with and knew he should be able to catch up with the way my knee was acting up on the downhills.  The knee steadily got worse the next three miles on the way to the aid station where he caught up with me.
     We ran the next three miles to the start/finish area.  This section is the hardest part of the course.  I could still run the uphills but had to basically walk the downhills very gingerly. We ran together and made comments on how the muddy parts were getting worse and worse.  People were going to the edges of the muddy sections which were steadily making them wider and wider.  Good times.

me and my friend coming

 into the start/finish aid station Mile 28 Photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher

     We walked into the start/finish aid station (mile 28) and my wife tended to me.  She switched out the bladder in my hydration vest with a fresh one and tried to get me to eat solid food.  I can't remember if I did.  I might have drank some heed at the aid station.  (I asked what flavor it was first...I had a bad experience with some banana flavored heed at my last race....gross shit)  I kissed my wife and left the aid station with my friend.  If I remember right, he left with a mouthful of peanut butter.
     We ran together for a bit.  I tried to run the hills with a mixture of failure and success.  At one point we came to a decline and he bolted down and disappeared down the trail.  I hiked down and ran when I got to the bottom.  It was around this point that my shins started to get tight with slight twinges of pain.  It was about four miles to the aid station and there were few down hills left on this part of the course.  One was particularly bad and painful.  The trail was eroded from rain so it was pretty technical with the fallen leaves hiding things.  My knee screamed at me.
     It sucked, but it didn't at the same time.  My mood was pretty good.  The race directors sent out a facebook message earlier in the week that ended with "Flexibility is the word of the weekend"  so I was adapting.  The aid stations were full of good friends who encouraged me every time I came through.  I wasn't having the race I wanted but who was?  You take what the day gives you and you make it work.  I had plenty of time to finish and that was my goal.  Granted the goal was to finish uninjured but the knee pain wasn't getting worse.  I was getting close to the aid station and saw my friend who was volunteering at aid station B running the opposite way back to the start/finish.  She screamed my name and that brought a smile to my face.  I think it was somewhere around here that it started to slightly rain.  I just smiled and laughed to myself.  Rain would just be ridiculous right now.  Luckily the few sprinkles were all that would fall.
     I made it to aid station B and my buddy kept listing off things to see if i needed them.  Food, an extra layer of clothing, mittens, and gu's.  He's awesome.  Everyone at this aid station was awesome.  I think I ate some things and took two of the gu's and headed to do the third, and last, part of the out and back of the course.  
     I picked up the pace and wanted to get this section done as fast as I could.  About a mile or so in  my shins started to get real bad.  My run became a trot, then a walk downhill, then a run, then a trot.  I got a rock in my shoe and took my shoe off to shake the debris out.  As I tried to put my shoe on  my calf cramped up hard.  I struggled to get my shoe on through the cramp.  Good times. After what seemed like forever I managed to get the shoe back on.  My hands covered in mud.  At least I told myself it was mud.  These were horse trails so there is the possibility that I now had shit all over my hands.  The leaders of the race were starting to make their way back from aid station C.
      I made it to aid station C and turned around to go back the way I came.  The aid station was unmanned at this point.  I used some of the water left there to wash my hands off and headed back.  My shins were getting steadily worse.  I took more salt pills to see if they would help.  Running was beginning to be too painful so I would have to walk.  It seemed to take forever getting this section of the course over with.  Eventually I could see the road that marked the end of the out and back.  When I stepped on the road I turned around and flipped the trail off.  I would no longer have to run that trail today !!!  Or ever if I didn't want to !!! 
     Returning to aid station B, there were new volunteers and I was jokingly vocal about my dislike for the out and back section.  One of my friends there agreed with me and we smiled about it.  I ate a cookie or two and took a hammer gel while another friend was trying to get me to take in more calories.  Nothing seemed appealing to me.  I might have eaten a banana piece or something.  Off I went for the three miles to the start finish.
     At the start/finish aid station I changed shoes and socks.  This was mile 42.  Eight miles to go.  My wife opened up some baby foods for me to eat while another friend got me some mountain dew to drink.  I told my wife that I wasn't able to run anymore.  My shins were killing me.  She said "You can do this.  It doesn't have to be pretty"  Boy, it hadn't been pretty for the last 20 miles !!!  Ha !!!  I put on a rain coat and my wife stuffed a head lamp in my vest pocket.
     I started off for the last 8 miles running.   The little rest and food gave me some energy.  This lasted for about a half mile or so until my shins made me slow to a power hike.  I would hike to give my shins a break and then run as much as they would allow....then repeat.  Walk down hills, run as much as I could, but mostly power hiking. By now the sun had set and I was going by headlamp. I eventually made it to aid station B for the last time.  Another friend tended to me there.  I got some more salt pills and a cookie or two.  Loaded up with sugar and headed onto the course to do the last 3 miles.

coming into aid station B for the last time.  legs covered in a days worth of mud photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher

     I had time to finish in the race but, again, the next three miles were the hardest of the course.  It didn't matter though.  I could tell I was going to finish this thing.  All I had to do was gimp my way to the finish line.  I tried to run but just couldn't.  So I marched up the hill.  It was total darkness all around me.  I started to worry that my headlamp's battery would die.  Every time I looked up the trail and the light faded I freaked a little bit.  I would immediately shoot my head down and look at how bright the light was on my feet to convince myself that the battery was strong.

     The numerous mud pits along this section grew as the day progressed.  Not only did they get wider, but deeper as well.  The mud threatened to suck my shoes off my feet various times.  Several times I had to sit down and pull one of my stuck shoes out of the mud using all my strength.  It was brutal.  But kind of fun.  I just wanted to finish.  I climbed the last hill and fought through more muddy sections and could finally see the lights from the finish line in the distance.

      As I approached I saw two headlamp's and heard someone call out.m I yelled "Hello" and could recognize one of my friends voices.  I approached and ran the last bit through the finish line.  Everyone there cheered and congratulated me.  I almost cried.  I was really humbled by everyone.  I was humbled all day by the people involved in the race and those helping us in the race.  So many kind people just there to help others.  Friends stayed around all day just to see me finish.  I was really touched and don't know really how to express my appreciation.

     Overall this wasn't the race I thought I would have. I thought my knee pain would disappear and my shin pain was totally unexpected.  I guess if you do it right, your failures can be just as awesome as your successes.  My feelings have been conflicted on how to classify this achievement. 
     The best part, more than anything, was feeling the support and love from my wife and the the trail running community.  This day really spotlighted our little extended family both in The BARA (Bloomington Area Runners Association) and Indiana Trail Runners.

Getting the best hug ever after finishing !!!  Photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher

   

Taper time....Taper time.....Taper time.....

     So now I am tapering for my first 50 mile race, the OPSF 5050.  My training has went well....for the most part.  The course is on horse trails and goes up and down hills and valleys in the Owen Putnam State Forest in South Central Indiana.  The trails out there are rugged, muddy, and overgrown in places.
      I had a great summer training.  I managed to run about seven hundred miles and over 100k in elevation since June.  Not bad for being in Indiana.  Admittedly some of those miles were in California, Virginia, and Ohio.
      Friends of my wife and myself, who live in Southern California, opened up their home to us for a week.  We went on several runs with long periods of sustained climbs that ranged from 300' of elevation per mile to 4k of elevation per hill (or mountain in the latter case).  It was a great time and a great opportunity to pick the brains of two accomplished runners.  (Most importantly a technique to run hills more efficiently.  Always good to have.)
       I managed one 50k race (Not Yo Momma's 100) as a training run and managed to come in 3rd overall.  I was shocked at my placing but really feel like it was a fluke. Just a luck of the registered runners (or those who didn't register actually). The overall winner of the race came in an hour ahead of me.  Nonetheless it was a challenging course and it's probably an event I'd do again. Maybe a longer distance though.   The event had several distances 25k,50k,75k,100k, and a hundred mile all on a 25k course.  The start/finish line was a campground where my wife and I hung out after the race.  We had a great time.  Plus they give out sweet trophies.

    
    Since that overly successful training run I just focused on elevation.  Something I love to do.  I made up a training workout called the "Devil's Marathon" located in McCormick's Creek State Park.  Basically there is a hill there with one service road, two trails, and a staircase.  I did a circuit from the top of the hill down to one of the aforementioned things and repeated over and over.  The total length of each circuit is less than a third of a mile with about an average 175' of elevation gain.  I ended up with 27 miles with just under 7k of elevation gain.  This thing was ridiculous and mind and leg numbing.....but it left me with the confidence that I can handle anything elevation wise.
     Towards the end of the summer I started getting really bored of running the same trails over and over.  Part of this boredom led to the "Devil's Marathon" idea.  Totally illogical, "I'm tired of running these trails.  I'll just run the same 1/3 of a mile over and over and up and down."  Then I started getting in contact with another local runner who grew up in the area and knows all the nooks and crannies of all the local parks, state forests, and surrounding areas.  Fun and exciting things like bush whacking and running down country gravel roads and just exploring made the last several weeks of training more interesting.
     So now I just have to sit and wait for the race day.  My "hay is in the barn" as they say.  I cannot do any more work or preparation.  I had a couple of niggles show up the last week of running.  So the last week has been babying those.  I've been loading up with nutritious meals and stretching.  Letting my legs rest and repair.  I have no idea what race day will bring.  Victory, success, and possible disappointment.  If anything, it will be a fun day in the woods with friends.  Unless it rains...that will suck.....but as the saying goes "attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure"

General Bellyaching and Antsyness

     I've been getting antsy.  Normally I have Wednesdays off so I can do a long run as part of my training.  In the past month and a half I haven't had a Wednesday off.  My schedule has been disrupted by holidays and commitments I had made to friends running races or a mixture of tapering and recovering for/from races.
     I had a real nice rhythm going up until the DWD Gnaw Bone race.  Now it seems like my running and training have been wonky and inconsistent.  My weekly mileage has been fair.  I've gotten about forty miles a week for the last month or so.  I even managed to get about 57 in this past week.  Yet nothing over 13 miles.  This is a respectable amount but it seems like I had to beg, borrow, and steal for the time to get those miles in.  Nothing easy or relaxed in them.  This week I even got up at 5:30 am a couple of times to get some mileage in before work.  The runs were pretty good.  It was nice to know I can get an eight mile run in before work which is always a good option.  Maybe not ideal, but an option.  Perhaps the only solace in the week was getting 100,000' of elevation gain and getting over a thousand miles for the year already.
      Some of my antsyness could be the onset of summer and the heat and humidity that comes with it.  I don't know. It could be that I've been limited to running around the roads of the town I live in.  I just can't wait to get a day where I can get an uncompromised long run under my belt on a trail. Earlier in the year I had a great rhythm going and hope to get that going again.  Hopefully soon.

OPSF 5050

     So a few days after my last update (the one where I mention that I don't like racing towards the end), I went and registered for a 50 mile race that's taking place in my back yard.  The Owen Putnam State Forest 5050 is a trail race here in that is set to take place on November 8th.  The course, which I've run on several times over the past several years, is on public land that is primarily horse trails.

map of the Owen Putnam State Forest horse trails

      I like running the out there mostly because it's a challenging run.  Typically about three miles into my runs there I think "why the Hell do I come out here ?!?!?"   I haven't been too successful in getting anyone out there to run with me though.  I usually don't sugar coat my sales pitch about how hard the trail is compared to other local trails.  It's a rugged trail with multiple water crossings, steep inclines and declines, the trails aren't marked very well, it's very rocky, typically very muddy, there are sticks and branches everywhere, and tons of horse shit mixed in the mud. 
     There are steep hills meant for horse riders.  I guess horses would have an easier time getting up them.  If they were designed for hikers or runners, they would have incorporated some switchbacks to get up (or down) them easier.

my shoe the last time I ran at the OPSF

     Normally I get out there in the early spring because the foliage isn't as overgrown as it gets in the early to mid summer.  My last trip resulted in many scratches and my legs covered in mud and ticks.  Now that I'm registered for the race out there, I will probably try to make it out there more than I typically do in the summer. Knowing I have this race in November makes the humid training runs seem worthwhile.  I just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew making this my first 50 mile race.
   

What I've been up to.....or something.

So it's been awhile since I updated anything.  In the last few months I just decided to just run consistently.  I was running about forty to fifty mile weeks.  I was training for a 50 mile race but I injured my foot and that was pretty much the end of that.
     During my injury time I turned my attention to weight training.  I started learning how Bruce Lee trained for his sport and his methods became the inspiration for my training.  He had an insane training regimen with the philosophy that you should train every part of your body.  Now he was a martial arts fighter so this makes total sense for that.  I just want to run trail.  So I decided to focus my efforts on a weight training regimen that would help me become stronger and more injury proof.  Lots of core work and shoulder and leg strengthening.
     I came up with the training philosophy of "Train for nothing; be prepared for anything".  This was directly inspired by Bruce Lee.  I don't really like to run races.  I like training though.  If it wasn't for being registered for the Prairie Spirit run I wouldn't have minded being injured so much.  Weight training has been a good compliment to my running and a good substitution when I'm experiencing an injury.
    After several weeks my foot was healed and I started running again.  This was about mid March and I was advised not to run the Prairie Spirit run (by my foot doctor, wife and friends).  I then set my aim on a local race called "Dances With Dirt ~ Gnaw Bone".  I wanted to do the 50K or the 50 mile race there.  I did an 18 mile run three weeks from the event and figured the 50K distance would be a better fit.  The fifty miler would have been too much for me in hindsight.
    So in that month leading up to the race I started focusing on hill training.  I had to abandon any what little adherence to the Maffotone method I had in order to train the way I wanted.  This switch was inspired by a Bruce Lee quote:

     I see the Maffotone method as beneficial.I enjoy running hills and the Maffotone Method prevents me from doing that at my present fitness level.    Basically I don't have the patience to build my aerobic motor to get to the point where I can run hills according to the Maffetone method.  Another Bruce Lee quote that influenced me away from strict Maffetone adherence is "Obey the Principles without being bound by them."  So I decided to train by loosely following Maffotone's method but have fun training.  And for me, running hills and charging up them as part of my training is fun.
      The Gnaw Bone 50K came and went.  I had fun doing it and met a lot of cool people.  I went in wanting to run the course in under 6 hours and accomplished that feat.  I found out what weaknesses needed to be addressed but overall was pleased with my effort.  I had a good time but I still don't think I'm sold on running races.  I would just rather say "On such and such date I'm going to run 50 miles" and then train to do that.  I don't really need a t-shirt to commemorate the event.  Or a medal that will just lay around the house or something.  Or to spend a hundred dollars.
     Shortly after the GB50k a friend asked if I would pace him for a 100 mile race that he wanted to run.  It was about a month away and I agreed.  I had never paced anyone before so I had my work cut out for me.  I'm bad about my own nutrition and taking electrolytes and all that other shit while running.  Now I've agreed to help someone with their own nutritional needs while running.  We're fucked.   This race was the Mohican 100 that took place in Ohio on June 21st and 22nd.  I ended up pacing him for about 34 miles.
     I didn't really train for this.  I had just been consistent with my running so I was able to do the distance.  (Whether or not I did a good job pacing or not is another story.  I would give myself a C+)  This fit into my new "train for nothing; be prepared for anything" philosophy that I started following several months ago.  The 34 miles was a new distance PR by a little over an hour.  I did 33 and some change at the cancelled "Eight hours of Payne" non-event event. 
     The last several months have gotten me out of my routine.   I've had to request some weekends off, I had to taper for the Gnaw Bone and Mohican races, and holidays have thrown my routine off.  I had to struggle to run consistent with my normal Wednesday "long day" run being vacant.  I can't wait to get back in a good routine. 
     
    

Stupid mysterious foot injury

   The big race is aborted.  My participation in Operation: Double Secret Bigfoot is a failure.  I seem to have a possible bone bruise between my fifth metatarsal and the cuboid bone.  I don't know for sure because my doctor wants to rest the foot to see if the area heals and the pain clears up.  In the meantime, I have to wear a compression sleeve on my right foot.  I also have to rub some prescription strength bengay ointment stuff on my foot.  It burns just a little while it's on but luckily it's bad smell helps distract me from the burning sensation

please excuse my runner's toes

      .  The inserts kind of suck.  I've been wearing them a whole day.  My wife, who wears inserts, says it takes some time to get used to them.  "About two weeks", she said.  Fun.   I used to have funky feet as a kid.  I had to wear corrective shoes when I was about two or three years of age.  Thankfully, I don't remember ever having to wear them.  I remember going to the doctor about it but since I was a kid I didn't think anything about it.  It was normal.  Normal for me anyway.  I never thought about that time til now.  I guess the inserts having me thinking back to then.  I really don't remember any of it though.
     It's been a week since my last run.  That run felt good.  I went to McCormick's creek state park and ran a little over 5 miles.  I felt good the whole time with only a minor concern in my foot.  I didn't think anything of it since I knew I would be hypersensitive and mindful of my foot the whole time.  I ran, jumped and landed, and launched off rocks all without any pain or issue during or later that afternoon.  I came home and iced my foot just to be cautious.  I thought I was in the clear.
     Then the next morning I woke up to the same pain again.  I hobbled through my morning and was totally deflated and in a bad mood most of the day.  I called and set up an appointment with a podiatrist and just waited for the appointment day.
     So here I am writing this.  Part of me wants to go for a run, but there is the fear of aggravating the injury before it's healed fully.   But there's the fear and a plague of "what if's" that are going through my brain.  What if the inserts don't work?  What if I screw up the injury again like last week?  What if you're just being a pussy and driving yourself crazy for no fucking reason?  Things like that.

me driving myself batty with my "What if?" scenarios.

     It's a relatively minor injury that happened to occur at an unfortunate time in my training.  There are people in this world with a lot worse injuries and conditions than me.  I'm being kind of a dipshit about this whole thing in the grand scheme of things.  It's been frustrating but I've been keeping myself busy with weight training, stretching, and yoga.   To keep my cardio fit I've been riding an exercise bike.  I have no idea what I'm doing on the thing though.  I rode 30 miles on it and then 18 the next day.  My quads were tired the whole ride of the 18 miler but it was better than just sitting on my ass.
     The race I've been training for isn't going to happen for me.  I don't know how I feel about it.  I've had plenty of time to consider the possibility of not reaching the starting line for the race in the last couple of weeks.  Unfortunately I have gotten used to an injury taking me out of a race in the short time I've been back running.  I have a very small success rate when it comes to signing up for a race, training for it, and making it to the finish line it seems.  Anymore I'm getting the pessimistic mindset that any race I pay to enter is going to be a donation and I'll get to run it if I avoid injuring myself.  I don't know how healthy this is but I get a small amusement out of it.
         Part of me wants to blame winter for this, but could I just have a flaw in my running footfall? There is obviously something wrong with my foot caused by how I land on it.  If there wasn't a mechanics flaw, then how did the injury occur?  Could it be that I've just been getting lucky so far and my increased mileage brought the problem to light?  I have no idea.  Could the injury just be shitty luck and a fluke?  I have no idea.  Could it be that all the running I did was on roads and not trails?  I have no idea.  Is it better that I get to rest through winters last hurrah with an injury rather than through spring?  Probably.  Was I ready for the race?  I don't know.  My last big run was the catalyst for the injury, so it's hard to tell.  All of this has shaken my confidence.  They say that a lot of endurance running is mental.  I'm wondering if I have the mental fortitude to keep at this.  This injury has me wondering if I have the physical fortitude to keep at this as well.  I know this will all change when the smoke clears and I'm back to training for some race that, hopefully, won't end up being just a donation to some race director.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

thanks for reading this 
 

Injured and being a big obsessive baby about it.....or something

     I guess I only write posts when I have an injury.  I rested my foot for the last week and had no pain yesterday and when I woke this morning.  I figured I would go for a little injury recovery test run, about three miles, and see what was happening.
     There was a mild "pressure" in the area but I didn't think anything of it.  Coming back from injury has always caused a hyper-awareness of the injured area.  Today was no different.  I ran some and walked some to get my heart rate stabilized.  This was a near impossible feat for some reason.  I decided to blame the half pot of coffee I drank before deciding to go for my run.  My heart rate was way too high which made me walk to calm it down....then run when it was in a desirable level.
    This continued for the first couple of miles which was fine.  My foot felt good at times and concerning at others...nothing unusual.  Some oddness was expected.  Then just past the two and a half mile point I experienced a sharp pain in the spot.  I immediately brought the run to a walk with a wave of rage mixed with frustration and disappointment. Mostly rage.

          I walked for a couple of yards and then began at a light trot for home.  Luckily I was just running little laps around my neighborhood just in case something like this happened. 
     I made it home without any more surprise pain signals and immediately iced my foot for about twenty minutes.  Walking on it seems fine and there isn't any lingering pain.  I may have stopped in time to prevent any set backs...who knows...
     Then for the next hour or so I just took my frustrations out on lifting weights, doing core work, and body weight exercises.  I even got out the Bosu balance trainer to see if  one legged standing on my bad foot irritated it.  (I was fine and discovered that I could use some improving on my balance.) For some reason, doing something physical to focus on seems to keep my mind from obsessing about what could be wrong with my foot.  Then I decide to write a blog post and here I am obsessing about what could be wrong with my foot.  Free association symptom obsession that leads everywhere from some kind of soft tissue damage to possible stress fractures.
     My chiropractor did a stress fracture test with some kind of large tuning fork thing.  If I had a stress fracture the tiny vibrations in the spot would have been excruciatingly painful.  Luckily I passed that test.  The next day I had an x-ray and that didn't show anything either.  The next step, if things persist in the next week or so, is to get an MRI.  Hopefully it won't come to that.  Hopefully I just need some more time to heal and I can get back to it. 
     In the meantime, it seems like I will have to occupy myself with weight lifting, core work, and stretching to keep myself busy.  Unfortunately, I'm afraid I will spend the whole time obsessing over what is wrong with my foot.

Operation double secret bigfoot

    So my wife and I have been "secretly" training for an ultra race.  I say "secretly" because the closer we get to the race the more people seem to be finding out or figuring out that we've been training for something.  I've told a handful of people (my doctor, my chiropractor, my trainer at the gym, my massage therapist, the guy who you have to give your day off requests to at work).  People that needed to know.  It's not a big deal that the cats getting out of the bag.   I think it's getting so close that it's better for our nerves to tell people.
     I originally dubbed the whole thing "Operation Double Secret Bigfoot".  The reason I wanted to keep it all hush hush is because the race distance is new territory for me.  I just wanted to keep the event to myself, my wife, and a close group of friends.  My wife and friends have utmost confidence that I can finish the distance.
     Fifty miles scares the shit out of me.  Mentally I think I can handle the distance.  Physically is a whole other thing.  At the beginning of February I had a strange muscle dysfunction happen to a stabilizer muscle in my right shin.  It was fine to run on except when going downhill.  It hurt like hell.  I basically rested it for four days and then it was fine.  This led to a cut down week and a huge snowstorm.  This combo led me to do some treadmill running for the week. I ran 18 on the machine and then did a 5 or 6 mile run in town to see if the shin muscle healed.  Thankfully it did and it was then time to taper for a 50k training run.
     The 50k (31 miles) training run was a mixed bag of success and one failure.  I've been getting in the habit of taking electrolyte pills every six miles on long runs.  I did a tour of Bloomington and hit a couple of businesses for water breaks and water refills.  I stopped and stretched when I felt the need.  I had a couple of Ugo bars and a couple of Epic meat bars.
     At the twenty mile mark I ran into my friend Deke and that boosted my spirit and energy.  Then somewhere around mile 24 my left knee started giving me problems on a stretch of snow packed sidewalk.  The pain got annoying and wouldn't go away.  I decided to walk to see if that would be better.  Just slightly.  Then when I tried to run again the pain was worse than what it was, but lessened as I kept going.  It was around here that I also realized that I dropped one of my Salomon skin flasks.  That fucker cost me eighteen bucks.  I decided to cut the run and get back to my car.  Shortening the scheduled mileage by four miles.
     I went home and iced my knee.  Used a foam roller and a runner's stick on it.  Then took an anti-inflammatory.  I went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night to take my dog out.  The knee was a little stiff and had a slight pain in it.  When I woke in the morning it was a little tender but totally tolerable.  By the end of the day it felt fine.  It was forty degrees outside when I got off work and I had to really resist going for a run.  I was scheduled for a rest day and common sense forced me to do it.
     I also had a slight weird twinge in my right foot the next day.  I was wearing my hiking boots at the time (which hurt my feet anyway) so I just kind of blamed it on them.  On Saturday I went for my a small five mile run and halfway through it I had a couple of sharp pains surge through the foot.  Then the next day,Sunday, I went for an eleven mile run with the intention of being mindful of the spot where the pain occurred.  It was a little tender at times but the tenderness came and went but never stayed.  I finished my run and was pleased that the foot pain was gone.
     So I started shoveling my driveway after the run and my foot started hurting.  Like Hurting !!!  Halfway through the task I started to hobble and my mood soured.  Damn !!!  I hobbled all day.  At the grocery store, at a charity dinner benefit, and in every parking lot.  I took Monday and Tuesday off of running and the pain has lessened.  I've been icing and taking anti-inflammatories. 
     So here I am typing this.  I'm confident the current injury will heal in time for the race.   I guess I'm worried that I'll have another injury pop up on the big race day.  If it happens; it happens.  It'll bug the piss out of me, but there won't be anything I can do. If it's something manageable I will just have to compensate for it.  I would like to finish the race but a DNF is always a possibility. 
     I look forward to pushing myself to a new distance personal record.  I know that I won't emerge unscathed.  I know I'll emerge changed, but hopefully for the better. My main goal is to finish the race and have fun doing it without destroying myself.  I guess I'm at the point where pushing myself to my limit and going beyond that is fun.  I like to think I'm capable of doing it....I just hope this aging body cooperates.  Hopefully, I'm getting all the possible injuries out of the way so when I get to the starting line I'll be nice and shiny.

Stupid f'n two or three day injuries

     Good Lord.  Winter is grinding me down.  I've been developing little annoying injuries that last anywhere from three days to a week.  I'll heal through one with minimal training schedule skipping days only to pick up another the following week.  So far I've been lucky the niggles have developed just prior to a cut down week.  It was no biggie to skip a run in order to healing, rest, catch up on house work, and dog hang out time.
     I can't decide if all these little injuries are a result of all this cold weather running or not.  I just got over a weird stabilization muscle issue in my right shin only to develop a pain in my right knee on my last long run (which bullshittingly cut it short).  The knee thing went away only for me to realize there is a knot in the muscle of the same leg's calf.  I've been trying to figure out if the injury is from running or working out at the gym.  My wife thinks trying to figure it out is stupid and/or crazy.  I guess I'm just a mixture of those two things then.  
     Typically I don't have much going on in my head so that gives me time to analyze my activities.   This causes me to overthink these things a lot.  I don't know if this is normal or not.  It's just what I do.  I guess when I was younger these injuries were instant and their causes were immediately known. Overuse injuries and tired body parts aren't a new thing, but when you add an aging body to the mix....I don't know. 
    Anyway, I'll just keep on keeping on.
    

winter running and slight gear review

     Winter is here and I'm training through it.  This past week I had double "more miles than degrees" days.  On Wednesday I ran a little over twenty two miles with the temperature getting no higher than eleven degrees or so.  Of course, the "feels like" temp was negative one.  The following day I ran ten miles after work and the outside temperature was about the same.
     There are other places in the world where the winter weather is much harsher.  Mofos in Alaska have it a lot harder than we do here in the Midwest.  I don't see it as a big deal.  I've been keeping  my routes close to home just in case things turn bad.  I would much rather be on the trails but I've been playing it safe.   I've been running mostly roads in my town in my old pair of trail shoes.  My Altra lone peak 1.5s have more traction that I trust more than my Altra Instinct 1.5 road shoes.(Though I did wear the Instincts today and had only one slip.  So I am starting to trust them more in the ice and snow too.)  I know the road running is going to be hard on the treads of the Lone Peaks but I have a practically new back up pair that have been itching to hit the trails as my main trail shoe.
     Since I'm committed to training through the winter, I've been forced to experiment with layering and functionality.  So far I've been lucky and getting it mostly right.  On the subzero days I wore compression shorts with two layers of running tights and my legs were fine.  Injinji socks with wool socks over those kept my feet plenty warm.  I had a moisture wicking t-shirt, a Mizuno thermal top, and a windbreaker.  I wore an old school ski mask with a buff over the mouthhole to protect my face.  The moisture from my breath caused the buff to freeze so I had to peel it down to my neck.  I was fine without it anyway.  For my hands I wear a base layer that are just a pair of ninety nine cent stretch gloves.  Over these I have a pair of windproof Saucony mitten/gloves.  I always start off the runs with the mittens on then peel them back to regular gloves as my body heats up.  (On milder days I do without the base layer stretch gloves and even run without the gloves after a couple of miles or so.)
    One thing I quickly learned earlier in the winter season is that the water in the tube from my camel back hydration pack freezes rendering it useless.

There is a trick where you can take a sip through the tube and then blow the water back.  I was a total fail at this.  Doing this successfully makes the water slosh in the bladder which is annoying.  Then when the tube froze on my run I was doomed to hear the splish splosh of water that I could have done without for the next twenty miles or so.....Great !!!
    I solved the camel back problem by hydrating all day.  (Probably something I should have been doing anyway.)  And not using the hydration pack at all.  I definitely don't need as much water in the winter as much as I do in the summer.  I don't carry water now unless it's over twelve miles or so.  I know I can still get dehydrated in the winter and that it's still a danger.  So far I've been smart or lucky....maybe lucky.
     My wife found a Salomon advanced skin s-lab 2 belt on sale in the Irunfar.com store that I've been using on long runs (runs of 15 miles or more).  It's probably the most comfortable belt I've worn and it holds two little soft flasks.  (and just to clarify:  I hate hydration belts.)  I've been wearing the belt under my layers which keep the water in the flasks from freezing.  The belt hasn't chaffed me once and it's been pretty awesome on the handful of runs I've used it.  The pockets can hold my house key, nutrition bars (which I still forget to eat during runs) and electrolyte pills (which I also forget to take during long runs).

So back to the cold.  Winter isn't the greatest season to run in.  There is an acclimatization that takes place where you get used to the cold.  It's a tolerance or a hardening that occurs I suppose.  It sucks but so far dressing right and experimenting with layering and ways to store different layer shedding has made all the difference.  So far my only mishap was on last Thursday's run where I only wore one long sleeve shirt under the windbreaker.  Towards the end of the run my elbows were starting to feel cold, then the sensation stopped.
     After my run I stretched a little then hopped into a warm shower.  As soon as the water hit my elbows I experienced a sharp needle like pain in both of them.  I looked at them and they were a dark pinkish beet red color and fucking hurt.  I immediately got them out of the shower stream and put my hands on opposite elbows and just stood there.  My hands soothed them and the pain was subsiding.  "I got fuckin' frostbite on my elbows," I thought.  Dumb ass !!!  After what seemed like forever the pain stopped and when I removed my hands the color returned to normal.  Dodging bullets....and now I wear a long sleeve moisture wicking long sleeve shirt in addition to the Mizuno thermal and a t-shirt. 
     Winter running has it's drawbacks, if you're not careful you can find yourself in a bad situation.  The same can be said for summer running....or just running in general.  All in all the seasons are just one more factor that makes running interesting.
     Do I like winter running?  I have no idea.  Some runs are magical and awesome.  Some are just stupid and I can't wait to have the mileage under my belt.  Sometimes in a run I think I have lost my mind.  Running down the street in the dark with a head lamp on and a reflective vest.  My face covered except for my eyes showing.  Breathing in and out through the frozen fabric of a fleece neck buff.  Ugh.  Oddly enough, I don't really hate it.