"It never gets easier, you just go faster." - Greg Lemond

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

To C or not to C? That is my question

(Vitamin C)
I will be the first to admit, inflammation is not always something I look forward to feeling when I step out of bed in the morning.  Whether it is an inflamed toe from cutting a nail too short, an inflamed and swollen ligament from training to hard, or something as simple as sore muscles, it can be uncomfortable.  In the case of muscle soreness, inflammation is often attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage cellular structures, impairing muscle function and result in fatigue.  ROS are generated during exercise through oxidative metabolism within the mitochondria, as well as in response to changes in oxygen availability and pH in the local microenvironment.   Importantly, ROS can be quenched by antioxidants such as Resveratrol, Quercitin, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C, and in the 90s antioxidants were heavily promoted to reduce muscle fatigue and enhance exercise performance.
                That being said, antioxidants supplementation is very common in exercise supplements, take a look at your favorite brand of gel or sports drink, does it contain Vitamin C or E?  I know several of my favorite products such as Gu, Succeed! Ultra and Amino, Cytomax, and Powerbars contain one or both.  Not surprisingly, studies suggest approximately 50% of elite and 40% of non-elite athletes take a daily vitamin supplement, usually in quantities well above the recommended levels (1).  Antioxidants work almost entirely independent of NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Tylenol) to alleviate inflammation, quenching ROS produced during exercise by donating an electron to the ROS, preventing the generation of inflammatory signals.  In turn, this causes the anti-oxidant to become a pro-oxidant itself; however, anti-oxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E are rapidly converted back into stable forms by natural enzymatic pathways (2).  While there is strong evidence suggesting much of the cardioprotective effects of certain foods such as tea, chocolate and wine are due to high levels of antioxidants, there is also a substantial body of evidence suggesting antioxidant use during exercise may also impair the critical training adaptations resulting from exercise.
                  The first step to understanding this hypothesis begins with understanding that ROS can be both beneficial and harmful for an endurance athlete.  There is significant data supporting the concept that the generation of ROS during exercise is an important step in initiating the adaptations that result from periods of training (3, 4).   ROS production during exercise has been found to be important for the upregulation of several genes important for the increasing generation of mitochondria, the mini power plants within muscle cells.  One of the defining features of elite or highly trained athletes is mitochondrial density.  Muscle biopsies from these athletes show a much greater number of mitochondria per cell, theoretically indicating a greater capacity to produce ATP, the fuel source for exercising muscles.  To clarify, both carbohydrate and fat can be used as fuel for muscle, but these fuel sources must first be converted to ATP within the mitochondria before they are available for use by muscle. 
                Skeletal muscle adaptations from training have been linked to the increase in the activity of several regulatory pathways within the muscle cell, including a protein central to the biogenesis or formation of new mitochondria within the muscle cell. (4)  This protein, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PCG-1α) promotes formation of new mitochondria through activating other proteins that bind to DNA and regulate gene expression (3).  Furthermore, this protein is found at much higher levels in slow-twitch oxidative muscle fibers (4), understandable as these fibers have a relatively high number of mitochondria and are responsible for sustaining endurance exercise (see my blog of fat oxidation in Type I muscle fibers).   Most importantly, the activation of PCG-1α is redox sensitive; ROS activate PCG-1α (3)!  Thus, this has lead to a hypothesis proposing that antioxidant consumption during training periods, results in the quenching of ROS, in turn impairing the activation of PCG-1α, and blunting mitochondrial biogenesis. 
                Because mitochondrial biogenesis is critical for the increase in aerobic capacity following training, there have been several studies attempting to address whether chronic antioxidant supplementation can reduce training induced gains in aerobic capacity.  While fairly consistent data exists in animal models (5, 6), there are mixed results in human studies as to whether this phenomenon holds true.  In one study, 4 week supplementation with a combination of vitamin C and vitamin E resulted in decreased expression of several markers of mitochondrial biogenesis following endurance training (7).  Furthermore, this study, and at least one other that I am aware of, have noted that other health benefits such as the upregulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes as well as increased insulin sensitivity resulting from exercise training may also be subverted by antioxidant supplementation (7, 8).  However, scientists in another study supplemented 11 males with vitamin C and E while 10 received placebo.  The subjects were instructed to consume vitamin supplements with breakfast afterw hich they had the study participants undergo an intense exercise regime for 12 weeks.  Overall, the scientists that conducted this study observed marked increases in Vo2 max, maximum power, and power at lactic threshold following the 12 week training protocol, but found no differences between the group receiving antioxidant supplementation and the group receiving placebo leading them to conclude that in their study antioxidant supplementation did not impair training-induced gains (1).  However, the authors did not measure mitochondrial biogenesis, only examining factors influenced by mitochondrial density.   
                There definitely appears to be conflicting reports as to whether antioxidant supplementation impairs exercise-induced muscle adaptations.  I am of the opinion that the paucity of the data suggests that this concept is influenced heavily by one’s fitness status before beginning a training regime.  That is to say, less trained individuals taking an antioxidant supplement may observe fewer adaptations to training than someone of their same fitness level not taking supplements.  In highly trained individuals, the body has already considerably upregulated natural pathways to abolish ROS once they are produced, perchance making it more difficult to observe an effect of antioxidant supplementation.  While the data I have highlighted here is focused mainly on vitamin C and E, there have been reports that other antioxidants such as CoQ10 have the similar effect in dampening training induced gains (9).  After speaking with another Human Nutrition grad student, we both agreed that the take home message from this piece of word vomit is not that you should avoid your anti-oxidant rich blueberries, strawberries, glass of wine or piece of dark chocolate, but rather, think twice about taking pharmacological doses found in supplements (1000% Daily Value).  Interestingly, while Gu contains antioxidants, I noticed that Hammer Gel, Clif Shots, Powerbar Gel, and Honeystinger Gels do not.  Maybe my application of this principal will be to rely on Gu gels only when racing.  On a personal note, I enjoy basking in some good old soreness and encourage you to not shy away from feeling sore, because it is your body’s own way of telling itself to adapt.  Maybe there still is a place for antioxidants during exercise in order to increase performance and ward-off fatigue during racing when the goal is to just finish the damn thing or if it is your #1 A race of the year and its PR or fail – but that is a different blog all together!

Works Cited

1.            Yfanti C, Akerstrom T, Nielsen S, Nielsen AR, Mounier R, Mortensen OH, Lykkesfeldt J, Rose AJ, Fischer CP, Pedersen BK. Antioxidant supplementation does not alter endurance training adaptation. Med Sci Sports Exerc.  Jul;42:1388-95.
2.            Linster CL, Van Schaftingen E. Vitamin C. Biosynthesis, recycling and degradation in mammals. FEBS J. 2007 Jan;274:1-22.
3.            Kang C, O'Moore KM, Dickman JR, Ji LL. Exercise activation of muscle peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha signaling is redox sensitive. Free Radic Biol Med. 2009 Nov 15;47:1394-400.
4.            Suwa M, Nakano H, Radak Z, Kumagai S. Endurance exercise increases the SIRT1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha protein expressions in rat skeletal muscle. Metabolism. 2008 Jul;57:986-98.
5.            Strobel NA, Peake JM, Matsumoto A, Marsh SA, Coombes JS, Wadley GD. Antioxidant supplementation reduces skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis. Med Sci Sports Exerc.  Jun;43:1017-24.
6.            Gomez-Cabrera MC, Domenech E, Romagnoli M, Arduini A, Borras C, Pallardo FV, Sastre J, Vina J. Oral administration of vitamin C decreases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and hampers training-induced adaptations in endurance performance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;87:142-9.
7.            Ristow M, Zarse K, Oberbach A, Kloting N, Birringer M, Kiehntopf M, Stumvoll M, Kahn CR, Bluher M. Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 May 26;106:8665-70.
8.            Yfanti C, Nielsen AR, Akerstrom T, Nielsen S, Rose AJ, Richter EA, Lykkesfeldt J, Fischer CP, Pedersen BK. Effect of antioxidant supplementation on insulin sensitivity in response to endurance exercise training. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab.  May;300:E761-70.
9.            Malm C, Svensson M, Ekblom B, Sjodin B. Effects of ubiquinone-10 supplementation and high intensity training on physical performance in humans. Acta Physiol Scand. 1997 Nov;161:379-84.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Groovy Weekend

One mean looking bird

Finally found myself getting back into the groove of solid mileage after Oil Creek 100.  I know I jumped back into my high mileage lifestyle too quickly, as after taking 1 week fairly easily, I logged over 100 miles in the week starting only 7 days after OC100.  After that it was crash and burn for the rest of October, and besides a PR 2:23ish on the 18 mile Potawatomi aka Poto (on my birthday none-the-less), I had a pretty hit and miss month of running. 

Searching for motivation, November has found me running more roads with my mind focusing on turn over and legspeed.  I have been mixing it up with other workouts on the treadmill, with a mind to keeping the incline turned up and the speed moderate.  This seems to be a better workout for me than really cranking between 8.5-9.5mph, which almost always leads to an injury of some sort. 

This weekend I did not record a huge number of miles, but I found myself happy to just be running.

The Poto is relentless in its rolling nature - an excellent trail system
 Jason Robertson and I met up Saturday morning for a nice outing on the Poto, and like usual, we had a great time.  I really want to get a large group of people together sometime and do a "fatass" style 50k on these trails.  Maybe I can get organized and make it happen this spring.  This loop is a gem and we managed 22 miles without ever having to travel the same trail twice.  Even better, it has a solid 2300 feet of ascent and 2300 feet of descent to keep ones mind occupied.  Oh and did I mention its very technical and rocky? :)  A trail runners dream (or nightmare)...

I followed up Saturdays AM effort with a light 5 mile shakeout run in the PM.  The next morning my Dad told me about a cyclocross route he had envisioned and invited me along to run it.  Looking at a topo map, I was excited by the amount of hills and looked forward to running some completely foreign roads.  Despite losing my map about 5 miles into the run and having to back track for an extra 2 miles, I had a great time and saw one of the biggest red tail hawks I have ever seen.  It was great to do a long road run - in fact this is the longest road run I have done in almost a year - and I was even more pleased to hold a 7:30 pace without too much stress for the entire jaunt.

Suh-weet Sunday run followed up by a Detroit Lions victory!!!
I really think I need to incorperate more fast pace road runs of this nature into my training in order to keep my leg speed up when I am running mostly trails.  While I have great stamina, I have never been a particularly fast runner.  Maybe this is because I never ran XC or Track in my youth and have no formal running training.  I like to think so.  I generally avoid long road runs due to the increased chances of hurting myself, but I think by finding dirt roads to run on, I may be able to avoid this problem.  I wonder if other ultrarunners maintain leg speed by doing road runs or if they are just naturally fast.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Brooks L.S.D. Lite II Jacket Review

Oh shit, I thought as I bounced across the pavement.  Running at night can be dangerous, even with a headlamp.  Somehow I missed the branches that lay across the sidewalk and cruising along in my own little world, tripped hard.  As I gingerly picked myself up, I decided I was ok, and nothing was broken.  Then I thought, oh man, I am sure I trashed my new jacket.
Photo - Runningwarehouse.com

The run had started a good 3.5 hours earlier, when I learned that Montrail along with local shoe store, Playmakers, was hosting a fun run at the Harris nature center.  Excited to actually have some destination running, I packed my Nathan pack with a headlamp for when it got dark, a couple gels, a pair of gloves, and my arm sleeves.  I also strapped my Brookes L.S.D. II jacket to the shock cords before I left. 

Strap it on and forget about it.  Until you need it, of course...
I bought this jacket for several reasons.  1) I wanted a ultralight jacket that I would not notice carrying around.  2) I wanted something that would provide some measure of protection if caught unprepared in rain.  3) The vast farm fields in the East Lansing area really get windy during the winter.  4) I was concerned it would rain at OC100 and wanted to avoid the ultrashakes as much as possible.

So far I am quite happy with my purchase.  Most of the time it remains strapped to the back of a waist pack or backpack, but occasionally I will tie it around my waist.  It is advertised as a lightweight windproof shell with a DWR water resistant coating, and it is certainly windproof (now I just need some windproof briefs), and while I have yet to test it in a downpour, it works great during light showers.  There is one small pocket that the jacket itself can stuff into.  I dont use this feature often, but I guess its a nice touch.  One of the huge selling points for me was that it came with a hood, and while its not a fancy adjustable hood, its compact and fits my head well.  The zippers etc seem to be well made, I guess we will see how well it holds up after a winter of abuse.
Compact yet protective - very nice!

When the jacket first arrived, I was amazed by how light it was.  Compared to other running jackets I have, its unbelievable.  Surprisingly, it breathes fairly well, probably much better than a true waterproof jacket.  However, I find that it keeps me very warm.  Its advertised to be used between 40-55 degrees, but I start to cook pretty quick when running if it is warmer than 40 outside.  On the other hand, when standing around, I pull on this jacket and instantly warm up (especially if its windy), which is a big plus for such a light jacket.  Upon noticing that it was so lightweight, I was immediately concerned I would get it snagged on a branch or plant or fall down and tear it up.  To my astonishment, when I fell on the sidewalk hard enough to scrape up my elbows, the jacket didnt seem phased.  While the sleeves dont have a lot of stretch, I find that my size small can still roll up past my elbows if I want to keep my core warm and cool off my arms a little.  That being said, the size small still has plenty of room underneath, maybe too much.  The baggy fit might be nice for this winter though, as I plan to use this over one or two layers for running outside.  Probably my biggest disappointment, was that the jacket quickly will fall down and wont stay in place if not zipped up.  I noticed that Salomon puts a small button and tie across the chest of their jacket, so that this doesn't happen.  If brookes would include this small feature, the L.S.D. lite II would be hard to beat, especially at Runningwarehouse.com's prices.  

Overall, this is a great piece of gear for an ultrarunner who never knows what to expect from the weather.  When shopping around I was between the L.S.D lite II, The North Face Better Than Naked, Sugoi Helium, New Balance NBx windblocker, and the Salomon Fast III Jacket.  TNF was too expensive, Sugoi fit like a windshirt, NBx was fairly heavy and the Salomon jacket - well I couldnt find my size.  Again, I am very pleased with my decision to get the L.S.D. Lite II, a good price with more than adequate protection.  I imagine a windproof water resistant jacket is almost an absolutely necessary piece of gear for a mountain runner, but I wouldnt really know :)  I am very pleased with the durability as well as the weight of the garment.  And because of its super lightweight and easy stow-ability, this jacket comes almost everywhere with me.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Tomorrow is the day

The Western States 100 lottery opens up tomorrow.  I tried to get in last year, with no luck.  Part of me is glad that I didnt.  I think WS100 would be an overly ambitious first 100.  But now I have two 100s under my belt, and have finished them with decent times.  For me, that first 100 was brutal, the lows are really low, and I didnt know how to eat like I do now.  That being said, since I did enter last year, apparently I will get an extra ticket in the hat.  Last I heard, I will probably have an 11-12% chance of getting picked.  Who knows if I will get in, but I am cetainly gonna give it a try.  I wont get into too much into the debate about whether WS100 needs to update their lottery process, you can read about that over at http://www.irunfar.com/2011/11/supply-and-demand.html

I do think the best process would be to require a 100 mile finish before allowed to enter the lottery as well as tightening up the qualifying times (sure stratify them by age/gender) at specific races in each region.  Anyways, I cannot imagine anything I would rather spend $375.00 on than a chance to run WS.  Not to mention plane tickets, car rentals, hotel rooms, etc.  It could mean $1000.00.

For those of you interested in WS100, enjoy these videos.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins

Being a carbohydrate monster, I like to supplement my diet with muffins.  One of my favorite fall recipes (although I make these year-round) is my pumpkin muffins.  The below recipe will make between 18-24 muffins.  I like to use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao chips.  The walnuts are definitely optional.  I add the soy flour to give them a little extra protein and a slightly nutty taste.  Spray your muffin pan lightly with Pam or baking spray and bake on 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.




1.75 cups white flour
1.75 cups 100% whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
0.5 cups chopped walnuts
2 tablespoon canola oil
0.5 cups soy flour
2 eggs
30 oz pumpkin puree
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
120 grams chocolate chips
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
A dash of cayenne pepper



Calories                        242
 

Total Fat                       7.0g
Saturated Fat                2.2g
Trans Fat                     0.0g
Cholesterol                   23mg
Sodium                         91mg
Total Carbohydrates     39.8g
Dietary Fiber                3.0g           
Sugars                          17.3g
Protein                          6.2g

Vitamin A 148% Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 5% Iron 13%
Nutrition Grade B
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Monday, October 31, 2011

Salomon Speedcross 3 Review

SC3 left SC2 right
On my second pair of SC3s, I did a little old fashion cobbler work and lowered the heel drop to 5 or 6mm:  Reduced Heel SC3s

Had these for a while.  Been meaning to post a review, but finally have put in enough miles that I feel I can give an accurate take on this shoe.  First, my experience with Salomon shoes - I really like the products put out by Salomon.  Yes, they are a little bit pricier, but man these are great pieces of well built gear.  I have run in the Speedcross 2, Fellcross, and now Speedcross 3.  The Fellcross has been my workhorse for most of the summer as well as a racing shoe.  The Speedcrosses are my bombproof rugged trail busters.  Maybe by some peoples standards this shoe is not beefy enough, but for me, someone who spends most of my time in shoes under 9oz the Speedcross 3 feels like a tank.

Compared to the SC2, the SC3's graphics have been updated.  The salomon racing rainbow has been elongated to cover the entire tongue, and some interesting new color schemes have been released.  I went with the all black shoes, because my size in the canary/gun metal were sold out.  Also changed on upper was the toe bumper.  I never had a problem with the SC2 bumper, and I havent had any problems with the SC3 bumper so I guess its all good.  Of course they use Salomon quick-lace technology, with a slightly updated tightening mechanism.

SC3 on the left Fellcross on the right
The cushion is the LT lightweight muscle cushion, which can also be found in the Fellcross.  There is plenty of cushion in the SC3, although they didnt feel as "soft" as my SC2s, I am not sure if this is because of less miles on the SC3 (~150) compared to the SC2 (~500).  A huge change is the heel to toe drop, which according to Salomon and runningwarehouse.com is 9mm.  Its still a significant amount of heel, but lower than the 12mm found on the SC2, I want a 6mm drop SC!!!!  I appreciate Salomon lowering the heel on this shoe, but really wish they had fully committed to making this shoe more midfoot strike friendly.  Unlike the Fellcross which has a 4mm drop, the SC3 feels like it still encourages a significant amount of heel striking.  This was obvious in the SC2, and maybe feels a little less encouraged in the SC3.  During Oil Creek, I was feeling great on the downhills until about mile 70 when my quads started to feel abused.  I had just changed into the SC3s, now I am not sure if it was just time for my quads to hurt, or if something about my downhill running form changed in the SC3s, but it is worth mentioning to anyone reading this (so no one...).


I think the two most significant changes I noticed were the lack of pronation control in the SC3 and a change to the lug pattern.  Being a neutral runner I appreciated the lack of pronation control, however I found both the SC2 and SC3 fairly easy to roll an ankle in.  I think this is due to the narrow footprint of the shoe as well as being fairly high off the ground.
The foam under the arch of the SC3 (left) is not nearly as built up as it is in the SC2 (right).  Removed pronation control


SC3 left SC2 right
In general, the SC3's lug pattern seems a little more thought out.  Its good to see Salomon improving on current designs.  The lugs are more carefully placed in the heel and toes in order to give optimum traction on parts of your foot with high levels of contact with the ground.  Such as the heel for downhills.  If you can see it in the photo, I have warn down the lugs on my SC2 in the heels, while on the SC3 they are heavily reinforced to keep them from getting abused by being connected to lugs that are directly in front of them.  This definitely was noticeable for me, and I felt much more control on steep downs when braking from the heel than I did in the SC2.  This feature or design can also be found on the Fellcross.

A quick comparison to the Fellcross.  These shoes (SC3) are more protective, less flexible and a narrower fit.  I think they are more comfortable on very rocky terrain as there is more push through protection and the larger lugs provide more protection.  However, the sizing doesn't seem to be the same, as I loved my size 10.5 in the Fellcross, but feel claustrophobic in the 10.5 SC3s (They are better after removing the insoles) and if I have a little extra $ before the MT110s are released I might grab a size 11 SC3.  Neither shoe breathes particularly well, but I am excited to use both as winter shoes, I think the SC3 will see a little more work as it seems beefer.
SC3 top Fellcross bottom.  The Fellcross is wider both in the toebox and in the ankle collar

Overall I am pleased with the SC3.  It will be a shoe that I may use when my feet are feeling particularly beat up, during a later part of a race or maybe on back to back runs or difficult two a days.  The traction is fantastic (did I mention I like lugged shoes?), and Salomon is headed in the right direction by releasing the 4mm drop Fellcross and lowering the SC3 to 9mm.  The biggest downfalls of the SC3 in my opinion, is that the toebox is too narrow and not tall enough and the sizing was difficult and not consistent with the SC2 (my 10.5s are perfect).

Hope this helps.  If there are any unanswered questions, let me know.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

Looking for motivation

I just wanted to share some of my favorite youtube vids that give me great motivation and get me excited about this sport.  Most people don't understand why anyone would run an ultra, let alone a 100.  If you've never ran an ultra, or trail race for that matter, you may never understand why we do this.  Maybe these vids will help.  And if you have ran an ultra, you know why these vids are so special.  I hope these help provide some excitement for all my friends with big 100's coming up this November.  I will post several vids here, and more in a later post.  Enjoy!

 


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Brooks Pure$hit

Ok so maybe the title is a little dramatic.  I got a pair of these almost immediately after they were released and was overall very excited about a 4mm heel to toe drop trail shoe with input from ultrarunning legend Scott Jurek.  As soon as I got these shoes I thought - if I wanted to look this ridiculous I would have bought Hokas.  Several clown shoe comments later I was out the door for my first road to trail run in them.
     One of the first things I noticed was that when I was lacing them up I couldn't get them as snug around my foot as I would have liked.  I have wide feet, but they are not very tall (does that make sense?) and found myself lacing the shoes up as tight as I could in order to try to secure my mid-foot. This made the useless "nav-band" seem even more useless as it floated about with absolutely no tension.  They also seemed to be wayyy to long in my normal 10.5.  I thought it wouldnt be an issue and might be nice to not bump my toes.
Photo - Therunnersvibe.com
     Standing still I could feel the "footpod" underneath my midfoot and thought the shoe had a nice rocker feel.  It was strange, but I had read on irunfar.com that the footpod wasn't noticeable once you start running.  So I started running.  Once I hit the trails I immediately noticed the great traction.  This was one of the things that had excited me about these shoes - I love lugged outsoles.  The puregrit really bit in to the ground and I found myself happy with the amount of protection and cushion that the bio-go material provided.  They kind of reminded me of my old cascadia IV with the amount of cushion and protection.  Surprising for a "minimalist" type shoe.
      As I was running in these shoes I could not no matter how many times I retied my shoes or tried different size socks, get my heel to lock down.  Brookes didn't include the extra eyelet on these shoes, perhaps thinking their "nav-bad" would do the trick.  It did not.  I never noticed any dramatic changes from the split toe design so I am going to go ahead and say it - Gimmick.  Same with the nav-bad - Gimmick (how did wear testers not let Brookes know about this?).  And the foot-pod, well it does let you know where you are landing, but I just never got comfortable with it so...  Gimmick.
    The shoe did a nice job of encouraging a midfoot landing, and had just the right amount of flex, but I have to say I am not a fan of the foot-pod.  I know I have a slightly different strike point with my right foot than I do with my left foot, and the foot-pod continually reminded me of this, which began to annoy me to all ends.  I also started to worry about the pressure from the pod on my right foot would aggravate an old case of PF.  This is where my experience was so sour I called it quits with this shoe and it has since been shelved. 
     Overall, this shoe has some kickass features, awesome outsole, super comfy interior, and it was a great concept (low to the ground cushion performance trail shoe), but poorly executed with some gimmicky feeling additions.  I think Brookes should have tried not to be so cute and just made a shoe to compete with the Rogue Racer, MT101/110, Peregrine, etc.  Without the unnecesarys this shoe would have rocked (no pun intended).

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Oil Creek 100 Race Recap

Rolling into town.  Photo by Ryan Hagy
I cant think of any way to start this recap, except to say this race is awesome.   I guess because Oil Creek is only in its 3rd year, somehow I figured it would somehow be plagued with small logistical problems that take several years to iron out.  Boy was I wrong.

I am just going to dive right in.  Friday morning, my crew chief Hagy and I stopped at Whole Foods, grabbed some tastey looking foods and hit the road.  I picked Pad Thai from the hot bar, and along with jelly beans, a couple bagels and muffins, I had a carbolicious day.  As we came closer and closer to Titusville, PA, the roads began to move from gently rolling, to long steady uphills and downhills, something I rarely get to experience in Michigan.  And then we were there, Titusville Pennsylvania, birth place of the oil industry.  The terrain seemed foreign with wide valleys, fast flowing rivers, and roads winding between tall hills.

Hagy and I quickly set up our tent, securing a spot in the middle school parking lot, across from the race headquarters (Titusville Middle school).  We had time to kill before packet pickup started, and decided it would be wise to go check out the route to the Petroleum Center aid station, the only crew access point away from the middle school.   This ended up being a smart move, as it was really the only time I was able to take in the scenery without feeling a sense of urgency.
Old bridge

Hagy looking cool while we were surveying the area












The road to Petroleum Center aid was...  treacherous to say the least, funny thing was this was the only aid station the race director was comfortable having people drive to.  After checking out the sites we stopped by packet pickup, where I noticed my bib # was 117 (17 is my lucky #) and decided this boded well for the future.  Walking around the school I had the chance to talk to Jill Perry, a badass montrail athlete who was very enthusiastic about there new shoes.  I had the chance to get my hands on the Montrail Bajada - a shoe receiving glowing reviews from irunfar.com editor, Bryon Powell.  Expecting the small lugs found on the Rogue Racer, I was pleasantly surprised by the Bajada's heavy lugs.

I had packed my two drop bags during the week before the race.  Included food- a wide variety of gels, a bunch of clif shot bloks, red bull, ensure, and salt and vinegar chips.  I also packed fresh socks and shoes.  Last minute I gave Ryan some stuff to keep with him that could be useful, but really only for emergencies.  I figured everything essential needed to be in my drop bags.


It took a while to fall asleep, Jason stopped by at about 10:00pm, he made it to the race safely, but had to push a deer out of the road with his car.  Im glad he didnt get hurt.  Ryan had little trouble passing out, I was jealous.

I woke up at about 3:00am, ate a bagel and a couple tortillas with nutella.  I felt stuffed.  To stay warm I headed to the middle school where someone who worked at the school had made coffee for several early risers.  Score, I got a nice warm cup of coffee and relaxed for a couple minutes.  At about 4, I headed back out to the tent and put on my clothes, and dropped my drop bags.  It was a 5am start so I kept my headlamp and was ready for action.  I was excited to use my new fenix HP11 to light up the trails, but about 10 minutes before the race start, I noticed it wouldnt turn on!!!  Freaked out, I ran outside and luckily they hadnt taken my drop bag to Petroleum Center aid, and I grabbed my backup lamp.  Shit, this lamp wasnt nearly as bright as my fenix.  Disappointed, I had no choice but to suck it up and proceed.

Cool start photo by Ryan Hagy
I asked Hagy to take a look at the lamp, but figured the review I had read online suggesting it was too fragile was right and that I had accidentally broken it already.  This frenzy killed anytime I had to get nervous before the race start, and before I knew it, Tom Jennings said "go" and we were off.  I settled into a pace that I thought was appropriate and chatted with Jason and another fellow who was running his 42nd 100 miler (I think?)!!!  Keith Straw is awesome, a 2010 Grand Slamer, OC was his 10th 100 of the year, and all around friendly guy, I wanted to run with him and just soak in some knowledge.  The pace everyone was running at was perfect for me as I was watching my heart rate carefully and wanted to run conservatively for the first 50k-50 miles.
Keith Straw leading our conga line

 Running along, we had some nice conversations getting to know everyone in our conga line as we cruised our way to Petroleum Center.  Arrived at PC1 (1st time through) in 2:40 and change.  Knowing this was almost halfway through the 50k I felt like I may have been moving a little too fast (although a lot of people were ahead of me), but wanted to get in and out of the aid station.  Ryan had fresh bottles of water and amino waiting for me, so I grabbed them and then started the long climb up Heisman Hill.  I said, Hi to Kieth, but was power hiking strong (which I was very pleased with) and passed him as I moved up the hill.  The next sections kinda flew by, running alone most of the time I just settled into a rythm, focused on eating, drinking and enjoying the awesome sights and sounds.  There were a few more serious climbs on the backside of the 50k, which was definitely the slower half.  I came into the Titusville Middle School aid feeling great at almost exactly 6 hours.  Again Hagy had fresh bottles waiting for me and I refilled my pockets with gels and shot bloks and hit the trail.
We only had to run this 3x


I dont remember much of the 1st half of this loop.  I was feeling OK, but not as good as I had earlier.  Somewhere along the way I noticed I was heating up pretty fast and sweating more than I was used to.  Nice hot (75-80 degree) fall day.  I took off my shirt, at the risk of looking silly with my nipples duct taped, and occasionally splashed water on myself to keep cool.  I noticed I was getting thirsty more often and not drinking enough, and realized I hadn't peed in over an hour.  I immediately started pushing fluids and chugged a water bottle along with popping an Scap.  I maintained this attitude until PC2 and was feeling much better by the time I arrived.  I tossed my shirt (which I had been carrying in my waist band) into my drop bag, grabbed fresh water and more gels and immediately jumped back onto the trail.  Again, exactly 2:40 for this section.  Feeling much better once I was rehydrated, I maintained an aggressive power hike up the long steep climbs and soon found myself enjoying some smooth shallow descents, perfect for me and my thunder thighs.


Ashley Moyer making it look easy
Soon I ran up behind Ashley Moyer, a youngster (23) attempting her first 100.  She was looking smooth, and I was sick of running alone, so I asked her if she minded some company and chatted with her for a while.  Together we breezed past the 50 mile point and hit Aid#3 (mile 55ish).  I have a feeling Ashley is going to dominate some races in the future.  Alas, at this aid station, I lost my company as all I needed was water, and I quickly started up "Floking Hill" and "Rockefellers Revenge" some of the steeper climbs, while really enjoying the downhills. I did my best Killian Jornet impression, hands on knees, grunting up the steep stuff.

The last mile or so into the flat drake well loop is, in my opinion, one of the toughest sections of trail we ran all day.  Its downhill, but steep and technical, which really takes a toll on your quads and feet.  Then you dump out onto some pavement which added to my groaning foot discomfort.  Energy-wise I had been on top of my game, with little stomach issues, except some slight naseua when I think I over salted with Scaps too frequently.  I had been doing a great job of mixing up my fuel between gels, clif bloks and the occasional potato wedge, snickers, or twix bar.  This fueling strategy is now my go to, as I was averaging 250-350 calories per hour fairly comfortably.

Ok, Titusville Middle School Aid.  100k finished.  Again, this 50k loop clocked in at 6 hours (actually 5:59).   Knowing it would get dark soon, I dropped my bottles for a hydration pack, and even better, Hagy got my Fenix lamp to work!!!!!  This really had me pumped.  Turns out the 10 pack of new batteries I bought at Walmart were all duds - making me think my lamp was toast.  He put in some fresh batteries (awesome thing - they had batteries at the aid stations) and it was working again.  Here I made my only mistake all day. I changed out of shoes that were uncomfortable into my Speedcross 3s that I had added a high volume insole to a few days before and hadnt run in since.
Switching shoes and grabbing tunes before dark

I grabbed a slice of pizza, took a couple bites and stuffed the rest into my pocket for later :)  Armed with my 120 lumen headlamp and fresh socks and shoes I charged out to see if I could run another 6 hour loop.  I was hours ahead of my projected 24 hour goal.  Feeling pretty good for the hiking and running the flats, I quickly noticed that my toes were getting crushed on downhills. Not only that, but my gait changed slightly in these shoes and my quads started to ache on long descents.  Now I am not sure if this was because I was over 70 miles into the race or if it was because of the shoes.
Shoot, I left my sunglasses down there - will you go get them for me?

Doing a little more walking than I should have (I still need to get mentally tougher) I came noticed my pace slowing.  I finished off my pizza as well as a cup of chicken broth while power hiking switchback mtn.  It was dusk as I neared the top.  Then I heard a rustling in the woods, louder than a chipmunk.  I looked up, and there was a black bear standing about 100 feet off the trail, just looking at me.  Probably trying to figure out why I smelled so bad.  Not knowing what to do in this situation, but having read about Ellie Greenwood scaring away a bear at Western States, I raised my arms high, began shouting and carrying on.  The bear retreated, looking back at me, until I began making a racket again.  I proceeded down the trail as darkness set in.  From here on, anytime I heard anything in the woods I expected to see a bear, but thankfully did not. 

I came into PC for the 3rd time, but noticed I was at about 3 hours, 20 minutes slower than the previous loop.  Deciding my shoe choice was a terrible move, I put on a fresh pair of MTE101s I had put at PC just in case this exact scenario occurred.  It was here Hagy told me I was moving along better than many other runners.  That was all I needed to hear, and with a cup of Ramen left the aid station.  My feet were much happier as dusk ended and night set upon us.
Sadly, this sign is right.  At least I got 75 miles in first

The night was kind of uneventful.  I slowed down, partially because my quads blew up somewhere after mile 85, but I managed to get down the long last downhill section and run all the way back to the middle school.  Hagy was waiting - I sat down chugged a red bull, ate a cup of ramen, looked to Ryan, who indicated he was ready for his first pacing duty ever, in jeans and his 13 year old tennis shoes.  No worries, I wasnt moving very fast anyways.  7 mile victory loop here we come.  It was amazing to have company.  I had been running alone for almost 17 hours after separating from Jason and Kieth after about 2:40 into the race, and I think I proceeded to talk Hagy's ear off.

Somewhere on this section is the Boughton Acid Works, an old acid dumping ground, which was devoid of all vegetation and reeked of sulfer.  Kinda eerie to hike through at night.  Then we came to a giant suspension bridge over the major river the race travels around.  It swayed from side to side as we initially charged across.  I had to stop for a moment and take it all in.  Here I was in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night, on the middle of a swaying bridge, having run over 90 miles and in 4th place.  I asked Hagy to turn off his headlamp for a minute and I did the same.  It only lasted a second, but I was flooded with positive vibes that can only come from doing what you love and conquering immense challenges.
Hill of truth about mile 4

We turned our lamps back on, climbed "The Hill of Truth" which was a long one, but nothing could stop me now.  Quietly I suffered the long downhill back to the road, and finally ran it in.  To aid station #4, which apparently was not the finish line.  After a brief celebration, I turned around and ran back to the actual finish at the back entrance to the middle school.  I found myself a chair and plopped down.  Ryan grabbed some warm clothes for me and I just sat there in a daze.  A PR of 20:52, almost 2 hours faster than Kettle. 
 
Come here foot, I want to take these socks off
All in all OC100 is a fantastic race.  Aid stations were well stocked, volunteers were super friendly and helpful.  Everyone was friendly and helpful for that matter.  The course is spectacular, old structures to look at, wildlife to scare, hills to climb, rocks to slip on, and pizza to eat.  Also we had hot showers available to us after the race (which I almost passed out butt naked in, be careful with hot water when you are exhausted).  I will be back.  Many thanks to Ryan Hagy for the company on the drive, being an excellent crew chief and pacer.  I have never had either of these things before, and I can see why people use them.  Pacers especially.  Ryan better be careful, he may end up being roped into more sleepless adventures.
Sub 22 hour 24k gold plated buckle - now I need a belt

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Oil Creek Prerace Jitters




I always get nervous before a race.  Part of that nervous energy goes towards making my race kit, studying the different sections of the course and choosing different shoes.  Looking back at my training log, Ive put in more miles, more long runs, and longer runs than I did preparing for the Kettle Moraine 100 mile.  That being said, logging miles isnt everything.  I spent some time on the stairmaster last week, working on my steep power hiking skills, maybe that will help.  A huge portion of this race is going to be mental fortitude (for me anyways) and keeping my feet and stomach happy.  I think I have the stomach thing under control during a 50 miler - I am basically a garbage disposal who can run- but I am planning trying something slightly different at Oil Creek than Kettle.
Dont ask me how much this all cost

Having run a very happy Ice Age 50 mile 3 weeks before Kettle using soley gels as a fuel source, I figured I would just do the same for the 100 miles at KM.  Bad Toe.  I learned after bonking out kinda hard around mile 83 that I get super sick of gels after about 100k, and need to use more solid food.  After the race I spend some time reading peoples strategies for Western States, and noticed super fast veterans like Andy Jones-Wilkins eat mostly "solid" food for the first 50 and then switch over to gels.  This will be my approach for Oil Creek.  Ive been practicing eating clif bars, candy bars, chips, power bars, muffins, and PB&J sandwiches as I run the poto.  I hope to do something similar this weekend.  Solid food will consist of Honey Stinger waffles, Clif Bloks, Power Bars, Clif Roks, mini snikcers, and the occasional aid station food.  I am aiming for 300-400 calories an hour - yes this is a lot, yes I can eat this much, I hope I dont over/under do it as solid food is more difficult to track consumptionwise than gels. 


Onto my feet.  Those who know me well know that I have some pretty cool feet.  I was lucky enough to have some wicked surgeries on my left foot when I was in 6th grade, and as a consequence of damage to my growth plate, my 4th toe has not grown since.  Running shoes are hard to find for me.  One foot is wide and short, the other is long and skinny.  Blah blah blah.  Im gonna rock my new favorite shoe, the MTE101 (European version of the ever-so-popular MT101) for as long as I can, and switch over to my new Speedcross 3.  Being the self proclaimed shoe nerd that I am, I will also have my Fellcross, Mtn Masochist, Kinvara, and MT100s either in my car or in the drop bag.  Socks - drymax pro are the best socks in the world.  hands down.  period.  but if I need something softer, I will have some smartwools somewhere.
Yeah, I know, awesome
Notice the long scar on the 4th metatarsel















There is still some last minute planning to do.  Exactly which gels go into which drop bag.  Which socks to put where.  What shorts will I wear, etc.  These will be things that I think about over the next couple days.  Importantly, I made some humungous Banana Walnut muffins for Hagy, Jason, Chris, and anyone else I deem worthy of a delicious muffin.

I thought I would end this post with my mileage that I ran in preparation for the race (hopefully it will inspire some confidence).  **note**  this is probably not a wise amount of miles to run week to week, but hell, it makes me happy :)  If anyone is actually interested, I usually run 2x a day.  mostly a short 3-6 mile run in the morning/lunch time and then however long I can muster at night.  These daily total reflect both runs.


Month Date Miles


June 27 14
June 28 3.5
June 29 21
June 30 17
July 1 9
July 2 18
July 3 17
Week total - 99.5
July 4
July 5 13
July 6 14
July 7 15
July 8
July 9 31
July 10 9
Week total - 82



July 11 15
July 12 18
July 13 15
July 14 15
July 15 15
July 16 27
July 17 15


Week total - 120


July 18 15
July 19 15
July 20 15
July 21 0
July 22 22
July 23 12
July 24 29


Week total - 108


July2510
July2618
July2718
July2815
July2913
July305
July3132


Week total - 111


August 1
August 2 18
August 3 18
August 4 20.5
August 5 15.5
August 6 36
August 7 18


Week total - 126


August 8 0
August 9 15
August 10 20.5
August 11 15
August 12 15
August 13 20
August 14 24.5




Week total - 110

August 15 16
August 16 16
August 17 17.5
August 18 13
August 19 15
August 20 15
August 21 12


Week total - 104.5


August 22 0
August 23 6
August 24 9
August 25 0
August 26 0
August 27 50
August 28 6


Week total - 71

August 29 10
August 30 12
August 31 0
September 1 18.5
September 2 12
September 3 13
September 4 23


Week total - 88.5

September518
September615
September70
September815
September96
September1050
September110


Week total - 104

September 12 6
September 13 12
September 14 15
September 15 18.5
September 16 19.5
September 17 29
September 18 20


Week total - 120

September 19 0
September 20 21
September 21 22
September 22 17.5
September 23 18
September 24 26
September 25 25.5


Week total - 130

September2613
September2711
September2812
September2914
September3011
October113.5
October213.5


Week total - 88