I think the best part about ultra running is how much you learn about yourself along the way. Not necessarily throughout the course of a race, but over the course of weeks, months, and for some even years. After last fall's race season I felt I had asked quite a bit from my body by racing three 50 milers in nine weeks. However, I couldn't help but take note of other ultra runners who seem to never break down. They seem to be posting ultra length race results at clips of over ten per year! Crazier yet, there is Michael Wardian, who posts top ranked ultra times on a weekly basis. I'll never forget the moment at JFK 50 Mile when I realized I didn't have the same pop in my step that I had four weeks earlier. This got me thinking about speedy recovery. Is it a select few who have super human genes? Is it over a decade of injury free base miles, that average well over 100 miles a week? Sure genes and base play a role in recovery, but since people can't help their genes, I decided to focus on a continuation of building base, and nutrition.
By focusing on base, and nutrition I strongly believe I have made huge strides in speedier recovery. I tested this on three separate occasions. After the John Dick Memorial 50k, I was able to run 10 miles the following morning. After the Mad City 50k I was able to run 20 miles the following morning. I didn't taper for either of these events, so the quicker recovery may partly have been due to less increased volume shock to my muscles on race day. The real test to me was after the Ice Age 50 Mile. In all of my previous 50 mile races I was physically incapable of running for at least three days following the event. In addition, the first week to ten days that I did run I could notice a definite lack of turnover, and snap in my legs. After IA50 I could have ran the next morning. I took off two days anyhow, but that was for other reasons. In addition, my legs lacked that sharp pain that makes running feel impossible. After two days off I went for a 7.5 mile run. It was a new feeling. Not only did my legs feel fresh, I found myself forcing myself to not increase pace near the end of the run. It was a type of experience you almost need to have for yourself to truly understand. I was certainly surprised, and excited.
So, what did I do differently that allowed me to bounce back quicker? As mentioned earlier, I did have an extra winter, and spring worth of base miles. Certainly this helped a bit in body adaptation. However, it's unlikely it accounted entirely for the speedier recovery. The nutrition end of things definitely pitched in towards recovery. I did two major things differently from last fall. Step one, I flipped my diet on it's head. Rather then consuming the majority of my calories from carbohydrate sources, I based my diet on fats. My daily fat intake increased to 50-60 percent of my caloric intake. If you want to learn some facts about fat you can listen to this podcast interview with Ben Greenfield, Why Fat is Good. If you are the deep thinking or reading type, check out the book Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes. Both are very eye opening. However, what I heard and read was just that. I needed to try it out for myself. I have been following the high fat diet for about two months now, and supplementing it with Vespa, and have noticed a few changes. One, quicker recovery. Two, better mental focus. Three, no energy spikes and dips throughout the course of the day. Four, much deeper sleep. As far as I am concerned, all these benefits were extremely worth altering my diet.
The second dietary change I made was I started supplementing with Extreme Endurance. Just like the fat diet I looked into the science, and really liked what I saw and heard. However, once again, I needed to try it for myself before buying in 100 percent. I wrote a complete blog about my experience with Extreme Endurance. It can be found here on my Flotrail blog. Since I already wrote about it I will keep it brief here. I loved it, and noticed changes within 48 hours of taking the product. The snap in my legs during afternoon runs, following morning runs was great. I use to have to do my speed work, or intense sessions in the morning, because I knew my legs were not going to be as responsive in the afternoon after a morning run. With Extreme Endurance this no longer is the case.
After winning IA50 I qualified for an entry slot into the Western States 100 (WS100). I didn't enter IA50 with a goal to qualify for WS100. I actually had somewhat hoped to run WS100 next summer. However, having the opportunity in front of me, and some awesome support from Vespa, I will be running my first 100 mile race on June, 23 at WS100. To be honest, I have no idea what to expect. The terrain is certainly different from anything I have trained on here in Wisconsin. I'm looking for a great learning experience, and to fall in love with the 100 mile distance.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Going Minimal...
I started buying into the minimalist approach last fall, when I visited a running store in Wauwatosa, WI called Revolution Natural Running. It is a unique shop. The owner, Kyle, is actually pedorthist by trade. The whole idea of minimalist running/walking is that the vast majority of the population could cure many running ailments by ditching the inserts and going minimal. As strange as this seemed, it was actually a very convincing turn of events. After all, why would a guy who is trained to design foot inserts tell the vast majority of people they don’t need them. It was worth listening to his stores logic. The store logic can be found on his website and facebook account, but for simplicity sake I have permission to quote him here.
“As a certified pedorthist, I am not a doctor, but am a specialist in conservative therapies of the foot – namely orthotics and footwear. So I used to spend much of my time actually building orthotics, but now I see a much better alternative for most athletes that have foot and lower extremity injuries. Which is strengthening of the muscles of the feet, and looking at gait to reduce over striding. By teaching runners to run more efficiently, we can get them to use more of their body’s elasticity, so they don’t have to use as much muscular energy.” Kyle Roberts
Anyhow, I walked out of Revolution Natural Running convinced I wanted to transition towards minimalist running. So with the guidance of Kyle’s philosophy I began the journey. I started out by doing a lot of walking around barefoot or in sandals. This gave the muscles in my feet a chance to stretch out and strengthen. My next step was to give my feet a slightly harder workout. I began running about 10 percent of my weekly miles in shoes with an 8-11 mm heal to toe drop. For those of you who are not familiar, the closer to 0 mm heal to toe drop the closer you are to pure barefoot running. I spent all winter gradually increasing the percent of weekly mileage I ran wearing a shoe between 8-11 mm heal to toe.
By spring time I had convinced myself I was ready to go back to Revolution Natural Running, and try out a legit minimalist shoe. I met with Kyle for quite a while going over possible shoes that would be good for me to start with. Kyle relentlessly analyzed my stride and foot strike on his store treadmill with various shoes to make sure we found one that was right for me. When all was said and done, we decided the Inov8 F-Lite 230s (6 mm heal to toe) would be a good shoe to start with. He also set me up with a pair of Inov-8 Road X Lite 155 (3 mm heal to toe) for road running, and to transition even closer to my eventual goal of 0 mm heal to toe drop. I also walked out of Revolution Natural Running with a pair of Vibram Five Fingers (0 mm heal to toe). Kyle explained that by walking around for long periods of the day wearing the Vibrams, would help strengthen my feet. Ultimately, I was able to race the Ice Age 50 Mile in the Inov-8 F-Lite 230s with out getting hurt, but feeling really light, smooth, and efficient.
Based on my experience, I would highly recommend contacting Kyle at Revolution Natural Running if you think you would like to try out a minimalist approach to running or walking. In the two weeks since I picked up started wearing minimalist shoes I have noticed an increase in foot strength through improvements in balance. I am excited for what this will do for technical trail running.
If you live near Wauwatosa, WI (Greater Milwaukee Area) I would strongly suggest stopping in and talking with Kyle, and/or the great staff members at Revolution Natural Running. If you don’t live within traveling distance, but are still interested in a minimalist approach I would highly recommend contacting Kyle for his expertise. They have an online store, and contact information is listed below. Speaking with Kyle will allow you to get an individualized transition plan into what will surely be a foot strengthening endeavor!
11702 W. North Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Phone 414.988.5370
Email: info@revolutionnaturalrunning.com
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Fuel Belt Product Review: Effectiveness at IA50 Mile
At the Ice Age 50 Mile (IA50) I utilized a variety of Fuel Belt products in order to keep hydrated. Hydration is a must in sports lasting multiple hours, and as the summer brings in warmer temperatures it becomes even more crucial. I want to let you in on what, and why I use the gear I do to stay hydrated on the course or in training.
At IA50 I cycled through five different Fuel Belt products. I listed them below. I will run through each of them and let you in on why I love these specific products.
The Slice Atlantic Breeze is probably my favorite product that Fuel Belt is currently selling. It is a new member of the 2012 catalog. The features that drew me in were the bottle shape, size, flexibility, and the holder design. The bottle shape is contoured perfectly to sit in your palm when your fingers are slightly curled (comfortable running position). The cap is slightly tilted, so the user does not have to tork their hand or arm awkwardly in order to take a drink. The size of the bottle is listed at 18 ounces, but if you really want to top it off you can get 20 ounces in it. I love this because you can carry along a healthy amount of liquid with little intrusion. The flexibility of the Slice is awesome! It is designed perfectly to let you take a small sip, or guzzle down the bottles contents. I love this because at different parts of a race or training a like to vary the amount of liquid I take in at once. The Slice lets me down a whole bottle quickly if I need to, or sip at it. The holder design is spot on. It's made of a material that does not hang onto water. If you sweat a lot, spill a lot, or get caught in some rain the bottle carrier will not take on extra weight. It also boasts a large side pocket. It's easily big enough to fit two gels comfortably. The holder feels extremely comfortable in your hand. I never had to grip it tight or awkwardly. It just sits in your hand and does a great job of distributing it's weight so you don't become burden by carrying it. If I had to pick just one product to carry while racing or training, the Slice would be it.
The Slide is a waist carrier that holsters the same bottle that goes with the Slice. This is awesome, because you can interchange the bottles and carriers. This is by far the least intrusive waist carry I have ever worn. I was able to wear the Slide and carry the Slice (about 40 ounces) and did not feel like I was carrying extra weight, or feel uncomfortable with the waist band. The Slide provides a large surface area where the bottle is holstered. This is why it doesn't sit awkwardly, jiggle around, or put unwanted pressure points on your mid section. I have worn waist holders in the past that made me feel like I was wearing a belt set too tight. Another nice feature I like about the Slide is the strap adjustment allows you to easily loosen or tighten the belt on the fly. This let me swing the bottle carrier to my front or back with ease (really nice for holstering and unholstering the bottle). The bottle is easy to carry even without a handheld carrier for it. I did not try to jam it into a hand carry when I was using the Slide. I just pulled it out drank from it until it was gone then re-holstered the empty bottle. 
The Insulated Sahara Palm was what I turned to at the end of IA50. It was a relatively warm day, so when I grabbed my first of two Sahara Palms they had been at the bag drop for about four hours. The liquid managed to keep from getting too warm. This is a classic bottle holder that holds a 20 ounce rounded bottle. If you prefer a more cylindrical form in your palm this is a good carrier. It also has a side zipper, and netted pocket that can fit up to two gels comfortably. I like this bottle for races when I know I am going to have to stop at an aid station and fill the bottle myself, or have a volunteer fill the bottle. It has a wide mouth, so you can fill it extremely quick without making a mess, and be back in the race quickly. If you have any questions about any of the products I have reviewed feel free to post or shoot me a message. I would love to answer any inquiries.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Ice Age 50 Mile Race Recap
As for me, I entered the race when heard the list of talented runners coming to Wisconsin, and I knew I could not pass up a chance to compete with them so close to home. Those who follow my blog will know that I specified my training for the IA50 course. I did lots of short hill repeats. This course was relentless in this aspect. I can think of maybe two areas on the course that were not rolling hills. These areas were extremely short in duration and left little room to make big surges. The rolling hills were not smooth either. They were speckled with rocks, roots, and winding turns. This course was definitely the hardest trail course I have raced, a real quad thrasher.
I got an early start to the day. Well, let me rephrase that, I got an extremely early start to the day. I went to bed at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, and woke up at 11:20 p.m. and never fell back to sleep. I laid restless in bed until about 2:00 a.m. when I finally got up. It was a crazy turn of events, but as far as I could tell I didn't notice any additional fatigue from lack of sleep.
The race began as I had expected. A group of five to six guys went out fast. We averaged about a 6:40/mi for the first six miles. I kept with the lead pack for the most part, but fell back occasionally on the up hill climbs. My strategy going into IA50 was to be cautious on the ascents, aggressive on the descents, and aggressive on the very limited flats. The reason for caution on the assents was to keep my heart rate down. If you drive up your heart rate early in a race you can quickly turn your body into high glycogen burning mode. It is really difficult to go back once your body decides to prioritize glycogen. With a 50 mile race you really need to use your glycogen stores wisely. My goal was fat as fuel, as often as possible.
Near the end of the first 9 mile loop there was one of the few flat stretches. I made a move into the lead as we approached the 9 mile aid station. In transition, Tim Olson blasted right passed me and put a solid 15 second gap on me. We were both pretty aggressive through the next stretch. Once I had closed the gap we ran together for a few miles. At about mile 16 I took the lead with Tim following closely behind. When I reached the mile 17.5 aid station I had a short lead on Tim, and at the time was unaware of where the rest of the field was. The next section until the mile 21 turn around was very technical. I did my best to maintain a reasonable pace without using too much of my late stage energy.
I was really anxious to reach the mile 21 turn around so I could gage where the rest of the field was. The course is basically a 9 mile loop with two out and backs connected to it. The two out and back turn arounds serve as a nice way to see how far other runners are from you. At the mile 21 turn around my lead was slim on all accounts. I was maybe 20 seconds ahead of second place, and 40 seconds ahead of third and fourth place. If nothing else it kept me urgent to continue to push myself.
It is worth noting that throughout the race I fell three times. Fortunately, I did not land on a rock, or root. A tumble in the wrong place on IA could have ended my day. All three times I bounced back up and continued onward with a little extra dirt.
I managed to increase my lead slightly on the way back from the Rice Lake out and back. At about mile 31 I was told I had about a 1:45 on second and third place, who were running together. This was incouraging in that I knew I had been making gains, but still alarming that I was one bad mile away from being run down. My slim lead became a little less reassuring when I stopped for about 30 seconds to use the bathroom. Mentally I proceeded on assuming my lead was about a minute. Soon after, I ran into a lower point in the race. I had felt very smooth up until about mile 36. Most of the previous miles I had actually felt I could be going much faster had I been more skillful on the technical descents. Miles 36 through about 38 I started to break down a bit mentally. It was a little after mile 38 that I managed to convince myself that my mind was trying to make me feel worse than I actually was in an attempt to stop me from beating up my body. This helped alot! I snapped out if it almost instantaneously, and started to tell myself that I was closing in on 10 miles.
Much like the mile 21 turn around, I anxiously awaited the mile 40 turn around, so I could gage my lead. This time I discovered that I had about a 2:20 lead on second place, and about 4 minutes on third. This made me very optimistic. I had managed to increase my lead from before during a stretch that included a bathroom break, and my only low of the race. I started feeling that as long as I stay upright, it was my race to lose.
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| Picture taken by: Tom Held of Active Pursuit |
With less than 10 miles to go I started getting really energetic. I strongly believe that my high fat diet, and Vespa fueling had much to do with this late race energy surge. I had trained my body to prioritize fat for fuel, allowing me to reserve some carb stores for the back end of the race. Every rest stop I went through from miles 40-50 I was told my lead was growing. By mile 48.5 I had a six minute lead. By the end of the race I had built a lead of about 9 minutes 10 seconds.
My fueling was strategic for the most part. I waited until about 45 minutes into the race before I took on any carbs. I wanted to make sure my body was primed to burn fat first. I also optimized my fat utilization by eating breakfast three hours before the start of the race, and nothing else between breakfast and the start other then water and Vespa. The idea was to keep my body out of carb burning mode at the races start, which can be easily wrecked by ingesting too many carbs close to the start. I listed my fuel intake below.
- 80 ounces of sports drink
- 4 gels
- 2 Vespa Juniors
- 1 Vespa Ultra Concentrate
- 12 ounces of coke (aid station)
- 70 ounces of water
- 1 small handful of M&Ms
***Approximately 1300-1500 calories***
Gear utilized on the course:
- Inov8 f-lite 230s (from Revolution Shoes)
- Fuel Belt Excessories:
- The Slice Atlantic Breeze
- The Slide Atlantic Breeze
- R2Outdoor Orange
- Sprint Palm Holder
Post race was a familiar trend for ultra marathons. All the competitors and spectators joined together to share their experiences, and enjoy one anothers company. The post race atmosphere at these events would be enough by themselves to draw one to participate. I was able to talk to lots of the competors and here about there experience as well as past, and future running endeavors. One runner to keep your eyes on is Michael Owen. Many people claim that I am young for ultra running, but Michael is younger yet. He has some impressive finishes, including third at the Burning River 100 last season. He seems to be one of those runners who can succeed at all distances (dare I say a young Michael Wardian???). I know I will be following him, and hopefully competing with him many times in the future. I linked his name to his running to his running blog.
One final note. A huge thanks to my Mom, Dad, Grandma, and girlfriend Krista for crewing for me. It was a big help, especially with the higher than expected humidity.
*** Stay tuned for a more indepth review on Fuel Belt's 2012 line and Revolution Natural Running***
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Food For Thought: A Daily Sample and More!
Lately I have been doing quite a bit
of blogging about my training: how it is going, what I am doing, why
I am doing it, etc. Although I have touched on basic nutritional
strategy, a few of my readers have requested that I give a more
detailed description of what a typical day of feeding looks like.
Basically, what I am going to do, is detail a random day in my week,
so the readers can see what I eat and why (keep in mind this is one
sample day, and does not imply that I eat these exact foods every
day. However, if you look at the ratio of fats, proteins, and
carbohydrate that I eat, those stay pretty consistent from day to
day.
So let’s get started! Generally
speaking, my diet is kind of like an upside down food pyramid. All
the real scientifically backed research points to diets with a
foundation on healthy fats as being conducive to better overall
health. Think I’m mixed up? Here is the real kicker. Saturated fats
are good. Do not avoid them. I’m not going to get into the science
behind it, because I’m not a scientist, but if you want to know
more follow Ben Greenfield, and read some of the information on the Vespa website. Basically, the heart and body rely on
saturated fats to run efficiently. The problem is when people mix
poor fats, like vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils, and highly refined
cabs laden in gluten they end up running into health problems. Also,
you cannot go hog wild (no pun intended) on eating fat, as it is high
in calories. You still have to find out your caloric needs and follow
them accordingly. So…am I saying to go completely ketogenic and
avoid carbs all together? No! Carbohydrate is still a faster acting
energy source. When timed properly it can do wonders for your
performance. If you do not flood your insulin receptors with constant
carb feedings they will become very sensitive and that gel you take
mid race will feel like rocket fuel. I typically take in the most
carbohydrates after workouts, and on the two days leading up to an
important race. My carb sources are typically fruit and vegetable based.
I avoid gluten and wheat almost entirely. Gluten is like gum, it can
clog up the digestive track and wreck the good digestive floral in
your gut. Wheat has been altered so much from its original form
hundreds of years ago that it is no longer properly digested. When
looking for a more calorie dense carbohydrate I turn to starchy
vegetables like potatoes, yams, and sweet potatoes. Quick side track,
sweet potatoes with extra virgin olive oil and some salt is to die for!
Okay, enough of the reasoning let’s get to the sample day!
- Cup of coffee with whole milk and honey (pre morning workout), glass of water, and Vespa Junior.
- 2 eggs, sour cream, pinto beans, corn, 1 carrot, peanut butter mixed with extra virgin olive oil, full fat yogurt with a small amount of protein powder (6:45 am)
- Extreme Endurance (3 tabs), Multi Vitamin (2 tabs) fish oil (1 soft gel), Joint support (2 caps), Yucca Root (1 tab), and kelp (1 tab) (7:00 am)
- 2 twenty four ounce bottles of water spread throughout the work day.
- 3 carrots, sharp cheddar cheese, almonds (noon)
- Almonds (throughout the day 9 am – 3 pm).
- Green Tea (decaf) full fat milk with honey (pre afternoon workout, 3 pm).
- Glass of water 4 servings of broccoli, green leafy lettuce, 1 onion, olive oil, sour cream, lots of salt, pinto beans, and corn (6 pm)
- Decaf green tea with whole milk and honey, peanut butter mixed with extra virgin olive oil, and full fat yogurt with a small amount of protein powder 8 pm).
- Extreme Endurance (3 tabs), Multi Vitamin (2 tabs) fish oil (1 soft gel), Joint support (2 caps), Yucca Root (1 tab), and Iodine (1 tab) (8 pm)
Like I said above, this was one sample
day. I listed below other foods I typically eat that didn’t get
included in this sample day, but find their way into my diet.- Avocado raw
- Coconut oil
- Sweet Potato
- Russet Potato
- Spinach
- Almond milk
- Cream cheese
- Butter (real not margarine)
- Chicken
- Beef
- Peas
- Corn meal
- Oatmeal
- Apples
- Bananas
- Cantaloupe
- Cottage cheese (highest fat content available)
- Mixed nuts
- Blue green algae, acai berry powder, CoQ10, Digestive enzymes
Monday, May 7, 2012
Four Week Review of Extreme Endurance...SUCCESS!
Anyway, here is more detailed
explanation of what I personally noticed along the way. The effects
were almost immediate. Within two days I noticed myself feeling more
fresh at the start of runs. Most notably during two-a-day sessions.
The second of the two sessions felt more comparable to when I would
only do one afternoon run. It seemed I was experiencing less of the
fatigue from the morning session then I previously had. I have had
some people ask me about “hurt” during runs. I believe what they
mean is the pain everyone has to push through when doing an intense
workout. Extreme Endurance does not eliminate this, and never claims
to do so either. If it did people would be running themselves to
death. The bodies pain threshold can serve as a governor on what you
should allow it to do. However, what it does do is gets you back up
to par quickly, making it easier to tackle an intense workout. For
example, I use to consider an intense training week anything over 120
miles that included a long run and 2-3 intense training sessions.
Typically, I would do these types of weeks right before a down week,
so I would be able to recover from the work load. With ExtremeEndurance in my tool bag I was able to complete a 138 mile week with
FIVE intense sessions! The kicker
is what followed. I probably could have push through a week like this
without Extreme Endurance, but would have had to do the last couple
workouts on sore legs, and take a big recovery week after. I did not
feel sore during the back end of the week, and took on another “high
mileage” running week right after (no down week). This was probably
the most exciting thing about the product, because all winter I had
almost religiously done two weeks intense, one week down. My body
told me to follow that schedule like clockwork. I really never caught
myself mentally, and/or physically pushing myself to do a workout. It
really helped me keep a positive attitude about training.
I
guess the biggest red flag with this product would be smart usage.
Yes, it will allow you to recover quicker, and feel good running more
often. I personally noticed both of these during my training. You
have to use it smart. I have noticed that it is going to be much
harder for me to take down weeks, because my body won't scream at me
like it use to when a down week is needed. You still have to take
recovery sessions to prevent burning out the other endurance related
systems in your body. USE WISELY!!! My guess would be if you take
this product in hopes to never rest again, you will likely plateau
way down the road. So if you take Extreme Endurance be detailed in
your record keeping, so you can make an educated decision on rest
weeks. I can personally say that I am pumped to be able to approach
summer training with Extreme Endurance. I outlined a brief recap
below for anyone who likes the quick visual.
Benefits I found:
- Quicker recover
- Less soreness
- Positive attitude towards training
- Less fatigue during the day.
What to be mindful of if using Extreme Endurance:
- User must be smart with usage! Do not completely eliminate rest!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Training Recap: April 15 through 21
Sunday:
-20 mile long run
Monday:
-10 mile easy run
Tuesday:
-a.m. 10 mile hill workout
*5 min warm up
*3 x City Park Loop (rolling)
*25 x Sled Hill
*3 x City Park Loop (rolling)
*25 x Sled Hill
*3 x City Park Loop (rolling)
*15 min cool down
-p.m. 7 mile easy run
Wednesday:
-a.m. 10 mile easy run
-p.m. 7 mile easy run
Thursday:
-10 mile hybrid workout (hills/pickups)
*7 min warm up
*3 x City Park Loop (rolling)
*25 x City Park Sled Hill
*3 x City Park Loop (rolling)
*10x 30 sec pickups (90 sec recovery)
*7 min cool down
Friday:
-a.m. 20 mile long run
-p.m. 7 mile easy run
Saturday:
-26 mile long run
Total: 127 miles
| April, 2012 |
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