50 Miles!

One of my goals this summer was to run 50 miles in a race. I accomplished that goal last Friday September 11th at the Patriots' Run. The Patriots' Run is an event to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001. The run is held not only to honor those that died, but also the soldiers, police, fire fighters, and medical personnel that were involved in that tragic event that day but also continue to serve our country each day. The run is a 9 hour 11 minute run that begins at noon and goes until 9:11PM in the evening. It is a great opportunity to run whatever distance that you choose and run for however long you want to run. It is a certified marathon course but several people ran many different distances. Now the fun part. It was run on a .73 mile loop course. It can also be an ultra-marathon which I chose to do.

What a day it was. After a very aggressive training schedule, I felt that I was ready for the challenge of a 50 miler. My training combined running and cycling that on several weeks totaled close to or over 200 total miles. Nutrition was a very big factor in the success of this adventure. Weeks of pre-race preparation were very important. I worked hard to develop menus and daily training plans that would get me to my goal of 50 miles. Energy levels were very important and also the recovery portion after each training session. Looking back, I am very satisfied with how I arranged my training. Especially helpful was the cycling that I did that on some days that totaled 30-50 miles. My legs were just stronger for this race. I did my riding on Monday and Friday with shorter runs on Tuesday, Thursday; Wednesday was a combination of both running and riding (6 run, 30 ride), and on Saturday and Sunday I did my long runs with the peak training runs consisting of back to back 26 milers. Once again my Hammer Nutrition products were amazing. This time during this training I added GU Chomps. They are fantastic! Great fuel that settles well in your stomach.

The night before the race I had salmon, two small baked potatos, and some cornbread. Bedtime snack was a protein shake. Pre-race meal was oatmeal with soy milk and Hammer Soy Protein. I also drank Hammer Heed before the race. Temperatures were to be in the high 80's with the heat index up there too. We had some good cloud cover during parts of the day that really helped. During the race I had Hammer Heed, Hammer Perpetuem, GU Chomps, peanut buter/banana/honey sandwiches, water, tonic water, and one time had a frozen push-up pop that tasted like gold! I kept my hydration levels high due to the heat and had good energy throughout the 9 hours of running. I took 1-2 minute walk breaks as I refueled almost every two to three laps. An interesting thig happened at this distance though. The longer I ran the less hungry I became. I would try and change that next time (Yes, there will be a next time!) I would like to have eaten more. My stomach was a little hungry at times. After the race, I had a Hammer Recoverite Shake. Then about two hours later, a trip to Sonic for a hamburger and cherry limeade. Nice! Then I ate about every hour on the hour the rest of the night.

Race strateggy was to keep my head in the run, pace myself, stretch regularly, stay hydrated, keep legs fresh, and keep moving, but also let my thoughts go a little bit and try to relax. Being a loop course, it was easy to get to know other runners and run with different people every so often. I kept an even pace throughout much of the run, averaging 10.33 minutes per mile.

The highlight for me aside from accomplishing the goal of 50 miles was to be able to run with my son Andy who came out and paced me for the last 3 hours. What a blessing that was. He is a great marathoner, ultra-runner, and cyclist himself and to have him there was a big help!! I can still remember the moment I got to the top of an incline and saw him standing there waiting to run with me. Believe me after 6 hours of running, it was a total vision of relief for me. He did a masterful job of getting me in the right frame of mind to get the 50. His encouragement and our great talks those last 3 hours are a great memory to me. Thanks Andy!

The volunteers were amazing and very helpful. The run was well staffed and the food came in waves during the day. It was one of the best stocked runs I have done. I also want to give my wife a huge thank you! She had her station all set up right before the start/finish line where all of my food and drink was ready at the times we had planned. I had all of the stops planned as far as what I was going to eat and drink. She did a fantastic job of making sure I was doing what I had planned on doing as far as food and hydration were concerned. She also spent many of her weekends before the race following me around supporting my training runs each Saturday and Sunday. She is an absolute pro at this. She was there the whole nine hours with encouraging signs and help.

Gear for the run consisted my usual Brooks Running things. My Infiniti shoes did a fantastic job of supporting my feet and keeping me feeling light footed. Smart Wool socks again came through with a no blister day. That makes a huge difference.

I got to meet some great people and to name them all is a little hard since during the course of 50 miles, you sometimes just don't remember everything. But it was great to meet Dailymilers and Marathon Maniacs Rob and Chris. It was also good to meet Jonathan. And to you others whose names have escaped me, I apologize, it was great to meet you too.

Took Saturday and today off but will ride 30 miles Monday and get back into my regular training this week. Yes, I am a little sore in places but getting back out there as well as a massage this week will help. A total surprise was that I placed in this run. I left Friday night thinking I was in third place and tied with another individual and took home a great plaque. However today, when the official results came out I was in 2nd place for overall male in the ultra category based on laps and miles run.

Run Stats:
8:57:40 chip time
10:33 per mile pace
50.960 miles
70 laps

New goals are already set. More on those another day. Pictures to follow soon.

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe!

Pictures from a Ride

Thought I would post a few pictures of the area I ride to out and back. The countryside is beautiful and it makes the miles go by so fast.

This is a view of the lake that I pass by on my way to the turnaround.

This horse keeps watch at the corner almost every night. Oh the stories it could tell. I still can't figure out why it has a full mask on its head though.

Another view of the lake on the way back.

Not a great picture, but it is a tree growing out of a silo. I don't know much about silos, but I bet this is not the real purpose for them.

I'm sure there will be more pictures later too since I just figured out how to take them with my cell phone. I know. Technology on a bike is dangerous. Lately I have been running on Tues., Wed., Thurs., Sat., and Sun. The long runs being on the weekend. Then I have added the rides to Mon., Wed., and Fri. It's been a good plan leading up to my ultra on Sept.11th.

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe!

Running, Riding, and Critters

It happened again tonight on my 43 mile ride. Bugs. Not just a few, but at least millions. What's up with that?

I've been running for about eight years. Distances of 5K,10K, Half-Marathons, Marathons, and Ultras. No bugs. Then I started cycling again about six weeks ago. Now bugs. Does speed attract bugs? I'm not really sure, but I think there is a difference between being a runner and a cyclist that I never thought of. Critters. Bugs, and all sorts of things.

Just tonight I saw two raccoons (roadkill I'm afraid), 10 goats, several cows, piles of stuff in the road that cows make, a lizard-like creature that was running across the road, ducks, geese, turkey vultures (at least that's what people tell me they are), and bugs. I mean stick in the teeth bugs. A couple of them had an express lane trip right down my throat.

I consumed at least a dozen mouthfuls of a variety of these protein Man vs. Wild gourmet delights. Who needed to bring a protein drink along when all you have to do is open your mouth and say, "Look I'm speeding past you, jump in for a ride".

Then it got serious. They got all over my Hammer Nutrition clothes. Commonly referred to as a "kit". Not cool. I was covered with bugs from helmet to toe. I love my kits. I really don't like to get them dirty at all. A little or even a lot of sweat is ok. But bugjuice. No!

Now, it's not the first time this has happened. I have been riding this course for several weeks now and no bugs. Why now? Did the Bug Bus just happen to let off a billion bugs along my route just to attack me? The little ones, hey, I can handle them maybe. But the large ones hat hit the helmet and various parts of the my body with a thud and a splat need to go somewhere else. This is just not working for me. When I finished tonight I looked like the front end of a Ford Pick-Up truck.

Not that my 15-25 MPH pace will stagger the Tour de France people, but it is definitely attractive to the bugs of the Midwest. As a runner, I have had no bug worries and don't anticipate any. I have some foot speed too. Qualified for and ran Boston and am scheduled to run it again in 2010. Am a member of the Marathon Maniacs. Have put down some pretty good PR's now and then as well as some clunkers. But in all of those races, I have been bug free. Is it the speed that attracts bugs? Or is it just that I am running into them and they are totally surprised too?

Think about that. As a bug, you're just flying along minding your own business and then Wham! You're a helmet decal. I guess it goes both ways. Anyway, any advice you can add would be appreciated. I have a long run tomorrow and will ride in a Livestrong event on Sunday. We'll see about the bugs.

On a more serious note, my son Andy just loaned me his copy of the George Hincapi DVD. Wow! That is a must watch DVD. Very inspirational and very well done. What an amazing individual.

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe!

Running and Riding Shorts

Some random thoughts and comments from the past week:

RAGBRAI Celebration
A huge congratulations to Team Awesomeness (Andy,Joel, Adam,Andy,Rag,Ryan, and others) for completing the RAGBRAI ride across Iowa that finished up last weekend! Wow! What an accomplishment. Was able to get up to see them for the night before the finish and also the finish. I am amazed at the distances they rode and the conditions they faced a few of the days. And the food they were able to consume while riding sounded pretty good too. Sounds like the towns they rode through were unbelievable in terms of hospitality! What an adventure! It will be on my calendar for 2010 for sure. Hope Team Awesomeness will let me ride along with them!

Austin Half-Marathon
Join me in Austin, TX on October 11, 2009 for a great half-marathon. I have a team forming in conjunction with FCA Team Endurance. We'll have agreat time. More on this in a few weeks. Registration instructions and website information will be coming soon. We'll run together or you can do your own thing. Austin is a great place to run!

Next Race
My next race will be on September 11th in Olathe,KS. It is called the Patriots Run. The race starts at 12:00 noon and runs for the next 9 hours and 11 minutes. Runners can run as far as they can/want to in that time. My plans are to do 50 miles or more that day. It's a race run on a loop course. I am really excited to get a 50 accomplished.

On the Road...With Wheels Now Too!
Yes, it's happened. I am now cycling and loving every minute of it. Three days a week doing between 25-50 miles have become a weekly routine. Good cross training and so far feeling my running is benefitting from the additon of the riding. I have several great routes and the scenary is fantastic.

Training Schedule Changing
Next week it will be time to start back with my teaching responsibilities. It's been great to be able to run/ride, eat, and nap each day and then just get up and do more of the same the next day. However, all good things must change...so now it will be back to late afternoon/evening training and weekend morning long runs. I could do this for a long time!

Chomps
In my opinion Hammer Nutrition products are without a doubt the best supplements on the market right now. I have had fantastic results with them. But I will tell you that I have supplemented my Hammer Nutrition plan with a product called GU Chomps. They are fantastic for either your runs or your rides. Chomps have amino acids for great energy and rapid recovery, vitamins C & E for the antioxidents, a good electrolyte balance of sodium and potassium, and a blend of simple and complex carbohydrates. Great flavors and I think they are much easier on the stomach than gels. Just sayin...

Well, hope this week has been good to you and that the upcoming week will be a great one! Make sure you take time this week to let somebody know you care.

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe.

Training Change

Spending a few days in Boston going to professional meetings and doing some early morning runs along the St.Charles River, allowed me to have some time to rethink some of my future training plans and race plans. I'm about 7 weeks away from my next ultra-marathon of 50 miles (Still need to find an August marathon.), and several weeks before my first cycling race in October of 40 to 80 miles. Have not decided yet on the distance. Therefore the training plan needs to be in place that will carry me across the finish line in a strong way. There are several components of a good training plan.

First of all, Nutrition and Hydration. I can't emphasize this enough. A good Hydration and Nutrition plan is a must. These are not things that you wait a few days before a race to start. It is a continuous process that involves organization and careful calculations of your own body needs. What you are training for does make a difference. The Hammer Nutrition Products that I use are a fantastic benefit to get me on the road or trail for running and cycling at my top performance levels. You have heard me talk about Hammer often. Hammer has very knowledgeable people to help you set up a program that will work best for your needs. I am also available to assist you with any questions in this area. Hydration is something that needs to have attention each day. Consumption of the right combination of liquids is a real art. There is so much junk out on the market right now it is unbelievable. Be careful what you buy and do not over hydrate or under hydrate. Again, Hammer leads the way in this area.

Second. Gear. Brooks Running is my gear of choice. I am a Brooks ID runner and really strongly advocate that they have the best products on the market right now. Some very advanced technology that is not wasted on bells and whistles like some of the other companies. Fancy does not make you a better runner. Research into product development does. That's the Brooks focus.

Third. The Training Plan. There are so many plans out there right now. Please be careful and choose one that fits you and not someone else. Training plans are very personal and quite frankly are not always found in the stacks of running and cycling magazines we all pour over each month. Find someone you can trust to help you with a plan that will focus on your goal and get you there in a way the insures success. Again, I would be more than happy to help you with a training plan for any distance. Simply leave a comment on this blog and your email address and I will be more than glad to help you!

My training plan for the next 7 weeks involves combinations of running and cycling that will provide a good balance of miles involving different sets of muscle groups. My training plan calls for me to do my longest runs on Saturday and Sunday of distances from 15-25 miles each day. These back to back runs strengthen me in a way that prepares me for the ultra. During the week I will be dong 8 mile runs on Tuesday and Thursday. Then on Monday and Friday I will be doing 25-40 mile rides. Wednesday will include a 6 mile run and a 20 mile ride. It puts me at between 90 and 150+ total miles a week. It's an agressive training plan. I am finding that including cycling as a major part of my training the past 2 weeks has really given me new strength. Therefore, the change to include more cycling.

I will keep you posted on how things are going. You can follow me each day on Twitter or Dailymile. I hope you will find the updates meaningful and helpful. Let me know if I can be of help to you. Best of luck to all of you that are running or riding in races the next few weeks!

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe!

Conclusions from Man vs. Fast Food

It was great to be able to have a few days to take a look at the fast food industry. The Man vs. Fast Food event last week was one of information gathering and food tasting. The opportunity to present an option to what you can eat at fast food establishments was a challenging one for me. The goal was easy. What can active people that want food that is not high in fat, calories, carbs, and sodium do when the are "stuck" with fast food options? I found out that there are menu choices that can work and also some items that need to be avoided completely. Was there a fast food establishment that outdid another? Yes. Am I going to recommend a place for you to go for your meals? No. The visits to McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and Sonic were very informative. You need to make your own choices.

Conclusions that I could make from my 5 day trip into the fast food world would be:

Look carefully at the menu options before you order. Many fast food places have their menus online so do your homework on several so that you know what to order when you are presented with the problem of ordering fast food. Look at the key things that are very important in our active diet. Check out the sodium content, fat amounts, calories, carbs , and portions. It was amazing that the more the protein increased the size of the menu item did too. Want high protein? Order the super size of anything and of course there will be more protein. Come on, that's not rocket science. there will also be more sodium, calories, and fat. There were menu combinations that were ok. A small hamburger and a salad with low fat dressing was a good option. some salads alone had more negatives than other items on the menu. Dressing? Not good.

There were several things that impressed me though. There is an effort out there in fast food land to make us aware of just what we are eating. They don't order the meals, we do. It's a two way street. Yes, they could improve their menus. In some cases they are. But it is our responsibility too. A couple of places had the Allergens listed for each menu item. That is way cool! There are also different portion sizes for things. Take advantage of that.

Think before you order. What we take in as food needs to be fuel that we can burn in a positive way for our active needs. High fats, carbs, calories, and sodium only add to a savings account of trouble.

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe!

Man vs. Fast Food....Friday is Sonic

Man vs. Fast Food went to Sonic today. It was a great trip and one that provided some very good options for those of us on the go in these summer months. It was interesting, as I looked at the menu, to see some similar things at Sonic that we saw at other places during the week. However, Sonic's presentation of these items and the drive-up atmosphere sets them a part from other fast food places. I really enjoy going to sonic for that reason.

Today I ordered the #1 Sonic Burger and it was low in calories (310), carbs(30g), and sodium (610mg). It had a great taste and has always been one of my favorite burgers. I also order the Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich that had the highest sodium numbers (1,780mg) and got the Sodium King Award for the day. Both sandwiches had great taste but the nutrition numbers on them really make a difference. Remember that portion size and sodium are the main things that we have been talking about this week so these sandwiches were at opposite ends of the menu there.

Other items of interest:
* Jalapeno Burger- Low in Sodium (510mg)
* Burrito- Low in sodium (480mg)
* Taco- Low in sodium (360mg)
* Corn Dog- Low in Carbs(23g)
* Thousand Island Jr. Cheeseburger- Low in Carbs (30g)
* Grilled Chicken Wrap- Low in Fat (11g)
Then On the high side of things:
* Super Sonic Cheeseburger- High in Calories (980), Protein (48g), and Fat (64g)
* FRITOS Chili Pie- High in Carbs (72g), and FAt (64g)
* Fish Sandwich- High in Carbs (71g)

There were several items that were high in protein that were on the Super Sonic Sandwich llist but were Fairly high in other areas.

The Salads provided even more options. The Grilled Chicken Salad was Low in Calories (310), Fat (13g), and Carbs (19g). The Santa Fe Chicken Salad was high in Protein (30g). But please note that the more things that you add onto your salad the higher some of these numbers go.

Also, a reminder to look at Sonic's Allergen listings online. They have a chart that lets you know what foods might contain the following allergens: milk, egg, fish, shellfish, soy, peanuts, treenuts, wheat, and gluten. Thank you sonic for doing this!

Another reminder is that Sonic does have those Powerade Drinks and Slushes for you to choose from if you are on the go and need to pick up something for hydration purposes or just to go with your meal.

Hope you have a great Friday and enjoy your walk, run, or ride today!

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe!