IT100 training--coming down to the wire

  Well the big day is drawing nearer and nearer. It has been a long time waiting and training. Though I can be hard on myself that I might not have trained enough or in the right way I am sure that I have done all I can at this point. Only a couple more weeks of training and I start to taper down to the race.
   I have worked on many things that I think tripped me up last year. One, last year I DID spend a bit too much time getting myself together at the aid stations and didn't always have clear objectives when people tried to help me. Some of this was later on when I was just too tired to think but even in the beginning laps I could have been more organized and better able to help the ones who were trying to help me.    
   Two, my nutrition last year was very haphazard. I have never been really great at nutrition. Usually I just bring along some swedish fish (everyone who knows me knows this) and some natural made fruit roll ups and then just snack at the aid stations when i was hungry. WRONG.  Not only is this wasting time trolling the delicious snacks at every aid station and trying to decide on the fly what I am hungry for it also may provide the wrong macronutrients at the wrong time.
      Though the volunteers are awesome and we couldn't do this without them and the food is truly delicious I had to have some kind of plan as to what, when and how I was going to provide nutrients so that I can make quick decisions as I go along and make sure I am staying satisfied in calories and still be able to bypass the food at aid stations--at least not eat every time. There are 6 laps and 3 aid station stops  plus start finish so that is 21 times I am stopping during the race. I think last year that truly hurt my time. 
   So instead this year I am trying a leaner nutrition plan. I put it together with the help of my pacer this year and it worked great at Land Between the Lakes 60k. It is a mixture of Tailwind and honey gels/waffle stingers/shot blocs to carry me through. AT the 100 I will also mix in some real food because I have to do that. But LBL was awesome for a test of this basic plan.
     I sipped the Tailwind every 5-10 minutes and every two miles ate something. I was able to bypass many aid stations...stopping long enough to maybe use the bathroom or drink a little coke, thank the volunteers and run off. Just by doing that I knocked an entire hour off of my time of the same race I ran in 2014. I was able to finish in 8:16 on my Garmin and 9:06 officially and so far my fastest 50k has been over 9 hours. What a difference some planning makes!!
   I have run three back to back 20 mile runs in the last few days. That was to do time on my feet training and also nutrition training again as that seems to be one of my problems areas. The first 20 mile run on Sunday I went pure Tailwind...no gels or food. I found that I got a little tired without some caffeine in a gel or something. So Monday I ran no Tailwind only gels/shot blocs. Again I started to lose energy. This morning I ran with a mixture and it went great! My stomach was growling by the time i got home but that's fine. I didn't feel the need for tons of nutrition as this was 20 miles in town. Much different than 100 miles on a trail!
   I have also been testing out my shoes. I have two different pairs of Altras going. I think I like them both about equally so I am bringing both pairs with me. ALSO a pair of really big open shoes for the finish. (Thanks to Mory!) 
  I am going to be better about packing my needs this year. I am not the best at organization I know that. But I found that by packing individual packs of the tailwind i needed as well as the gels i would need it was easier to grab and go. One thing!!! I am pre-mixing my tailwind and also packing it in a sealed plastic tub instead of a drop bag. At LBL I opened my drop bag at the end of the race and it was full of ants. Apparently (DUH) they like Honey Stinger Gels too!! 
   I had wanted to run the course at least once this year to get the idea of it but it didn't work out. I ran a lot of my training in town. However I have trained for many trail races in town and did fine. The course will be well marked and I have a general idea from last year plus I have viewed a very helpful video to renew my memory. 
   I had some great pacers last year. They both did a wonderful job of handling me when I was tired and sometimes cranky. I applaud their efforts on my behalf. I think this year having the same pacer for the entire last 50 miles is going to be good. I can get accustomed to her way of pacing and we can get a rhythm going for the race. I also last year really could have used a pacer the last lap. By then I was so tired and kind of out of it I really could have used some guidance. The wonderful Jerry Deihl helped me last year prodded me to the end. This year it will be good to have someone consistently with me to get me into the last lap with wind left in my sails. 
 
   All I can say is just that I feel truly lucky and extremely grateful to my ultra running community for being so great to me, so THERE for me and so supportive of me. Terry Fletcher and all at  Indiana Trail Running, BARA, Mike Pfefferkorn, all the other runners from last year, my pacer this year is already supporting me 100% and all of this makes this race all the more special. It will be like a big family reunion with a LOT of running thrown in but also a lot of emotions, laughs, ups and downs, great food, two sunrises, a sunset, beautiful woods and lots of great energy from everyone around. 

  Here is Mory Bailey running me up the finish line at the end of the race last year. Her energy was very much needed and I appreciated her being there and everyone being there at the end. It was a great HUGE thing for me to have finished and I was truly proud to be an ultra runner. I cannot wait to go back!


                         One month left. Almost running up that finish line. Almost.............

Land Between the Lakes 60k--training run sucess!

       I am at a critical point in my 100 mile training. The race is only five weeks away. I had to take a little time off because after my big back to back weekend a couple weeks ago where I did 16 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday the top of my right foot was hurting a bit. I went and got it checked out and no stress fracture so it was just an overuse problem so I rested, iced it, babied it and it got much better. I was nervous, though, as I had to take two weeks off of training and I am usually very strict with myself about my training program. However if I am injured then the races were out completely.
  I showed up to the starting line of the land between the lakes 60k without having really run in two weeks. I have an active lifestyle so I was walking a lot, riding my bike, doing HIIT workouts in my classes and generally all kinds of things but had not had a "scheduled" run in awhile.
  I was also testing a new nutrition plan I am going to follow for the race. It consists of Tailwind, gels and honey stinger waffles and not much else. Tailwind hasn't worked very well before for me but I got some good advice about just how and when to use it and this time it worked. I filled up my hydration pack with 32 ounces of water, added four scoops of Tailwind to it and every lap I refilled it. I also had some gels with me and some packets of baby food at the drop bag site. I had a 16 oz. bottle of regular water as well. The Tailwind had been hard to take before because I had the flavored kind. This time I used the unflavored or "naked" tailwind and it was much better.
   Every 10 minutes I drank some Tailwind. Every two miles or so I took a gel only if I felt I needed one. I was able to run by the aid stations with only stopping to take a couple of Enduralyte pills for electrolytes and sodium replacement and drink a little coke. Otherwise I didn't feel hungry and was able to run by the food. At the drop bag site I would refill my pack with 32 oz of water and four scoops of tailwind, eat a packet of baby food for some "real food" nutrition and then be on my way.
   I was also testing my walk/run strategy. I ran for 25 minutes and then walked for 5 minutes. The times I didn't take a walk break was if I was on a downhill or a nice straightaway because I didn't want to waste a good downhill or run-able part with walking. I walked all the big hills and switchbacks however even when I was walking it was speedwalking--I tried to keep walking pace below 14 minute miles and it worked out about that pace.
  I did eat a little real food at about mile 20. I think it was more for the taste than that I really needed it. But after 20 miles brownies grew hard to resist.
  I also got to negative splits which I really like. By the last 8 miles or so of the race I was speeding up to sometimes 10 minute miles. I felt good the whole race, was passing quite a few runners and didn't feel any pains or aches. I had good energy and was able to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. Having to watch my watch to make sure I drank and ate my gels at the right times really also helped to keep me on point. I also left my phone at the cabin. One--because I tend to lose phones quite easily but two--i didn't want to have the temptation to take photos of the beautiful views.
   Land between the Lakes is a beautiful place to run. The trail winds all around Kentucky Lake and the woods are lovely. The frogs were singing too. I could hear the birds in the trees and the weather was perfect. Overcast, not too hot and the rain didn't start until the last bit of the race and by then I was hot so it was actually the perfect timing for some rain. There was mud--seems there is always mud--but it wasn't too bad. Pretty manageable.
   I finished it in 8:16 on my Garmin time and 9:96 official time which is an awesome time for me. My last 50k was over 9 hours so here I had added on 6 more miles and done it an hour faster. Whoot! I feel so much better about the race now. I feel like my planning is going well and I can get through the aid stations faster and knock off loads of time that way. I think I arranged my drop bag strategy well too to make it quick and not dawdle which I can tend to do.


On to April 30th and the Big Day!!

Long training run: The ins and outs of effort

     So today I had a long training run to do. 25 miles. Training for a goal that is still months away can sometimes be a hard thing to continue to focus on. I do this by writing out elaborate and very specific training plans where each day is laid out for me as to how many miles to do that day, whether to cross-train, weight train or rest. That way I can just look at it and know what I am doing for that day.  I like to joke that my training plan is the "Boss of Me" but really it is. I feel that by following a plan I can really be more fully prepared for the race ahead. 
   The morning started out with every kind of delay you can think of to just get out the door. First I DID get up at 6, had the idea to get out the door by 7 since I knew how long this run would take.  On long run days the first thing i do before anything is get my running clothes on I had set out the night before so I am already mentally in "run mode" before I do anything. The longer I stay in my comfy pajama pants the harder it is to transition to running clothes. This morning, however, I had decided instead of 29 degrees it was perhaps -10. I put on three layers of clothes on my upper body, two pairs of running pants, two pairs of socks...it was crazy. Maybe I just felt cold upon waking but anyway after I had my breakfast I realized I was way overdressed and that is a horrible thing on a long run. You only have two choices: start disrobing extra layers and carry them with you the whole time wrapped around your waist or tucked in somewhere. So I took off one layer and went to check my hydration pack. 
   Hydration pack was missing a piece to the hose. Shit. I looked everywhere for it, squashed the urge to check online to see if i would have to buy a whole new hose or hydration bladder once I realized it was the O ring that was missing. So. No hydration pack. Bummer. It holds a liter and half of water in it which isn't a big deal in town but it also has many very handy pockets and places to stash phone, food, etc... I also (Not a good week for gear) had lost two caps to my water belt bottles so more time was spent looking for two more caps (finally found two more) so I could carry the water in my belt. This meant not any real pockets so i had to re-do my plans for carrying stuff. I have thought of a good way to carry my huge phone now---I tuck it into an arm warmer on my arm rolled up so it tucks in there very nicely so no need to carry it around in my running belt which is getting pretty worn itself. 
   So, okay, breakfast.....then I had to take another layer off because..29 degrees....so I got all dressed in my running clothes and Altras and finally got to head out. As soon as i stepped out I felt ice. Oh oh. Run in to get on my trail shoes which have the nice rubber nobbies on them and also my yaktrax for the ice. Outside. Ready to go. Forgot my hat. DAMMIT! Got up at 6--left the house at 8:20. Oh well. 
    The ice was a challenge and I had to go pretty slowly and keep a special look out for shiny parts that meant ICE. The traction on my Salomon Fellrunners really helped i think even more than the yaktrax but, still, had to go fairly slowly. I have also started Maffetone training again which, unlike the usual method of 220-age for max heart rate, is 180-age and then add or subract a bit of points for such thing as recent injuries, running mileage, etc..i had been running pretty consistently high mileage without any injuries so I added a few points making my heart rate max on the program 141. I found, to my happy surprise, that the Maffetone Method really works as well as they say. I was able to stay well under my heart rate while still maintaining my generally usual pace. In an un-icy environment it would have been even better. 
    I have also been practicing a race technique wherein I run 17 minutes, speed walk 3 minutes, then run 17 min, speed walk 3 minutes. I happen to be a pretty fast walker so can usually keep up about 14 minute mile and have had on good advice this would be a good way to do the run/walk intervals for the 100 mile. I have actually started working on a strategy for the 100 miler that has to do with walking/running that I think might work in my favor and help me to get my time in under 30 this year....hopefully a pretty good amount under 30 if I work very hard and am dedicated and persistent. 
   I get a lot of thinking done on these long runs and sometimes run through a lot of emotions. I have so much time to myself that get a lot of things worked out. This is another reason I love endurance training---it really gets me in touch with myself--how I feel about things, what I have been worried about, things I want to do and see and what I want for my life. Big, deep thoughts but also little thoughts about my friends, my work, stuff I need to get done, snippets of poetry or music. It's good to have that time alone to just process. 
   It was about 2 1/2 hours into the run I started to feel a run-down feeling. I had my gummy fish for some quick sugar and also some honey sticks but felt I needed some coke and maybe a tiny bit of real food as by now it was already 11 am. So I veered off to burger king, got a small coke and some chicken nuggets, ate and then was on my way again. I felt revived by the food and sugar in the coke and so my pace was a little better and I felt better. 
   I kept up the 17/3 and occasionally picked an entire mile to speed walk it. That was good. It gave me a bit of variety. 
   I ran all over town, from the rail trail up the B-line to then grab walnut to 14th street then over to the college a bit, then hit downtown for a little bit, caught the B-line went up to 11th st....and so on. My Garmin beeped..shit running out of battery power...and I Had charged it up all night. Hoping it would withstand the rest of my run I also put on the Strava app on my phone just to make it up so i could then add everything together and get exact mileage. 
  I got near home, finally, 5 1/2 hours later at 25 miles. Because I am me I decided I wanted to run an extra mile and get in my own personal "marathon" so I ran a bit more. Wouldn't you know it. Garmin died at 25.66 but I know I was more than a third of  a mile until home so I am counting it. 

 Specifics of training run:

Shoes: Salomon Fellrunners
Gear: Nathan Hydration belt with two 9 ounce bottles for water
Nutrition:  Egg sandwich, banana for breakfast, honey sticks, gummy fish, chicken nuggets, coke
Hydration: about 30 oz. of water, no electrolyte drink
Pace: Variable depending on iciness of terrain and whether running or speed walking
Training specifics worked on during the training run:  Maffetone Method training; 17/3 interval training; Time on my Feet; nutrition timing. 

The joyful side of winter training

   It's always hard at the beginning of a long training cycle that you know is going to last several months. I have to break it down into weekly tidbits to avoid getting overwhelmed looking at all the miles, training and heavy lifting (both physically and mentally) to keep it up and keep going eve during those cold mornings when the blankets feel like heaven but i have 21 miles to run that day. Even on those Friday nights when I could stay up late reading or being online and instead have to hit the hay early so I can be up at the crack of dark to start my long run. Thinking about biting cold, snowy mornings, running through cold rain and early dark times. 
  I happen to be the kind of idiot who signs up for very long early spring races which means I train through the winter. While everyone is hunkered down in warm houses drinking hot tea and watching "Downtown Abbey" I am getting ready for the next day's cold run. 
  But you know what? I wouldn't change it for anything. I embrace the suck, as they say. And I know that the reward will be worth it all. I remember a friend on a long run saying, as I was training for my first marathon, "suck it up buttercup" (you might know who you are if you are reading this).  I never forgot that. I paid for the Privilege of being able to run this many miles. I remember all those who are in their houses because they are sick or tired or unable to do the things I love to do. They may dream of running out in the wild woods for hours and hours and feeling that ultra tired and accomplished feeling but cannot. 
    I feel LUCKY--whether that sounds weird to some--to go out into the cold morning with my headlamp on bundled up like a snowman and listen to that absolute snowy early morning peace. The calm of the world at that time..the silence..is like a church sanctuary. The lights along the streets of Bloomington shining in that delicate iridescence like far away moons becomes my mental state. I start to dream and drift a little while I run those early mornings. The miles fade away and all I can hear is the crunch of snow under my feet, my breathing in and out. All my anxieties of the week disappear with each breath. Anything that is bothering me emotionally or mentally disappears like the wisp of snowflakes I might see fall like slow gentle rain. 
  They say you can never be truly ready for change. Yet life is change--all the time. If things didn't change they would stagnate and die. But to be evolving through hard work, ethical behavior, responsible living, joyfulness in the beginning of the self learning to BE itself---that is the best thing in life. 
  So I make my training cycle on a piece of paper, make three copies and post it all over my house. I keep track of my miles on my calendar so I know which weekends to do what mileage. I start to include cross-training, hill training and speed workouts. I work on my long runs---I change my terrain, my footing, I re-evaluate my gear and make changes as I see fit. 
   And it makes the winter pass with so much more gentleness and courage. I find myself smiling at strangers who look cold and miserable but they may see me (remembering my early morning running homily) smiling at them and perhaps their day goes a little better. I can bring that energy into my work week, my time with family and friends, my day to day challenges and face them with a brighter outlook. 

And it's all due to that day-in, day-out schedule of workouts, runs, long runs and rest days. 

 

Why I love Tecumseh

      Running Tecumseh Trail Marathon has become a much-looked forward to yearly event for me (except last year when I did it in January AND October). There are SO many reasons that I have taken to Tecumseh in some very spiritual ways and why I do it every year without fail. 
       In 2012 I was still a very fresh endurance runner. I had only just started running the year before and had been training for it with some of my best new friends. The long runs leading up to it, the prep work was some of the most fun times I had ever had. I got to make new friends in the process of training for my second marathon. 
   

      I remember a particularly great training run with my friend Melanie. It was fun. It was relaxed and friendly. We took lots of photos. Cute photos. The trails were lovely and the day was perfect. 
     The first time I ran it there were so many friends there I felt surrounded by love and affection. It was like a party. Friends, food and beautiful trails. What more could you ask for? The weather that day was absolutely gorgeous!! I kept running into friends along the way at exactly the moment I needed them. Chris Banal was waiting at the top of killer Indian hill taking photos with a big smile. At one point Maria and Rachel were there with oranges. Magic! Later on I ran into a small tribe of hashers (Rebecca and friends) who gave me a bit of beer and a big send off to the final miles. 
   And finishing was a triumph!! I felt like a superhero! I felt I could run forever on that beautiful day! (well no my legs felt like jello but my spirit was definitely up for more trail running. Go spirit go! I'll meet up with you later)
    Then after there was a fire, beer, food, more photos, just having fun being together. I never forgot any of it. 

That is why Tecumseh is my favorite race. It reminds me I am never alone...that there is love always around me...that my spirit is always sharing that love and I can keep my friends close even when they are not actually here. The trails keep me happy. My friends keep me sane. 

LET'S GO GET THOSE HILLS!!!!!!


 

When I Run: A poem

When I run I feel like I could run forever
         The world is sunlight and flowers---
a grand panorama of humanity and life.

When I run I feel like the ground beneath me
         disappears and my body is a machine.
There is nowhere else I want to be,
         My thoughts are not on things I've done wrong,
past mistakes, present worries, anxieties or how much I miss
        the people I have left behind or who have left me.
   

I am one with the sun and moon.
         I am part of the great book of life
and I can contribute a page.

When I run I am lost in my world
       The rest fades away like dew on grass,
I only feel the sun on my back, the wind in my face,
       the rain on my neck, the fierce cold, the soft snow,
the road, the trail, the hill up ahead.

When I run I am fully present
I am not in the past or future.
I am part and parcel of the wildness of life.
I am a body and mind as one----
     nothing I feel is borrowed. It is all me.

When I run I am not running away from things.
        I am running towards a better tomorrow----
full of promises, happiness and dreams.

I can fully believe in my heart--when I run---
    that things will finally work out,
that I am destined for more than I think,
    that the world is my own.


I am not only me. I am the child being tucked in at night safe. I am the hungry girl being fed. I am the woman laying her head down on a soft pillow at the end of a long day. I am a hot bath, a comfortable shoe, a long-awaited dinner with friends. I am comfortable and comforting. When I run I think of my family, my friends, the love I have given and give now, the love given to me and given now, my good fortune at having enough to live a good life, my freedom from addiction, from abuse, from being a stranger in a strange land.


These...all these things......happen when I run.

Heather Rose

I want to run a 100 miles again next year!!

     The minute I ran down this last stretch of the Indiana Trail 100 last year I knew I wanted to do it again in 2016.  I had worked very hard, was so proud of myself, felt so great with all the support and encouragement behind me. The cutoff was 30 hours and I pushed myself to the limit, with Jerry Diehl's support as well as the support of my two pacers Keith Miller and Alicia Rich, to finish on time. 
    It rained most of the day--my twitter name is not Badweathrheathr for nothing--and the way was slippery, muddy and sticky. It made for a very difficult time getting to the end of the race but it was way worth it to see that finish line sign for the last time and go through it.
  Many of you who have been reading this blog now know about my long journey from serious health problems, obesity and mental illness to come to this place and how much running, especially long distance trail running, has changed my life, cured my mind and emboldened my heart. It has also given me the gift of all of you--my true and honored friends. My supportive family. The people in my life who make my life the best it can be and who help me on my journey every day. In this photo I am running with one of my many supporters, Mory Bailey, who is the BEST person to have at a race, as she helps run me up the hill to the final finish line. 
   Last year I was so happy I finished but had really, really, really wanted and been excited for that 100 mile buckle. I was one minute too late over the 30 hour time limit. The people at the race were wonderful and I couldn't ask for a better crew to help me afterwards. 

 This coming year I have some more important goals to achieve and I believe that goals are what keeps us moving in a positive direction with our lives, not living in the past but looking towards a better future. One BIG goal is to run the IT100 again next year and this time to win my buckle by beating the 30 hour cutoff time. I am excited about the chance to once again challenge and test myself beyond what I was ever dreaming of being able to do with my life. Years ago a 5k would have been a huge challenge and now I am looking forward to doing another 100 mile race. 
   The reason I love running long distances (and many ask me this) is that when I am running a long, long time I get the motors in my mind running and I solve a lot of my personal problems that way. My feet are my therapist and my long runs are my time on the couch. I spill out all my secrets to myself and have time to work through them while I people watch, eat snacks and enjoy the feeling of my body doing this awesome thing. And every time I break a  new distance, cross a new finish line, learn a new skill my mood disorder shrinks further and further away like a bug in the light. My moods are better, my heart is happier and my life is just purely BETTER. 


I am turning 46 next month and for my birthday I am running my 8th marathon--The Fox Valley Marathon--in St. Charles where my family live. I plan to cross a finish line of a marathon on the first day of being 46 and then celebrate by eating all the birthday cake I want with a family I love. And that will be the first of many races as a 46 year old distance runner. 


                                                                PEACE