Satisfaction

April 5th, 2009 Posted in Story, Training

With all due respect to Mick and the Stones, I can get satisfaction.  It came in the form of Tour de Western - three spectacular weeks spend running the trails of the Western States and book ended by the Way Too Cool 50K in the beginning and capped with the American River 50 yesterday.  My friends, the weather, the terrain were all spot on.

I end Tour de Western with 290 miles of canyon running under my belt (after I finish my 12 mile warm down today from Robie Point to Cool and back).  During my journey I was reminded of how truly difficult the terrain of Western States is - grueling hill climbs, altitude and heat.  And it’s still cool temps out here!  I was also reminded of some extremely valuable lessons I learned some 16 years ago, when I first began ultra running, but had since forgotten.  I was reminded of the importance of starting out slow and conservative, of building to a crescendo during the run, of running to your heart beat, not pace or time, of listening carefully to your body and assessing its needs of simplifying, enjoying the trip and nature and forgetting about racing and those around you, of enjoying the company of your friends along the trail.  I also made some new friends along the way, including Tony, who I met in the wilderness while training, living out of his truck after being made homeless due to the economy.  I went back last Thursday to visit some more with Tony (who I discovered was an ex-Marine from Indiana) and provide him with some provisions.  I’ll feel better running from Robinson to Volcano knowing Tony will be out there somewhere passing along his good wishes.

So I come away from this trip not just with quality miles and plenty of them - my original mission - but with something more important: a fresh perspective on how to train for and run Western States.  I am more confident than I have ever been that if I utilize this perspective and combine it with fitness and being healthy, I can finally slay this beast.  The recipe for me is clearer than ever: intelligent plan + fitness/health = finishing Western States.

So I aspired to practice what I re-learned on the AR50 yesterday.  I wanted to run, NOT race the AR50 utilizing a plan that I will employ for Western.  I considered it a dry run, albeit half the distance and much more forgiving terrain.  The plan was to run by my heart beat only, utilizing my HR monitor.  I decided to set the range (zone) in which I wanted to run between 65-75% of my maximum heart rate.  My max HR is 180 so this means I wanted to stay within 117 to 135 bpm for the entire run.  I planned to ignore - not even look at the elapsed time, since that would only distract me from my goal.  I would eat/drink like I plan for Western, carrying two water bottles, urging frequent pit stops to keep the water works flowing, really monitoring my fluid intake, eating a balance of salts, glucose, fructose, protein and carbos at aid stations, supplementing with Gu, Shot Blocs and electrolyte tablets.  I would walk the steep hills and run a smooth steady pace throughout - a “gentler” pace than I was accustomed to in the past.  I would stick to my plan, not get sucked into others around me.  I would smile, enjoy the beautiful weather, sunshine and scenery.  I reckoned if I could be successful at practicing this at AR, it would help build confidence in my ability to do it at Western.

For the record, since my meager ultra beginnings in 1993 where Perry Edwards introduced me to the trails (the very same trails I ran on yesterday), Dan Fowkes introduced me to ultras and applying these tenets I had long since strayed from and Sally Edwards taught me how to employ a heart rate monitor as a strategic weapon, I became a victim of my own success.  I broke PR (personal record) after PR right up until the time I retired from ultra in 1997.  So when I resumed running in 2006, my mind figured we’d just pick up where we left off and with a little getting back in shape I’d be back busting PRs.  Right.  So now, because I no longer have the physical ability to do so, I am forced to find a different way to cope and compete.  Back to basics and it is about time as my fellow mentors would profess!

The results from AR?  9:13, top 25 age group (23rd) and the best 50 mile time I’ve turned in since 1996

.  (see Sally Edward’s Heart Zones blog post on this topic). More important than the time was that I followed the plan exactly - and never knew what my time was until I crossed the finish.  Didn’t know, didn’t care.  I felt very good throughout the run.  Had some “soft” spots where my stomach or legs felt off but was able to determine what I need to do (i.e. eat salt, sugar, caffeine, etc. or slow down) and was able to course correct all and any issues along the way including a nice 90 degree right ankle twist on a rock.  I didn’t fall either - a big accomplishment for me, yeah!  Even better, I was in 232nd place at the halfway point and turned in the 113th fastest split of the field for the trail and hill portion of the run (second half) - passing 78 runners along the way.  I was also hoping to have enough energy to run the final hill, 2.5 miles straight up hill, 20-25% grade to the finish. I accomplished this goal without stopping, making the finish that much more satisfying.  And truthfully, my real test of how far I’ve come in training AND in run planning, and how far I still need to go came AFTER the run.  I wanted to see how shot I would feel directly following the run (my last few 50s have been ugly finished - could hardly walk) and how well I’d feel the next day.  I felt better than I have ever felt after this 50 miler and today, we’ll I’m ready to finish Tour de Western with a farewell run to Cool and then come back to Robie Point, retracing for the last time the final miles of Western States - before I retrace them again on June 27th and complete my journey.

I’m so very thankful to the Edwards for their kind hospitality and friendship - it has made this a very special trip.  And to Dan for coming down from Portland to be with me for a week and remind me of the basics - the things he once taught me and I’ve learned once again.  I’m also anxious to be home with Marcy - this has been a long haul and she has been 1,000% behind me in spite of her own challenges and a dreary dark winter.  The journey is far from over but this trip provided me with the wisdom and confidence to go home, finish the training and come back ready to rock and roll - but it will be to a different tune that “I can’t get no, satisfaction….”

With friends, the Diesel visited the mountains and the valleys, brushed the sun, the snow and the rain, transformed the dark into the light as he crossed the watershed.  And then on the fourth week he rested…..kinda — Tim Kulka