21 Down 79 To Go

When Cindy and I got up this morning at 5 A.M. I started wondering WHY again......

This morning we headed up to Wrightwood (about an hour drive) for me to run part of the AC course. When we got near to our destination we drove down Route 2 to see how far we could make it by car, as Dan and Christina had warned me that the road had been closed for quite a while due to landslides. They were correct and we could only get as far as Vincent Gap, about half the distance I wanted to run . Instead of driving back to Wrightwood we decided to send me on my way and I would run the trail backwards back to the starting point of the AC in Wrightwood (about a 13 mile run) with one place along the way where Cindy could meet me at Inspiration Point to refill my water.

<---- Ready to head up the trail from Vincent Gap. (sorry mom... still have the beard)

The run to Inspiration Point went great and my estimated time I gave Cindy was 1.5 hrs. but I was there in 1 hour. Cindy was not there yet, I later learned some mountain bikers and hikers had come through and she stayed and chatted.

The next section had some good climbs and eventually I arrived at the top of Moutain High Ski Resort, and to my surprise the Pacific Crest Trail wound through a few of the ski slopes. Again the run was going smoothly, but according to my crude map I needed to spot Acorn Trail that took a 90 degree turn off the Pacific Crest Trail and headed down to Wrightwood. I didn't know if there would be a sign and when I saw a trail heading down the hill to the left I figured there was a 50/50 chance, I decided to take it. After traversing the hill steeply for about a mile and seeing the trail come to an end, I realized this one of those times in life where I picked the wrong 50. The hike back up to the trail put me behind my 10:00 arrival time in Wrightwood, but I knew Cindy had a good book and would find a nice cup of coffee in town. After another half mile I was pleased to see a big sign that said "Acorn Trail" and this time I was smart enough to pick the correct "50".

After a couple miles of downhill switchbacks I found Cindy drinking her coffee on an outdoor table in Wrightwood reading her book just as I pictured... I was only 30 minutes off my estimate. After a quick change of clothes, we went next door and had breakfast at a quaint small restaurant and while I was eating my omelette and drinking my coffee after a great run in the beautiful mountains, the WHY question was answered again.

10 Down 90 To Go - A Lull

After some nice fresh air in the mountains and some good runs around Pinecrest Lake in the mornings I have hit a lull. I don't know if it is the heat of Palmdale or my ankle pain that won't go away but I have been taking it easy. I think I will take it easy from posting for a little while as well... I had originally planned on posting every day during the 100 days, that didn't work out (both running and writing currently).

As much as it hurts mentally, I am going to try and rest my ankle for a while and get it as close as possible to 100% before running again.

4 Down 96 To Go - Why Do I Run?

Today's Mileage = 3 miles

I am on my way to the mountains for 4 days. I look forward to running around Pinecrest Lake (about 4.5 miles) in the fresh morning air as the sun rises and all the campers are asleep.

There are many reasons why I run and some of them are stronger than others on any given day. The paragraph above is often one of the major reasons why I run. Other times it is the feeling of being in better shape, watching the sun rise, feeling less guilty about eating that extra bowl of ice cream (I had three helpings last night), getting to feel the endorphins kick in when you least expect it, or sometimes it's just plain fun.

According to the August 2006 Runner's World (p. 48), "University of Michigan researchers found that women who work out to lose weight are less committed to exercise than those who do it for social benefits, stress reduction, or enjoyment of the activity". Since I run solo 99% of the time I probably don't do it for the social benefits, but the other two definitely fit.

I would not recommend running to someone trying to lose weight, rather I would recommend running to someone that wants to enjoy the fresh air and great feeling of getting a good workout at the same time. It just so happens that weight loss is a repercussion... as long as we stay away from that 3rd bowl of ice cream.

3 Down 97 To Go - Crewing

Today's Mileage = 8 miles. Put Electrolyte drink in my bottle instead of water. I seemed to feel more refreshed.

Since I have never run a 100 mile race before I have never had a crew before with the exception of Cindy being at an aid station along the way with supplies. I never have felt much of a need for the supplies since races are very good about food and water at aid stations. To my surprise the mental boost of seeing her has been very important.

At the moment my crew for the AC100 is Cindy and Teresa and I believe one or both (at different times) will be a pacer for me... I'll save "Pacers" for another post.

At this moment I am beginning to come up with what I will want different from the usual food at the aid stations that my crew will have for me.

Injinji socks - I get few to no blisters with these socks
Ensure - The drink gives plenty of calories and works well in my system. Some posts suggest 50% calories from food and 50% from liquid over the duration of the race. Some runners swear by only liquid... I don't think that is for the slow poke like me though.
Cliff Blocs - I prefer these over gels.
Also, Sunscreen, Heed, chapstick, shirt, mole skin... I am sure the list will grow...

Of course the crew will need good maps if they are not familiar with the course and Christina and Dan have informed me of a road closure... when they read this perhaps they can give me more specific details where the closure is at since I can't seem to find out much about it on the Internet.

2 Down 98 To Go - Hydration

Today's Run = 13 miles. (hills)

Most runners would probably agree hydration is the single most important thing to maintain in a race. Of course in a 100 mile race nutrition may be equally important and certainly more complex. These posts merely brush the basics and as I learn more I will update them and add links to more knowlegable information. Back to the topic of Hydration...

Staying hydrated is fairly simple drink plenty of water in a race, just not too much.
Too much intake of water can cause hypnatremia where one becomes too diluted with water and therefore the sodium levels drop, a good reason races have pretzels at their aid stations. Of Course too little water causes dehydration.

I have been fortunate to have always run in races with a good accompaniment of aid stations. Sometimes I carry my Nathan pack with two bottles and other times I carry my hand held bottle. Through trial and error I have found that as much as I crave Gatorade on a long race, it does not work well in my system and gives me cramps. The different electrolyte drinks that contain sucrose, fructose, and other sugars have to digest through the kidneys and make your already tired system work harder. I don't know if this is the scientific answer to my problems, I just know I don't like pains in my side. The last race I ran I only added a Heed mix that contains maltodextrin to my water and my system felt much better. This runners post has a good write up about the stuff. As I understand maltodextrin it is processed synthetically from a derivative of corn and rather than having to go through the kidneys it is absorbed directly into your system.

I don't know if the above is correct, I just know that my system felt better sticking to Heed and staying away from Gatorade in the last race. Unfortuately my legs hurt just as much, but I will work on that in the weeks to come, as well as continue to experiment with hydration. Gels work basically the same way and contain maltodextrin, I just find drinking a sugary water much more pleasurable than trying to choke down a gooey substance.

Also tried Nuun tablets put in my running bottle. Very convenient for electrolytes and my stomach seems to handle them well.

1 Down 99 To Go - The Journey

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
-Lao Tse

I began running in June of 2005. I am not sure exactly what the date was I just remember it was some time in the middle of the month and it was the same day I quit my job that I had done for the last 10 years. At that time I was about 30 pounds overweight and not quite able to run one mile. I also don't remember when I wanted to run a 100 mile run, but even though I was not very familiar with 100's it became more and more clear as "The Journey" began.

My training over the last 2 years has been inconsistent. I have run for 20 straight days but also due to injuries (knee, broken toe, ankle) have gone as much as 60 straight days without running. My hope for the next 100 days is to maximize mileage, and keep excuses and injuries to a minimum. I hope to cross train with biking and swimming as well. If my ankle is flaring up I will put in more mileage on the bike. Although I will do most of my running in the early morning hours and evening I will also run in the heat of the day to keep the body used to the heat I will experience at the AC 100.

There are many great sites like Stan Jensen's (no relation) run100s site with great info about runs and training. On my posts my training will speak for itself as I am not mapping anything specific out, rather I am looking forward to being creative in my training on this journey. Below is my first attempt at putting video on my blog from youtube, I don't know if I will use his method, but I like how this guy thinks.
My mom once gave me a shirt that says, "Those who wander are not necessarily lost". I am thankful my mom understands me.

Let the JOURNEY begin!

0 Down 100 To Go - Intro

Today is the Day I begin the countdown.

In the next 100 days I will research, train, and prepare for running the Angeles Crest 100 miler. I may edit/change various posts due to suggestions or later reflections so comments will be greatly appreciated. I am hopeful someone out there will find my journey helpful, interesting, or entertaining.

At the very least I hope to have searched within myself and come out a better prepared runner and perhaps person.

Chris

Goldilocks Runs Shadow of the Giants 50k

I realize I am putting myself out there, especially after I take enough ribbing from all of my "manly" buddies due to the fact I am a regular watcher of Oprah. Now I'm taking it to another level by calling myself Goldilocks... I hope none of those "manly" guys read this blog. I will get back to the part about Goldilocks in a little while.

Friday I departed from Palmdale for Fresno to stay the night with my parents. I grew up in Fresno and lived there until I was 18, my mom likes to say, if she knew I wasn't coming back when I went away to college she never would have let me leave.

Cindy was unable to come with me since she stayed home to dog sit a friend's dog.

<-------Daisy (our guest for the weekend)

Our friend helped us out many many times by watching our dogs (before they went to doggy heaven) when we went away and weren't able to take the dogs with us, and Cindy was happy to help repay the favor.

Ben and Maxine ----->

The run was in Fish Camp just below the entrance to Yosemite. I was out the door by 5:30 and arrived at Fish Camp just after 6:30 only to get a little lost trying to find the place. How anyone gets lost in a town with a population of 12 is beyond me, but I have some special abilities. My parents were going to arrive around noon in order to see me cross the finish line. I had the impression that my mom expected me to be crawling across the finish line gasping for air after 31 miles and I hoped I would be able to change that perception.

The reason Goldilocks came to mind was because I have run in 50k's that seemed too flat, and I have run in 50k's that seemed to steep, but like the bowl of porridge, this difficulty seemed just right. The course had plenty of climbs but most of the time it was a nice gradual ascent. There were still quad pounding descents and steep hills near the end that kept you plenty humble so that you would not forget that Papa Bear was still in charge.

Shadow of the Giants is a perfect name for the run as the giant sequoias are constantly protecting you from the sun. The volunteers at the aid stations were awesome, and Baz the race director was never without an ecouraging word. Near the end I thought the race would go on forever, and my time seemed a little too long for such nice day. I heard rumors after the race that the course is more like 33 miles than 31 and whether or not this is true, I am sticking with the 33 mile distance in my head.

It was nice to see my parents had driven up, and my mom was right on top of her job to snap a picture as I finished; after I crossed the line she was worried she missed the shot so she had me circle around and cross again... didn't she know I had just run 33 miles?

As always I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to run in such a beautiful place on a beautiful day. What a pleasure to have my parents there with me and then we went out for a lunch in the nearby town of Oakhust. I'm just glad I was able to get up from crawling on the ground and gasping for air just before getting to the finish line. :-)