McKay Hollow Madness - a 25km trail race

     Each year for the past 7 years a small band of die-hard trail runners gathers at 6am in mid-March on top of Monte Sano Mountain in the Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, AL for the running  of the McKay Hollow Madness 25km Trail Race.  No trophies. No medals.  You just get a t-shirt – IF you finish.  Unfortunately many don’t.  

     McKay is a grueling race. The map above is far from accurate but it gives you an idea of the run.   The close up below shows the last ¾ of a mile or so. If you look near the label “Blue Spring” you will see the dashed line of the trail.  Follow it as we moved north up McKay Hollow and up the escarpment to the finish (small red flag).  The topo elevation lines are 20’. You will notice that there are places where the lines are so closes together that it is difficult to differentiate them.  For that last ¼ of a mile or so, we are literally climbing up the side of the mountain.  The elevation change is 700’ to 1480’. That’s a 680’ climb in less than 0.25 mile.

     This year it had been snowing or raining all week. It was a combination of the two when I arrived at my daughter’s home the day before the race.  When I arrived at the shelter house, that served as race headquarters and had been draped with tarps to keep in some of the heat from the fireplaces and propane heaters, it was in the mid-40s and raining heavily. 

    I must admit to being a wimp when it comes to cold. I already had a cheap pair of Walmart compression tights under my good race compressions.  On top I had a compression shirt, long-sleeve tech and long-sleeve tech warm-up.  On the way to the starting line I put on a pair of warm-up trousers and a fleece jacket.   I left the jacket with the volunteers at the 5 mile check station.  If you’ve read many of my posts you know that I’m a serious advocate of trail poles and I wasn’t going to do this race without them.  Last year they had been invaluable and saved me from serious falls several times.  They would be even more important this year.

     Despite giving a rather low-tech appearance, the race is really very well organized and run.  There are check-points at 5 and 10 miles.  If you don’t arrive within the time limit you will be pulled from the race and given a ride back to the finish-line.  The race started on time and we headed off through the rain toward the north side of the mountain where we would start our first descent.   There would be at least three major descents. That means there would be at least three major climbs from between 7-900’ to as high as 1550’.  None of them, thankfully, is as steep as the last climb on the map above.  Of course there were many ups and downs. 

     My trail poles (the Lexi for which I paid 80 Francs – about $100 – in Switzerland in 2009) have paid for themselves many times and did so again.  We run for close to a mile on gravel and asphalt roads then suddenly take a sharp turn and a very steep descent.  The descent is difficult in dry weather. It was still raining hard.  Throughout the race the rain and fog made visibility so poor I felt like my glasses were steamed up.  Thing is . . . I wasn’t wearing glasses. 

     Just before we arrived at the first descent a woman behind asked me about my trail poles.  I told her that I wouldn’t run trails without them because they provided safety and stability. They might slow me down a bit, but I’m not fast in the first place. I’m more interested in getting to the finish line in one piece.  She seemed interested when a man, also right behind me, said “I thought about bringing my poles but I was afraid someone might make fun of me.”  He laughed.  I couldn’t see him so I don’t know whether he was teasing me or serious. I didn’t care. Moments after his statement we made the sharp right turn onto the single-track trail.  This is where the race gets serious and one of the more dangerous spots.  In good weather it is dangerous because we’re all still running in a group. The sudden switch to single-track trail and the closeness of others makes tripping over other people a serious problem. 

     I was not prepared for what I saw when I made the turn.  As I looked down the mountain all I could see right before me were bodies mostly lying on the ground. Some were still, but most were sliding out of control in the mud.  There was crying and cussing.   I dug my poles into the thick mud as I felt my feet begin to slip.  I looked around.  I could get off the trail.  I knew that the leaves were probably just as slippery but I’d get away from the mass of fallen humanity that would eventually bring me down if I stayed on the path.  As I stepped off the trail those behind me started sliding out of control by me. I have a technique that I’ve developed over the years to control my speed on a steep slope and allow me to move quickly.  I switched the  grip on my poles and started my zig-zag descent. As I avoided the bodies – asking “are you okay?” as I went by – I heard the lady who had been asking me about my poles yell “Go Mr. Sticks!” and laugh.  She and the others we sitting behind me in the mud.

     From that point on it was nothing but rain and mud. Mud and rain.  There are several points on the trail where you have to climb over or crawl under large boulders, traverse narrow muddy ledges high above the valley floor below and ford swift rushing streams.  I was amazed that I arrived at the 5 mile check-point 35 minutes ahead of the clock, and at the 10 mile check-point 30 minutes ahead. Of course last year I was almost 50 minutes ahead at the 10 mile check-point.  Just past the 10 mile check-point I encountered a young woman going the wrong way.  We were on what had once been an old logging road. It was still a muddy mess and looked more like a stream than a trail, but it had been gravel at one point so the mud wasn’t as deep.  I asked the woman if she needed help.  She said “no, I’m making up distance.”  It wasn’t until she caught up with me a short while later that she explained that she had missed a turn at the beginning of the course and inadvertently cut off 0.3 mile. The old logging road seemed to be the safest and easiest place to run the missing 0.3 mile.  I told her that no one would have thought less of her if she had just accepted her mistake, but she said that it would bother her.  She was having a lot of trouble.  Even though I have no doubt at all that she would be one who would fly past me on any other day, she had lots of trouble keeping up.  I’d keep an eye on her when she would fall far behind.  Normally this wouldn’t be any problem but I knew that I was losing time especially as we got into long stretches where the mud was over our shoes.  Because of the rain I had stopped early and double-knotted my shoestrings. Now I was worried about what that would do to time if I had a shoe sucked off by the mud – which was happening frequently during this race. 

     About 3-4 miles out from finish we had to cross a swift stream that fell very steeply down the mountain. The bottom of the stream consisted of large limestone slabs which, covered with mud, were extremely slippery.  On the far side we had to make our way up a 4-5’ wall of mud.  If you fell at this point, or in the stream, you would likely find yourself a couple hundred feet down the mountain and in a world of hurt.  I could see the slip and slide marks of those who had gone before us.  Just past the point at which you get out of the stream was a very narrow ledge of solid mud that tilted toward the stream several feet below. It was there that I made a bad mistake.  I could hear that the young woman was just reaching the stream.  I knew that she was tired, struggling and unfamiliar with trail running.  I was concerned about her getting safely across the stream.  One thing about trail racing, even in the best of weather, you must constantly concentrate on what you’re doing.  I didn’t.  While I was crossing the narrow ledge I allowed my concentration to shift to the struggling young woman.  I went down hard against my left should. (That’s the one with the worst arthritis spur)  The pain was extreme but in that flash I knew that if I didn’t want to end up very quickly at the bottom of the mountain I needed to act. I rolled over so that I was sitting on my butt and planted my poles below me.  This was why I use $100 poles. They took my entire weight and for a moment I lay suspended just above the stream. 

     Then we hit McKay Hollow.  A portion of the hollow has a nickname which I believe is “Mud Mile”. McKay Hollow is horribly muddy in good weather. Last year it was bad. This year was worse.  After having already run almost 15 miles you slog through sometimes ankle-deep mud.  Then just when you think you’re about done in from the mud you look up the almost perpendicular mountain wall that is your way out of the valley and to the finish line.  That’s where, on the map above, the 20’ elevation lines are so close together that they look like they’re one wide line.   I was tired from the mud but I was glad that my legs didn’t hurt and the arthritis in my hips and knees was behaving.  On the way up the escarpment I kept looking back to make sure that the young woman was safe.  The climb out was dangerous and, even having run Eagle Rock in the Ozarks, this was the only time I’ve done such a climb where I was actually a bit frightened – for myself and for the young woman behind me.

     I could hear the people cheering for me at the top of the mountain.  They can see you coming up the mountain before you can see them.  The rain and fog was still so heavy that I couldn’t make out my family waiting for me until I was almost upon them.   Just before you get to the top of the mountain there is a waterfall that you must cross.  You cross just feet from where the water plunges into space on its way to the valley floor almost 700’ below.  The area had been so dry there was almost no water going over the waterfall but the rocks were slick.  One last obstacle.  I looked back to be sure that the young woman was still okay.  She was a lot farther behind me but she wasn’t giving up.  The climb was taking everything she had.  I was standing there watching her, thinking that I had crossed the finish line, when someone said “hey, you need to get across the finish line.”  I couldn’t see it for the rain and fog.  The race took me 30 minutes longer this year and there were only a handful of people behind me. But that's okay. I finished, which always makes me happy - especially at McKay Hollow! 

     I  was looking for the beer (which is being proven to be a very good recovery drink) when the young woman crossed the finish line.  She almost collapsed on the steps of the shelter house.  There were physician’s nearby so I just asked what she thought about her first trail race. She’s definitely a trail racer and I know I’ll see her next year. “That was fun,” she said. 

     It was fun, despite the rain and mud.  Those are to be expected occasionally in a trail race.  McKay Hollow Madness is a tough race in the best of conditions, but it is a wonderful challenge for those who love to do trails.  I’m just hoping that some year before I can’t do it any long, the weather will be good enough to enjoy what must be marvelous panoramic views. Of course, I guess I could go back during nice weather and just enjoy the trail.  My daughter and her family live at the foot of the mountain a few miles away from the park.

     If you love a challenging trail race you want to consider McKay Hollow.  It’s put on by the Huntsville Running Club. Just Google ‘McKay Hollow Madness’.  Be sure to prepare by doing plenty of miles on the hardest trails you can find.  I don’t know about this year, but last year only about 70-80% of us finished.  I trained by doing a  lot of upper body strength training at my club, miles and miles on a Stepmaster and  a treadmill that can do a 40% grade (lots of time on a 15% grade), then as many runs a week as possible of 10-20 miles on the hardest trails near me.  For people in the Evansville area, I recommend Audubon State Park. You have to run some of the trails 2-3 times but you can get over 10 miles without too much trouble. It has some real butt-buster trails and there’s almost no place flat.  The other recommendation is The Two Lake Loop at Hoosier National Forest’s Celina-Indian Lake.  You can do  13-30 miles depending on how you do the loop.  They have a race there in June which they tout as being the most difficult trail race in the mid-west. It isn’t as rugged as McKay - I did it last year in only 20 minutes longer than a street race of the same length - but the hills are long and it is tough.  Audubon is good for training the constant steep hills and Two Lake Loop is best for distance endurance.

GREAT RUNNING! 

Russ

The Goofy - Key West Challenge

What a week.  What a runner's high!! What a confidence builder.  54 miles of racing, 27 miles of trail running, and >80 miles of cycling all packed into 22 fabulous day!!!  It was great!

In my previous blog I talked about preparing for the Goofy Challenge - a 63km back-to-back. Well, the training paid off. I left for Disney on a Saturday. My trusty little 5x8 trailer served me well. I spent 9 days at my Disney Vacation Club resort and 12 in my trailer. Of those 12 nights 3 of them were in rest stops. 

My actual challenge – i.e. the challenge to which I agreed to raise money for American Heart Association – was for the back-to-back, a ½ marathon and 50 miles of cycling in 8 days.  I had the last week of the taper-down which allowed me a 31 mile week with 13 miles on Saturday.  I spent all day Saturday driving and checked into Suwannee River State Park on Sunday.  

Sunday had its ups and downs but overall was a great day. It rained all night and was raining when  I arrived at Suwannee River State Park about 7:30am.  I couldn’t get into my campsite until 1pm because there were still people there.  I offered to help them pack but the ranger didn’t like that idea. They did have a place where I could park and use my trailer without electricity.  By 9:30 I was on the trail.  This is a portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail.  This section goes from a point near Florida State 90 (just a bit north of I-10) to the Georgia state line.   I decided that I wasn’t going to let the rain spoil my fun.  Besides, I needed this run.  I needed to escape.  This day would have been my 45^th wedding anniversary. Anniversaries and my wife’s birthday are really hard for me. As most of you know, running is my escape and grief therapy.  Trail runs are especially good because they require constant concentration on what you’re doing.

About a mile into the run I went past an Agricultural Inspection Station.  It was on a back road where the road crossed the Suwannee River.  I couldn’t help but stop and ask the officer why they had an inspection station there.  She was so bored that she thanked me for letting her tell me the history of the agricultural inspection stations.  As she spoke I noticed that she was wearing a typical police gun belt with a pistol.  She told how, in the 19^th century the farmers, who used the Suwannee to move produce, asked the government to have inspection stations where they made the exchanges with Georgia boats to help avoid being swindled. That’s why it was originally put here.  They were originally manned by civilian gov’t workers until the drug cartels stated using back roads and rivers to move drugs north and some of these civilian workers were killed.  Since then the “Agricultural Inspection Officers” are trained police.  Reading between the lines, she’s there to watch for drugs.

     I had turned off my Garmin while I was talking to the officer and forgot to turn it back on until I had covered almost 2 ½ miles according to the markers.  Using map markings and trail markers I ended up doing between 13 and 15 miles.  The trail ran along the Withlacoochee  and Suwannee Rivers.  It was really lots of fun despite the constant rain.  I was really tempted to cross the GA line just to say I did and then run south to the Stephen Foster Park but my training schedule said I wasn’t supposed to do over 13 miles. I didn’t want to overdo training less than a week before the big race so I decided to run it some other time.

     All of these state trails, Appalachian  Trail, etc., made me decide that one of my retirement goals is going to be to do a portion of such trails in as many states as possible. Obviously I can’t really set a distance goal because, for example, 37 miles in Florida takes a whole lot less time than 37 miles through the Ozark Mountains or up the Appalachian Trail. I have a life-time senior pass for National Forests and Parks. That gives me ½ price on camp sites, etc.  There’s a National Forest or Park in every state, so I might start there.

     I decided that I’d be covering enough ground walking through the Disney theme parks that I’d only do a few fun miles in the evenings.  (Out of curiosity I used my Garmin one day at Disney and found that I generally cover at least 7-9 miles.)  On Monday and Tuesday I went to the parks and on Wednesday I went to Typhoon Lagoon where I swam with the sharks and got beaten up in a wave pool. While the wave doesn’t look that big in pictures, when you’re neck-deep in water and there’s this massive wall of water at least 6’ or more above your head tossing bodies around like ping pong balls, it really looks big and you wonder what in the hell you were thinking to be there.  I couldn’t believe that I stayed there for so long allowing that wave to toss me around. And people call trail runners crazy?!   

My daughter arrived on Wednesday evening and we spent much of Thursday at the race expo. It was typical Disney – i.e. extremely well organized and lots of vendors.  Somehow, when I called and changed my registration to the Goofy, the person cancelled my daughter’s marathon registration.  They not only cancelled it but somehow removed her from the database. According to the terrific man who quickly fixed everything, there should have been no way she was removed from the database.  On Friday I did my usual carb loading and hydration ritual.  Oatmeal for breakfast, an Ensure and banana at 10am, large salad and P&J for lunch, Ensure and banana at mid-afternoon and high-carb dinner. We went to the Rainforest Café for dinner and I was in bed by 6pm.

My alarm went off at 2am Saturday morning and by 3:15am I was at the staging area. The race went very smoothly and I felt good.  I did it in 2:33:31.  That was actually faster than I planned but I felt good and didn’t believe it would cause any problems in the next 26 miles. It was hard to keep my pace down starting in corral B.  I ran between the 2 hour and 2:15 pacers for most of the race.  I dropped behind when we hit an off ramp that is so steeply sloped that I walked it.  The ramp is infamous and everyone hates it. It aggravates the arthritis in my hips something fierce!  It was just beginning to get light as we passed the Polynesian Resort at mile 8. The heat wasn’t bad but the humidity was something like 80%. The race directors were worried about the heat since most runners had trained under much cooler conditions. Going through the hydration stations, I always took two Powerade cups and a water.  I would drink the Powerade and pour the water over me. This doubled my fluid intake on the course and didn’t slow me down. 

I started rehydrating as soon as I crossed the finish line and was eating before I got to the “family reunion” area about two blocks from the finish line.  I had to replace 1,400 calories in carbs and proteins in the next six hours plus try to store up some carbs for the next part of the race, which means I had to consume at least 3,000 cal.  Actually it isn’t easy to get 3,000 good calories in less than 6 hours. I had a massage at 1pm and was in bed by 6pm.  The massage was terrific.  Disney resorts keep a staff of licensed therapists with different specialties. The woman who worked on me specializes in sports therapy and was called in especially to take care of runners.  

I arrived at the staging area at 3:10am on Sunday morning. The 26 mile portion of the race was lots of fun. I really enjoyed it.  Jeff Galloway, Frank Shorter and Keith Bradley were there. Jeff Galloway signed my Wine and Dine bib. We ran through the Magic Kingdom, Disney Speedway, Animal Kingdom, ESPN Sports Complex, Disney Hollywood and EPCOT. I’m glad that I’m not sensitive about my age. We ran through the Atlanta Braves training area and stadium. They had a sensor as you entered the stadium so they knew who you were. As I ran by home base the announcer said “And Russell Vance, 66 years young.”  Evidently they do that for anyone over 65.  However, one of the greatest experiences of this race was that I GOT TO CARRY THE OLYMPIC TORCH!!!!   A young English women, who carried the torch in the Olympics, was running with it and allowed other runners to carry it for short distances. It weighs a ton!  I carried it across the Magic Kingdom parking lot.  Definitely a magic moment!!  Unfortunately there was no way to get a picture. 

In all honesty I was really a bit concerned about the back-to-back.  As I’ve said before, it wasn’t the 63km that concerned me but the back-to-back. Thankfully my training program did its job and I really felt good as I crossed the finish line. There were 6,000 Goofy (back-to-back) runners out of the almost 80,000 runners.  I think I told the story about my daughter stopping within feet of the finish line to have a picture taken at the Princess Marathon, well . . . . .   My daughter, Kelly, ran the last leg of the race with me. As we came around the corner and could see the finish line I saw Mickey standing there.  I knew what was going to happen.  We had to stop to get a picture. In the picture I do look like I’m ready to bolt, but I wasn’t setting any records so I’ll admit it was a fun thing to do. My time for the entire 39.3 mile Goofy Challenge was 8:31. That’s far, far from fast but the rules permitted 10:30 so I was thrilled.  I grabbed a beer as soon as we got back and Kelly and I went to the swimming pool to cool off.  I know a lot of people think I’m crazy, but I really did enjoy the running and would do it again in a heart beat.

I knocked around Disney until Wednesday.  I did daily runs but I kept them to 5 miles. It took all day Wednesday to make the trip to Key West.  My challenge included doing a bicycle ride up US-1, but I couldn’t make the trip because the pedestrian/cycle bridge between the first two islands was closed.  However, I didn’t find any problem doing the miles promised. In the old town portion of Key West bicycles rule the roads. I had logged the miles easily on the Key West island by Thursday evening and over 80 miles by the time I left.

The Key West ½ Marathon was as low budget/low tech as Disney was high budget/high tech. That’s not being derogatory. It was well organized, well executed and lots of fun!  The pick-up and “expo” was on part of the old historic wharf between two restaurants. Since we were on an island we had to share the road with traffic, but there were lots of volunteers and it wasn’t a problem. I would definitely recommend this race. 

I would have loved to have spent a lot more time in the old Key West but had to leave on Monday.  I wasn’t retired when I made the reservations so I wasn’t thinking like a retired person. Nevertheless, I left and drove through to a rest stop just south of the Lake City, FL. The next day I drove to Red Top Mountain State Park in Georgia, spent a day running trails and then home.

A wonderful 22 days of running and sun!   I had a great time.  I pushed myself to the max and came away feeling great.  You don’t know until you try.  More proof for my new favorite saying, which is embroidered on a winter running cap, “Someday I’m not going to be able to do this. Today is NOT that day!” 

Great running!

Russ

Preparing for a 63km B2B

The Disney Wine and Dine ½ Marathon was a blast – as usual.  What can you say? It’s Disney.  They’ve corrected the few problems they had the last time I ran it.  I didn’t get to do it last year.  The registration and Expo was the usual Disney great.  I don’t think I’ve seen a registration for >15k runners go so smoothly.  There weren’t as many vendors as show up for the January marathon weekend, but there were more than anyone would ever need. If there was something for running that you wanted, it was there, along with a lot of other stuff.  All of the major producers had company reps there, which was very helpful because I was looking for something specific.

If you’ve never done a Disney marathon, they are really great. They are well organized and loads of fun. They all run through two or more parks, depending upon the length of the race. For example, the January marathon runs through Magic Kingdom,  Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and ends in EPCOT.  Disney characters and staff cheer you on.  Many runners stop and have their pictures taken with characters. The Wine and Dine starts at 10pm, runs from the Sports Complex, through Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and ends up at EPCOT where, after you get your beautiful Disney medal and nutrition, you get a beer that you can drink on your way into the after-race party at EPCOT and World Showcase which goes until 4am.  In your goody bag was a gift card for $10 for food and drink in the park.  

You need to sign up for a Disney race well in advance.  For the January race you need to be signed up 9-10 months ahead to be sure to have a place.  There are 75-80,000 runners that weekend.  You also need to get your room at the same time.  The most economical is to stay at a Disney Resort.  Disney resorts come in all sizes and prices, and no matter how you crunch the numbers, they come out the best buy. If you stay at a Disney Resort you also have a lot of perks.  If you fly, they pick you up and return you to the airport.  If you drive, you can park and never need to drive until you’re ready to go home.  I was there for 10 days for the Wine and Dine and never drove once. The bus, boat, and monorail  system is phenomenal. They also provide transportation to and from the race which is invaluable.  If you’ve ever tried to get to the starting line at a really big marathon, you know exactly what I mean.

The Wine and Dine was perhaps the slowest ½ I’ve run since I started running and I was really happy with my time.  If that last sentence didn’t make sense, I’ll explain.  In 55 days, 10 hours and 16 minutes I have to be ready for the Goofy . . . a 63k B2B ultra.  When I started running long trails and ultras the first advice I received from every veteran was ‘learn to keep your pace slow.’  Believe it or not, that isn’t as easy as it sounds.  That’s why I was so happy that I averaged 12:45 without the benefit of my Garmin.  My typical ½ is 10:30 to 11:00 min/mi, which isn’t fast but is faster than I need or want.

I hate calling any race a “training run” or “training race”.  For some reason that seems like I’m being demeaning and every race is worthy of the effort no matter why you’re running it.  Unfortunately I don’t have a clever alternative so let’s just say that  Evansville in Oct. and Disney in Nov. were my last chances to practice my new skills. My last chance is in Dec. when Kelly (daughter) and I will be running the Memphis marathon. (We’re signed up for the full but Kelly said that the ½ is a much nicer race.)

If you haven’t run a B2B it is a new challenge that is much more difficult than it appears. I’m not sure yet whether I like the B2B or not. My judgment is clouded by the fact that I much prefer the trail run to the road race under any circumstances. So right now give me 63k of trail to cover in one day.  But I’m trying to keep an open mind.

Most people would think that the break between the two portions of the B2B would make it easier. Au contraire!!!  The Goofy, for example, is a 21km on Saturday and 42km on Sunday. You must be up and to the bus pickup by 3am Saturday morning and you won’t get back to your resort until after noon. That means that you will have less than 12 hours to attempt to recover, carb-load, rest and be on the bus at 3am Sunday morning.  To recover and replace carbs and calories, and get 8 hours sleep in less than 12 hours is a physical impossibility. So you must train your body to conserve, recover as much as possible, and be prepared to do 42km more on minimal rest and physical resources. This is what is harder than preparing to run 63km (39.3 miles) of roads or trails in a single race.

To get ready for this challenge has been an interesting challenge in itself. I found two approaches: 1 – two training sessions a day, and 2 – increasing miles during the week, 2 cross-training days, a short-long run on Saturday and long-long run on Sunday.  #1 is most often used for shorter B2B’s like a 5k+10k or 10k and ½ because most people don’t have the time to build up the length of two daily training sessions.  Besides, I must admit that I’m not a morning runner.  Until I retire (which many of you know will be only 44 days from now) I always worry about getting to work no matter how early I start. I don’t do that type of stress well. End result – I opted for approach #2.  I think I prefer it anyway.

You might find what I’m doing interesting and think of all sorts of other applications. The first alternate application that came to mind was for those of you who, like me, are tempted by the running vacations out west where you run 15-20 miles from camp to camp or lodge to lodge each day for several days. This would be a good way to prepare.

Let me start by giving John Hanc credit. Of course I can’t find a copy of his article right now so that you can read it for yourself, but I’ll find it after I post this and let you know later. In any case, I didn’t come up with this on my own, John Hanc did.  I just modified it to fit my needs.

The plan is really rather simple and straight forward.  The table below is my version of Mr. Hanc’s plan. To build the foundation, I do three runs during the week with the distance increasing each week until 4 weeks prior to the race and then I start to taper down.  I do my runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  On Monday and Friday I do cross-training or rest.  Most of the time I have been riding my bike or going to the gym. 

I guess this is the right time to remind those who know me and to tell those who don’t that this isn’t chiseled in stone.  Just because I love the technology, psychology,   physiology and nutrition of running, as well as just really loving the act of running, doesn’t mean that I’m a hard-boiled fanatic.  I have no problems with changing, skipping or otherwise modifying the program.  After all, it’s just a plan . . . a guide.  For example, you will notice that on Week 9 I show that I have a race and the Saturday distance is 13 instead of 10.  That was the weekend of Wine and Dine.  I was schedule to do 20 miles the Sunday after the Wine and Dine.  No problem.  I skipped the after race party – because I was cold and sleepy not because I was denying myself the party – and was in bed by 2:30 am. I got up around 9:30.  That was 7 hours sleep but I felt good.  I started my 20 mile run.  Somewhere around mile 8 I started thinking, it was a beautiful day and I was in Disney World.  Now there’s nowhere else better to do your long-long run than Disney World.  I weave in and out of resorts, Downtown Disney, and just have a great time. But, I thought, this would be a great day to enjoy the parks.  I can always run, even though it might not be as much fun as running in Disney, but I can’t always go to EPCOT or Animal Kingdom or the Magic Kingdom. End result … I cut my run short, only did 14 miles and went to EPCOT. The world isn’t going to end, and I doubt that it will cause any problems on race day.  I try harder not to go too far over the distance.  That’s just because the important part of the plan is  (a) avoiding the Terrible 2s – too much, too fast, too soon, and (b) gradually help your body become accustomed and comfortable with the increased distance.  Yes, I was doing >8 miles a day and 15-25 miles on weekends before I started, but the purpose here is to develop and maintain lasting stamina.  My body already knows that it can do the miles. The important thing is that, now that my body has that ability, I maintain and reinforce that ability.   

Week	Date	Week Days (x3)	SAT	SUN	Pickups	Total Wk Distance
13	10/13/2012	7	8	16	1/2	43.68
12	10/20/2012	7	8	17	2/4	46.65
11	10/27/2012	7.5	8	18	3/6	48.5
10	11/3/2012	7.5	9	19	4/8	50.5
9	11/10/2012	8	13	20	RACE	57
8	11/17/2012	8	7	14	5/10	48.75
7	11/24/2012	8.25	8	16	6/12	48.75
6	12/1/2012	8.25	8	19	RACE	51.75
5	12/8/2012	8.5	10	22	RACE	57.5
4	12/15/2012	8.5	12	24	7/14	61.5
3	12/22/2012	7	8	18	none	47
2	12/29/2012	6	8	14	none	40
1	1/5/2012	4	6	13	none	31
0	1/12/2012

The pickups appear to be a fraction - 1/2, 2/4, etc.  The first digit of the fraction is the number of pickups I do during the Saturday run and the second digit is the number of pickups I do on Sunday.  The pickups are a quarter of a mile and can be at any point of the run.  I’m not fast, so you’d have to adjust your own pace.  Since my target is to stay around the 13 min/mi pace to conserve energy, my pickups are generally no faster than 10:00.  There’s nothing sacrosanct or scientific about my target being around 13:00. It is just based on the fact that 13:00 is a median between my normal marathon pace of 10:30-11:00 and my ultra-trail pace of 15-16:00. You must work out your own numbers. The big thing is to remember that, unless you’re in the race to win or win your division, you want to set a pace that you can easily maintain over the two days with no time to really recover in between.

One last thing  . . .  nutrition.  The only thing about which I am hard-boiled is nutrition. Your body can’t do what you ask if you don’t feed it properly.  I’m not going to go into details about nutrition now. Perhaps I’ll write a series of blogs on the subject … someday.  There is a lot of good information out there.  Just be sure to check your sources – i.e. what are the author’s credentials?  Runners World, Trail Runner or one of the reputable running magazines are generally good resources. Matt Fitzgerald’s book “Performance Nutrition for Runners” (2006. Rondale Inc.  ISBN 1-59486-218-4) is pretty good.  I would suggest, as you relate nutrition to preparing for a B2B, to prepare for your Saturday and Sunday long runs as you would for the actual race days.  This means not only nutritional preparation starting on Friday, but replacing calories, sodium, electrolytes, etc. as quickly as possible after your Saturday run.  You should also get plenty of protein.  Experts will tell you to consume whey protein within 2 hours of a hard run to repair muscle. Somewhere I picked up the idea of mixing whey protein with my Gatorade and drinking it as I run. This way I don’t have to worry about the 2 hours window.  Either way, a whey protein smoothie is a good idea after both runs. Don’t forget you lose about 100 calories per mile, so a 10-13 mile run takes a lot of calories that need to be replaced for your 20-26 mile run the next day. If you don’t replace them, you’re going to be in trouble.

As I said, I’m not sure how much I’ll “like” the B2B but it has been a new and challenging experience to get ready.  I am trying to raise money for American Heart Association.  To raise the bar I’m asking people to contribute to AHA if I can do the Goofy, travel 400 miles, do a 50 mile bike ride and run a second ½ marathon all within a week and 6 hours of the Goofy. If I don’t make it, I’ll make their contribution for them and they’ll get the tax deduction.  If you’re interested, send an email to revance@gmail.com.  I’ll let you know what I think of the long B2B after I’m done. 

If you’re considering a B2B, I hope this has been helpful.  Even if you’re not, I hope it has some ideas for you.

Happy running!

Russ

The Eagle Rock Loop Ultra Trail Run

The Ozark run was really quite phenomenal.  If you ever get a chance to run or hike the Eagle Rock Loop, you must do it. I suggest that you start at Albert Pike.  This is the site of the 2010 flash flood that killed so many people. The family that owns the campground just outside the national forest have owned that place since the 1860s. It’s a beautiful spot and sure would help them if you gave them the business.  They have nice cabins. I arrived on  Wednesday around 10am. By noon I was running the trails to see what I was going to be facing the next day – the day of the ultra-run.  I did about 10 miles. It was rugged, rugged trails often climbing over 100 meters at a time. I knew I was going to have a challenge.

The view at the top of a 110 meter climb.

After my run I talked to a young man who grew up in the mountains. He agreed that I would be wise making my attempt be a counter-clockwise run. The temperatures had been in the 90s and the water was low. He told me that even in the best of weather you need to be beyond a point called Spirit Rock Vista by noon - a saddle about 350-380 meters or almost ¼ mile up from the river -  if you’re going to cross the high mountains and get back before dark. He also to me that with temperatures in the 90,  it would be foolish to try the high mountains if it is over 90 degrees at Spirit Rock Vista. Having seen what I would be facing if I were running after dark, I decided that it would be prudent to heed his advice and develop an alternate. 

I started out early on Thursday. My pack weighed in at 20#.  I had my food, 3L hydration, survival kit and first aide kit.  I dug my poles in and headed up the mountain. The first run was a climb of over 400 meters (1,312’ or ¼ mile) in under 2 miles. It wasn’t until I got to the top that I realized that the trail ended.  I had been so engrossed in the phenomenal views that I had missed the turn northwest. I went back down the mountain and tried again.  Again, no turn. I did over 5 miles up and down the steep incline but could not find the path. The third time I saw a forest worker. He pointed down the valley and told me the trail continued “down there”.  I had lost a lot of time. I made good time to Little Missouri Falls. Because of the drought there was almost no water going over the falls, but it was still beautiful.  From there to my first major turn – where I would take the Athens-Big Fork Trail – was a bit unnerving.  I would encounter large camping areas and it was not easy to determine which of the trails out of the camping area was the trail I wanted.  The trail marker was yellow paint on the trees. The problem with that is that I would find yellow bark lying on the ground as I passed a tree. Sometimes I would go a fairly long time without confirmation. This is where knowing how to use a map and compass comes in handy.  I had 17 topo maps on my iPhone.  I have a good sense of direction and can use a map, but again I lost precious time.  It was getting late and temperature was going up.  My Casio Pathfinder with 7 functions and 4 sensors really paid for itself.

At noon I realized that I was still almost 2 miles from Spirit Rock Vista. I had made up a lot of time, but I was still behind schedule.  I was about 200 meters (656 ft) up the side of a ridge protected from the direct sun by a large limestone outcropping and trees.  Even though I ate on the move, I had to stop long enough to get the food out of my backpack. This time I stopped long enough to check the temperature (they do recommend that you take the Pathfinder off your wrist to check the temperature so your body heat doesn’t skew the results.) and get out some jelly beans and trail mix. That’s when I realized that I was almost out of hydration. (I run with a mixture of Gatoraide and whey protein).  I knew that I shouldn’t try to cross the high mountains but I had to decide – go on to the junction of the Little Missouri and Athens-Big Fork Trails where there was supposed to be water (about 2 miles) or go back for water (almost 10 miles).  Of course, with my steri-pen I could take water from the river if I wanted, but I wasn’t near the river at that point. 

Obviously I opted for going on.  A short while later I was standing where my map and compass said was the intersection of the trails, but there was no sign of water. There was a parking lot (of sorts) near a river ford.  Two 4-wheelers drove up. They wanted to ride the trail. They had come from Oklahoma and I hated to tell them that there was no way they were going to take their machines on those trails even if it were permitted, which it wasn’t.  I asked about water. They were hoping that I knew. They were already relegated to drinking water out of the river. We were far enough up into the mountains that it was probably relatively safe (apart from the deer pee, etc.).  I decided to push on.  I still had about ½ L of water in a filter bottle.

From there I headed south. It was a long steep climb. I was at 549 meters (1800 ft. or .34mi. Oh, I use meters because that’s what my Pathfinder uses).  It was 94 degrees and I had been on the trail almost 7 hours.  This last climb had taken its toll. To my east was Hurricane Knob, a peak of 2170 ft, and still 375 ft above me.  It was crunch time. The young man at the campground had told me that trying the high mountains in this heat was dangerous, and I could now see what he meant. Even if I had enough strength to get down the mountain, I couldn’t be sure there would be water in Long Creek or that I’d have enough energy to cross the three remaining mountains nevertheless make the final 5+ miles to get home before dark.  I can’t tell you how hard it was to turn back. I had to take my alternative route. (At least I had one)  At the bottom of the mountain I used my Steri-pen to get 3L of water from the Little Missouri River. Instead of being mountain stream cool it was almost bathwater warm but it was fresh, pure water.

I headed toward home disappointed that I would miss the 4.5-5 miles of high mountains to which I had so been looking forward.  I had studied the terrain and features for weeks and now I had to leave them behind.  Actually, the alternative route added miles to my run.  The alternative route was actually 2-3 miles longer than the loop. Add in the 5 miles of mountain climbing, my run ended up being 39 miles as opposed to 32.

The return run was hard.  It was hard not because of the terrain but because of the heat and the toll that heat and climbing had already taken on me. The return run crossed a number of rivers and streams. At each I would dip my cap or soak my face cloth in an attempt to cool down.  I knew that I was becoming dehydrated and I stopped a second time to top off my camel pack bladder with water.  I had taken 5 packets of salt with me and used them all.  I was feeling all of the signs and symptoms.  The last four miles felt like forever and I was actually beginning to worry about the dehydration.  The thing which helped was that I noticed just after noon that the barometer was falling. Now it was beginning to get overcast.  That did lower the temperature some and I was praying for rain.  (The rain came in the form of a thunderstorm that night.)

When I emerged in the parking lot about a ½ mile from my cabin it was just becoming dusk.  There was still a young couple with their children and dog. I asked them to take my picture . . . if nothing else but to prove I could still smile.  The famous Missouri River swimming hole was just yards from my cabin. I didn’t walk around it.  I walked through it just keeping my pack above water. 

I had covered almost all of the Eagle Rock Loop except about 6-7 miles of high mountains . . .  39+ miles in 15 hours 54 minutes.  I know for younger and experienced trail runners that’s pretty slow.  But considering that trekkers take 48 hours to do the same distance . . .   I also realized that my pace was just slightly faster than the pace required for the famous Mont Blanc ultra which is my (pipe) dream.  In the end result none of that mattered.   It was just data that would help me analyze.  But what was important was I had completed an ultra-run on an exceptionally hard trail. And despite the trials and difficulties the smile in the picture at the end of the run was real.  I had fun. Once I drank almost a ½ gallon on chocolate mile, I felt exhilarated and was ready to do it again. 

If you love running trails as I do, the Eagle Rock Loop is a must.  Because I’m not very fast I must run it in the summer so I have enough hours of daylight.  Next time I’m going to be retired so I can watch for a time when the temperatures aren’t so high.  I’m really looking forward to those high mountains.

RUN WILD. RUN TRAIL!

Count down to a 50km in the Ozarks!

Okay, so I have to admit that I’m really getting psyched about my 50km run in the Ozark Mts.  It’s called the Eagle Rock Loop.  There are those who think I’m crazy, but once you’ve run trails there’s no turning back.  Jim Knight coined the term “fastpacking” 25 years ago. There’s a picture (in an ad) of him running in the mountains in the current issue of Trail Runner magazine (p.6).  I have to add that, when you check out his picture, you notice that he uses trail poles. (Remember, I’m a big proponent of trail poles.)   According to Knight fastpacking is being driven more by terrain than by time limitations. “Requiring stripped down packs and gear, it means going longer, faster and harder with less.” 

The rugged terrain of the Eagle Rock Loop

I’ve spent almost two months perfecting my gear and pack.  I’ve tested them twice  on the trails of the Hoosier National Forrest. That is the home of the famous (or to some people “infamous”) Two Lake Loop. As I reported in one of my blogs, the trail marathon run there every year is touted as the toughest in the Midwest.  In any case, it was a good test for my gear and equipment. It is a 15 mile loop if you run it as a figure-8.  When I’m not “testing” my equipment I can replenish my hydration every time I go by the van.  As a result I run it with only a 2L hydration pack. 

For Eagle Rock I must carry everything with me. It’s one long loop and I don’t pass any convenience stores or water stations.  It has taken me weeks to get my pack down to 20 pounds.  I have 3L of hydration (that 6.6# right there), a survival kit, first aid kit, ResQLink, a change of clothes, a water bottle with filter, and a bag of food (pinole, trail mix, dried fruit, crackers and GU). For safety, along with the survival, first-aid kit and ResQLink I have a compass, topo maps, whistle, Swiss Army knife, a tiny (and I mean tiny) radio, an app that gives me coordinates without internet, and a SteriPen Freedom (water purifier).  I was going to keep this last item a secret from my youngest son until I’d had a chance to use it. He’s been looking for an excuse to buy one.  You just stick it in the water, push the button and stir. When the light turns green (about 48 sec for 0.5L) the water is sterile.  It will do about 20L on a charge. I also have a head-light just in case I don’t get back by dark and a fantastic flashlight my son gave me. It is a Surefire 8P LED Defender with a hopped up lens that makes it so bright that I could probably blind a pilot flying overhead.  Oh, I always wear my RoadID!

My pack is a Camelbak Rim Runner, my shoes are Brooks TrueGrit (minimalist trail shoes), and my poles are Lexi.  My backup shoes are Vibram.  I picked them for comfort and weight. I really don’t like to do much more than 10 miles in them, but they’ll do fine as backup.  My wilderness watch is a Casio Pathfinder. It has 7 functions and 4 sensors – all of the usual time functions as well as telling me sunrise/sunset (how much time do I have left before dark), compass, barometer, temperature, and altitude.  Even when it is showing the time there is a little graph that shows what the barometer is doing. If it suddenly takes a sharp dive, you’d better head toward cover. You calibrate it with your starting coordinates and elevation if you want really accurate readings. It has worked well on four runs.  I’ll take my Garmin just in case I can get a signal. That would be awesome. 

I can't remember whether I've mentioned the ResQLink. I'm sure I have. It was a gift from some of my children. When I let them know that I'm going into the woods to run and should be out by a certain time, they began to wonder how long they should wait, if I'm late, before calling for help. They decided that this was the best solution. It is a personal locator beacon. It isn't much bigger than a flip phone but can be activated with one hand. It sends out the traditional distress signal as well as GPS coordinates.  If you activate it, it sets off alarms around the world.  If you're in the US and the satellite can pick up your signal, they can pin point you to within yards. It's a great thing to have if you're out in the wilderness.  It also saves taxpayers a lot of money if you need rescued.  

I’m excited about running in the Ozarks.  Even though it should feel like I’m a million miles from civilization, I don’t think there is any point at which I’m more than 5 miles from a road.  The trail follows the Little Missouri River northwest up past the Little Missouri Falls (supposed to  be a great swimming hole) to the trailhead for the Athens-Big Fork Trail. There you turn south and go perpendicular to the mountains – i.e. you’re either running up or down a mountain. (I’ll probably do a lot of walking at this point.)  About 5 miles from there you cross a road which is another access point to the trail. This is the point of no return.  If you get this far you might as well keep going.  From this point you run around Brush Heap Mountain (love the name) and through some pretty tough country to the junction of the Viles Branch Trail.  Once you get here you have <10 miles to camp and most of it is along the creek.  Not too much climbing.

The Federal campgrounds are closed at Albert Pike. That’s where I was planning to stay.  I did find an “Albert Pike Store” that is right by the campgrounds and has cabins and RV parking.  I’m hoping that the picture on the internet doesn’t do it justice!  Unfortunately I couldn’t find anything else very close.  If that’s a bust, I’ll have to stay in a motel in Glenwood, AR about 20 miles away. 

If you’re thinking about doing some trails in the Ozarks, I’d recommend the book Arkansas Hiking Trails by Tim Ernst.  It is readily available on Amazon. He writes about 78 trails that range from a couple of miles to 222.5 miles long.  I’ll obviously have to give a report after the run. 

Run wild and free!  Run trails!!!

Russ

I put the trail on the map, so it's probably off a bit. I am starting at the Albert Pike Rec Area which is in the middle of the short north-south leg on the east side. 

A Dress Rehearsal for my first Ultra.

     This is the second time I've camped in my Sienna but the first time was just sleeping in the back so I didn't have to get up early to get to a trail race. This time is different. I'm still just sleeping in the back. I'm glad I didn't set up the tent because we're having quite a storm with lots of wind. I'm writing this while lounging on my air mattress bed and enjoying the cooler air.  Cooler is obviously relative because it is still 90 degrees out. However it was 111 degrees when I came through the front gate and it was 97.2 at my campsite.  Of course I used the word “camped” which somehow indicates roughing it.  Be assured. I am not roughing it. I have light, a large electric fan, beer, chips, the most recent RW, and my Kindle (on which I’m writing)   

     I said this time is different. That's because this is a dress rehearsal for my ultra run in three weeks - right down to spending the night in the woods.  When I was here for the trail race I drove 45 miles round trip for dinner at a restaurant. In Arkansas I might not have that option so I'm going to make dinner over a little camp stove. (Assuming the weather lets me.) I'm going to have to put my contacts in in the van. (Temp now down to 88.6. Yeah!) 

Just realized I forgot the bananas. (Personal Note to Myself: Dummy, never forget the bananas!) However, I remembered the beer. You have to take care of hydration, sodium and iron (beer and chips). But I will miss my bananas. They are a mainstay of my nutrition program. I brought a Coleman bag meal for tonight. Cheesy Tomato Pasta. All I have to do is boil 12 oz. of water. Right now, however, I'm not going to stick my head outside. I brought 4 extra Ensures. They have the calories, sodium, and carbs I need. I can drink a couple of them for dinner if needed.

     My only concern about tomorrow is the weight of my Camelbak Rim Runner. I've loaded and reloaded three times and it is still 12# without hydration. I have a 3L bag. That's 6.33#!  In training I've never gone over 10#. The difference is the food.  Here at the Hoosier National Forrest I run loops around a 17mile course, so I leave food in the van and replenish as I go by. In AK it is one long loop, so I have to take everything with me. All I have is my first aide kit, survival kit, a change of shoes and clothes, the hydration and food. Can't come up with anything else to leave.

     I use to run with a homemade mixture of cornmeal, chia and honey like the Aztec warriors carried. Don't know why I stopped. Probably just got lazy.  Gu is easier.  Recent research has learned why the Aztec warrior would march all day and still kick butt on a handful of chia. Chia seeds are high in protein, fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, calcium, iron, manganese and phosphorous. As well as being exceptionally nutritious, Chia seeds have a special property which makes them the ideal endurance food. When they are soaked in water, the soluble fibre forms a thick, gel like mass. It is believed that when Chia seeds are eaten a reaction occurs in the stomach forming a barrier between carbohydrates and digestive enzymes, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar. The result is that Chia seeds are a super slow release energy source, avoiding the usual blood glucose highs and lows. The other important result of this reaction is the retention of water. Chia seeds are exceptionally hydrophilic – i.e. able to absorb up to 12 times their weight in water. When in the gut, this means that water loss is minimized and electrolyte balance is maintained for longer. I’ll have to find a reference for you.  In any case, I think I’m going to have to start doing that again.

Well, the wind and thunder stopped without any rainfall and I went out to start dinner. This is why you have dress rehearsals. It took over 45 min to boil 12 oz of water over a sterno flame. Between the storm that never really materialized and the water, I'm down to a max of 7.5 hours sleep before my planned start time. On the up side, the Coleman trail meal was easy, nutritious and amazingly tasty.  I felt so good that after a last visit to the nearby toilets I did a quick run around the campgrounds.

     Now it's time to sleep. Want to be on the trail by 4am. I'll finish this when I'm done tomorrow afternoon.

|  |  |

    Morning came early as it has a bad habit of doing. Actually I awakened feeling quite refreshed just before 3am, rolled over and went back to sleep until my alarm went off at 3:30am. Considering the heat, I had a very comfortable night.  A quick visit to the nearby bathroom-shower building to get ready and stick my contacts in my eyes, load my Camelbak hydration bladder (very easy with their patent system), throw everything in the back of the van, and it was off to the trailhead. 

     Nothing makes you realize that you are still a wee bit afraid of things that go bump in the night than a big dark forest.  At 3:45am it is still quit dark and the forest takes on a whole new appearance. Of course, I must admit that it doesn’t help to have well-meaning friends who tell you that the number of snake-bite fatalities has doubled this summer, there have been several bear attacks, and coyotes are on the increase in the national forest.  Oh, wow! That trail is awfully dark even with my handy-dandy headlight.  But not to be deterred I got ready to go after making a mental note to politely ask my well-meaning friends to keep such information and accounts to themselves. 

     Alas, as I was getting ready I unthinkingly rubbed my eyes. Normally that just repositions my contacts so that I have to blink several times and wait a few minutes before I can see well again. This time it popped out the right contact.  Oh, well.  I do believe that I made some reference to “dress rehearsal”.  There is a good chance that I won’t have a beautiful bathroom facility in AK and might have to put my contacts in while sitting in the van with my lens case, wetting solution, etc., on my lap trying to see in the van’s vanity mirror.  Long story short . . . I ended up putting the contact in and taking it out four times.  First of all I damaged the original lens, so I pulled out one of the new lens I carry with me.  It went right in. My vision was a bit off but that happens sometimes and clears up quickly.  It was already 4am and I didn’t want to waste any more time, so off I went.

     It was 86.5 degrees at camp when I awakened and about the same at the trailhead. I sat off at a trot down the trail which I knew would be straight, clear and relatively flat for several hundred meters.  I left my gloves in the van because of the heat.  Personal Note to Myself: don’t leave your gloves in the van no matter how hot it is.  Before I got to mile one I was drenched in sweat and was having trouble holding my Lexi poles. I probably should have gone back, but every onward.

     I was also trying out my new Casio Pathfinder -  7 functions and 4 sensors including compass, barometer, thermometer, and altimeter. Designed for trekkers and trail runners. I forgot to calibrate the altimeter, so it could only tell me the difference between points, but that wasn’t of primary importance to me anyway.  The watch worked like a champ. 

Another Personal Note to Myself: don’t write your split times on your arm with a Sharpie.  It is not a permanent marker.  I hadn’t hit the first split by the time the sweat had removed almost all traces of my times, and I wasn’t going to get into my backpack to get out my map.  Since I know the Two Lake Loop trails quite well I knew that the first junction (I used the junctions as splits) was 4.7 miles, the second was 6.6 miles, the third was 13.3, etc., so I could do the math in my head.  My plan was to keep my pace between 18-20 minute miles.  That, of course, counts stops, picture taking, getting food out of my pack, pee brakes, etc., and walking several of the bun-buster hills.   I figure that if I can do anything close to 20:00 in the Ozarks, where >5 miles of the trail goes perpendicular to the mountains meaning that you’re constantly either climbing a mountain or trying to get down,  I’ll be doing well.

     By mile 1 I was seriously thinking about going out to the first split (4.7 mi) and returning. The heat was really getting to me.  Surprisingly the 18-20# Camelbak didn’t bother me at all, although I need to train with it on for the next couple of weeks.   It held snug to my back with good chest and waist belts. It is also designed to let air circulate between you and the pack. Nice! It was simple to adjust, even while on the go, and, as many times as I took it off and put back on, I found that it was quite easy.  I must admit that I did miss having a place on the front to stick a handful of Gu or other items so I didn’t have to take off the pack to get them.  I’m sure I would have been better about nutrition on this run if I didn’t have to remove the pack to get to the food.  Other than that I was quite pleased with the Camelbak.   Personal Note to Myself:  put one of the small zipper bags that go on a Fuel Belt on the waist strap. Then you can carry Gu, etc., up front.

     I reached the first split in about 10 minutes under my estimated time.  I was doing around a 17:00 minute mile.  A little faster than I wanted, but I felt good and didn’t feel that I had been pushing.  There are some nice long, relatively flat, sections on that part of the trail. I decided to go on to the next junction which was 1.9 miles away. There I had the option of continuing north and into the most difficult part of the trail – 6.7 miles with no way out – or turn east and return to the van in about 1.7 miles. 

     At the 6.6 mile point I was still feeling good. Granted everything was soaking wet from sweat but I felt good.  Some of you know that I’m one of those runners who wears the least legal amount of clothing when I run.  As long as I don’t get arrested you don’t have to look at my 66 year old legs.  I was wearing  Frank Short running shorts that just cover the essentials. They were sticking to my legs and I briefly toyed with the idea of just taking them off and running in my skivvies.  But I knew, with my luck, I’d come around the corner and be facing a troop of Brownies or something, so I didn’t strip.  In any case I now had to make the decision – short way to the van, long way farther into the wilderness. 

     I noticed that my feet actually got wet running through some grass!  That was great. On the south side of the forest there were horrible big cracks in the ground because it was so dry.  Here there were no cracks.  All of the banging and booming last night had evidently provided the northwest portion of the forest with much needed rain. (I would later encounter a stream that actually had some water and several puddles.)  I also noted that the temperature seemed to have dropped.  I checked the temp and sure enough it was down to 80.2!!!!   Not wanting to be delayed by indecision, I kept running north and west.  6.7 miles until the next decision … short way or long way home. 

     I had already decided that there was no way I was going to do 30-40 miles today. If I could get off the trails before it hit 90 and get 15-20 miles in, I’d be satisfied.  After all, this was a dress-rehearsal, not a do-or-die. 

     It was very nice of Mother Nature to turn down the heat for the back 6.7 miles. That’s one of the toughest stretches of this loop.  The tree canopy isn’t very heavy in this part of the forest. This is also the highest altitude and from the looks of it, it has taken several hits from passing tornadoes.  The canopy, however, is heavy enough to keep the trail clean.  (I really dislike running on grass in a very big way!!)

     I learned three important things on this leg of my run.  Firstly, I love peanuts but not when I’m running.  Nutritionally they’re great. Unfortunately they’re so dry that I have to drink a lot to keep from gaging and end up with an upset stomach.  Personal Note to Myself:  another reason to go back to Pinole and Chia seed.  

     Secondly, I realized that I still couldn’t see well out of my right eye. In fact, if I wanted to see something clearly I had to cover my right eye.  It didn’t hurt but I did worry that I had done something wrong in the van – like get insect repellant in my eye. (As I turned out the lens is just bad, but I worried about that for several hours.)  For the first few months after I started wearing contacts I didn’t go anywhere without a contact kit.  I was sure that there was one in my first-aide kit. I stopped. Alas, I had taken it out.  Personal Note to Myself:  Dipstick, put the contact and eye-care kit back in the first-aide kit before you go out again.

     Speaking of insect repellant, I got some Herbal Armor.  It is a non-DEET repellant. I got it for two reasons: (1) I’m a tree-hugging environmentalist, and (2) the DEET products say not to use them on synthetic materials.  As far as I know running “tech” materials are synthetic, so I wanted to avoid DEET if possible.  The Herbal Armor said that it was effective for only two hours. I can live with that. I stopped and reapplied faithfully to give the product a chance.  I came away with no chiggers and only three ticks, so I’d say that was a successful trial.

     The third important thing I noticed was that my urine was getting darker.  It wasn’t too bad but it was getting darker.  Actually, considering the heat and the amount that I was sweating, I was just happy that I was still making urine.  Nevertheless, it reminded me of a warning that I read about hyponatremia – viz. if your sports drink has too high of a carb level, it takes longer to empty from the stomach, and on super-hot days you really need quick clearance.  I’ve run with a mixture of Gatoraid and whey protein for a long time, but . . . Personal Note to Myself: check to be sure that the carb level of my mixture isn’t over 10%. 

     Like I said, my goal was to keep my pace no faster than 18:00 and no slower than 20:00. That’s a pretty narrow window, but thus far I was just doing around 17:00.   I was looking at my watch and doing the math.  According to my calculations, if I had been able to do the tough 6.7 mile leg at a 20:00 pace I had about 25-30 minutes before I came to the next junction and my final decision.  But as I was doing that math I became aware that I knew this hill.  Right around the corner was the junction.  I had done an 18:47 pace.  It was right where I wanted, but I must admit I was surprised.   I felt like I had slowed down a lot, but I realized that there was a fair distance at the beginning of the leg where I could open up without expending extra energy.  I had so enjoyed it but I had forgotten about it until I saw my time.

At this junction I had done 13.3 miles and I was still feeling really good.  If I turned north I’d be back at the van in 2.6 miles.  If I kept heading east it would be about 5 miles.  I elected to keep heading east.  After all, going straight meant a nice long downhill run and that felt good at that point.  

     The arthritis in my hips started acting up on downhill runs at about mile 15.  For those of you who don’t know me, I have very bad arthritis in my knees and hips.  I have a nasty spur on the left side and the chiropractor is still trying to figure out how I run.  Actually, once I’m warmed up (sometimes taking up to 2 miles) my legs feel better than they do any other time.  They like running  - after the pain of warm up.   Before I started running I actually walked with a cane if I went to a park, zoo or anywhere where I had to walk a lot.  My hips started hurting most likely because of the pressure on the joints running downhill.  Non-runners don’t understand that downhill is actually harder that flat or going uphill.

     After crossing the last dam (heading basically south) I noticed that the ground was again cracked and dry and the temperature was going up rapidly.  I was honestly worried about crossing this dam.  The temperature was obviously quite high. I didn’t stop to check it. And there was no protection from the sun.  Once you traversed the dam you had a long hill to climb without protection.  By the time I got to the tree-line I had to stop and rest.  That 0.4 mile in the blazing sun just about did me in.  I don’t think I totally recovered. 

     From that point on I drank constantly,  poured water from my filter bottle over my head, ate a couple of Gu (stomach couldn’t handle anything more), kept my head down and feet moving.  Nothing was sweeter than cross the stream (totally dry!) that marks 1.2 miles to the trailhead.  I had wanted so much to do 30-40 miles today, but there was no way I was going any further in this heat.   Yes, my hips hurt a bit on the downhill runs but my legs felt strong. It was the rest of me that wasn’t going any further.

     At the trailhead the temperature registered at 94.  There was a troop of Boy Scouts getting ready for Philmont (New Mexico scout ranch).  Evidently a lot of troops come to Two Lakes to have their dress rehearsal.  They were getting a late start in high heat, but they assured me that they were prepared and that they were going to take 3 days to cover about 5 miles less than I had just done in 5:55.  I made some recommendations and watched them hoist their enormous packs. Some of them were bigger than the scout. It is going to be a long three days with those packs.  I noticed them watching me and realized that, without thinking about it, I was standing there talking to them and wringing the sweat out of my shirt. There was a puddle on the ground.

     I turned the van’s AC on high and cracked open a bottle Ensure.  The next stop was the bath house for as cold a shower as I could stand.  Even with that I felt like I was giving off heat as I returned to the van.   With a wave to the gatekeeper I stopped at a nearby convenience store for a pint of chocolate milk and 32 oz drink to go with my chips. I’d have my recovery meal at home. 

     All in all it was a very good day.  As a dress rehearsal, it went well.  I learned a lot, and that’s what it’s all about.  My equipment served me well under harsh conditions and I would have no hesitation recommending any product I’ve mentioned.  I admit to being disappointed that I only covered a bit over 18 miles. That's at least 12 miles less than I had hoped for, but they were probably the toughest 18 miles I’ve ever run . . . not from the perspective of trail or terrain but the challenge of running in such extreme heat.  Despite my disappointment in not getting the miles I wanted, I had to feel good about the run. I didn’t turn back, as I had originally planned when I realized how hot it was.  I accepted the challenge, followed all of the safety, hydration and nutrition rules, and ended up with a pace of 19:43.  It can’t get much better!