thoughts going into the Windburn Six in the Stix (6 hour race)

after an easy mile or so on the roads, i "danced around" at the gym -which kind of my way of doing dynamic stretching, but i dont really stretch anything, so i mostly just hop around. my body has a few minor aches, but nothing major at all. i just dont feel great about the race this coming weekend for some reason.
ive felt pretty low-energy the last three days, i had a very slight stomach ache and i think i might have had some kind of bug. its been a stressful week at the gym (were i work): machines breaking and not getting fixed, members complaining* about every little thing -including other members, and the constant drama of the couple on staff who may-or-may-not be sleeping together and who may-or-may-not make it really obvious to everyone who meets them. and the move to Boulder (next month) should be making me ecstatic, but the feelings ill be hurting when i leave have me feeling somewhat stressed as well.
im gona be taking Vespa again this weekend, for the first time since i threw it up all over mile 19 of a marathon. ive had a decent amount of success using it for long training runs(at 6:50-7:40 pace), but going at 6:30 pace with Vespa in my stomach during the marathon didnt agree with me. with a plan to average 10mins a mile(maybe slower depending on the conditions) for the six hours, i doubt i should have any trouble keeping it down.
i just wana go out on Saturday and have fun, play in the snow, and cover some ground. i love running more than anything, so if 6 hours of running doesnt make me happy then i dont know what will.

*dont get me wrong, i enjoy working in a gym, and i love helping people get fit, but when the problem is something that can be fixed not by a knowledge of exercise but by simple common sense, it then becomes such a hassle.

bake for 30mins @ 180degrees

i set a new PR (personal record) for running in the sauna! -and just after doing 20 minutes yesterday!
the guy that convinced me that running in place in a sauna was a good idea, even if my race is going to be in the snow(!), told me that 'running in the sauna is altitude training for midwest runners.' at the time, i hadnt done enough research to see the genius of the statement, and so was skeptical. in a way he was absolutely right, but in a way he was completely wrong. altitude training is known for helping distance runners by increasing red blood cells, therefore thickening your blood, and allowing it to carry more oxygen. sauna training on the other hand, helps us by increasing the amount of plasma in you body (by up to 2 liters!). plasma is the liquid part of your blood and it is what regulates your body's temperature. so sauna training thins your blood to allow it to move faster through your system, which in theory means that your heart wont have to work as hard to pump blood around you body.
check my "current training endeavors" page for a little more about sauna training.
also, if physiology interests you, and i hope it does because you just read alot about it, try some of your own research on heat acclimatization and decide for yourself. feel free to tell me that my this makes no sense if that what you find.
my entire workout:
>30mins running in sauna (and i swear i almost got attacked by a paper towel in the last 10mins.. my brain probly got too hot..)

another quick workout

although i have a lot of faith in my training style/ program design, its insane that i expect 20-25 minute workouts to prepare my body for 6 hours of pounding.
in place of short repeats, i chose instead to do a sauna workout and another endurance set (of 100-200 reps) on some important running muscles. after a warm up, i did 5 sets split jumps, then a 5 min cool down (which is kind of a misnomer since im sure i was hyperthemic by then). since my hip flexors have been the limiting factor for me during my last two runs over 20 miles, i figured they could use a day, so GHD situps again, but 100 instead of 50.
anyway, here it is:
>5 min (jogging)WU in sauna
>5 min of 30sec split jumps: 30sec jogging in place
>5 min (jogging)CD in sauna
>100 GHD situps (again, if you need to see what these are, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufaa41nkIP8)
if youve never worked out in a sauna, try it, you can read about the idea behind training in heat on my "current training endeavors" page.

the half-hour medley workout

i dont train to adapt, i train to become more adaptable. so when planning my tempo-ish workout for last night, i decided to add some speed for the first part, and some extra weight for the second, but with ice everywhere it was gona be another run that, in order to keep it fast, would have to be done indoors, which sucks. it was definitely worth it though: being at 6:00 pace felt great, just hard enough, and i doubt i would have been able to sustain that pace with ice on the ground. im really starting to look forward to getting some tempo work in in february. plus having variety on the treadmill makes the time fly by: a minute with 5lb handweights might seem long, but the minute recovery time is gone instantly. thats definitely one of the best perks of going hard.
heres how it ended up:
with a slight incline,
10 mins WU (warm up)
10 mins of 1 min @ 10mph: 1 min @8mph
10 mins of 1 min w/5lb handweights: 1 min recovery, all at 8mph
5 min CD (cool down) with some walking at 4mph w/15% incline

as always, id be flattered if anyone wants to try it and tell me what you think of it.

the Illinois Version Fat Ass fun run (in McNabb Illinois)

the trip: i met Tony (Anthony Buensuceso) at his house at around 5 in the evening, he had been busy working til 4:00, and i had busy sleeping til about 1:00. after getting pissed off because the Red Robin number online sent me to an automated hotline instead of a real person, we stopped at one on the way out of town to get it to go. to avoid any time at all spent sitting still, we hit up the closest Target for food for the night (Swedish fish, Kashi crackers, chocolate milk, bottled water). as i drove Tony and i got some time to develop our teamwork skills (by having him control the steering wheel and me controlling the speed), cause the fact that i was driving was not gona stop me from fully enjoying my 'apple harvest chicken salad!' 

lookin tasty

thank god for my Magellan (GPS), because finding a town like McNabb would be near impossible. not a person in that town even knew about the race the next day, not even the police did (but more on that later), we pulled into a gas station to ask for directions to the school since my GPS wouldnt find it for some reason -maybe the fact that its in a town of 350 people! the girl, after looking at us as if she had never seen an outsider before, told us that it was down the road a bit, 'its y'ur first right af'er the railroad tracks.' i was starting to get the vibe that this gas station in the middle of nowhere was a scene straight out of a horror movie, and as we left, the guy from jeepers creepers (i swear thats who it was!) pulls up and gives us a crazy look, but its probably just because he had a few bodies in the back of his pickup truck, no biggy.

after finding Putnam County Middle School, where the race was supposed to be starting the following morning, we got the car ready (we planned to sleep in it for the night). it was only after getting comfortable that we realised it wasnt even 7:00 yet. tearing sleeping bags and blankets off of us, we jumped back up front to go where ever the hell we could to kill a few hours. -harder said than done in a town thats too small to merit even its own grocery store. the two places in town to hang out were a bar (which closes at 7:00 apparently!) and a diner. so food it was. as we walked in, the 9 or so people in the room turned in there seats to look at us. i think we were the first people that didnt grow up in McNabb to eat at Moreno's On Main. as we stood there waiting to be seated, a woman at the table in the middle of the room asks "where y'all frum?" without even getting up from her seat. so we sat down as we told here we were from "up north." its ridiculous how quickly you find the South when you drive down the state of Illinois. we were only about 3 hours outside Chicago, but we may as well have been in Alabama -no offense to southerners. Moreno's serves breakfast all day, and ribs, but its most distinguishing characteristic was the mismatched mugs on each table. each was completely different, like they stole one mug from each of the 15 houses in this town and started a restaurant. we both got bacon, eggs, and toast for about 8 bucks for the two of us. after the initial culture shock, the people were pretty freakin nice, although after living in the suburbs for so long, it really gets annoying when people are too nice to you. they asked where we were staying, and i reluctantly told them, "in the back of my car... but I'm an Eagle Scout -so i got the gear -we'll be comfortable enough." so the old man at the table offered to tell the sheriff that we'd be out there at the school tonight so we wouldn't be bothered, apparently he used be a cop. i really didnt think it would be a problem either way, but the guy pulled out his phone before i could tell him no and started telling the person on the other line that a white blazer would be out at the school, and it was just some kids here to run. i do appreciate what he did for us, but i have a red blazer, not a white one. but its fine, we werent planning on having problems anyway.

we loitered around until it was just us and Gramma Moreno, then we gave up on trying to find entertainment in a town of 350 people. so we drove back to the school to get some sleep before the race. as i pulled into the parking lot i noticed a police car, and like any good 18-year-old i was startled for a moment, until i remembered that the old guy had told them we would be there, so i pulled up next to the cop and rolled my window down. "hey, whats goin' on?" i asked him, and he just looked at me with a perplexed look on his face. i assumed that a cop sitting where we planned to sleep meant that they knew we were coming, but it turns out i was wrong. "go ahead and pull in, ill be over in a minute." after calling his station (which is probably just some guy named Bubba sitting next to a phone), he walked up to my window with his flashlight in hand, trying to maintain whatever was left of his authority. "do you both IDs on you?" we did, we are "adults" after all. he ran both of us through his computer and came back to harass Tony about a speeding ticket he got months ago. -at that point the poor cop was pretty much just babysitting us.

the car did get down to probably 10 degrees that night, maybe colder according to Tony. our breath left ice all over the doors and windows. but i wasnt gona get much sleep before a race anyway, so it didnt really make a difference to me.

the course was great, everyone ran a one-mile out and back, then it was up to each person to decide how much they wanted to run on a stretch of the road that was 10 miles out and back. i really enjoyed the fun-run atmosphere.

before the race, we stood around for about an hour and talked to random runners and Bob, the race director. i figured we would be the youngest runners there since ultra running isnt exactly a sport for teenagers, but shortly after we signed in we met Alexis, a 17 year old, and shortly after meeting her, a 12 year old kid walks up to sign-up board. its incredible that a kid that young is getting exposure to the ultra community. (im pretty sure the kid ran 11 miles, which is absolutely incredible.) at about 10:00 Bob called everyone up to take the "mandatory picture" (as he called it) before the race started.



the "mandatory picture"

 in each sleeve of my underarmour, i had a GU packet, a vanilla bean (which is by far the best flavor for regular GU) and a pomegranate-blueberry Roctaine. the cold tends to turn GU into sweet, gummy, cement, so keeping it in my sleeves has been my method of choice so far. other than that, i didnt eat much during the race, there were aid stations at the start/finish line, the 2.5 mile, and the 5 mile. the goal was to get some fluid (90+% water, but some of the random 'drank' that they had as well) at each one and to look at what food was there in case anything looked good. other than the grapes i ate a nutri-grain bar, but that was at the end just to see how it would feel, and i was pleasantly surprised that it stayed down well.

i started with Tony for the first 3 miles or so, until the first aid station. i spent about 3 seconds at the first stop, just long enough to grab some grapes and stash um my hoodie pocket. im not sure what all he grabbed, but it took him a while, and i didnt see him again until after i turned around. he looked pretty dead.

tony, lookin miserable already

the rest of the race was spent walking hills and doing what i could to focus on how my body felt. am i thirsty? hows my blood sugar? does my body feel ok, any pain? unlike a car, you body has no low fuel light, and as a distance runner, youve got to do some interpretation. after the first out and back (11 miles into the race), the course got a lot lonelier, i think most (probly 80% or more) people only ran 11 miles. i shed some clothing and got my second wind as i went back out for my second 10-miler. but i still had some pain, and decided not to push it too hard. from the start, my feet werent feeling right, and my hips still hadnt fully recovered from Huff. i had planned on doing 31 miles, but as i finished up mile 20, i knew that going further might jeopardize my run on the 29th. so as i got back to the start/finish table, i called it a day.

Tony ended the day at about 17 miles, and i called it quits after 21.

the run was absolutely amazing as i look back on it. no race fee! cant beat it. i tried to give Bob a twenty after the race, just to cover me and Tony, but he wouldnt take he it, its just his way of 'giving back to the running community'

the trip back: outside of the horror movie gas station mentioned earlier, there wasnt another one for 24 miles, which wasnt a problem until my engine stopped running on the highway... -but this post is way too long already...

the "benefits" of barefooting

todays workout put the skin on my feet over the edge.
i have blisters with enough liquid in them to fill a kiddie pool. after a few days of doing most of my workouts with naked feet, ive finally got to the point where putting pressure on the center of my feet feels like im walking on a waterbed. typically i dont pop blisters, but in this case i think i might have to. as a runner, any small change in your form/gait can cause serious problems. tons of endurance athletes have fallen victim to significant injuries as a side effect of their bodies compensating for small, insignificant injuries.
today was a light day though, with hardly any running, so it must have just been the cumulative wear and tear on my skin, but im sure starting the workout with wet feet didnt help either.
any way, here it is, tell me what you think.
>5 mins with feet in hot tub to loosen them up (ive been having some foot pain, but they felt fine today)
>5 mins running in place in the sauna
>10-10-8-6-3 (reps) deadlift w/135-155-175-195-215lbs respectively
>5X10 GHD situps (if youve never done them, try it sometime, heres a link to see how: http://vimeo.com/10048609, although the guy bends his knees, and thats gona cause him a lot of back pain, keep those knees locked!)

a (somewhat)long-run day

a ultra runner friend i have told me that running on a treadmill is even better for an ultra runner because its boring and you need to train to be bored if you ever wana be good at races that can take 24-48+ hours to finish. so instead of the 10 mile tempo i had planned to do outside, i decided to see how much i could do inside in a day.
the common misconception about treadmills is that they are a useful tool for runners, and they are great for helping non-runners get and stay active. that, however, is a complete load of crap. dont get me wrong, i love treadmills for intervals or running with friends that are slower than you, but thats it. the first 10 miles were the most boring miles of my life, and i truly mean that.
my next long run will be outside. if i ever get to the point that running requires me to be that bored for that long thatll be the day that i stop running forever. running for me has always made me happy, i think most runners can agree that running is the one consistent thing in you life that, even after a bad day/run, you know will  make you happy. thats how i know that i really do love running, because even if i have a horrible day/week/month with running, ill keep on giving, each run is a gift, either a gift from me to running or from running to me. it really is a relationship, and all the bad runs disappear in a second after one amazing moment on the road or one effortless hill climb on the trails, where running seems to repay you for your hard hours spent with it.
the totals for the day: 12 miles on the 'mill, 20 minutes running in the sauna

my "snowbath"

got some hard intervals done today, and came home for an ice bath.
theyre incredible, but it takes electricity to freeze water into ice cubes in the refrigerator, and why waste it when theres and icebath waiting for you outside -or a snowbath as the case may be...
-slid off my pants and shoveled some snow over my legs.

sorry about the quality, it was taken with a phone

 there really isnt much like sitting in the snow and just letting your body get cold. its like being dunked under water by someone, if you just hold your breath and accept it, its only slightly unsettling. people put forth so much effort to try to stay warm, but if they just accept the cold and the slight discomfort it brings for a few minutes, your body too will accept it, and itll feel amazing.
note: my space blanket helped a ton to keep my chest and shoulders warm and dry. in case youre not familiar with space blankets: you know how keeping a baked potato in tin foil keeps it warm, well my body is the baked potato, and the blanket is the tin foil (it reflects your body heat back at you).

to all distance runners

runners everywhere are going dormant for the winter, and a few are running countless laps around an indoor track right now preparing for season*.
but this is the best time to be a true distance runner, someone who does it for sheer love. loads of people run when its nice outside, they run for fitness. its when the temperature drops and the snow and ice cover the paths that you see the few people who are willing to sacrifice their "thermo-comfort" to get a run in. sure you can say that the snow slows you down and makes the miles seem longer, but a better way to look at snow is as something that forces you to appreciate each moment and each stride. with icy conditions, you have to focus on each step as you take it, and each foot-strike as is falls. which can depress those used to the thousands of strides taken during the fall months, where you simply zone out until its over, but with a change in perspective for the average runner, winter could easily become the season for running. instead of sending runners inside on treadmills for 2-3 months of the year, it should become a mental break from the structured and focused training of the other seasons.
how serious can you be about hitting splits when youre runnning in the dark in 8 inches of snow and ice?      
-you gota do it for love at that point, or you wont do it at all!
what do you think?
*and good luck to all track runners! indoor season can be a ton of fun!

trashing my posterior chain

running performance is largely determined by the strength of the muscles that make up the posterior chain. muscles like the glutes, the hamstrings, and the erector muscles in the lower back, as well as the calves all contribute to pulling you body forward over the ground. these muscles tend to have a ton of endurance in runners, and can therefore be difficult to train to the point of soreness in the gym.
my quest this week has been to isolate each muscle on the back side of my body from my ankles to my back, and just work one of them a day to almost complete failure by doing 200 reps in the shortest time possible. -calf raises on tuesday, leg curls on wednesday, back extensions on thursday... 200 of each. resting as little as possible. with perfect form. and as fast as possible.
its impossible to keep track of big numbers while my body is getting trashed, so i used weights to signify reps. i use five 2.5lb weights to signify 20 reps each and line them up, as i finish reps i slide them over one at a time, then slid them back once i finish 100 reps to make 200 total. this system is great because besides not requiring complicated math, i only worry about each set of 20 at a time. -anything to avoid my brain telling me that 200 is too many!
after months of my calves never getting sore, theyre still dead, and its been a few days already. its hilarious to try to get out of bed or stand up when your entire back side feels like someone went at it with a bat for 10 minutes straight.
gota love it though
try it out, see how you like it, and leave me a comment!

going for round two

im going to have my first post-race blog entry in the next few days. after a few years constantly trying to convince people that their bodies have capabilities far beyond what they expect, ive finally given in and started a blog. i only hope that, by reading about my races and experiences, people will be challanged to turn their conscious brains off and allow their bodies to take over. if youre bothered by spelling or grammatical errors, stop reading now, but if youre looking for some inspiration to let your body pull you beyond what you thought was possible, then keep reading.
thanks for reading