The Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run: Race Report - What Went Wrong

Well, the American River 50-mile Endurance Run was on Saturday.

First of all - congratulations to Vajin Armstrong from Australia for his 5:53:14 win of the 2012 AR50.  Congratulations to the women's winner, Ellie Greenwood of Canada, at 6:18:29 (5th overall).  Also, congratulations to the local Rich Hanna of Sacramento, CA for his 2nd place overall finish and 1st place Masters win.  Congratulations to the runners from Lodi and Stockton, including Tony Vice and his employees, David and Omar, at Fleet Feet Stockton.  A complete list of the finishers can be found at http://www.ultralive.net/ar50/webcast.php.

As it turns out, this is not going to be the race report that I had envisioned writing.  At the AR50, I had my first-ever DNF.  Here's the low-down on what happened. . .

I awoke Saturday morning at 3 a.m. and began my pre-race rituals - showering, shaving, and applying ample amounts of body-glide in every imaginable location.  Next, I ate a breakfast of oatmeal and chia seeds, drank a little iskiate, and began to pack the car with my gear and food for my crew chief, Rob (a.k.a. Running Romeo).  My wife dropped me off at Rob's house and headed back home.  Her plan was to return later in the afternoon with our kids to watch me cross the finish line.

Rob and I made the final leg of the journey in record time to the starting line at Sacramento State University (Apparently traffic at 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning tends to be light).  I hit the porta-potties for my...ahem... pre-race business.  Then we took a walk up to the bike path to check out the condition of the asphalt - nice and smooth (more on that later).

Since we were still an hour away from the start, we headed back to the car where I wrapped my legs in a couple of blankets Rob had thrown in the car.  After hanging out til about 5:40, we headed back up to the starting line.  Rob snapped a couple of photos of me pre-race and heading out.  The first shot I'm in my Sockwas, which I handed over to Rob along with my coat before heading out.

The asphalt at the actual starting line was a bit more chip-seal than the smooth asphalt near the bridge.  Fortunately it was only for about the first quarter-mile with a couple patches here and there in the first mile or two.

I don't recall actually hearing anyone or anything calling out the official "start," but everyone started moving in that general direction and loud music started blaring out of the speakers.  So, I assumed the race had begun!

Blue shirt, black hat with red sunglasses hanging of the back.

Heading out. . .

Just to the right of the guy in yellow you can see my bare feet and my blue shirt.

It was still dark as you can see and I was a little concerned that I might step on something stupid right off the bat and be sidelined.  Well, I managed to survive stepping on anything horrible in the dark.  Sunrise came about 20 minutes after the start.

I was running about an 11:30 mile, fluctuating between a 11 and 12.  I was trying to stay as close to the 12 minute mile mark as possible (especially with all the adrenaline coursing through my veins at the start of the race.  I was fully in the moment.  The river was very full and flowing.  The sunrise was coming up over the Sierras right in front of us.  It was a beautiful, cool spring morning.  A perfect day for a run (albeit a very long run).

I could hear various conversations about Born to Run behind me and an occasional, "that guy's barefoot."  One of the first people to chat with me was a woman who asked me if I had heard about Micah True.  We talked about how sad it was, but how beautiful it was that he passed doing something he loved.  She had been to the Born to Run event last year in So Cal and asked if I had been there.  After we had been talking for a few minutes, I realized my pace had picked up a bit, so I let our conversation die off and wished her luck.

One of the funniest things that I noticed was that people repeatedly asked me, "You're putting on shoes once we get to the trail section, right?"

My reply was always given with a big smile and a slight chuckle, "I'm looking forward to being barefoot on the trail section!"

Only one woman said, "I bet you can't wait for the trail section."

Things were moving along fantastically.  I was enjoying the scenery and the temperatures were perfect.  My pace was comfortable. 

Until mile 3. . .

What??? Mile 3???  Surely that was a typo, right?  You think I mean mile 30, right?  Nope.  Not a typo.  Mile 3.

My right achilles started to ache slightly on the outside.  I thought, no, no, no.

I tried to relax.  Shortened up my stride a bit and upped my cadence.  A little better.

Mile 4 - The pain increasing now.  I played with my form a little as I was telling myself, "This can't be happening."

Mile 5 - I stopped off to ... ummm . . .take care of a little business that happens when you're fully hydrated.  As I rounded the bushes, my feet felt something prickly.   I looked down and realized I had parked myself right on top of a nice thistle bush.  "Oh, shit." I thought.  Just do your business and back away slowly, I thought.

As I got back on the path, my achilles had tightened up a bit.  It took about 20 or so painful steps to get back into a running motion.  I was still able to hold a 12 minute pace, so I was happy.  Well, at least I was happy about something.

By mile 8, the pain was becoming almost unbearable and had spread to the entire back of the heel.  The first aid station was coming up.  I stopped off, grabbed a few shot bloks and a couple salt stick pills.  In my mind, I was still going to go 50 miles.  I needed fuel and to stay sharp.

It took a good 20 to 50 yards before I could get moving at a decent 12 minute pace again.  I pulled off to the side of the trail and pulled out my cell phone.  I called Rob and told him to get to the store and buy some Advil.  We had planned to meet at the Sunrise aid station at 14.6 miles anyway, but the idea was for me to dump my hat and gloves.

I started running again.  I kept checking my watch to keep an eye on my pace.  I was still clearly under the cut-offs.  Good.  I noticed when I looked at my shadow that I had started to hunch my back due to the pain.  I relaxed again, stood up tall, picked up my cadence and shortened my stride.  Ok, back in the game, but not really.  My left quad had begun to ache now.  I was seriously compensating for the lack of my right foot to bear my weight.  It was now starting to spread.

After I stopped off to do more business at mile 11, I could no longer get running again.  Each time I tried, my right leg would buckle under the pain.  It was as if someone was ramming a knife through my heel.  I thought, this is what Achilles must have felt as the arrow pierced his heel.  Just great!

I started walking, trying to maintain some kind of pace.  In the back of my mind, I knew it was the end. 

All morning, groups of women from a local running group had been running up and down the course with bunny ears on (it was the day before Easter).  Several of these groups paused to ask if I was ok and to offer me their socks.

The first couple of times, I laughed and said, "No thanks.  It's not my feet, it's my achilles."

By the fourth time, I managed to stay polite, but said, "My feet are ready to go 50 miles, but my achilles is shot."

The last woman to offer assistance asked if I needed a band-aid.  I know she was sincere, but it was kinda humorous.

Yeah, that's me the dumb barefoot runner.  I decided to run a 50-mile race barefoot and was sidelined because I cut my foot and forgot a band-aid. 

I declined the band-aid, told her it was my achilles.

She quickly responded with, "I have tape."

Wow!  This woman had a well prepared running vest!  I asked if she knew how to tape an achilles.  She didn't so I politely declined again with a big smile.

At about mile 12, I was beginning to accept that I was probably not going to make it past the Sunrise Aid Station at 14.67 miles.  I called Rob and asked him what the cut-off time was for that station.

"9:15"

It was 8:55 a.m.  No chance.  If I was healthy, no problem.  Injured - damn near impossible.

Finally about 13 miles in, the race official sweeping the back of the course caught up to me.  The race official, Rajeev, was quite the colorful character.  I think he was as pissed as I was that my achilles had given out.  He offered me some great words of encouragement and some information about strengthening my achilles.  We walked the final 1.5 miles to the Sunrise aid station together.  Rajeev told me about some of the ultras he had run.

As we approached Sunrise, he handed me off to some of the officials in the parking lot.  One official took my D-tag (a new experience for me).  It was almost painful for me to hand it over.  They told me to have a seat on a post since Rob was driving over and I would not need to walk any more.

Rob pulled up and hopped out of his car.  I shrugged my shoulders and said something like, "Well, that's it."  And as quickly as the race had begun, it had ended for me. 

Just then his phone rang and it was my wife, Cheryl.  He handed me the phone.  She was surprised when I answered.  She had been worried because NorCal ultras had not posted any times for me at the aid stations.  (As it turns out, they only posted Beals and the Finish).  I told her that my achilles had given out and I was dropping at Sunrise.

Sad to say, but my Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run ended in my first-ever DNF. 

I went to my doctor on Monday afternoon.  My x-ray was clear - no tears, no real damage done.  I just have swelling, stiffness and soreness.  It is Wednesday now and I am able to bear weight most of the time without the assistance of crutches.  I still get twinges of pain if I step down wrong.  Even that has reduced some since Saturday.

After visiting the doctor, I stopped by the Stockton Fleet Feet to congratulate their finishers of the AR50.  David told me how "sweet" the finisher's jacket was.  As much as I wanted to see it, I really couldn't bear to see it.

Inside I know I gave it my all.  I tried to push through it, but was unable.  I did not quit.  Injury took precedence.  I know I had to drop from the race or risk serious or permanent damage.

As Rajeev put it, "Racing is for the day.  Running is for life."

Thank you, Rajeev.

Thank you to everyone who supported me, cheered me on, and encouraged me on this path.  This journey has ended for now, but I'll be back very soon.  I am already planning my comeback for next year.  The 50K will be my new "regular" race over the next 12 months.  The American River 50 will not defeat me.  I will be back next year.

The Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run: Week 18 of 18

Well, the race is tomorrow!  I've been a bundle of nerves and energy all day (ok, probably for a few days).  I'm ready to get this thing DONE!

Yesterday, I zipped out of work to head up to Fleet Feet in Fair Oaks to get my packet and hoped to get one of the 50 free AR50 technical running hats.  Unfortunately, this was the sight when I arrived at the store.

Yeah, so, no hat.  Bummer!  But I got my number and I'm ready as I'm gonna be to race.  I'm getting my gear organized, crew food situated, and hopefully will get to bed at a decent hour.  Gonna be up around 3 am to try and get some breakfast in and head up to my crew chief's house and then to the starting line around 5 a.m..  Race starts at 6 a.m.!

HUGE THANKS to Rob, a.k.a Running Romeo, for crewing for me tomorrow!!!  Thanks to all my family, friends, and running buddies for your words of encouragement.  See ya in Auburn!!!

For anyone interested in tracking the race. They have live postings on Ultralive.net.  And as you can see from the pic above I'm #598.

The Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run: Weeks 16 and 17 of 18

Ok, this is it... the final countdown is t-minus 3 days to the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run.

These past two weeks have been busy and interesting.  Two weekends ago, I ran an easy 13 miles (while they ran 12) with the group of friends and colleagues that I've been training for their first half marathon.  The run was pretty uneventful - I wore Sockwas because I was trying to protect the new skin that had been under the large blister I got after the AR50 training run. 

The shoes did the trick for protecting the blister.  However, after that run, I had picked up a pain behind my second toe on my left foot.  I supposed that at some point on the run I managed to step on a rock and possibly bruised the bone.  After a week of no easing on the minor discomfort, I checked to see if I had embedded something in my foot.  I did manage to find a tiny splinter of something, but even after removing it, the discomfort was still there.  So, either I managed to get a bone bruise or there is something small in my foot.

This past weekend, I went out to watch my team run their first half marathon and take pictures of all of them.  It's very different being on the sidelines of a race.  I've only done it a couple of times since I started running, but it's fun to cheer on people you've trained.  They all finished and they all did GREAT!!!

The gang with their medals for their FIRST half marathon!  Congrats everyone!

Last week I finally went out an bought my first pair of Merrell Trail Gloves.  I've been drooling over these for probably a year or more.  The timing was right with gift cards and sales that I bit the bullet and got a pair.

So, Sunday night after the half marathon, still concerned about my healing blister, I taped my foot, threw on my Merrells, and headed out for an easy 6 mile run.  At the end of the run, my right achilles was feeling very tender.  I've never had any issues with my achilles so I was immediately concerned.  Looking back at my run, I think I've narrowed the issue down to a form problem.  For the first 3 miles of my run I was very tense.  I was completely stressing out about my pace for Saturday's race.  

A little background - I had been unable to secure a pacer for the race.  However, I did manage to find a group from the neighboring town who has 5 runners in the race.  Also, the manager of the local Fleet Feet and a couple of his employees were also running the race.  I began worrying about if I'd be able to hang with one or more of these people. 

So, while obsessing over pace and running very tensed up in new shoes I managed to strain my achillies.  First of all running tensed is not good.  Secondly, I think I was overcompensating my landing (I have a tendency to heel strike in "normal" running shoes) and not letting my heel touch down as much as I should have.  As a result I ran almost 6 miles mostly on the balls of my feet. 

I've been resting, icing and massaging my heel now for 3 days.  It's feeling better.  I'm just hoping and praying that it does not become an issue this Saturday.

A note about visualization...  Until last week, I was having difficulty visualizing the race completion in my mind's eye.  I have managed to get that solved which has reduced the amount of stress and calmed my nerves somewhat.  However, I'm still a bit more nervous than I usually feel - something my wife has noticed.  She says I'm "freaking out" and she's never seen me do that before a race.  I think I'm over the "freaking out" and ready to go out there and get this done!!!

I'm going to try and post one more time Friday before the race. 

The Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run: Weeks 14 and 15 of 18

Apologies for being behind in my postings.  I think I'm busier when I'm on "vacation" than I am when I'm working.  I need to review what has been happening for the past 3 weeks.  I'm going to do Week 16 as a separate post so I can catch up :)

So, let's see...

When last I wrote, I had just completed a 50K run from my town to the next - 31 miles.  After that run, I took it easy for the remainder of the week with a 5 mile run on Thursday (after the Monday 50K).  The following weekend, I ran 12 miles with my half marathon training group.

The following week (week of March 11-17) I started took it fairly easy as well because that Saturday I was planning to do a training run on the AR50 trail section put on by James Barstad.  I was also hoping to meet up with Jason and Shelly Robillard that day.  However, they took the opportunity to head over to the Rodeo Beach 50K a day early to prep for the race (in costume no less) with Shacky, Krista Cavender and Vanessa Runs.

There were a lot of runners from the Folsom Trail Runners.

Here's a recap of the trail run.

I got up early to make the hour plus drive up to the Auburn Overlook where people were meeting to carpool to one of two starting points Beals Point (22.5 miles) or the Nimbus Fish Hatchery (31 miles).  My directions were terrible and got me to Auburn, which I already knew how to get to.  Thank God for smart phones.  I managed to find directions and arrived as everyone was taking off.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Veronica (I think that was your name) for allowing me to ride with your group from the Overlook to Beals Point.  Also thank you to your small group for helping me pull out the last few miles of that run - especially the Dam Wall!

Beals Point is at a little over 26 miles into the AR50 course.  The first 3 miles out of Beals is gravel levee tops.  Since my feet were fresh, this was not too terribly bad.  The cold did make my feet a bit more sensitive to the rocks.

Once the gravel ended and the single-track trails began, that's when the real fun began!  It had been raining for most of the week and rain was predicted that day.  However, the skies were beautiful and it was a perfect morning for a run.  The best part was a big storm had blown through the night before and left the trails wonderfully muddy in places.  By mile 5 I had really started to find a groove.  Most of my miles were averaging in the 11-min range with mile 5 down in the 9s. 

I was feeling pretty good after the first hour, which is when I kind of made my first mistake.  What I should have done was pause to eat a shot blok and maybe even a couple of salt pills.  I felt pretty good and didn't want to take the time to stop.  I actually had to stop several times in the first 7 miles because my water belt kept falling off (the velcro is shot).  So, I pushed on until about mile 9 before pausing to eat and take some salt pills.  Still, I was feeling great.

At about mile 10, I began to hear the ringing of a cowbell.  At the top of a small hill was the one aid station that the organizers had set up.  The small crew there was awesome!  They had a great spread of food (one of my favorite parts of ultra running) and were very friendly. 

The first question I got was, "How long have you been doing that?" (referring to my bare feet) 

"Do you mean today or how long have I been doing the barefoot thing?" I replied.

"Today," he clarified.

I informed him that I had come in from Beals Point and that I was planning to go the whole 22.5 miles that day.  The group was quite impressed and we chatted about the course and how I got into barefoot running.  The lady at the aid station took a couple pictures of me and my feet.  After hanging around for 5 minutes or so, I figured that I should be moving on.  I thanked them for being out there and headed off down the trail.

Things continued well for the next few miles.  My pace was slowing down a bit due to the hills and having to climb across a few fallen trees.  Climbing over fallen trees while barefoot was a new one for me.  Most weren't too bad, however, one section had a nice sharp manzanita tree that was a bit tricky to get across. 

The best part of the day - MUD!  There were puddles everywhere.  I splashed through nearly every single one.  Gooey mud, red dirt mud, and even slippy mud.  All of it was FANTASTIC!!!  After crossing a small bridge there was a fair sized puddle of mud.  At that point the trail took a hard right turn.  I planted my right foot in the middle of the mud and turned my body to the right.  My foot began to slide and had I not been quick to put my left hand out I would've smashed into the side of the mountain. 

After I left the aid station, I began fueling a little more regularly now.  But when I approached mile 17 my head started to get a little fuzzy.  At one point, I was crossing a small log bridge and it appeared as though the bridge was floating/moving a bit.  I decided that I needed to eat something and take a few extra electrolyte pills.  I stepped off to the side of the trail for some approaching runners while I ate.  As it turned out, it was several of the people who I had hitched a ride with down to Beals Point.  They paused a for a few minutes to fuel up too.  It was a pretty nice location to look down over the American River Canyon and enjoy a snack.

Their arrival turned out to be a good thing for me.  Although I am used to running alone and enjoy it, it can be nice to have company.  I let them take the lead for the next 3 miles.  It was kind of like having a pacer, I guess.  Just some people to stay focused on and chat with from time to time.

They informed me that the Dam Wall was rapidly approaching and that it was not going to be an easy climb.  They reached the base of the hill a few minutes before I did and were admiring the view.  As I came up to the bluff, I could see the hill climbing to the left.  The trail or fire road was very steep and  was covered with some pretty rough looking gravel.  I paused for a minute or two and chatted with a few other runners procrastinating the upcoming climb.

I started out in a brisk walk.  No sense in killing what little energy I had left on such a steep hill.  After cresting the first rise, the gravel was somewhat more manageable.  I started to take the next hill at a slow jog.  The next section was paved chip-seal asphalt.  It would have been easy to run this section except there was tiny sharp gravel spilled across most of the roadway.  I began to run/walk this section trying to avoid as much of the loose gravel as possible.  The chipseal gave way to another section of gravel fire road.  By now, my feet were virtually on fire and super sensitive to every rock.  At about 21 miles I finally threw in the towel and slipped on my Sockwas. 

Not long after throwing on my Sockwas, I realized that I was stark-raving hungry.  All I could think about was food - more specifically a Carls Jr Western Bacon Double Cheeseburger.  Since none was to be found, I devoured an entire pack of shot bloks and kept on moving. 

One of the guys I rode with was now run/walking with me as we approached the main road to the Auburn Overlook.  With the road being smoother asphalt, I tore off the Sockwas which had started to blister my toes and completed the last stretch to the "finish line" in the parking lot.  It was a great relief to be done.  My right foot had developed a half dollar size blister between the ball and arch.  The tips of the first three toes had also blistered due to the Sockwas combined with softer skin due to running through all that water.
 
At the aid station, I wolfed down a bowl of nice hot chili followed by a couple of large M&M cookies.  I chatted with the group I had met.  It was then that I noticed that the weather had changed and the next storm was moving in.  The wind was picking up and the temperature had dropped.  I realized that I had begun shivering pretty bad.

I said my good-byes and headed over to my truck, threw on some pants over my running tights and stripped my wet shirts off and replaced it with a dry shirt and my jacket.  I shivered for a good 20 minutes as the my truck's heater warmed up.  On the drive home, I stopped in at an In N Out for a juicy Double Double.  It wasn't the bacon cheeseburger I had been craving, but it was satisfying just the same.

My right foot - post run

My left foot - post run

The next morning I met with my running group for their 11-mile training run.  I had taped my blisters and decided to run in my SKORAs to protect my feet a bit more.  My quads were very sore, but I knew that the 12 miles I was planning to run that day were going to help more than hurt. 

So for that weekend, I ran a total of 34 miles and a total of about 8 hours. 

Stay tuned for my next post (I'm still catching up)...

The Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run: Week 13 of 18

The countdown to race day is looming.  Nerves are starting to kick in.

This past week was a mixed bag for training.  Tuesday went as usual, but school obligations for the kiddos took priority on Wednesday and Thursday.  (Also, my training schedule told me to take the latter half of the week off because of the 31 mile training run for Sunday).

On Saturday my half marathon trainees were scheduled for a 9-mile run.  It was going to be their first significant mileage point since beginning training.  I debated whether I was going to run with them or set up an aid station around the midpoint.  The time came and I decided to run with them.

I started out with my pack of 12/13-min milers with the plan to catch the front group after a few miles.  Well, they are starting to get pretty fast up in the front.  I left the rear pack just after 2 miles.  It took me nearly 3 miles to catch my front runners.  I think next time I'll start in front and drop back :)

Everyone did a great job and made it back in under 2 hours!  I'm so proud of my runners!

I ended up with 11 miles for that morning.

Sunday I rested with the thought of a 31-mile run looming.  I still wasn't sure when I was going to do the run or where.  I live in a town called Stockton which is south of the capital, Sacramento.  It is just about exactly 31 miles from Stockton to Elk Grove.  I've toyed with the idea of running the distance between the two cities for a while now.  So, it seemed like the right time.

My town is too small to run 31 miles without running loops or zig zagging all over town.  I dislike loops and zig zagging even more.  It makes it too easy to stop or short-cut it back home.  I've always found that running is 98% mental (provided that you are trained up on the distance).  So, the best way for me to run 31 miles was in one long stretch.

Yesterday morning, I ate a packet of oatmeal with chia seeds mixed in, loaded up my hydration pack with some salt pills and shot bloks.  The plan was to use the county back roads leading up to Elk Grove and hit 2 mini-marts on the way for additional food.

The first few miles were smooth and easy along a very busy road.  I stayed to the sidewalks for these first few miles.  Once I turned onto the main county road, I was subjected to the very small paved shoulder and weed ridden dirt shoulder.

I had originally planned to run the majority of the trip barefoot.  However, I had carried along my Sockwa G2s for back up.  It turned out to be a good thing.  The county road was (as I had predicted) very harsh chip seal.  The thought of shredding my feet over miles and miles of this stuff only to fail at making the entire run was not an option.  So, I paused, slipped on my Sockwas and kept running.  Perfect!

It's amazing to me how little regard drivers have for pedestrians along the side of the road.  Very few cars moved over to give me a slight cushion of space between myself and their car.  More often than  not, I had to duck onto the dirt shoulder and knee high weeds for safety.

A little over an hour into my run I had hit the 7 mile mark at a truck stop area on Highway 12.  I wandered into the Chevron minimart and grabbed a gatorade to mix down in my hip bottle.  I took the opportunity to eat a few shot bloks and a couple salt tabs for good measure.  While going through these motions, a guy in a truck pulled up after dropping someone off at the minimart entrance.  He asked if I was a long distance runner.

He mistakenly asked if my hydration pack was oxygen.  Then quickly realized his error and asked if it was water.  We chatted for a few minutes about my pace and mileage.  He commented that he couldn't run a quarter-mile without having a heart attack.  He mentioned that this was his year to take control.  I wished him well and headed out down the road.

The next 8 or 9 miles went very smoothly as I ticked off the roads and freeway off-ramps that I normally speed by in my truck to work.  I finally arrived in the little town of Thornton.  I stopped off at "aid station #2", otherwise known as another minimart.  I wandered in and grabbed a gatorade and a bag of chips.  I sat down on the small lawn outside the store and proceeded to devour the chips and guzzle the gatorade.  I was worried that the gatorade might make my stomach ill since I was not watering it down.  I really didn't care at this point because I was hungry.

As I got ready to head down the road, I thought I'd pop in my ear buds for my iPhone and listen to the last part of my audiobook.  I had so much trouble with the ear bud and the audio files getting scrambled that I gave up and stuffed the whole mess back in my camelback.  (Now I know why I don't run with music anymore.)

From here it was a good 13 miles to the town of Franklin and the outskirts of Elk Grove.  These 13 miles proved to be the most tedious of my journey.  It was during these miles that my feet started to hurt more, my legs became a bit weary and I was questioning whether or not this was a good idea.  I dug down deep and told myself that I could do it.  I knew that I still could beat my 50K time (7:22) - the course being virtually flat. 

I began a schedule of walking for a minute or two and running a mile.  Toward the end, I was walking a quarter mile and running the remainder of the mile.  This kept my per mile pace at about 13 minutes per mile.  Also at this point, I let my wife know that she would not be able to pick me up at our planned time of 2 pm.  We told my dad to meet me at 3 pm.  

After I passed through the town of Franklin, I happened upon this odd sight and seriously considered using it for a few minutes.  It even had a pull-out bed.

But being that I was running short on time, I continued on down the road.


As I got closer to Elk Grove Blvd, I could feel my energy coming back (ever so slightly).  I managed to keep running more than I was walking.  Then came the sight that I both had been anxiously awaiting and dreading.  At mile 29, there is an overpass over the railroad tracks.  This hill is fairly long and takes a little work to get over when you're fresh.  It is one of 2 "hills" in Elk Grove.  I wasn't sure what I'd do when I got here.  I think mostly I planned to walk it.  However, as I reached the base, I took off in a run at a surprising 11-min mile pace up and over the hill.

Home stretch.  About another mile to the am/pm for some food and a car ride home.  I arrived at about 3:10 p.m.  My time a rough 6:24 (including my stop in Thornton where I forgot to stop my watch).  A full hour shorter than my Skyline 50K run (granted there is some serious elevation at Skyline).

I went through the am/pm like a man on a mission.  I grabbed 2 - Gatorade G3 Replenish drinks, a tall bottle of water (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I ran out of water and gatorade at about mile 25), two large hot dogs, and a big bag of Doritos.  My mind was such a blank I couldn't remember my PIN number for my card.  I had $10 and change on me - my bill $12 and change.  After I apologized to the lady at the counter and explained what I had just done, she told me she'd cover the difference because "we need to get some nutrition in you."  - THANK YOU :)  I did need some nutrition.

I went outside, sat on the curb and stuffed my face until I noticed my dad had finally arrived to pick me up.

When I got home, I stripped the Sockwas off my feet.  I knew I had a blister or two coming.  I had a nice quarter size blister on the ball of my right foot and a nasty looking blood blister on my pinkie toe of the same foot.  I guess one should probably wear socks with Sockwas if you're gonna run 31 miles.

Blood blister on my right foot

I felt pretty good at the end.  And still today, I'm feeling pretty limber.  I will say that one probably should not drink two Gatorade Replenish drinks back to back.  They did not go well through my system.  However, at the time, I really didn't care.

Back to running tomorrow. . .

The Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run - Weeks 11 and 12 of 18

Sorry for the delay in posting.  It's been a crazy two weeks.

So, update on the illness... I ended up with the flu two weekends ago.  I've felt great for the past two weeks. 

The mileage has been a real challenge lately.  I've continued to get good speed work in, but the long runs have suffered due to my nearly month-long illness. 

On President's Day Weekend, I managed to get a good 6+ miles in on Saturday while training my group.  Sunday, I was pretty tired, so I took a day of rest.  Monday I went out for a goal of at least 20 miles (with a goal of 24, if I could manage).  I planned a nice loop run that would keep me out of "short-cutting" back home for at least 18 miles.  Well, as it turned out, at the 7.25 mile mark the road I planned to take around a delta island was a private hunting ground and private road.  So, I had to turn around.  This turned out to be a good thing at first because I had to use the restroom and needed some food.  I stopped off at my house at just under 15 miles to use the restroom and grab a quick bite to eat. 

After leaving the house, I was starting to feel severely sapped of energy.  By mile 16, I felt like heading home.  I chalked it up to the mental game that often happens.  I always tell people that distance running is 98% mental and 2% physical (if you've been training).  I forced myself past a couple of streets that would have led me home.  I calculated that I needed to get to about 17.25 miles before turning around to hit a total of 20 miles for the day.  I got to 17 and I was DONE.

I think that it was my first official "BONK" that I've ever had during a run.  On the way home, I forced myself repeatedly to try and run.  I could barely get 50 meters at a time before having to walk.  I wound up at my house with 19 miles for the day.  Overall, I am not upset by this.  I needed to get close to 20 and I did that.  Being sick and not running much for a month really takes a toll on endurance.

Last week, I tried to get back on schedule.  I had great intentions and here it is BUT ...

Tuesday's run went great with the group - 4 miles.

Wednesday night I went out for a 6 mile run - at 3+ miles I came upon these little guys... I'm going to digress for a moment . . .

I was on a dark stretch of road behind a construction site, near a park but just outside the neighborhood of houses.  I saw the dogs and stopped running (I've been chased a few times before).  The black one ran out into the street a little scared.  I looked around for someone walking them, no one to be found.  I started walking slowly.  The white one ran up to me and started licking my toes.  It was then that I realized she was only a puppy.  As soon as I knelt down, she jumped all over me very excited.  The black one came running over to join in the fun.  I felt for collars - check.  But no tags - :(

It was late, about 9 pm.  The road is a thoroughfare out of the neighborhood so cars go at least 35 mph.  I couldn't leave these guys out on the road, so I coaxed them to come along with me.  They happily ran with me for a shortened route home (just over a mile).  So.... they've been with my family for almost a week now.  They were not microchipped.  I've put signs in and around the neighborhood that I found them.  No calls.  So, we're in the process of looking for a good home for them.  I wish we could keep them, but we already have 2 large lab mixes and a small yard.  So for now, we're just enjoying their company (most of the time - puppies like to chew on expensive stuff).

Back to running...

Saturday, I had a good 7+ mile run with my group.  However, the flu hit my house again - my wife and son falling victim this time.  Sunday came and I felt a bit achy.  I can't believe it.  I get the other strain of flu within 2 weeks of the first!!!  I think the flu hit me lightly - I felt a bit better today.  I do have  a slight cough again, but I'm hoping it's part of this new allergy thing I've been having.

Exciting news - there is a training run on the American River 50 course in March covering about 23 miles.  I'm going to be meeting up with Jason Robillard and hopefully a few others to run the course.  Looking forward to it very much.

Have a great week everyone! 

The Journey to a Barefoot 50-mile Endurance Run - Week 10 of 18

Cough - DONE! (I think)  Friday came down with the flu . . .  grrrr....

So, basically a full week of training down the tubes. 

My training group ran on their own on Saturday.  I'm such a proud coach!  They did awesome!  Me, on the other hand, I was in bed for nearly 3 days straight with dizziness and nausea.  On a lighter note, I finally got the time to watch Spirit of the Marathon.  Great documentary about the Chicago Marathon. 

It's a new week and I'm feeling better than I have in about a month!  I ran with the crew today on their second tempo run.  They all did great.  I also set a personal best (or the fastest mile I can remember).  I ran the third mile in 7:12.  Most of that mile was run at a 6:30 pace.  I can't remember ever running so fast in the past 5 or 6 years since I started seriously running.

I'm very optimistic about another personal best on my half marathon time.   My best marathon time looks like it will also be taken down a few pegs too if this trend continues. 

I have never been much for speedwork, but this training group has really inspired me.  In my efforts to give individualized attention to my runners during training sessions, I leapfrog up and back between groups of runners.  This forces me to push my pace almost to my absolute limit.  Two weeks ago, I pushed a 6 to 7 minute pace for a half mile to catch my front runners.  Today I pushed that pace for a full mile, in addition to pushing similar pace runs to catch my mid-group runners.

With the passing of the flu bug and the cough basically gone, I'm REALLY looking forward to a good serious week of training.  I got my 4 miles in today.  The rest of the week goes as follows:  Wednesday - 10 miles, Thursday 8 miles.  Saturday and Sunday are 22 and 10.  I really am looking forward to a good 20+ mile run because my month-long bout with illness came during the weeks when I was supposed to be hitting the 20-mile mark several weekends in a row.  Now, I can get down to business!

Final note, I'm looking into doing some serious stretching work with my foam roller as well as some cross-training bicycle work.  Lastly, I need to work on my core.  I'm hoping to get 1, if not 2, good days of core workouts each week in the final half of my training for the race.